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School Profile · Santa Ana

Vista Heritage Global Academy: No single number tells this school's story. Here's the honest picture.

Vista Heritage Global Academy posts 23% meeting the standard and 7.5% exceeding it, against 39% and 16.8% statewide. The gaps and the bright spots below are the real read.

2609 West Fifth Street, 92703 (opens in new tab)·Orange County Department of Education·Santa Ana·Grades 6-8·369 students·97% low-income·Charter·2024–25 CAASPP·(714) 988-2719·Website
Charter school — publicly funded, independently operated, open enrollment via lottery. Learn more
Scope Score
29
🌱 Building Momentum · Needs Support
ranked #1,569 statewide · #10 of 11 in Orange County Department of Education

Vista Heritage Global Academy scores 29 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 30th 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 →

CDE CAASPP 2025

Most rating sites would stop at “23% proficient” and call it done. Vista Heritage Global Academy deserves a closer read. The school sits in Santa Ana, where nearly all students qualify for free or reduced lunch — and reading the numbers without that context misreads the school.

The headline number: 0.4% suspension rate — versus 3.7% statewide.

As a charter, Vista Heritage Global Academy 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.

19%
76%
Grade 6 · 24% proficient
10%
27%
63%
Grade 7 · 37% proficient
11%
24%
65%
Grade 8 · 35% proficient

The honest read: the share exceeding rises 5.5pp across grades; the floor rises 9.9pp. The state average falls 0.5pp over the same span. Kids here gain ground the longer they stay — the pattern you want to see. A school visit and conversation with teachers will tell you more than this number.

The 5 things our score weighs

Exceeded standard
7.5%
State 16.8%
9.3pp below state avg
Met or exceeded
22.8%
State 39.3%
16.5pp below state avg
Growth (G6→G8)
-0.3pp
State +1.5pp
Scores decline across grades
Chronic absenteeism
16.1%
State 18.5%
2.4pp below state avg
Suspension rate
0.4%
State 3.7%
3.2pp 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

Estimated path based on proximity within the same district. Contact your school district for official feeder information.

Your other options

All schools in Santa Ana →

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

Hispanic95.4%
White0.8%
Asian0.5%
Black0.5%
Other2.7%
GenderFemale 51.2%Male 48.8%
Low IncomeFree/reduced lunch eligible 97.0% (33pp above CA avg)
Resources & Access
Enrollment
369
491 below CA avg (~860)
Student-Teacher Ratio
23:1
2 more students per teacher than CA avg
Per-Pupil Spending
$70,768
CA avg: $14,815 · District avg · NCES F-33
Teacher Salary Range
$52,803 – $136,867
District schedule · CA median ~$98K
At Vista Heritage Global Academy in Santa Ana, 31.3% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 14.5% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Vista Heritage Global Academy outperforms its district average for low-income students by 16.8 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (13.7% Math proficient); Hispanic students (32.3% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 23.7 percentage points for english learner students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 342 students tested.
Equity Gaps
ELA · English Learner−23.7pp
8.2% vs 32.0% overall · n=151
3 more gaps by subject
ELA Exceeded · English Learner−8.2pp
0.6% vs 8.8% overall · n=151
Math · English Learner−9.0pp
4.7% vs 13.7% overall · n=156
Math Exceeded · English Learner−4.5pp
1.8% vs 6.3% overall · n=156

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

Subgroup Proficiency
Low-Income345 tested
ELA 31.3%·Math 13.7%· +16.8pp vs district
Hispanic347 tested
ELA 32.3%·Math 13.6%· +18.1pp vs district
English Learner156 tested
ELA 8.6%·Math 5.1%· +6.7pp 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 rises by 9.0pp from grade 6 to grade 8 at this school. District average: +14.7pp.

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
$84K
$563 below CA median
Median Home Value
$619K
$40K below CA median
Bachelor's+
13%
22pp 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
8.7 years avg experience
20 teachers · 20% first-year
Teacher Credentials
36% fully credentialed
2.9% 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 →
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%
7.5%
↓ vs CA 16.8% · 40th pctile
Met or exceeded · 22%
22.8%
↓ vs CA 39.3% · 37th pctile
Growth (G6→G8) · 15%
-0.3pp
↓ vs CA +1.5pp · 43th pctile
Chronic absenteeism · 10%
16.1%
↑ vs CA 18.5% · 53th pctile
Suspension rate · 5%
0.4%
↑ vs CA 3.7% · 63th pctile
02By grade & subgroupCAASPP 2024–25 · % of tested students
ELATestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 61105%19%33%43%25%−22
Grade 713110%27%25%38%37%−11
Grade 811911%24%23%43%34%−12
MathTestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 61157%10%14%70%17%−18
Grade 71308%11%22%59%18%−16
Grade 81174%2%31%63%6%−26
Science (CAST)TestedEXCMETNEARNOT
Grade 5/8/111181%10%58%31%

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 Disadvantaged34231.3%+17−7
Hispanic/Latino34432.3%+18−7
English Learners1518.6%+7−2
03Peer comparison · nearest middle schoolssorted by Scope Score
SchoolDistScopeEXCMET+GrowthSusp
Vista Heritage Global Academy ←—297.5%22.8%−0.30.4%
Gonzalo Felicitas Mendez Fundamental Intermediate1.4 mi4415.2%39.8%+4.03.9%
Julia C. Lathrop Intermediate2.2 mi245.3%15.7%+7.16.0%
Gerald P. Carr Intermediate1.6 mi236.3%21.4%+1.011.3%
California average—4016.8%39.3%+1.53.7%
04More measurescontext · not all part of the Scope Score
Scope Score history
32%29%'19'22'23'24'25
2019 · 2022 · 2023 · 2024 · 2025 · no testing 2020–21 (COVID) · rank #1435 → #1618 → #1461 → #2047 → #1569
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

How to get into a charter school in LA →

Frequently asked questions

Is Vista Heritage Global Academy a good middle school?
Vista Heritage Global Academy has a Scope Score of 29 out of 100, placing it in the 30th percentile of California middle schools and ranked #1,569 statewide. 7.5% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is 9.3 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 Vista Heritage Global Academy's CAASPP test scores?
On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 22.8% of students at Vista Heritage Global Academy met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 7.5% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 15.2% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 7.5% 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. 722 student-subject combinations were assessed.
How does Vista Heritage Global Academy rank in California?
Vista Heritage Global Academy ranks #1,569 among California middle schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 30th 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 Vista Heritage Global Academy getting better or worse?
Based on 2025 CAASPP data, proficiency at Vista Heritage Global Academy decreases by 0.3 percentage points from Grade 6 to grade 8 growth. This downward pattern doesn't necessarily mean the school is failing — it can reflect cohort differences, demographic shifts, or curriculum changes. A campus visit and conversation with teachers can reveal what the numbers can't. 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 Vista Heritage Global Academy?
16.1% of students at Vista Heritage Global Academy are chronically absent (missing 10% or more of school days), which is better than the California average of 18.5%. The suspension rate is 0.4%, 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 Vista Heritage Global Academy compare to other schools in Santa Ana?
Vista Heritage Global Academy scores 29/100 (30th 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 369 students. Use the schools in Santa Ana page or the map view to compare all middle schools nearby.
How does Vista Heritage Global Academy serve low-income and underrepresented students?
At Vista Heritage Global Academy in Santa Ana, 31.3% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 14.5% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Vista Heritage Global Academy outperforms its district average for low-income students by 16.8 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (13.7% Math proficient); Hispanic students (32.3% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 23.7 percentage points for english learner students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 342 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.
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