Valley Life Charter, Visalia CA - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Valley Life Charter

Valley Life Charter is a kindergarten-through-12 charter school in Visalia serving a population of about the size typical for a neighborhood school across a full grade span. The enrollment skews slightly toward White and Hispanic students in roughly equal parts, with a modest share of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. The school's current testing profile shows uneven performance across subjects and grades.

In English language arts, students in grades three through eight show proficiency rates that cluster in the mid-range, with grade seven performing noticeably higher than adjacent grades. Math proficiency is weaker across the board, falling well below ELA at every tested grade level, with the steepest declines in grades four and five. Science proficiency, measured in grades five and eight, remains low. The pattern suggests that while some students build stronger reading and writing skills by middle school, mathematical reasoning and science are lagging areas across the school. The uneven grade-to-grade performance, particularly the dip from grade three to grades four and five in both subjects, may warrant a closer look at curriculum continuity or instructional approach in those transition years.

Across tested subjects and grade levels, Valley Life Charter's overall proficiency sits above the midpoint among Tulare County school districts, a position that reflects mixed results: strength relative to some peers but room for improvement in absolute terms. One year of test data alone limits what can be inferred about trajectory or stability.

The school serves a relatively economically diverse population, with about a third of students on free or reduced-price lunch. Visalia itself is a working and middle-class Central Valley city, the Tulare County seat, with healthcare, agriculture, and manufacturing as economic anchors. Housing values and rents in the area are moderate; the city is in the midst of sustained single-family homebuilding, particularly in master-planned neighborhoods with reserved school sites. This growth context suggests a school with room to expand and a surrounding community investing in new housing.

The school does not report graduation rate data because it has only a handful of grade twelve students enrolled. The overwhelming majority of its population spans kindergarten through grade eight, reflecting a K-8 primary focus with a small high school tail. No data on chronic absenteeism, discipline, special education enrollment, or English learner populations was available. A parent may want to reach out to the school directly about staffing, how the school handles high school transcripts and counseling given its small upper grades, and what support structures exist for students in the lower elementary grades, where early proficiency gaps appear.

See more original research from School Decision →

Academic performance

State test results and graduation outcomes.

Graduation rate (ACGR)

Not publicly reportedCohort of 4 students · Class of 2021

The federal source does not publish a graduation rate for cohorts this small. The cohort size is shown for context.

How this school compares to all schools in this state

Each dot is one school’s SY 2020-21 graduation rate, binned by integer rate. Taller columns mean more schools at that rate. This school is highlighted.

2,394 schools plotted. 142 additional schools' rates are federally suppressed and not shown. Data: EDFacts SY 2020-21.

Math

Grade 344%

School 44% · district not reported

▲ 2 pts above state median · ▲ 8 pts above county median

Grade 436%

School 36% · district not reported

▼ 2 pts below state median · ▲ 6 pts above county median

Grade 521%

School 21% · district not reported

▼ 10 pts below state median · ▼ 3 pts below county median

Grade 624%

School 24% · district not reported

▼ 6 pts below state median · ▲ 1 pts above county median

Grade 730%

School 30% · district not reported

even with state median · ▲ 5 pts above county median

Grade 827%

School 27% · district not reported

▼ 1 pts below state median · ▲ 4 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 349%

School 49% · district not reported

▲ 8 pts above state median · ▲ 11 pts above county median

Grade 452%

School 52% · district not reported

▲ 10 pts above state median · ▲ 18 pts above county median

Grade 549%

School 49% · district not reported

▲ 4 pts above state median · ▲ 14 pts above county median

Grade 645%

School 45% · district not reported

▲ 1 pts above state median · ▲ 8 pts above county median

Grade 758%

School 58% · district not reported

▲ 12 pts above state median · ▲ 19 pts above county median

Grade 838%

School 38% · district not reported

▼ 6 pts below state median · ▼ 2 pts below county median

Science

Grade 525%

School 25% · district not reported

▼ 3 pts below state median · ▲ 5 pts above county median

Grade 830%

School 30% · district not reported

▲ 5 pts above state median · ▲ 11 pts above county median

This schoolDistrict average, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 3Lower-income44%Higher-income51%7 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income48%Higher-income54%6 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income37%Higher-income58%21 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income43%Higher-income46%3 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income48%Higher-income65%17 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income38%Higher-income38%0 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income26%Higher-income56%30 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income22%Higher-income44%21 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income13%Higher-income26%12 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income21%Higher-income26%5 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income26%Higher-income32%7 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income24%Higher-income30%6 pp gap