Vista Oaks Charter, Lodi CA - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Vista Oaks Charter

Vista Oaks Charter is a full-enrollment school serving kindergarten through twelfth grade in Lodi as an independent-study charter. It operates as its own district and enrolls families across a range of economic backgrounds: roughly a third of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, while the student body is ethnically diverse, with substantial shares of Hispanic, white, and multiracial students, alongside smaller populations of Asian, Black, and Native American students.

The school earned a six-year accreditation from WASC during the 2023-2024 school year, a credential that matters for families choosing an independent-study model, as it establishes standing for transcript acceptance and college applications. However, Vista Oaks has reached capacity and moved to a closed waiting list and lottery-based admissions for 2025-2026, so families can no longer simply enroll; those interested must apply through the lottery by the posted deadline.

State assessment results from the 2024-2025 school year show mixed performance across subjects and grades. English language arts proficiency sits around half of students across the tested grades, with middle school grades (seventh and eighth) reaching the mid-to-high fifty percent range. Mathematics proficiency is considerably lower, ranging from the high twenties in grades five through eight to the low-to-mid forties in grades three and four. Science proficiency, tested in grades five and eight, hovers around forty percent. Taken together, Vista Oaks' overall proficiency index sits above the midpoint among schools in San Joaquin County, a positioning that reflects uneven performance: strength in ELA offset by weaker results in math and science.

The school's enrollment is distributed across all thirteen grades, with slightly higher counts in elementary and middle grades and a smaller high school population. Because Vista Oaks operates as an independent-study school, families select their own curriculum and work with school-assigned teachers; this model suits parents seeking flexibility and direct involvement in their child's learning pathway. A parent may want to look into the school's specific curriculum support, teacher assignment process, and how families balance independence with structured academic guidance, particularly in mathematics where proficiency trails.

Lodi itself is a mid-sized Central Valley city with a walkable downtown anchored by restaurants, tasting rooms, and shops, set in a rich agricultural and wine-growing region. The broader housing market shows modest recent decline and rents rising, set against a backdrop of constrained new housing development. Local employment centers on agriculture, food processing, healthcare, education, and retail, with the school district itself among the area's largest employers. The city maintains civic anchors including the Lodi Public Library, an intermodal transit station, and parks centered on Lodi Lake.

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Academic performance

State test results and graduation outcomes.

Graduation rate (ACGR)

85-89%Cohort of 84 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 343%

School 43% · district not reported

even with state median · ▲ 12 pts above county median

Grade 444%

School 44% · district not reported

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

Grade 529%

School 29% · district not reported

▼ 1 pts below state median · ▲ 9 pts above county median

Grade 633%

School 33% · district not reported

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

Grade 736%

School 36% · district not reported

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

Grade 833%

School 33% · district not reported

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

English language arts

Grade 344%

School 44% · district not reported

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

Grade 453%

School 53% · district not reported

▲ 11 pts above state median · ▲ 23 pts above county median

Grade 545%

School 45% · district not reported

even with state median · ▲ 12 pts above county median

Grade 646%

School 46% · district not reported

▲ 2 pts above state median · ▲ 13 pts above county median

Grade 754%

School 54% · district not reported

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

Grade 856%

School 56% · district not reported

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

Science

Grade 540%

School 40% · district not reported

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

Grade 841%

School 41% · district not reported

▲ 15 pts above state median · ▲ 21 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-income22%Higher-income58%36 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income42%Higher-income59%17 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income29%Higher-income52%23 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income44%Higher-income48%4 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income42%Higher-income59%16 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income50%Higher-income59%9 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income33%Higher-income49%16 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income32%Higher-income50%18 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income14%Higher-income35%21 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income30%Higher-income35%5 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income26%Higher-income40%13 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income29%Higher-income35%6 pp gap