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Public school district · California

Apple Valley Unified.Many schools. Many different stories.

Compare elementary, middle, and high schools across Apple Valley Unified—and look beyond a single district average.

Academy for Academic ExcellenceApple Valley HighGranite Hills HighRio Vista School of Applied LearningYucca Loma ElementaryHigh Desert Premier AcademyApple Valley Virtual AcademyVanguard PreparatorySitting Bull AcademySycamore Rocks ElementaryDesert Knolls ElementaryPhoenix AcademySandia AcademyMariana AcademyRancho Verde ElementaryApple Valley UnifiedN ↑
15 schools mapped · Location contextOpen map →
Census district boundary
The K–12 path at a glance
Elementary12 schools
avg 24.3/1007 Needs Support, 4 Developing, +1 more
High3 schools
avg 40.4/1002 Needs Support, 1 Developing

Each level is scored on its own scale — elementary, middle, and high are never ranked against each other.

Stage 1 of 2

The elementary years

One school defines the top: Academy for Academic Excellence sits 22 points clear of the field — the other 11 elementary schools are a different conversation.

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Strong Solid Developing Needs Support district avg state avg

47 points separate the strongest and weakest of these 12 elementary schools — the average hides more than it tells.

The strength

Academy for Academic Excellence (53/100) holds the Strong band — 21.5% of its students exceed the state standard, against a level average of 8.6%. 1 school here ranks as a Growth Engine — returning cohorts gaining more than most schools statewide.

The catch

29.2% of students are chronically absent (state: 17.9%) — chronic means missing 10% or more of the school year. Whatever the scores say, ask each school what it is doing about attendance.

Academy for Academic Excellence
Growth Engine · Charter
80th percentile · StrongScope Score 53/100
38th percentile · DevelopingScope Score 31/100
35th percentile · DevelopingScope Score 30/100

All 12 elementary schools, ranked, in the appendix →

Stage 2 of 2

The high school years

The high schools average 40.4/100 — 13.6 points below the state average. Here is what that number does and doesn't say.

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3 high schools span 21 points around an average of 40.4.

The strength

Apple Valley High is the strongest option at 49/100 — 9.4% of its students exceed the state standard.

The catch

46.0% of students are chronically absent (state: 23.1%) — chronic means missing 10% or more of the school year. Whatever the scores say, ask each school what it is doing about attendance.

Apple Valley High
Building Momentum
37th percentile · DevelopingScope Score 49/100
Granite Hills High
Building Momentum
21st percentile · Needs SupportScope Score 44/100
2nd percentile · Needs SupportScope Score 28/100

High school detail in the appendix →

What it means for your family

If you're choosing a neighborhood

Compare schools at your child’s level before deciding on an address. The strongest attendance-zone candidate is Rio Vista School of Applied Learning at 31/100 — confirm the exact boundary with the district before the house.

If you already live here

1 of the 15 ranked schools is a charter — enrollment paths that don't depend on your address. If your zoned school sits low in the appendix below, those lotteries and applications are the levers worth the paperwork.

If your kid is enrolled now

A band is a position, not a prophecy — 3 campuses here rank as On the Rise (2) or Growth Engine (1), their returning cohorts gaining more than most schools statewide. Ask your school two questions: what happens for a kid who arrives behind, and what the classroom looks like for one who arrives ahead.

The strongest-scoring run through the district:

Academy for Academic Excellence 80th percentile · StrongScope Score 53/100Apple Valley High 37th percentile · DevelopingScope Score 49/100

Top scorers at each level — not necessarily one zoned sequence. Confirm feeder patterns and enrollment zones with the district, and visit before you decide.

What this page can't see: whether a campus feels safe and glad at 8 a.m. If a path above looks workable, the next step is a visit.

Apple Valley Unified has 15 public schools in this SchoolScope results directory. Compare schools by their primary reporting level below.

2024–25 CAASPP reporting · SchoolScope analysis. Directory coverage, not a complete inventory of every campus. Each school appears at its primary reporting level; K–8 and K–12 campuses can serve additional grades. Sources and methodology →

One district, three stages

The average changes with the journey.

Elementary schools

Explore elementary →
Lower reported resultsHigher reported results

12 comparable schools · average 24.3/100 · range 6.8–53.4

High schools

Explore high →
Lower reported resultsHigher reported results

3 comparable schools · average 40.4/100 · range 28.3–48.9

Explore Apple Valley Unified by place.

Districts nearby

DistrictAverage scoreRanked schoolsTop schoolDistance
Apple Valley Unifiedthis district27.5 / 10015Academy for Academic Excellence—
Victor Valley Union High43.4 / 1004Victor Valley Virtual Academy5.5 mi
Victor Elementary28.3 / 10015Sixth Street Prep6.3 mi
Oro Grande18.7 / 1004Riverside Preparatory7.8 mi
Hesperia Unified27.2 / 10016LaVerne Elementary Preparatory Academy7.8 mi

Averages blend every school level in a district and carry no score band. Compare a level at a time in the spreads above, then open the schools. Distances run between school-location centers.

Cities served

City pages include schools from other districts too. Check the district named on each school profile.

