Running Springs Academy, Anaheim CA

Original Research by School Decision on Running Springs Academy

Running Springs Academy is a kindergarten-through-sixth-grade public school in Anaheim, located in the eastern part of the city, serving a student body of roughly six hundred children across a typical suburban K-6 enrollment spread, with the largest cohort in the primary grades.

The school's academic profile shows solid performance on California's CAASPP assessments. In English language arts, students across tested grades achieve proficiency in the low-to-mid range, with performance stronger in the upper grades (sixth grade notably reaches a higher proficiency threshold) than in the early primary years. Mathematics proficiency is comparable, clustering in the mid-to-high range for third and fourth graders, dipping in fifth grade, then recovering in sixth. Science proficiency, tested only at fifth grade, sits in the mid-range. Across subjects and grades, the school's overall proficiency index places it in the top quartile relative to other districts in Orange County, a meaningful position. Only one year of data is available, so trends cannot yet be drawn; families may want to track results over time to understand whether this represents sustained performance or volatility.

The student population is economically mixed. About one-third of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. Racially and ethnically, the school is diverse: roughly one-third identify as white, another third as Hispanic, and about one-quarter as Asian, with smaller numbers of Black, multiracial, and Native Hawaiian students. Data on special education enrollment and English learner identification are not available.

The school is identified as offering the International Baccalaureate program, a curriculum framework emphasizing inquiry, critical thinking, and international perspectives. This sits within an elementary and middle-grade context; families seeking detailed information on what that means at this grade band should speak directly with the school.

Anaheim itself is a large, diverse city with neighborhoods ranging from affluent hillside communities to working-class residential areas and tourism-heavy districts centered on the Disneyland Resort. The housing market reflects Orange County's broader costs: home values are substantial, and rental rates are elevated relative to incomes in many parts of the region. Two major projects underway—OCVibe, a large mixed-use development around Honda Center and the ARTIC transit hub, and the DisneylandForward expansion—are reshaping employment and housing stock in the city. Disneyland and its related hospitality sector dominate local employment, with health care and public sector work also significant.

The school's parent district, Orange Unified, underwent notable governance change in 2024. A conservative board majority had enacted a parental-notification policy regarding student gender identity and pronouns, which a reconstituted board rescinded in November 2024. That same year, two school board members were recalled by voters, flipping the board's direction. These shifts signal a change in district orientation on culture and identity issues. Families for whom this matters should note that the current board has moved away from the prior majority's stance; state law now also prohibits parental-notification policies of this kind.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 373%

School 73% · District 54% · ▲ 19 pts above district

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

Grade 470%

School 70% · District 54% · ▲ 16 pts above district

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

Grade 562%

School 62% · District 46% · ▲ 17 pts above district

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

Grade 674%

School 74% · District 50% · ▲ 25 pts above district

▲ 44 pts above state median · ▲ 28 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 366%

School 66% · District 52% · ▲ 14 pts above district

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

Grade 468%

School 68% · District 59% · ▲ 8 pts above district

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

Grade 573%

School 73% · District 61% · ▲ 12 pts above district

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

Grade 680%

School 80% · District 63% · ▲ 17 pts above district

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

Science

Grade 565%

School 65% · District 42% · ▲ 23 pts above district

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

This schoolOrange Unified, 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-income38%Higher-income75%37 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income48%Higher-income78%30 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income57%Higher-income83%26 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income67%Higher-income87%20 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income43%Higher-income83%40 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income56%Higher-income78%22 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income46%Higher-income72%27 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income57%Higher-income83%27 pp gap