Summit Charter Academy, Porterville CA

Original Research by School Decision on Summit Charter Academy

Summit Charter Academy is a kindergarten-through-twelfth-grade public charter school located on South Mathew Street in Porterville, a mid-sized city in Tulare County at the base of the southern Sierra Nevada. The school sits within the Burton Elementary district structure administratively, though it serves a full K-12 population. Its enrollment is large for a single-campus charter, and a substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price meals, which places it in a community-serving, economically mixed context. The student body is predominantly Hispanic, with white students making up the next largest group and smaller representations of other backgrounds. Data on English learner populations and students receiving special education services were not available in the materials we reviewed.

On California's CAASPP state assessments, the picture splits clearly by subject. In English language arts, Summit Charter Academy performs meaningfully above the midpoint when measured against districts across Tulare County, and ELA proficiency rates generally climb from the elementary grades into middle school, with eighth grade reaching notably stronger results than third or fourth. That upward trajectory in reading and writing is worth recognizing. Math tells a different story. Across every tested grade from third through eighth, math proficiency sits in a range that falls below where most families would hope, and the school's overall math performance places it only modestly above the lower end of the county comparison set. Science scores, tested at fifth and eighth grade, are also below half of students reaching proficiency. A parent who wants to understand what is driving the math and science outcomes, and what supports or interventions the school has in place, would be well-served asking the school directly.

Trend data covers only a single year, so it is not possible to say whether these results represent improvement, decline, or stability over time. The social studies entry in the data comes from a much older state assessment no longer in use and does not reflect current conditions.

No information was available on AP or dual-enrollment course offerings, graduation rates, or chronic absenteeism, each of which would be relevant to families considering the school's upper grades. A school serving through twelfth grade should have a graduation rate on record with the state, but that figure was not present in the data we received. Families evaluating the high school pathway here should ask the school directly about college preparatory course access, counseling, and what share of graduates go on to postsecondary education.

The broader community context shapes what daily life looks like for families. Porterville functions as a regional hub for the Southern Sierra area, with healthcare, agriculture, retail, and education as its economic pillars. Employers like Sierra View Medical Center, the Porterville Unified School District, the Porterville Developmental Center, and the Walmart Distribution Center anchor the local job base. Housing here is well below the California statewide median and modestly below the national median, making it one of the more accessible housing markets in the state. Rents have edged up slightly over the past year but remain at a level where the rent-to-income ratio is manageable by national standards. New single-family subdivisions are under construction across the city, suggesting continued residential growth rather than contraction.

For families weighing the broader school environment, Burton School District voters approved a facility improvement bond in late 2024, publicly reported as a measure that will fund HVAC replacement, roofing, plumbing, technology infrastructure, and safety improvements across district campuses. That represents a real investment in physical conditions, and it carries an ongoing property tax cost that prospective homeowners in the area would factor into their housing calculations.

Summit Charter Academy fits a family looking for a single K-12 campus in a Latino-majority, working-class community, with ELA results that are comparatively solid and math results that are a genuine area to probe further before enrolling.

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Academic performance

State test results and graduation outcomes.

Graduation rate (ACGR)

>=95%Cohort of 90 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 349%

School 49% · District 37% · ▲ 12 pts above district

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

Grade 439%

School 39% · District 32% · ▲ 6 pts above district

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

Grade 536%

School 36% · District 29% · ▲ 7 pts above district

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

Grade 628%

School 28% · District 26% · ▲ 2 pts above district

▼ 2 pts below state median · ▲ 5 pts above county median

Grade 733%

School 33% · District 34% · ▼ 2 pts below district

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

Grade 830%

School 30% · District 34% · ▼ 4 pts below district

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

English language arts

Grade 344%

School 44% · District 35% · ▲ 9 pts above district

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

Grade 443%

School 43% · District 35% · ▲ 8 pts above district

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

Grade 554%

School 54% · District 44% · ▲ 9 pts above district

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

Grade 646%

School 46% · District 45% · ▲ 1 pts above district

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

Grade 758%

School 58% · District 45% · ▲ 13 pts above district

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

Grade 865%

School 65% · District 54% · ▲ 11 pts above district

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

Science

Grade 526%

School 26% · District 23% · ▲ 2 pts above district

▼ 2 pts below state median · ▲ 6 pts above county median

Grade 830%

School 30% · District 21% · ▲ 9 pts above district

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

Social studies

Grade 861%

School 61% · District 45% · ▲ 16 pts above district

▲ 12 pts above state median · ▲ 26 pts above county median

This schoolBurton 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 3Lower-income37%Higher-income66%29 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income39%Higher-income53%14 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income54%Higher-income53%0 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income42%Higher-income58%16 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income55%Higher-income68%14 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income61%Higher-income77%17 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income41%Higher-income75%33 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income33%Higher-income53%20 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income35%Higher-income40%5 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income28%Higher-income30%2 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income28%Higher-income44%16 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income25%Higher-income43%18 pp gap