Public school with a magnet program · Sierra Sands Unified

Vieweg STEM Academy — Rating & test scores

Ridgecrest · TK–8

348 Rowe Street, 93555ssusd.org ↗(760) 499-1840Principal Marina Amador
How to read this →
81stpercentileStrong

The dots are California’s 5,728 scored public elementary schools, placed by Scope Score on spring 2026 tests. How it’s built ›

Scope Score
55 / 100

Weighted composite · 2026
Not a grade or a test result.

See this school’s score factors ↓
Needs Support25 in 100Developing25 in 100Solid25 in 100Strong25 in 100
Needs Support25 in 100Developing25 in 100Solid25 in 100Strong25 in 100
Needs Support25 in 100Developing25 in 100Solid25 in 100Strong25 in 100
Well above California in English and math: 63% and 62% met or exceeded the standard in grades 3–5, against 46% and 42% statewide. Source
Source
CDE CAASPP Smarter Balanced results, spring 2026
Students
all students tested in grades 3–5: 99
Comparison
California: CDE’s statewide grade 3, 4 and 5 rows combined, weighted by students tested (our calculation; 1,208,894 in English and 1,211,701 in math tested).

Latest test update · spring 2025 → 2026: a comparable all-grades result is unavailable. SchoolScope shows this comparison only with both years and at least 30 scored students per subject. See the available records →

Other grades here, each placed among California’s schools of that level: middle 70th percentile, Solid (spring 2026 tests).

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Things worth knowing

Open a finding for the evidence
33% of students tested in math reached the top of the state’s four levels, about one and a half times California’s rate in the same grades (21%).grades 3–5 · spring 2026
33%Math · exceeded the standard
Source
CDE CAASPP Smarter Balanced results, spring 2026
Students
all students tested in grades 3–5
Comparison
California: CDE’s statewide grade 3, 4 and 5 rows combined, weighted by students tested (our calculation; 1,211,701 in math tested).
3.6% of students (13 of 364) were suspended at least once in 2025–26, against 1.6% at the average California elementary school.2025–26
3.6%of students were suspended at least once, 2025–26

Ask: When a student is suspended, what happens before and after, and who talks with the family?

Source
CDE suspension file, 2025–26
Students
all students enrolled during the year (CDE’s cumulative enrollment): 364
Comparison
13 of 364. District and California figures are averages of school rates (7 Sierra Sands Unified schools; 5,728 scored California elementary schools), our calculation.

Academic achievement

Beyond a single score: who exceeds, meets or is still approaching the standard.

Learning

Are children building strong foundations?

Advanced (exceeded)Proficient (met)Below Proficient

English

grades 3–5Spring 2026

All students tested

Advanced
32%
Proficient
31%
Below Proficient
37%

63% proficient or advanced · 99 tested

Explore the results & sources
LevelHereCaliforniaSierra Sands Unified
Advanced32%24%17%
Proficient31%22%22%
Developing18%21%23%
Minimal19%33%38%

Below Proficient combines Developing and Minimal. The full track represents all students tested. Share of students tested. Data source: California Department of Education, spring 2026. State comparison combines the same grades, weighted by students tested.

See each grade’s results →

Math

grades 3–5Spring 2026

All students tested

Advanced
33%
Proficient
29%
Below Proficient
38%

62% proficient or advanced · 99 tested

Explore the results & sources
LevelHereCaliforniaSierra Sands Unified
Advanced33%21%13%
Proficient29%21%21%
Developing20%25%31%
Minimal18%33%35%

Below Proficient combines Developing and Minimal. The full track represents all students tested. Share of students tested. Data source: California Department of Education, spring 2026. State comparison combines the same grades, weighted by students tested.

See each grade’s results →

What these tests tell you · what to ask

Reading and math results for the tested grades. These do not measure the experience in kindergarten or the early grades.

Ask: How do you help children who need more support in reading or math, and those ready for more challenge?

Comparisons & progress

Put today’s results in context, then follow the longer view.

Same grades, same year

How does this school compare?

English

grades 3–5Spring 2026

All students tested

How it compares · proficient or advanced

Same grades · spring 2026 · 0–100%

This school63%
California46%

Tested: 99 here · 1,208,894 in California.

Same grades · spring 2026 · 0–100%

This school63%
Sierra Sands Unified39%

Tested: 99 here · 1,000 in Sierra Sands Unified. District public schools combined, weighted by students tested · 7 schools.

