Allegiance Steam Academy - Thrive, Chino CA

Original Research by School Decision on Allegiance Steam Academy - Thrive

Allegiance STEAM Academy - Thrive is a charter school serving kindergarten through eighth grade in Chino, located in western San Bernardino County. It is part of a two-campus charter district that expanded in August 2023 by opening a second TK-8 school in Fontana with no enrollment boundaries, so families in either community can choose either location. The Fontana campus moved to a dedicated facility in August 2025 with expanded space including dedicated STEAM and music labs, world language classrooms, a gymnasium, and athletic fields. All students at both campuses now receive free breakfast and lunch daily through California's Universal Meals Program.

The school enrolls a student body of about 960, distributed fairly evenly across grades kindergarten through eighth, with no significant gaps. The population is predominantly Hispanic, comprising roughly two-thirds of enrollment. Asian students make up a meaningful minority at around one-sixth of the school. Black students and white students each represent a smaller share, while the remaining students identify as two or more races. Roughly one-third of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a mixed-income enrollment. Data on the counts of students receiving special education services or classified as English learners was not available.

Academic performance across tested grades shows uneven results. In English language arts, proficiency ranges from near half in third grade to above three-fifths by eighth grade, with a notable peak in sixth grade. The school's overall ELA proficiency across all tested grades is in the top quartile when compared to other schools across San Bernardino County. In mathematics, proficiency is considerably lower, starting around mid-fifties in third grade but dropping into the upper thirties and low forties by fifth through eighth grade. Science testing, available only for fifth and eighth grades, shows proficiency near three-tenths in fifth grade and just over two-fifths in eighth grade. Overall, the school's proficiency index across all tested subjects and grades places it in the top quartile among schools in the county, though mathematics performance particularly lags behind language arts.

The school's STEAM emphasis is foundational to its design, a commitment reflected in its name and now underscored by the dedicated labs and resources at the expanded Fontana campus. The academic pathway through eighth grade feeds into the county's secondary systems, though the school itself does not serve high school grades.

Chino is a mid-size, rapidly growing city at the western edge of San Bernardino County, transforming from agricultural roots into a suburban landscape of commercial corridors, industrial areas, and new residential development. Much of the growth is concentrated in The Preserve, a master-planned community expanding with new neighborhoods arriving in 2026. The city is largely car-dependent, though its historic downtown core along Central Avenue has higher walkability. Housing values in the area are above the state benchmark, and rents have risen modestly. The local economy centers on logistics, distribution, manufacturing, state corrections facilities, and retail, with major employers including the California Institution for Men, the City of Chino, Chino Valley Unified School District, Walmart, Costco, and Lowe's. The Chino Transit Center provides bus service through Omnitrans but no direct rail; Metrolink connections require travel to nearby hubs.

A parent considering this school would be looking at a charter school with a deliberate focus on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics instruction, serving a diverse and moderately low-income student body in a community experiencing significant new residential construction. The school's ELA results are a genuine strength; mathematics and science proficiency are areas a parent may want to explore further with the school itself to understand the support structures and instructional approaches in place.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 356%

School 56% · district not reported

▲ 13 pts above state median · ▲ 21 pts above county median

Grade 440%

School 40% · district not reported

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

Grade 538%

School 38% · district not reported

▲ 8 pts above state median · ▲ 16 pts above county median

Grade 647%

School 47% · district not reported

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

Grade 738%

School 38% · district not reported

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

Grade 838%

School 38% · district not reported

▲ 10 pts above state median · ▲ 19 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 348%

School 48% · district not reported

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

Grade 456%

School 56% · district not reported

▲ 14 pts above state median · ▲ 21 pts above county median

Grade 550%

School 50% · district not reported

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

Grade 666%

School 66% · district not reported

▲ 22 pts above state median · ▲ 27 pts above county median

Grade 757%

School 57% · district not reported

▲ 11 pts above state median · ▲ 19 pts above county median

Grade 861%

School 61% · district not reported

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

Science

Grade 530%

School 30% · district not reported

▲ 2 pts above state median · ▲ 8 pts above county median

Grade 840%

School 40% · district not reported

▲ 15 pts above state median · ▲ 20 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-income32%Higher-income56%24 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income56%Higher-income56%0 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income46%Higher-income51%5 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income67%Higher-income65%1 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income38%Higher-income68%30 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income40%Higher-income75%35 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income46%Higher-income61%15 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income31%Higher-income45%14 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income36%Higher-income39%3 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income50%Higher-income44%6 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income16%Higher-income52%36 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income26%Higher-income46%21 pp gap