School Profile · Santa Ana
Vista Meridian Global Academy: The scores are below where anyone wants them. Here's what they don't tell you.
Vista Meridian Global Academy posts low test scores — and suspensions run below the state rate (1.3% vs 3.6%). If this is your zoned school, the numbers below are where to start a conversation, not where to end one.
1300 S. Bristol Street, 92703 (opens in new tab)·Orange County Department of Education·Santa Ana·Grades 9-12·260 students·99% low-income·Charter·2024–25 CAASPP·(714) 988-2719·Website
Charter school — publicly funded, independently operated, open enrollment via lottery. Learn more
Scope Score
27
🌱 Building Momentum · Needs Support
ranked #1,783 statewide · #8 of 11 in Orange County Department of Education
Vista Meridian Global Academy scores 27 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 17th percentile of 2,160 California high 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 “12% proficient” and call it done. Vista Meridian 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.
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, Vista Meridian Global Academy enrolls by application, not address — the score reads the same, the enrollment path doesn't.
The 4 things our score weighs
Exceeded standard
0.9%
State 15.8%
14.9pp below state avg
Met or exceeded
11.8%
State 35.7%
23.9pp below state avg
Chronic absenteeism
36.5%
State 30.2%
6.3pp above state avg
Suspension rate
1.3%
State 3.6%
2.3pp 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.
K-12 Feeder Path
Elementary
▼
High School
Vista Meridian Global Academy
27/100
This school
Estimated path based on proximity within the same district. Contact your school district for official feeder information.
Your other options
Nearby High Schools
3 within ~3 mi · avg 67
OCSA
Orange County Department of Education · 2 mi
Strong
80/100
Middle College High
Santa Ana Unified · 2.1 mi
Solid
61/100
Segerstrom High
Santa Ana Unified · 2.2 mi
Solid
59/100
Nearby Elementary Schools
3 within ~3 mi · avg 50
R. F. Hazard Elementary
Garden Grove Unified · 2.8 mi
Solid
54/100
Magnolia Science Academy Santa Ana
SBE - Magnolia Science Academy Santa Ana · 1.6 mi
Developing
49/100
El Sol Santa Ana Science and Arts Academy
Santa Ana Unified · 1.9 mi
Developing
47/100
Nearby Middle Schools
3 within ~3 mi · avg 40
Douglas MacArthur Fundamental Intermediate
Santa Ana Unified · 1.8 mi
Developing
46/100
Gonzalo Felicitas Mendez Fundamental Intermediate
Santa Ana Unified · 2.2 mi
Developing
44/100
Vista Heritage Global Academy
Orange County Department of Education · 1.6 mi
Needs Support
29/100
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
Hispanic96.9%
Asian0.4%
Black1.5%
Other1.1%
GenderFemale 42.7%Male 57.3%
Low IncomeFree/reduced lunch eligible 99.2% (35pp above CA avg)
Resources & Access
Enrollment
260
1,190 below CA avg (~1,450)
Student-Teacher Ratio
26:1
5 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 Meridian Global Academy in Santa Ana, 24.1% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 14.5% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Vista Meridian Global Academy outperforms its district average for low-income students by 9.6 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (0.0% Math proficient); Hispanic students (24.1% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 23.6 percentage points for english learner students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 54 students tested.
Equity Gaps
ELA · English Learner−23.6pp
0.0% vs 23.6% overall · n=19
Subgroups with fewer than 15 students are excluded for privacy. Gaps of less than 3 percentage points are not shown.
Subgroup Proficiency
Low-Income54 tested
ELA 24.1%·Math 0.0%· +9.6pp vs district
Hispanic54 tested
ELA 24.1%·Math 0.0%· +9.9pp vs district
English Learner19 tested
ELA 0.0%·Math 0.0%· -1.9pp vs district
Weighted average across tested grades. Subgroups with fewer than 15 students excluded. Data: CDE CAASPP 2024-25.
Funding 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
6.7 years avg experience
12 teachers · 8% first-year · 25% second-year
AP Courses Offered
3 AP courses
13 students qualified via AP exam
Sources: CDE SARC · CDE College/Career Indicator, 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 · 22%
0.9%
↓ vs CA 15.8% · 34th pctile
Met or exceeded · 18%
11.8%
↓ vs CA 35.7% · 33th pctile
Chronic absenteeism · 5%
36.5%
↓ vs CA 30.2% · 45th pctile
Suspension rate · 5%
1.3%
↑ vs CA 3.6% · 60th pctile
02By grade & subgroupCAASPP 2024–25 · % of tested students
| ELA | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT | MET+ | +/CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 11 | 55 | 2% | 22% | 31% | 45% | 24% | −24 |
| Math | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT | MET+ | +/CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 11 | 54 | 0% | 0% | 13% | 87% | 0% | −23 |
| Science (CAST) | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 5/8/11 | 58 | 0% | 5% | 79% | 16% |
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 | 54 | 24.1% | +10 | −14 |
| Hispanic/Latino | 54 | 24.1% | +10 | −15 |
| English Learners | 19 | 0.0% | −2 | −10 |
03Peer comparison · nearest high schoolssorted by Scope Score
| School | Dist | Scope | EXC | MET+ | Growth | Susp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vista Meridian Global Academy ← | — | 27 | 0.9% | 11.8% | — | 1.3% |
| OCSA | 2 mi | 80 | 48.1% | 75.3% | — | 1.1% |
| Middle College High | 2.1 mi | 61 | 43.9% | 75.3% | — | 1.3% |
| Segerstrom High | 2.2 mi | 59 | 19.9% | 46.6% | — | 3.5% |
| California average | — | 44 | 15.8% | 35.7% | — | 3.6% |
04More measurescontext · not all part of the Scope Score
AP Exam Prepared
Not offered
This school may not offer AP courses
Scope Score history
2024 · 2025 · rank #1589 → #1783
What we can't show
- — Low-income students here trail the state average for their group by 14 points in ELA — worth asking how the school is closing that gap.
Source: CA Dept. of Education · CAASPP 2024–25 · n=2,160 high 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 Vista Meridian Global Academy a good high school?
Vista Meridian Global Academy has a Scope Score of 27 out of 100, placing it in the 17th percentile of California high schools and ranked #1,783 statewide. 0.9% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is 14.9 percentage points below the California average of 15.8%. The Scope Score weights six dimensions for high 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 Meridian Global Academy's CAASPP test scores?
On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 11.8% of students at Vista Meridian Global Academy met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 0.9% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 10.9% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 0.9% 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. 109 student-subject combinations were assessed.
How does Vista Meridian Global Academy rank in California?
Vista Meridian Global Academy ranks #1,783 among California high schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 17th percentile. This ranking is based on a weighted composite of 2025 CAASPP test performance (exceeded and met rates), 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 Vista Meridian Global Academy?
36.5% of students at Vista Meridian Global Academy are chronically absent (missing 10% or more of school days), compared to the California average of 30.2%. The suspension rate is 1.3%, 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 Meridian Global Academy compare to other schools in Santa Ana?
Vista Meridian Global Academy scores 27/100 (17th percentile) among California high 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 260 students. Use the schools in Santa Ana page or the map view to compare all high schools nearby.
How does Vista Meridian Global Academy serve low-income and underrepresented students?
At Vista Meridian Global Academy in Santa Ana, 24.1% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 14.5% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Vista Meridian Global Academy outperforms its district average for low-income students by 9.6 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (0.0% Math proficient); Hispanic students (24.1% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 23.6 percentage points for english learner students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 54 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.