Redding Stem Academy, Redding CA

Original Research by School Decision on Redding Stem Academy

Redding STEM Academy is a charter school serving kindergarten through eighth grade in Redding, California. The school has a small enrollment, with roughly equal numbers across grades, and draws a diverse mix of students: a clear majority are white, with substantial shares identifying as two or more races or Hispanic. About three out of five students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, placing this as a school with considerable economic need in its community.

The school's academic performance is mixed, with a meaningful gap between English language arts and math. In ELA, results show a pattern of growth through the middle grades: fifth grade students perform above the midpoint, seventh and eighth graders reach around halfway proficiency or better. Math is a weaker area across the board. Third graders show very low proficiency, and the school struggles with math in the upper elementary years; performance improves somewhat in seventh grade but remains below ELA levels. Science results are available only for fifth and eighth grades and show proficiency around the midpoint, a relative strength. Taken together, the school's overall proficiency index places it above the midpoint among districts across Shasta County, though the underlying pattern reveals uneven readiness across subjects and grades.

A parent considering Redding STEM Academy should recognize what its name announces: it is explicitly organized around STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) instruction. The current data does not detail what that focus looks like in practice—how hands-on projects, coding, maker spaces, or integration across subjects are deployed—so a parent may want to ask the school directly about program design, how STEM shapes daily learning, and what equipment and staff support it. The school is small enough to offer a close-knit environment, but that also means fewer course choices and class sections as students advance. The school does not appear in the data as a Title I school, though a substantial portion of its students qualify for meal assistance, suggesting either that the school has not applied for that federal designation or that it does not meet the qualifying threshold.

The housing market in the 96003 zip code where the school is located is moderate in value and stable in recent movement, with rental availability at modest levels. Redding itself is in a period of active recovery and growth following fire damage, with new residential subdivisions spreading outward and downtown mixed-use projects underway. The city functions as the regional service and employment hub for far Northern California, with healthcare as the largest employment sector, so families with connections to hospitals, utilities, or regional retail and trade may find steady local work.

Because this is a small single-school charter district, the district brief search yielded no recent policy shifts or major parent-facing changes, suggesting operational continuity. Redding STEM Academy is not positioned as an alternative or special-needs school; it is a regular public charter school with a thematic curriculum focus. A family drawn to the school would typically be seeking its STEM emphasis and the benefits of a smaller setting, understanding that math performance is an area where this particular school lags behind its ELA outcomes.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 320%

School 20% · district not reported

▼ 23 pts below state median · ▼ 28 pts below county median

Grade 440%

School 40% · district not reported

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

Grade 529%

School 29% · district not reported

▼ 1 pts below state median · even with county median

Grade 614%

School 14% · district not reported

▼ 17 pts below state median · ▼ 20 pts below county median

Grade 745%

School 45% · district not reported

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

Grade 836%

School 36% · district not reported

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

English language arts

Grade 340%

School 40% · district not reported

▼ 1 pts below state median · ▼ 8 pts below county median

Grade 452%

School 52% · district not reported

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

Grade 563%

School 63% · district not reported

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

Grade 632%

School 32% · district not reported

▼ 12 pts below state median · ▼ 16 pts below county median

Grade 755%

School 55% · district not reported

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

Grade 868%

School 68% · district not reported

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

Science

Grade 558%

School 58% · district not reported

▲ 30 pts above state median · ▲ 25 pts above county median

Grade 859%

School 59% · district not reported

▲ 33 pts above state median · ▲ 23 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 4Lower-income50%Higher-income55%5 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income64%Higher-income62%2 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income64%Higher-income73%9 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 4Lower-income36%Higher-income46%10 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income27%Higher-income31%4 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income27%Higher-income46%18 pp gap