Epic Charter (excellence Performance Innovation Citizenship), Anaheim CA

Original Research by School Decision on Epic Charter (excellence Performance Innovation Citizenship)

EPIC Charter, now rebranded publicly as Epic California Academy, is a tuition-free TK-12 charter serving a diverse student body of roughly a thousand students in Anaheim. The school operates as a single-school district authorized by the Orange County Board of Education and has recently gone through a five-year charter renewal, securing its continued operation.

The defining feature of this school is its model: it is a blended independent-study charter that combines online, self-paced curriculum with in-person support from California-certified teachers. This is not a traditional site-based school where families expect to walk into a building each day. Instead, students work through personalized online coursework, meet with certified teachers for guidance and accountability, and have the option to participate in in-person community experiences, enrichment activities, and field trips. For families who thrive on flexibility and independent learning, this structure can work well. For families seeking a traditional daily classroom environment, this charter operates on a fundamentally different model.

The school serves a working-class and economically diverse enrollment. About half of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The student body is roughly evenly split between Latino, white, Black, and multiracial students, with smaller shares of Asian and Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander enrollment. This demographic mix is fairly representative of Orange County's school-age population.

Academic performance shows mixed results. In English language arts, proficiency sits around the midpoint, with upper middle grades (seventh and eighth) reaching near the threshold and earlier grades somewhat lower. Math proficiency is similar across the grade span, hovering around the mid-range, though sixth and seventh grades hold near the halfway mark. Science proficiency is the notable soft spot, with only about a quarter of fifth-graders and about a third of eighth-graders meeting state standards. Placed against other districts in Orange County, the school's overall proficiency index falls in the bottom quartile, meaning a majority of Orange County districts show higher measured performance across tested subjects and grades. A parent may want to look into the science curriculum and tutoring supports with the school directly, given the gap there.

Data on graduation rates, chronic absenteeism, and high school outcome measures were not available. The school's virtual and blended structure may affect how traditional attendance metrics are tracked and reported.

Course access for high school students includes AP offerings, giving college-eligible students a pathway to advanced coursework. The school's handbook notes core subjects through grade eight and optional enrichment including art, music, world languages, and technology. High school students can access AP-level work, though the full range of AP offerings and whether all are available online or require in-person participation was not specified in available sources.

The Anaheim location sits within a city experiencing significant commercial redevelopment, particularly around the downtown and the Platinum Triangle entertainment district. Housing costs in the Anaheim zip code are above the state median, and the local labor market centers on Disneyland, hospitality, healthcare, and the convention industry. The schools serving Anaheim draw from a mix of affluent hillside neighborhoods and working-class areas, reflecting economic diversity in the city itself.

For families considering this school, the key question is fit with the independent-study model. The transparency around academic performance, the diversity of the student body, and the presence of AP options in high school are clear assets. The weaker science proficiency and the bottom-quartile overall standing relative to Orange County districts warrant direct conversation with school leadership about curriculum, remediation, and school-specific support. The charter's recent renewal means the school has been vetted by its authorizer for continued operation, though parents should verify that the school's teaching staff, online platforms, and accountability systems align with their child's learning style and their family's capacity to support independent work at home.

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Academic performance

State test results and graduation outcomes.

Graduation rate (ACGR)

30-34%Cohort of 61 students · Class of 2021

The federal source publishes a banded range instead of an exact rate when the graduating cohort is small enough that an exact number could risk identifying individual students.

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 339%

School 39% · district not reported

▼ 4 pts below state median · ▼ 17 pts below county median

Grade 427%

School 27% · district not reported

▼ 10 pts below state median · ▼ 27 pts below county median

Grade 527%

School 27% · district not reported

▼ 4 pts below state median · ▼ 19 pts below county median

Grade 641%

School 41% · district not reported

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

Grade 750%

School 50% · district not reported

▲ 20 pts above state median · even with county median

Grade 850%

School 50% · district not reported

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

English language arts

Grade 350%

School 50% · district not reported

▲ 9 pts above state median · even with county median

Grade 445%

School 45% · district not reported

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

Grade 543%

School 43% · district not reported

▼ 2 pts below state median · ▼ 15 pts below county median

Grade 645%

School 45% · district not reported

▲ 1 pts above state median · ▼ 16 pts below county median

Grade 751%

School 51% · district not reported

▲ 6 pts above state median · ▼ 14 pts below county median

Grade 845%

School 45% · district not reported

▲ 1 pts above state median · ▼ 16 pts below county median

Science

Grade 526%

School 26% · district not reported

▼ 2 pts below state median · ▼ 14 pts below county median

Grade 835%

School 35% · district not reported

▲ 10 pts above state median · ▼ 9 pts below 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-income35%Higher-income77%42 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income27%Higher-income83%56 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income43%Higher-income43%0 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income32%Higher-income58%27 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income31%Higher-income68%37 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income42%Higher-income47%5 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income28%Higher-income59%31 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income20%Higher-income42%22 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income24%Higher-income29%5 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income21%Higher-income61%40 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income37%Higher-income61%24 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income46%Higher-income52%6 pp gap