Math

grades 3–5Spring 2026

All students tested

How it compares · proficient or advanced

Same grades · spring 2026 · 0–100%

This school62%
California42%

Tested: 99 here · 1,211,701 in California.

Same grades · spring 2026 · 0–100%

This school62%
Sierra Sands Unified34%

Tested: 99 here · 1,002 in Sierra Sands Unified. District public schools combined, weighted by students tested · 7 schools.

Progress over time

How have test results changed?

Our comparable history for these grades covers 2026 only. More years are needed to show a longer trend.

English

Met or exceeded · grades 3–5 · all students tested

Latest annual comparison

2025—No comparable result
→
202663%99 tested

This school

A comparison with the previous year is unavailable. Explore the available history below.

Math

Met or exceeded · grades 3–5 · all students tested

Latest annual comparison

2025—No comparable result
→
202662%99 tested

This school

A comparison with the previous year is unavailable. Explore the available history below.

Each year tests a different group of students. These results do not track one child’s progress.

Explore the available years & underlying data

English: 63% in 2026. Math: 62% in 2026. Each year is a different group of students.

Annual values & tested counts

English · met or exceeded · grades 3–5
YearThis schoolCalifornia
202663%
99 tested		46%
1,208,894 tested
Math · met or exceeded · grades 3–5
YearThis schoolCalifornia
202662%
99 tested		42%
1,211,701 tested

Life at school

How often students miss school or are suspended, and how the school describes itself where its website does.

What’s it like

Attendance and discipline

11 in 100students chronically absent, 2025–26
22in 100 at the average Sierra Sands Unified school17in 100 at the average California elementary school

40 of 351 students missed 10% or more of school days.

This school11 in 100
at the average Sierra Sands Unified school22 in 100
at the average California elementary school17 in 100
3.6%of students were suspended at least once (13 of 364), 2025–26
3.5%at the average Sierra Sands Unified school1.6%at the average California elementary school
Attendance by grade
Chronically absent, 2025–26Per 100 studentsStudents
Grades 4–6811 of 134
Grades 7–81613 of 83

What people here say

Answers from students, families and staff. Each source stays separate.

Know this school? Add your answers

Have a child here? Answer 7 questions about how Vieweg STEM Academy works for your family.

Answer the family questions →Responder en español

Work here? We don’t check staff emails for Sierra Sands Unified yet. Tell us your district’s email domain and we’ll work on adding it.

Ask us to add your district →

Students

We don’t have student survey results for Vieweg STEM Academy. Ask whether the school surveys its students, and what it learned from the answers.

Families

Family answers collected by SchoolScope

We don’t show family answers yet. How family answers work

Ask current families about communication, belonging and support when a child needs help.

Staff

We don’t have staff survey results for Vieweg STEM Academy. Ask about staff continuity, collaboration and support across the school.

Every learner

Who attends, and how outcomes differ across student groups.

Kids like mine

How each student group did

Proficient or Advanced · grades 3–8 · spring 2026. Compare each group with the same group in the same grades.

HereCaliforniaEach track: 0–100%

Low-income

74 English · 73 math tested · grades 4–7

English41% / 38%
Math36% / 27%

White

125 tested per subject

English66% / 61%
Math59% / 53%

Hispanic or Latino

48 tested per subject · grades 4 and 6 and 7

English48% / 38%
Math40% / 27%

Low-income, White and Hispanic or Latino students here did better than the same groups across Sierra Sands Unified and close to the same groups statewide.

All group results, district comparisons and sources
Proficient or Advancedgrades 3–8 · spring 2026
Group and subjectHerevs Sierra Sands Unifiedvs California
Low-income · 74 tested in English, 73 in math · grades 4–7 only
English41%+1328%+338%
Math36%+1620%+927%
White · 125 tested
English66%+2145%+561%
Math59%+2237%+653%
Hispanic or Latino · 48 tested · grades 4 and 6 and 7 only
English48%+1632%+1038%
Math40%+1822%+1327%

Each gap is to the same group, grades and subject: in Sierra Sands Unified, and across California. None is green: no group that is behind statewide does 10 or more points better here than the same group statewide.

Students with disabilities: fewer than 30 tested here. No published rate here for Asian, Black or African American, Filipino, American Indian or Alaska Native, Pacific Islander, homeless and military-family students, students of two or more races, English learners and foster youth. That can reflect privacy rules or small numbers; it isn’t evidence of a gap. This table covers groups by income, race or ethnicity, language and disability; girls and boys aren’t split out.

