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School Profile · San Diego

Urban Discovery Academy Charter: The scores are below where anyone wants them. Here's what they don't tell you.

Urban Discovery Academy Charter posts low test scores — and grade 5 tests above grade 3 here this year, by 0.4pp. If this is your zoned school, the numbers below are where to start a conversation, not where to end one.

840 14th Street, 92101 (opens in new tab)·San Diego Unified·San Diego·Grades TK-12·330 students·64% low-income·Charter·2024–25 CAASPP·(619) 788-4668·Website
Charter school — publicly funded, independently operated, open enrollment via lottery. Learn more
Scope Score
30
🌱 Building Momentum · Needs Support
ranked #4,811 statewide · #117 of 137 in San Diego Unified

Urban Discovery Academy Charter scores 30 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 16th percentile of 5,744 California elementary schools (CDE CAASPP 2025).

Measures test performance, attendance, and climate — not arts, community, or your kid. How we score →

Most rating sites would stop at “20% proficient” and call it done. Urban Discovery Academy Charter deserves a closer read. The school sits in San Diego, where three in five students qualify for free or reduced lunch — and reading the numbers without that context misreads the school.

Test scores are one lens, and at this school they're a rough one right now. The sections below show the fuller picture — including the parts that are working.

As a charter, Urban Discovery Academy Charter enrolls by application, not address — the score reads the same, the enrollment path doesn't.

The story this school is actually telling

The school, grade by grade

ELA · CAASPP 2024–25

Different students, same year — each bar is one grade's proficiency mix.

17%
79%
Grade 3 · 21% proficient
10%
87%
Grade 4 · 13% proficient
9%
17%
74%
Grade 5 · 26% proficient

The 5 things our score weighs

Exceeded standard
4.4%
State 21.3%
16.9pp below state avg
Growth (G3→G5)
+0.4pp
State -2.9pp
Scores improve across grades
Met or exceeded
20.4%
State 42.7%
22.3pp below state avg
Chronic absenteeism
38.7%
State 17.9%
20.8pp above state avg
Suspension rate
1.9%
State 1.6%
0.2pp above state avg
Worth a school visit

Ask what changed in the last two years, and what the school is asking families for. Growth shows up in these numbers a year or two after it shows up in classrooms.

Where the path goes

The path below follows attendance boundaries — scores shown for each next step.

K-12 Path

Urban Discovery Academy Charter serves grades K-12 — students can complete their entire K-12 education here.

Your other options

Private alternatives nearby

Private schools within ~10 miles. These schools do not participate in state testing and cannot be scored or ranked.

The community around it

Community Profile
Context — not part of the Scope Score

Student demographics

Hispanic57.3%
White15.8%
Asian0.3%
Black14.2%
Other12.4%
Low IncomeFree/reduced lunch eligible 63.6% (0pp below CA avg)
Resources & Access
Enrollment
330
870 below CA avg (~1,200)
Transitional Kindergarten
20 TK students
6% of a 310-student campus · CDE Census Day 2025-26
Student-Teacher Ratio
19:1
2 fewer students per teacher than CA avg
Per-Pupil Spending
$15,976
CA avg: $14,815 · District avg · NCES F-33
Teacher Salary Range
$55,375 – $124,275
District schedule · CA median ~$98K
At Urban Discovery Academy Charter in San Diego, 22.6% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 42.6% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Urban Discovery Academy Charter trails its district average for low-income students by 20.0 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (11.3% Math proficient); Hispanic students (15.8% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 12.3 percentage points for hispanic students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 115 students tested.
Equity Gaps
ELA · Hispanic−12.3pp
18.6% vs 30.9% overall · n=61
2 more gaps by subject
ELA Exceeded · Hispanic−4.0pp
0.0% vs 4.0% overall · n=61
Math · Hispanic−9.7pp
4.3% vs 14.1% overall · n=61

Subgroups with fewer than 15 students are excluded for privacy. Gaps of less than 3 percentage points are not shown.

Subgroup Proficiency
Low-Income115 tested
ELA 22.6%·Math 11.3%· -20.0pp vs district
Hispanic95 tested
ELA 15.8%·Math 4.2%· -25.2pp vs district

Weighted average across tested grades. Subgroups with fewer than 15 students excluded. Data: CDE CAASPP 2024-25.

Subgroup Growth by Grade
Change in proficiency from lowest tested grade. Shows which groups are gaining ground.

Low-income student ELA proficiency falls by 19.0pp from grade 3 to grade 5 at this school. District average: +5.6pp.

Subgroups with fewer than 10 tested students per grade are not shown.

Funding Breakdown
Instruction 60%Support 36%Other 4%

Source: NCES F-33 (2019–2020) · Full district breakdown →

Neighborhood Context
Median Income
$92K
$7K above CA median
Median Home Value
$793K
$134K above CA median
Bachelor's+
58%
23pp above CA avg
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2024) · ZIP-level
Whole Child
Teacher experience, college/career readiness, and more. Context only — never part of the Scope Score.
Teacher Experience
11.0 years avg experience
21 teachers · 14% first-year · 5% second-year
Teacher Credentials
62% fully credentialed
15.4% on intern/emergency permit

Source: CDE SARC, 2024-25

Community Profile provides context about who attends this school and the resources available. These factors are never part of the Scope Score. Learn why →

