Lassen-antelope Volcanic Academy (lava), Red Bluff CA

Original Research by School Decision on Lassen-antelope Volcanic Academy (lava)

Lassen-Antelope Volcanic Academy is a small charter school serving grades five through eight in Red Bluff, located in Antelope Elementary School District. The school enrolls a student body that is predominantly white, with smaller shares of Hispanic and American Indian students. Just over three-fifths of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, suggesting economic pressure across much of the enrollment.

The school's academic profile shows strength in English language arts and science at the entry grades, where proficiency in fifth-grade ELA and science sits near or above one-half of students. Math proficiency, by contrast, is notably low across all grades. The school's overall proficiency index places it above the midpoint among Tehama County districts, but the trajectory within the school itself raises questions: ELA proficiency in sixth grade drops sharply from fifth, and math continues to decline grade by grade, reaching a low point in eighth grade. This pattern suggests that students in the higher grades, particularly middle school, are struggling with academic content, especially in mathematics. A parent might want to ask the school directly about the causes of this decline and what interventions are in place to help students in grades six through eight.

The school's setting is in Red Bluff, a small historic agricultural community along the Sacramento River with affordable housing stock dominated by mid-twentieth-century ranch homes and Victorian-era properties. The town's economy centers on health care, retail, education, and public-sector work, with some agriculture and timber employment. A small historic downtown district with tree-shaded streets and brick buildings is the civic heart, though the school itself sits on its own campus rather than within the downtown core. Public transit is available through TRAX, the regional bus system, and the town offers parks and recreation areas along the river.

Housing in the Red Bluff area is notably affordable relative to state and national benchmarks. The median home value sits well below the California average, and rents are moderate. Mortgage costs are manageable for qualifying buyers, and the rent-to-income ratio is favorable. For a family considering this area, housing affordability is a genuine advantage.

Data on special populations such as English learners and students with individualized education programs was not available, so the full scope of how the school serves students with different needs is unclear. Trend data exists only for the current school year, so whether proficiency has been rising, stable, or falling over time cannot be determined. The school is a regular public charter, not a magnet school or alternative program with a distinct pedagogical approach or focus, so it operates within mainstream academic expectations for the middle grades.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 535%

School 35% · District 35%

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

Grade 628%

School 28% · District 41% · ▼ 13 pts below district

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

Grade 722%

School 22% · District 32% · ▼ 9 pts below district

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

Grade 815%

School 15% · District 42% · ▼ 27 pts below district

▼ 13 pts below state median · even with county median

English language arts

Grade 552%

School 52% · District 51% · ▲ 2 pts above district

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

Grade 636%

School 36% · District 40% · ▼ 4 pts below district

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

Grade 737%

School 37% · District 40% · ▼ 3 pts below district

▼ 8 pts below state median · ▼ 2 pts below county median

Grade 835%

School 35% · District 52% · ▼ 17 pts below district

▼ 9 pts below state median · even with county median

Science

Grade 548%

School 48% · District 41% · ▲ 7 pts above district

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

Grade 830%

School 30% · District 26% · ▲ 4 pts above district

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

This schoolAntelope Elementary, 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 6Lower-income36%Higher-income36%1 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income31%Higher-income46%14 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 6Lower-income21%Higher-income36%15 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income13%Higher-income36%24 pp gap