Who goes here

Students and staff

Student mix

2025–26 · eligible enrollment

Incomplete category detail

1. White: 54%2. Hispanic or Latino: 31%3. Two or more races: 9%Unallocated share: 6%. 100% minus available shares; not a student group.Reported shares2025–26
  1. White54%
  2. Hispanic or Latino31%
  3. Two or more races9%
  4. Asian—
  5. Black or African American—
  6. Filipino—
  7. American Indian or Alaska Native—
  8. Pacific Islander—
  9. Not reported—
  10. Unallocated share6%
Dashed remainder = 100% minus available shares, not a separate student group. Missing categories remain unavailable. Shares use eligible enrollment in the CDE chronic-absence file.
Full student mix, comparisons & sources
Eligible enrollment, 2025–26Here
White54%
Hispanic or Latino31%
Two or more races9%
Asian—
Black or African American—
Filipino—
American Indian or Alaska Native—
Pacific Islander—
Not reported—

Data source: California Department of Education chronic-absence file, 2025–26. Shares use eligible enrollment; unavailable categories are shown as a dash.

Questions & evidence

Turn the data into useful questions. Trace every result back to its record.

Getting in

Vieweg STEM Academy runs through 8th grade, so there’s no middle-school move.

Ask Sierra Sands Unified which school serves your address.

School website: ssusd.org ↗Office: (760) 499-1840Principal: Marina Amador

Location and visiting

Get directions ↗
348 Rowe Street, Ridgecrest 93555

Directory location · Explore nearby schools on the map. Confirm address eligibility and visit arrangements with the school.

Questions to ask

A short list for your school visit.

  1. When a student is suspended, what happens before and after, and who talks with the family?
  2. How do you teach early reading and check each child’s progress?
  3. What does extra support or enrichment look like during the school day?
  4. What are the school-day hours and after-school care options?

Accountability

Who runs this school

Run by Sierra Sands Unified. The district writes the yearly plan (LCAP) for its schools. See what Sierra Sands Unified plans.

Common questions

Is Vieweg STEM Academy a good elementary school?
Vieweg STEM Academy is in the 81st percentile (Strong) of California’s regular public and charter elementary schools. Its Scope Score is 55 of 100: it places the school among them; it isn’t a grade. In spring 2026, on California's state tests (CAASPP), Vieweg STEM Academy was well above California in English and math: 63% and 62% met or exceeded the standard in grades 3–5, against 46% and 42% statewide. The 2026 Scope Score combines 6 dimensions for elementary schools: exceeded standard, met or exceeded the standard, grade 3-to-5 growth, chronic absenteeism, suspension rate, and ELPAC English Learner proficiency. See the current formula and weights. Data source: California Department of Education CAASPP Smarter Balanced results, spring 2026, analyzed by SchoolScope.
What are Vieweg STEM Academy's CAASPP test scores?
In spring 2026, 63% of students tested in grades 3–5 met or exceeded the English standard and 62% the math standard; 32% and 33% exceeded it. For the same grades, California's rate was 46% and 42% met or exceeded, 24% and 21% exceeded. 99 students were tested in English and 99 in math (CDE CAASPP 2025–26; California's rate combines CDE's statewide grade rows, weighted by students tested, our calculation).
How does Vieweg STEM Academy rank in California?
Vieweg STEM Academy is in the 81st percentile of 5,728 California comprehensive elementary schools (Strong, 2026). Vieweg STEM Academy ranks #1,052 by Scope Score in that comparison pool. The 2026 Scope Score combines 6 dimensions for elementary schools: exceeded standard, met or exceeded the standard, grade 3-to-5 growth, chronic absenteeism, suspension rate, and ELPAC English Learner proficiency. See full methodology.
What do attendance and suspension records show for Vieweg STEM Academy?
CDE chronic absence 2025–26: 11.4% of eligible students missed 10% or more of the days they were expected to attend; 40 chronically absent of 351 eligible students. CDE suspension 2025–26: 3.6%; 13 unduplicated suspended students of 364 cumulative enrollment. These figures cannot establish safety or everyday experience. How the Scope Score is built.
How does Vieweg STEM Academy compare to other schools in Ridgecrest?
Vieweg STEM Academy is in the 81st percentile (Strong) of California’s regular public and charter elementary schools. To compare with nearby schools, SchoolScope shows the same measures side by side: the share of students who met or exceeded the standard, the share who exceeded it, growth, chronic absence and suspensions. Use the schools in Ridgecrest page or the map view to compare nearby elementary schools.
What do reported student-group results show at Vieweg STEM Academy?
At Vieweg STEM Academy in Ridgecrest, 41% of low-income students (CDE’s “socioeconomically disadvantaged” group) in grades 4–7 scored Proficient or Advanced (formerly Met or Exceeded) in reading and writing in spring 2026, compared with 28% across the district and 38% across California for the same group in the same grades. That is 13 points above the district rate for the same group. Also: low-income students, 36% in math; White students, 66% in reading and writing. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP, spring 2026. 74 low-income students tested in reading and writing. 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.