Patterns across the district

What kinds of schools are here?

Patterns worth exploring.

Choose a pattern to find matching schools in the lists below. Open a profile to see the underlying measures and questions to ask on a visit.

How patterns are defined →

Archetypes describe reported patterns, not school quality or fit. Available measures differ by school level.

Schools in Apple Valley Unified

Browse by level, then compare the evidence behind each profile.

Map ↗

Elementary schools in Apple Valley Unified · 12 schools

CompareSchoolExceededScore
Academy for Academic Excellence
Apple Valley Unified Growth Engine
21.5%80th percentile · StrongScope Score 53/100
Rio Vista School of Applied Learning
Apple Valley Unified Building Momentum
12.6%38th percentile · DevelopingScope Score 31/100
Yucca Loma Elementary
Apple Valley Unified On the Rise
9.0%35th percentile · DevelopingScope Score 30/100
Apple Valley Virtual Academy
Apple Valley Unified Building Momentum
7.3%27th percentile · DevelopingScope Score 27/100
Vanguard Preparatory
Apple Valley Unified Building Momentum
10.7%25th percentile · DevelopingScope Score 27/100
Sitting Bull Academy
Apple Valley Unified Building Momentum
13.5%19th percentile · Needs SupportScope Score 24/100

High schools in Apple Valley Unified · 3 schools

CompareSchoolExceededScore
Apple Valley High
Apple Valley Unified Building Momentum
9.4%37th percentile · DevelopingScope Score 49/100
Granite Hills High
Apple Valley Unified Building Momentum
8.9%21st percentile · Needs SupportScope Score 44/100
High Desert Premier Academy
Apple Valley Unified Building Momentum
1.6%2nd percentile · Needs SupportScope Score 28/100
Compare selected schools

Select two to four schools at the same level. Rankings and score bands compare each school with its own enrollment group.

District finance · FY 2024–25

Where the district's dollars go.

Apple Valley Unified spent $19,836 per student in FY 2024–25 — close to the median California district ($20,491). About 65 cents of every dollar goes to classroom instruction.

Current expense per student

Current expense of education per unit of average daily attendance, from the district's annual SACS filing to the California Department of Education. District-wide: it includes central administration and costs never assigned to one campus. Spending is context, not a measure of school quality.

Share by function

  • Instruction65%
  • Instruction support10%
  • Student services8%
  • Administration6%
  • Buildings & maintenance11%

Shares of the same current-expense total, by SACS function. Names are simplified from the filing's own categories.

The system behind the schools

The people behind the classrooms — district-grain context that never enters a school's score.

People
Teacher salary range$60,367–$136,253
Teaching staff715 · FTE
District enrollment12,892 · students
Who attends
Hispanic 62.1% · White 25.0% · Black 6.7% · Asian 1.2% · Other 5.0%
Free/reduced lunch75% · economic need indicator

CDE Form J-90 salary schedule 2024–25 · CDE enrollment (district averages)

See how the school years fit together.

Explore the next stage, then verify the schools available for your address.

These are browsing links, not a feeder path. Assignments vary by residence, program, permits, and available space.

Looking beyond Apple Valley Unified?

Explore public, private, and early-learning options.

Know what you’re comparing.

Data source: California Department of Education · CAASPP 2024-25 · Methodology

Scores are SchoolScope's analysis of public data, not official CDE ratings. They represent one way of interpreting test results and should not be the sole basis for school decisions.

Source: CDE CAASPP 2025 · 15 schoolsMethodology · Download this data (CSV)

Free to download, CC BY 4.0 with attribution.

Frequently asked questions

How many schools are listed in Apple Valley Unified?
This SchoolScope directory lists 15 public schools in Apple Valley Unified with 2024–25 reporting records. This is directory coverage, not a complete campus inventory. Each school appears under its primary reporting level; a K–8 or K–12 campus may serve additional grades.
Which schools have the highest scores in Apple Valley Unified?
Among comprehensive public schools listed here, the highest Scope Score at each primary reporting level is: Elementary: Academy for Academic Excellence (53/100). High: Apple Valley High (49/100). These are separate level rankings, not a single cross-level league table. A score does not establish fit or enrollment eligibility. See the methodology.
Can I compare elementary, middle, and high schools directly?
Compare schools at the same level and within the same enrollment group. Scope Score formulas and available measures differ by level. The plots show comprehensive public schools separately for each level; individual profiles explain their comparison group.
Does living in Apple Valley Unified guarantee a particular school?
A district outline does not establish assignment to an individual school. Attendance boundaries, programs, permits, and available space can affect enrollment. Confirm the requirements directly with the district.
What does a SchoolScope pattern mean?
Archetypes summarize patterns in publicly reported academic and school-climate measures. They describe reported results, not a school’s quality or a child’s fit. Open the school profile for reporting years, missing measures, and questions to ask. Read how the patterns are defined.
Where do these results come from?
The underlying public data comes from the California Department of Education, including CAASPP reporting for 2024–25. Scope Scores and archetypes are SchoolScope calculations, not official CDE ratings. View CDE data and SchoolScope’s methodology and limitations.