Original Research by School Decision on Leadership Military Academy
Leadership Military Academy is a small charter high school in Moreno Valley serving grades nine through twelve. It operates as its own independent charter district and enrollment sits at roughly a hundred students spread across the four high school grades, with ninth grade noticeably smaller than the upper grades.
The school's student body is economically and ethnically defined. A substantial majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The enrollment is predominantly Hispanic, with a meaningful Black population and very few white or Asian students. The data on English learner and special education enrollment was not available.
State testing results show a pattern of very low proficiency. In English language arts, proficiency sits below the middle. In math, proficiency is extremely low. In science, proficiency is also below the middle. Only one year of results was available, so trends cannot be assessed. A parent may want to look into further with the school whether these results reflect the student population's baseline needs and the supports the school provides, or whether they signal an academic environment that is struggling to move students to grade-level skill. The school's graduation rate was not provided; as an alternative school with a small, possibly transient enrollment, the school may track completion differently than traditional schools, so a parent should ask directly about completion and post-secondary outcomes.
Moreno Valley itself is a large built-out suburban city in the Inland Empire, overwhelmingly car-dependent and defined by single-family residential neighborhoods, wide commercial corridors, and a significant logistics and distribution base anchored by March Air Reserve Base. The housing market is modest in value relative to state benchmarks and has declined slightly year over year. Rents have risen modestly. The area is experiencing sustained growth in new housing and job creation, with active builder communities and a planned downtown center under development. Major employers span military, retail, health systems, and education, along with the dominant logistics sector.
The school's location on Perris Boulevard places it along one of the city's main commercial corridors. Transit is provided by the Riverside Transit Agency via fixed-route bus, and the Moreno Valley/March Field Metrolink commuter-rail station sits just west of city limits, though car dependency remains the norm for residents.
A parent considering this school should understand that it is small, serves a high-need, economically disadvantaged population, sits outside the mainstream district structure as a charter, and shows low academic proficiency across core subjects in the most recent data available. This is an alternative pathway, not a traditional college-prep route. A conversation with school leadership about curriculum, teaching approach, support services, and what completion and post-secondary entry look like for graduates would be essential before enrollment.
See more original research from School Decision →