Advanced Learning Academy, Santa Ana CA

Original Research by School Decision on Advanced Learning Academy

Advanced Learning Academy is a charter school serving kindergarten through grade 12 in Santa Ana. The school enrolls a small student body for a full-grade-span school, with enrollment concentrated in middle and high school grades. The student population is predominantly Hispanic, and a substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the economic reality of the Santa Ana area.

Academic performance at Advanced Learning Academy is below the midpoint among schools in Orange County. In English language arts, the school's overall proficiency rate sits in the lower range. Performance varies considerably by grade: third grade shows stronger results, while proficiency drops markedly in the upper middle grades before rising again in eighth grade. Mathematics presents a steeper challenge. Proficiency rates decline substantially as students move up through elementary and middle school, with the lowest rates appearing in seventh and eighth grade. In science, where the school offers assessments only at fifth and eighth grades, proficiency is low at both levels.

The pattern across subjects and grades suggests that students enter the school performing at a higher level in third grade, particularly in math, but struggle increasingly as they advance. The sharp drops from elementary to middle grades, especially in math, point to transitions that warrant attention. Whether this reflects curriculum design, instructional delivery, student composition changes, the transition between grade bands, or other factors is not clear from the available data alone. A parent considering this school may want to inquire directly about how the school addresses this transition and what supports exist for students in middle grades.

The school is a charter operating within the Santa Ana Unified School District. Santa Ana itself is experiencing substantial development and infill growth, with major mixed-use housing projects underway and significant bond funding approved in late 2024 for school facility improvements across the district. The city is the county seat and urban core of Orange County, with a dense, walkable downtown and a strong Mexican-American and Vietnamese cultural presence. Housing costs in the area are substantial, and a majority of families in the area qualify for assistance with school meals.

State testing data was available for the most recent school year only, so trend information is not available. Graduation rate data, chronic absenteeism, and other outcome measures were not provided. The school does not report counts of English learners or students with disabilities, so the full profile of student needs cannot be determined from the available information.

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Academic performance

State test results and graduation outcomes.

Graduation rate (ACGR)

>=50%Cohort of 7 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 375%

School 75% · District 26% · ▲ 49 pts above district

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

Grade 439%

School 39% · District 25% · ▲ 14 pts above district

▲ 1 pts above state median · ▼ 15 pts below county median

Grade 540%

School 40% · District 22% · ▲ 18 pts above district

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

Grade 634%

School 34% · District 20% · ▲ 14 pts above district

▲ 4 pts above state median · ▼ 12 pts below county median

Grade 727%

School 27% · District 20% · ▲ 7 pts above district

▼ 3 pts below state median · ▼ 22 pts below county median

Grade 818%

School 18% · District 21% · ▼ 3 pts below district

▼ 10 pts below state median · ▼ 30 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 342%

School 42% · District 25% · ▲ 17 pts above district

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

Grade 439%

School 39% · District 31% · ▲ 8 pts above district

▼ 3 pts below state median · ▼ 15 pts below county median

Grade 540%

School 40% · District 34% · ▲ 6 pts above district

▼ 5 pts below state median · ▼ 18 pts below county median

Grade 666%

School 66% · District 30% · ▲ 36 pts above district

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

Grade 746%

School 46% · District 33% · ▲ 13 pts above district

even with state median · ▼ 19 pts below county median

Grade 849%

School 49% · District 31% · ▲ 18 pts above district

▲ 4 pts above state median · ▼ 12 pts below county median

Science

Grade 527%

School 27% · District 18% · ▲ 9 pts above district

▼ 1 pts below state median · ▼ 14 pts below county median

Grade 818%

School 18% · District 15% · ▲ 3 pts above district

▼ 7 pts below state median · ▼ 26 pts below county median

This schoolSanta Ana 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.