School Profile · Van Nuys
Valley Charter Middle: No single number tells this school's story. Here's the honest picture.
Valley Charter posts 26% meeting the standard and 8.0% exceeding it, against 39% and 16.8% statewide. The gaps and the bright spots below are the real read.
14646 Sherman Way, 91405 (opens in new tab)·Los Angeles Unified·Van Nuys·Grades 6-8·264 students·83% low-income·Charter·2024–25 CAASPP·(818) 988-9128·Website
Charter school — publicly funded, independently operated, open enrollment via lottery. Learn more
Scope Score
28
🌱 Building Momentum · Needs Support
ranked #1,631 statewide · #171 of 226 in Los Angeles Unified
Valley Charter Middle scores 28 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 27th 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 “26% proficient” and call it done. Valley Charter deserves a closer read. The school sits in Van Nuys, where four in five students qualify for free or reduced lunch — and reading the numbers without that context misreads the school.
As a charter, Valley 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 2024–25Different students, same year — each bar is one grade's proficiency mix.
11%
24%
65%
Grade 6 · 35% proficient
30%
63%
Grade 7 · 37% proficient
10%
22%
68%
Grade 8 · 32% proficient
The honest read: the share exceeding holds steady across grades; the floor slips 2.8pp. The state average falls 0.5pp over the same span. A school visit and conversation with teachers will tell you more than this number.
The 5 things our score weighs
Exceeded standard
8.0%
State 16.8%
8.8pp below state avg
Met or exceeded
25.6%
State 39.3%
13.7pp below state avg
Growth (G6→G8)
+2.4pp
State +1.5pp
Scores improve across grades
Chronic absenteeism
24.4%
State 18.5%
5.8pp above state avg
Suspension rate
1.6%
State 3.7%
2.0pp below state avg
Worth a school visit
Ask what the school is working on next. Strong numbers tell you where a school is, not where it's going.
Where the path goes
The path below follows attendance boundaries — scores shown for each next step.
K-12 Feeder Path
Elementary
▼
High School
Estimated path based on proximity within the same district. Contact your school district for official feeder information.
Your other options
Nearby Middle Schools
3 within ~3 mi · avg 40
Louis Armstrong Middle
Los Angeles Unified · 3 mi
Developing
47/100
High Tech LA Middle
Los Angeles Unified · 2.9 mi
Developing
38/100
Van Nuys Middle
Los Angeles Unified · 2.2 mi
Developing
36/100
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 ScoreStudent demographics
Hispanic85.2%
White9.5%
Asian1.1%
Black1.9%
Other2.3%
GenderFemale 49.6%Male 50.4%
Low IncomeFree/reduced lunch eligible 83.3% (20pp above CA avg)
Resources & Access
Enrollment
264
596 below CA avg (~860)
Student-Teacher Ratio
20:1
1 fewer students per teacher than CA avg
Per-Pupil Spending
$18,180
CA avg: $14,815 · District avg · NCES F-33
Teacher Salary Range
$60,420 – $122,706
District schedule · CA median ~$98K
At Valley Charter Middle in Van Nuys, 30.9% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 40.9% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Valley Charter Middle trails its district average for low-income students by 10.0 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (14.7% Math proficient); Hispanic students (30.9% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 34.1 percentage points for english learner students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 217 students tested.
Equity Gaps
ELA · English Learner−34.1pp
0.0% vs 34.1% overall · n=17
3 more gaps by subject
ELA Exceeded · English Learner−9.0pp
0.0% vs 9.0% overall · n=17
Math · English Learner−17.2pp
0.0% vs 17.2% overall · n=17
Math Exceeded · Disabilities−7.1pp
0.0% vs 7.1% overall · n=46
Subgroups with fewer than 15 students are excluded for privacy. Gaps of less than 3 percentage points are not shown.
Subgroup Proficiency
Low-Income217 tested
ELA 30.9%·Math 14.7%· -10.0pp vs district
Hispanic220 tested
ELA 30.9%·Math 13.6%· -10.1pp vs district
Disabilities46 tested
ELA 8.7%·Math 6.5%· -7.4pp 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 10.0pp from grade 6 to grade 8 at this school. District average: -0.3pp.
Subgroups with fewer than 10 tested students per grade are not shown.
Funding Breakdown
Neighborhood Context
Median Income
$63K
$22K below CA median
Median Home Value
$738K
$79K above CA median
Bachelor's+
26%
9pp 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
7.1 years avg experience
16 teachers · 6% first-year · 6% second-year
Teacher Credentials
65% fully credentialed
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 →
For the data nerdsEvery number on this page
Score factors, grade-level breakdowns, subgroup proficiency, and peer comparisons.
