Ihigh Virtual Academy, San Diego CA

Original Research by School Decision on Ihigh Virtual Academy

iHigh Virtual Academy is a public alternative elementary school, kindergarten through fifth grade, operating under San Diego Unified in San Diego, California. Its address places it in the 92110 zip code, but as a virtual school, the physical location matters less to most families than the delivery model: instruction happens online. The school is not a charter.

Enrollment is small for a K-5 school. The student body is majority Hispanic, with Asian students making up the next largest share, followed by smaller groups of students identifying as two or more races, white, and Black. A very large share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which places this school among those serving families with significant economic need. Data on English learner enrollment and students with individualized education programs were not available in what was provided.

California state assessments give the clearest academic picture available here. In English language arts, proficiency rates vary by grade, with third and fourth graders performing at roughly the midpoint or above, and fifth grade coming in lower. Math follows a similar arc: third grade lands near the midpoint, fourth is a bit below that, and fifth grade drops noticeably. Fifth-grade science results, from the California Science Test, are low. Looking across all tested grades and subjects together, iHigh's overall proficiency index sits above the midpoint relative to the districts in San Diego County, which is a meaningful position given how broad that comparison set is. Still, the grade-level math and science numbers, particularly in fifth grade, are areas a parent would want to ask the school about directly. Only one year of testing data is available, so there is no trend line to gauge whether results are improving, holding, or declining.

Because iHigh is classified as an alternative school and serves only elementary grades, there is no graduation rate and no AP or dual-enrollment programming to evaluate. A graduation rate does not apply here.

The district's recent policy changes are worth knowing about. San Diego Unified publicly reported a shift to standards-based grading at the secondary level, starting in the 2021-22 school year, separating academic mastery grades from citizenship grades and removing factors like late work from academic assessment. Since iHigh serves only K-5, families would not immediately encounter this policy, but children who continue into SDUSD middle and high schools will. The district also publicly reported that voters approved a major bond measure in 2022 for facility repairs, technology, and other infrastructure, extending an existing property-tax commitment. An ethnic studies graduation requirement, publicly reported as applying to graduating high school classes starting in 2024, also awaits students further along in the SDUSD pipeline.

Housing costs in the zip code where the school is registered are well above both the California state median and the national median. Rents are also high, and the rent-to-income ratio suggests affordability is a genuine constraint for many households in the area. For a virtual school drawing families from across a broader geography, these figures are contextual rather than directly tied to attendance boundaries.

The picture that emerges is of a small virtual public elementary school serving a predominantly Hispanic, largely lower-income student body. ELA results are mixed across grades and math results weaken in the upper elementary years, especially in fifth grade. There is only one year of state data, which limits what can be said confidently about trajectory. Families drawn to a virtual model for flexibility, schedule, or other reasons may find this school worth a direct conversation with administrators about curriculum delivery, family support structures, and how students are prepared for the transition to in-person secondary school.

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Academic performance

State test results and graduation outcomes.

Graduation rate (ACGR)

>=80%Cohort of 23 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 356%

School 56% · District 55%

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

Grade 450%

School 50% · District 50%

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

Grade 531%

School 31% · District 45% · ▼ 14 pts below district

▲ 1 pts above state median · ▼ 4 pts below county median

Grade 639%

School 39% · District 44% · ▼ 5 pts below district

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

English language arts

Grade 356%

School 56% · District 53% · ▲ 3 pts above district

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

Grade 465%

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

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

Grade 545%

School 45% · District 58% · ▼ 13 pts below district

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

Grade 662%

School 62% · District 55% · ▲ 7 pts above district

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

Science

Grade 528%

School 28% · District 42% · ▼ 14 pts below district

even with state median · ▼ 7 pts below county median

This schoolSan Diego 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 8Lower-income35%Higher-income46%10 pp gap