Other options

If this school isn’t the fit

The closest schools at the same level, by straight-line distance from this campus. Distance isn’t an attendance boundary.

Nearby elementary schools2026 statewide percentile

Each percentile compares a school with California schools at its own level.

Explore nearby schools on the map →

Source records

Explore the data

Available score factors, grade-level results and student-group measures, with source details.

Downloads, sources & methodology
Download CSVReport a data issueMethodologyData updatesCDE CAASPP research files (opens in new tab)

Vieweg STEM Academy is ranked #1,052 statewide · #1 of 7 in Sierra Sands Unified.

Score factorsInspect source values, comparisons and score weights.Weighted composite · 2025–26
Score factors
FactorSchoolStateWeight
Exceeded standard33.9%21.5%42%
Met or exceeded63.5%43.0%23%
Chronic absenteeism12.1%16.9%5%
Suspension rate3.3%1.6%5%
Grade gap (G3→G5, different students)-19.1pp-2.7ppnot scored
Exceeded standard
↑ vs CA 21.5% · index 62 · 50 = CA elementary-school midpoint
Met or exceeded
↑ vs CA 43.0% · index 66 · 50 = CA elementary-school midpoint
Chronic absenteeism
↑ vs CA 16.9% · index 58 · 50 = CA elementary-school midpoint
Suspension rate
↓ vs CA 1.6% · index 36 · 50 = CA elementary-school midpoint
Grade gap (G3→G5, different students)
↓ vs CA -2.7pp

Any absence or suspension percentage shown here is a SchoolScope model-adjusted scoring input, not a raw CDE-reported school rate. The State column averages these inputs across scored comprehensive California schools at this level.

By grade & subgroupLook beyond the school average, by grade and student group.CAASPP 2025–26 · % of tested students

From 2025–26 reporting, California calls Level 3 Proficient and Level 4 Advanced (formerly Standard Met and Standard Exceeded). “Proficient or Advanced” combines both levels in the 2025–26 results shown here. California's level descriptions.

ELA · 2025–26 results by grade

Share of students tested, spring 2026
ELATestedAdvancedProficientDevelopingMinimalProficient or AdvancedCaliforniaDifference
Grade 32635%34%16%15%69%44%+25
Grade 43139%26%19%16%65%46%+19
Grade 54226%31%19%24%57%49%+8
Grade 65315%27%28%30%42%48%−6
Grade 75630%34%24%12%64%51%+13
Grade 82010%50%20%20%60%49%+11

California is the state's own English result for each grade, counting every student tested there.

Math · 2025–26 results by grade

Share of students tested, spring 2026
MathTestedAdvancedProficientDevelopingMinimalProficient or AdvancedCaliforniaDifference
Grade 32646%35%11%8%81%47%+34
Grade 43129%26%29%16%55%42%+13
Grade 54229%26%19%26%55%37%+18
Grade 65323%15%26%36%38%37%+1
Grade 75533%25%17%25%58%38%+20
Grade 82015%30%40%15%45%36%+9

California is the state's own math result for each grade, counting every student tested there.

We show the grade rows CDE publishes for this school. A missing grade or dash can mean the school does not serve that grade, that we hold no valid result for it, or that the tested group was too small to report. It does not mean zero.

Science (CAST)TestedAdvancedProficientDevelopingMinimal
Schoolwide6223%27%45%5%

CAST is tested in grades 5 and 8, then once in grade 10, 11, or 12. This row is the school's all-student aggregate. Not part of the Scope Score.