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 · 43%
8.0%
↓ vs CA 16.8% · 40th pctile
Met or exceeded · 22%
25.6%
↓ vs CA 39.3% · 39th pctile
Growth (G6→G8) · 15%
+2.4pp
↑ vs CA +1.5pp · 42th pctile
Chronic absenteeism · 10%
24.4%
↓ vs CA 18.5% · 42th pctile
Suspension rate · 5%
1.6%
↑ vs CA 3.7% · 58th pctile
02By grade & subgroupCAASPP 2024–25 · % of tested students
| ELA | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT | MET+ | +/CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 6 | 85 | 11% | 24% | 35% | 31% | 34% | −12 |
| Grade 7 | 90 | 7% | 30% | 14% | 49% | 37% | −11 |
| Grade 8 | 83 | 10% | 22% | 22% | 47% | 31% | −15 |
| Math | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT | MET+ | +/CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 6 | 85 | 2% | 14% | 31% | 53% | 16% | −19 |
| Grade 7 | 90 | 4% | 7% | 30% | 59% | 11% | −23 |
| Grade 8 | 83 | 14% | 10% | 24% | 52% | 24% | −8 |
| Science (CAST) | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 5/8/11 | 83 | 7% | 11% | 65% | 17% |
CAST is tested in grades 5, 8, and once in high school — not annually. Not part of the Scope Score.
| Subgroup · ELA | Tested | MET+ | vs district | vs CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Socioeconomically Disadvantaged | 217 | 30.9% | −10 | −7 |
| Hispanic/Latino | 220 | 30.9% | −10 | −8 |
| Students with Disabilities | 46 | 8.7% | −7 | −8 |
03Peer comparison · nearest middle schoolssorted by Scope Score
| School | Dist | Scope | EXC | MET+ | Growth | Susp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Valley Charter Middle ← | — | 28 | 8.0% | 25.6% | +2.4 | 1.6% |
| Louis Armstrong Middle | 3 mi | 47 | 23.0% | 47.0% | +0.9 | 1.0% |
| High Tech LA Middle | 2.9 mi | 38 | 10.4% | 32.4% | +10.0 | 0.2% |
| Van Nuys Middle | 2.2 mi | 36 | 12.0% | 32.6% | +1.5 | 4.7% |
| California average | — | 40 | 16.8% | 39.3% | +1.5 | 3.7% |
04More measurescontext · not all part of the Scope Score
Scope Score history
2019 · 2022 · 2023 · 2024 · 2025 · no testing 2020–21 (COVID) · rank #1442 → #1193 → #1091 → #1470 → #1631
Source: CA Dept. of Education · CAASPP 2024–25 · n=2,238 middle schools · Data updated 2026-07-03methodology · data updates · CSV · report issue
A low score doesn't tell the whole story. Read: Your School Scored Low — Here's What That Actually Means
Frequently asked questions
Is Valley Charter Middle a good middle school?
Valley Charter Middle has a Scope Score of 28 out of 100, placing it in the 27th percentile of California middle schools and ranked #1,631 statewide. 8.0% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is 8.8 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 Charter Middle's CAASPP test scores?
On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 25.6% of students at Valley Charter Middle met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 8.0% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 17.6% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 8.0% 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. 516 student-subject combinations were assessed.
How does Valley Charter Middle rank in California?
Valley Charter Middle ranks #1,631 among California middle schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 27th 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.
Is Valley Charter Middle getting better or worse?
Based on 2025 CAASPP data, proficiency at Valley Charter Middle increases by 2.4 percentage points from Grade 6 to grade 8 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 middle 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 Valley Charter Middle?
24.4% of students at Valley Charter Middle are chronically absent (missing 10% or more of school days), compared to the California average of 18.5%. The suspension rate is 1.6%, 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 Valley Charter Middle compare to other schools in Van Nuys?
Valley Charter Middle scores 28/100 (27th 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 264 students. Use the schools in Van Nuys page or the map view to compare all middle schools nearby.
How does Valley Charter Middle serve low-income and underrepresented students?
At Valley Charter Middle in Van Nuys, 30.9% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 40.9% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Valley Charter Middle trails its district average for low-income students by 10.0 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (14.7% Math proficient); Hispanic students (30.9% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 34.1 percentage points for english learner students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 217 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.