Frequently asked questions

Is Urban Discovery Academy Charter a good elementary school?
Urban Discovery Academy Charter has a Scope Score of 30 out of 100, placing it in the 16th percentile of California elementary schools and ranked #4,811 statewide. 4.4% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is 16.9 percentage points below the California average of 21.3%. The Scope Score weights six dimensions for elementary schools: exceeded standard (43%), met or exceeded (22%), grade 3-to-5 growth (15%), chronic absenteeism (10%), ELPAC English Learner proficiency (5%), and suspension rate (5%). Data source: California Department of Education CAASPP 2025, analyzed by SchoolScope.
What are Urban Discovery Academy Charter's CAASPP test scores?
On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 20.4% of students at Urban Discovery Academy Charter met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 4.4% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 16.0% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 4.4% pushed past it. Most rating sites report only the combined "proficient" number. SchoolScope surfaces the exceeded-vs-met split because it reveals whether a school's curriculum challenges students beyond minimum proficiency or paces toward it. 178 student-subject combinations were assessed.
How does Urban Discovery Academy Charter rank in California?
Urban Discovery Academy Charter ranks #4,811 among California elementary schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 16th percentile. This ranking is based on a weighted composite of 2025 CAASPP test performance (exceeded and met rates), grade-level growth (Grade 3 to grade 5 growth), chronic absenteeism, and suspension rate. Unlike single-number ratings, the Scope Score shows what drives the ranking so parents can decide what matters most to their family. See full methodology.
Is Urban Discovery Academy Charter getting better or worse?
Based on 2025 CAASPP data, proficiency at Urban Discovery Academy Charter increases by 0.4 percentage points from Grade 3 to grade 5 growth. This upward trajectory suggests the school is adding measurable value — students leave with higher proficiency rates than they entered with. Growth trajectory is weighted at 15% in the elementary Scope Score because it measures what the school does, not just who walks in the door.
What is the attendance and school culture like at Urban Discovery Academy Charter?
38.7% of students at Urban Discovery Academy Charter are chronically absent (missing 10% or more of school days), compared to the California average of 17.9%. The suspension rate is 1.9%, indicating a low-discipline-incident environment. SchoolScope includes these culture metrics in the Scope Score because they reflect day-to-day school experience in ways test scores alone cannot.
How does Urban Discovery Academy Charter compare to other schools in San Diego?
Urban Discovery Academy Charter scores 30/100 (16th percentile) among California elementary schools. To compare with nearby schools, SchoolScope shows the same metrics side by side: exceeded rate, proficiency, growth trajectory, and school culture indicators. The school serves 330 students. Use the schools in San Diego page or the map view to compare all elementary schools nearby.
How does Urban Discovery Academy Charter serve low-income and underrepresented students?
At Urban Discovery Academy Charter in San Diego, 22.6% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 42.6% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Urban Discovery Academy Charter trails its district average for low-income students by 20.0 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (11.3% Math proficient); Hispanic students (15.8% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 12.3 percentage points for hispanic students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 115 students tested. SchoolScope shows disaggregated test scores by demographic subgroup so you can see how a school performs for your child's specific group — not just the school-wide average. Subgroup data is context, not part of the Scope Score: we don't penalize schools for who they serve. See our equity approach.

For the data nerds

Every number on this page

Score factors, grade-level breakdowns, subgroup proficiency, and peer comparisons.

01Score factorsWeighted composite · 2024–25
Exceeded standard · 38%
4.4%
↓ vs CA 21.3% · 34th pctile
Growth (G3→G5) · 27%
+0.4pp
↑ vs CA -2.9pp · 54th pctile
Met or exceeded · 20%
20.4%
↓ vs CA 42.7% · 33th pctile
Chronic absenteeism · 5%
38.7%
↓ vs CA 17.9% · 16th pctile
Suspension rate · 5%
1.9%
↓ vs CA 1.6% · 48th pctile
02By grade & subgroupCAASPP 2024–25 · % of tested students
ELATestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 3234%17%26%52%22%−22
Grade 4313%10%23%65%13%−32
Grade 5359%17%26%49%26%−22
Grade 6323%22%25%50%25%−22
Grade 7360%39%19%42%39%−9
Grade 8160%31%25%44%31%−15
Grade 11119%55%18%18%64%+16
MathTestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 3234%22%43%30%26%−20
Grade 4310%13%16%71%13%−29
Grade 5356%17%29%49%23%−12
Grade 6330%9%24%67%9%−26
Grade 7360%11%25%64%11%−23
Grade 8160%0%19%81%0%−32
Grade 119
Science (CAST)TestedEXCMETNEARNOT
Grade 5/8/11633%17%56%24%

CAST is tested in grades 5, 8, and once in high school — not annually. Not part of the Scope Score.

Subgroup · ELATestedMET+vs districtvs CA
Socioeconomically Disadvantaged11522.6%−20−16
Hispanic/Latino9515.8%−25−23
03Peer comparison · nearest elementary schoolssorted by Scope Score
SchoolDistScopeEXCMET+GrowthSusp
Urban Discovery Academy Charter ←304.4%20.4%+0.41.9%
McKinley Elementary2.3 mi7752.0%80.9%+2.50.3%
Grant K-82.8 mi6145.6%75.9%−9.40.9%
Coronado Village Elementary2.2 mi6141.2%72.2%+6.42.5%
California average4521.3%42.7%−2.91.6%
04More measurescontext · not all part of the Scope Score
Scope Score history
39%30%'19'22'23'24'25
2019 · 2022 · 2023 · 2024 · 2025 · no testing 2020–21 (COVID) · rank #3259 → #4773 → #3838 → #5377 → #4811
What we can't show
  • — Scored here as an elementary school — other grade spans appear in the data appendix.
  • — Low-income students here trail the state average for their group by 16 points in ELA — worth asking how the school is closing that gap.
Source: CA Dept. of Education · CAASPP 2024–25 · n=5,744 elementary schools · Data updated 2026-07-03methodology · data updates · CSV · report issue