Subgroup · ELATestedProficient or Advancedvs districtvs CA
Socioeconomically Disadvantaged7441%+13+3
White12566%+20+5
Hispanic/Latino4848%+16+10
More measuresRead additional measures and dated historical records.context · not all part of the Scope Score

ELA and Math by test year · all tested grades

Year · subjectStudents with scoresAdvancedProficient or Advanced
2026 · ELA22825.9%57.9%
2026 · Math22729.1%53.7%

Each year names its school year end (2026 = 2025–26). “Students with scores” is the subject-specific rate denominator; ELA and Math counts must not be added. The 2015–2018 rows were checked against CDE’s original research files. The 2015 and 2016 files report whole percentages; later rows round to one decimal here. Older stored rows from other years still need independent original-file re-verification. A dash is unavailable, not zero.

YearScopePctileRankAbsentSuspGrade gap
20265581#105212.1%3.3%-19.1pp

The Absent and Susp columns are SchoolScope model-adjusted scoring inputs, rather than raw CDE-reported school rates.

Grade gap = this year's grade 3 vs grade 5 result, two different sets of students, not a trend for any one child — it is not the measurement the Scope Score's growth dimension uses. See §01 above and /methodology#verdicts for the school's actual scored (cohort) growth.
What we can't show
  • — Scored here as an elementary school — other grade spans appear in the data appendix.
Climate by student groupCompare attendance and discipline records by student group.chronic absenteeism · 2018–19 vs 2025–26 school years
Group2018–192025–26Δ
Female—11.0%—
Male—11.7%—
Hispanic/Latino—20.2%—
Two or More Races—9.7%—
White—6.9%—
Students with Disabilities—16.4%—
Socioeconomically Disadvantaged—17.6%—
All Students—11.4%—

Two reported school years only; no intervening-year result is implied. Source: CDE school-level chronic absenteeism by student group.

Funding source detailFollow funding records at their school or district source grain.CDE ESSA school · CDE SACS district · NCES F-33 district; each row labels its fiscal year and measure

Per-pupil spending

District · current expense$13,508 per pupil

NCES F-33 · FY 2020–21 (2021) · fall district membership: 4,950 pupils

California · selected district mean$14,491 per pupil

NCES F-33 · FY 2020–21 (2021) · SchoolScope’s unweighted mean across 818 selected California district finance records

District current expense · FY 2024–25$19,178 per ADA

CDE SACS Current Expense of Education · district fiscal year ending 2025 · average daily attendance denominator

How the California mean was selected

SchoolScope starts with its selected California finance records, not every NCES California district. For FY 2020–21, it calculates an unweighted mean of NCES F-33 current expense per pupil. District records contribute once, regardless of enrollment. The calculation keeps records with positive per-pupil current expense, enrollment over 100, CCD agency type 1, and a recorded district name; it excludes names ending in County Office of Education, Department of Education, or Superintendent of Schools. This is a SchoolScope calculation, not a state-published spending average.

Selected General Fund operating costs · FY 2024–25 · SchoolScope calculation
Instruction 58%Instruction support 12%Student services 12%Administration 8%Buildings & maintenance 11%Other 1%

SchoolScope groups district-level CDE SACS UserGL actuals from Fund 01, using operating objects 1000–5999 and excluding retiree benefits, food and community services, facilities acquisition, other outgo, and nonagency goals. These shares use that filtered total; they do not exactly break down CDE's official current expense per ADA above. The school-level ESSA figure uses a separate source.

NCES F-33 district fiscal-year history, 2017–2021; latest district record shown: 2021
2021$13,508 per pupil
2020$12,643 per pupil
2019$12,280 per pupil
2018$10,915 per pupil
2017$10,902 per pupil

Source: NCES F-33 · Full district breakdown →

ZIP-area community recordRead census estimates for the surrounding ZIP area, not the school's students.ACS 2020–2024 · ZCTA 93555
American Community Survey 5-year estimates · 2020–2024 · ZIP Code Tabulation Area 93555
MeasureEstimate
Median household income$86,700
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)30.21%
ZCTA population33,845
Median age34.9 years

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2020–2024 5-year estimates. Median household income covers the past 12 months and is reported in 2024 inflation-adjusted dollars. Bachelor's degree or higher uses adults age 25 and over as its population. A dash is unavailable, not zero; a reported zero remains zero. ZIP/ZCTA context does not establish the school's attendance area or describe its enrolled students. These figures are not part of the Scope Score. See all schools in ZIP code 93555 →

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Source: CA Dept. of Education · CAASPP 2025–26 · n=5,728 elementary schools · Vintages: climate subgroups 2019+2025 · district finance per its label · ACS 2024 · Data updated 2026-10-15

SchoolScope scores and verdicts are our reading of public California Department of Education data, not an official rating. How we analyze · Request a correction