Ilead Lancaster Charter, Lancaster CA

Original Research by School Decision on Ilead Lancaster Charter

iLEAD Lancaster Charter serves kindergarten through eighth grade in Lancaster, a mid-sized desert city in northern Los Angeles County. The school operates as a regular charter school within the iLEAD Lancaster Charter District and enrolls students across a neighborhood setting rather than a magnet or specialized focus.

The enrollment is small to moderate for its grade span, with roughly equal distributions across grades and a student body that is majority Hispanic and Black, with smaller shares of white and multiracial students. A substantial majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting significant economic need in the surrounding community.

State test results from the most recent school year show persistently weak performance across both English language arts and mathematics. In math, proficiency ranges from single digits in grades five through eight to around one in five students in grades three and four. English language arts performs somewhat better, with most grades in the low to mid-range, though grade six stands out at roughly one in three students meeting proficiency. Science proficiency, tested at grades five and eight, sits at low double digits. The school has only one year of comparable assessment data available. Against the broader universe of districts in Los Angeles County, iLEAD Lancaster's overall proficiency index places it in the bottom quartile.

The school's charter status means it operates under a performance contract rather than traditional district governance. Parents may want to look into the school's approach to instruction and support systems for struggling learners, as the assessment results suggest students are encountering significant difficulty with grade-level content. Without additional context on teaching methods, school culture, special services, or any recent changes in leadership or program, the numbers alone offer limited insight into how the school is structured or what sets it apart from other options in the region.

Housing in the 93535 zip code where the school is located is more affordable relative to California benchmarks, a factor that shapes the economic composition of the families the school serves. Lancaster itself has invested in downtown revitalization centered on a walkable cultural district called The BLVD, though the broader city remains car-oriented development typical of high-desert communities. The area's economy is anchored by aerospace, defense, healthcare, and education, with Edwards Air Force Base and large aerospace contractors as major regional employers.

Families considering this school should recognize that current proficiency levels are below county norms and that the student population reflects concentrated economic and socioeconomic needs. The school's charter structure and relatively small size within its grade band are facts about its design, neither inherent advantages nor disadvantages. The critical question for families is whether the school's specific instructional programs and supports address the academic gaps evident in state data.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 318%

School 18% · district not reported

▼ 25 pts below state median · ▼ 29 pts below county median

Grade 419%

School 19% · district not reported

▼ 18 pts below state median · ▼ 22 pts below county median

Grade 58%

School 8% · district not reported

▼ 22 pts below state median · ▼ 25 pts below county median

Grade 610%

School 10% · district not reported

▼ 20 pts below state median · ▼ 21 pts below county median

Grade 710%

School 10% · district not reported

▼ 20 pts below state median · ▼ 21 pts below county median

Grade 89%

School 9% · district not reported

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

English language arts

Grade 318%

School 18% · district not reported

▼ 23 pts below state median · ▼ 25 pts below county median

Grade 423%

School 23% · district not reported

▼ 19 pts below state median · ▼ 21 pts below county median

Grade 516%

School 16% · district not reported

▼ 30 pts below state median · ▼ 31 pts below county median

Grade 634%

School 34% · district not reported

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

Grade 717%

School 17% · district not reported

▼ 29 pts below state median · ▼ 29 pts below county median

Grade 819%

School 19% · district not reported

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

Science

Grade 512%

School 12% · district not reported

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

Grade 812%

School 12% · district not reported

▼ 13 pts below state median · ▼ 12 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-income14%Higher-income29%15 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income22%Higher-income25%3 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income15%Higher-income16%0 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income25%Higher-income63%38 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income15%Higher-income25%10 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income16%Higher-income31%15 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income12%Higher-income33%21 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income19%Higher-income17%3 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income6%Higher-income16%10 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income7%Higher-income21%14 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income7%Higher-income27%20 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income10%Higher-income6%3 pp gap