ExploreMapCompareBlogSign in
School Profile · El Centro

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

Valley Academy posts low test scores — and test scores are one lens among several. If this is your zoned school, the numbers below are where to start a conversation, not where to end one.

Scope Score
16
🌱 Building Momentum · Needs Support
ranked #2,197 statewide

Valley Academy scores 16 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 2nd percentile of 2,238 California middle 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 “0% proficient” and call it done. Valley Academy deserves a closer read. The school sits in El Centro, where four 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.

The 5 things our score weighs

Exceeded standard
0.0%
State 16.8%
16.8pp below state avg
Met or exceeded
0.0%
State 39.3%
39.3pp below state avg
Chronic absenteeism
35.1%
State 18.5%
16.6pp above state avg
Suspension rate
2.9%
State 3.7%
0.7pp below state avg
EL proficiency (ELPAC)
16.2%
State 18.0%
1.8pp below 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.

Estimated K-12 Path
Middle
Valley Academy
16
This school

Estimated K-12 path based on district and proximity. Actual attendance zones may differ. Contact your school district for official feeder information.

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

Hispanic95.6%
White1.9%
Black1.5%
Other1.0%
GenderFemale 36.6%Male 63.4%
Low IncomeFree/reduced lunch eligible 93.7% (30pp above CA avg)
Resources & Access
Enrollment
205
995 below CA avg (~1,200)
Transitional Kindergarten
No TK reported, 2025-26
California requires the district to offer TK, but not every site has a room — ask the district which campuses do.
Student-Teacher Ratio
21:1
1 fewer students per teacher than CA avg
Per-Pupil Spending
$33,686
District avg: $90,983 · CA avg: $14,815 · School-level · CDE ESSA
EL Proficiency (ELPAC)
16.2% Level 4
Share of English Learners reaching full proficiency
At Valley Academy in El Centro, 5.6% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 5.6% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Valley Academy outperforms its district average for low-income students by 0.1 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (1.4% Math proficient); Hispanic students (4.0% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 4.5 percentage points for disabilities students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 71 students tested.
Equity Gaps
Absenteeism · English Learner+11.2pp
46.3% vs 35.1% overall · n=136
ELA · Disabilities−4.5pp
0.0% vs 4.5% overall · n=20

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

Subgroup Proficiency
Low-Income71 tested
ELA 5.6%·Math 1.4%· +0.1pp vs district
Hispanic75 tested
ELA 4.0%·Math 1.4%· +0.1pp vs district
English Learner34 tested
ELA 2.9%·Math 0.0%· +0.1pp 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.

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

Funding Breakdown
Instruction 33%Support 67%Other 0%

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

Neighborhood Context
Median Income
$55K
$30K below CA median
Median Home Value
$318K
$341K below CA median
Bachelor's+
15%
20pp below 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
9.1 years avg experience
12 teachers · 8% first-year · 8% second-year
Teacher Credentials
33% fully credentialed
10.0% 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 Valley Academy a good middle school?
Valley Academy has a Scope Score of 16 out of 100, placing it in the 2nd percentile of California middle schools and ranked #2,197 statewide. 0.0% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is 16.8 percentage points below the California average of 16.8%. The Scope Score weights six dimensions for middle 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 Valley Academy's CAASPP test scores?
On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 0.0% of students at Valley Academy met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 0.0% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 0.0% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 0.0% 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. 65 student-subject combinations were assessed.
How does Valley Academy rank in California?
Valley Academy ranks #2,197 among California middle schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 2nd percentile. This ranking is based on a weighted composite of 2025 CAASPP test performance (exceeded and met rates), grade-level growth (Grade 6 to grade 8 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.
What is the attendance and school culture like at Valley Academy?
35.1% of students at Valley Academy are chronically absent (missing 10% or more of school days), compared to the California average of 18.5%. The suspension rate is 2.9%. 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 Valley Academy compare to other schools in El Centro?
Valley Academy scores 16/100 (2nd percentile) among California middle 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 205 students. Use the schools in El Centro page or the map view to compare all middle schools nearby.
How does Valley Academy serve low-income and underrepresented students?
At Valley Academy in El Centro, 5.6% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 5.6% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Valley Academy outperforms its district average for low-income students by 0.1 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (1.4% Math proficient); Hispanic students (4.0% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 4.5 percentage points for disabilities students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 71 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%
0.0%
↓ vs CA 16.8% · 31th pctile
Met or exceeded · 20%
0.0%
↓ vs CA 39.3% · 19th pctile
Chronic absenteeism · 5%
35.1%
↓ vs CA 18.5% · 27th pctile
Suspension rate · 5%
2.9%
↑ vs CA 3.7% · 53th pctile
EL proficiency (ELPAC) · 5%
16.2%
↓ vs CA 18.0% · 45th pctile
02By grade & subgroupCAASPP 2024–25 · % of tested students
ELATestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 64
Grade 76
Grade 8320%0%6%94%0%−46
Grade 11450%9%13%78%9%−38
MathTestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 64
Grade 76
Grade 8330%0%3%97%0%−32
Grade 11440%2%5%93%2%−21
Science (CAST)TestedEXCMETNEARNOT
Grade 5/8/11630%0%51%49%

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 Disadvantaged715.6%+0−33
Hispanic/Latino754.0%+0−35
English Learners342.9%+0−7
03Peer comparison · nearest middle schoolssorted by Scope Score
SchoolDistScopeEXCMET+GrowthSusp
Valley Academy ←160.0%0.0%2.9%
California average4316.8%39.3%+1.53.7%
04More measurescontext · not all part of the Scope Score
Scope Score history
17%16%'23'24'25
2023 · 2024 · 2025 · rank #2147 → #2134 → #2197
What we can't show
  • — Growth data isn't available — the state needs matched grades across years to compute it.
  • — Scored here as a middle school — other grade spans appear in the data appendix.
  • — Low-income students here trail the state average for their group by 33 points in ELA — worth asking how the school is closing that gap.
Source: CA Dept. of Education · CAASPP 2024–25 · n=2,238 middle schools · Data updated 2026-07-03methodology · data updates · CSV · report issue