Loma Vista Environmental Science Academy, Vallejo CA

Original Research by School Decision on Loma Vista Environmental Science Academy

Loma Vista Environmental Science Academy is a small K through 8th-grade public school in Vallejo, California, serving a community facing significant economic challenge and family volatility. The school enrolls a diverse student body, with roughly three-quarters of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. The population is majority Hispanic, with substantial shares of Black and Asian students, and a small percentage of white and multiracial families.

Academic performance at Loma Vista is weak across tested grades and subjects. In English language arts, proficiency ranges from low single digits in third and sixth grades to the mid-to-high range in seventh and eighth grades, with an overall rate in the low range when all tested grades are combined. Mathematics shows a similar pattern, with very low proficiency in most grades, a notably stronger showing in seventh grade, and minimal proficiency in eighth grade. Science proficiency in fifth and eighth grades is in the single digits. When these results are compared to other districts in Solano County, Loma Vista ranks in the bottom quartile for overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades.

The school occupies a distinctive pedagogical niche as an environmental science academy, a designation suggesting its curriculum centers on environmental themes and place-based learning. Whether this focus translates into visible community engagement or field-based learning is not evident from the available data, though the environmental mission may appeal to families seeking a thematic or project-centered approach to elementary and middle school education.

Vallejo itself is a mid-sized waterfront city with a creative downtown core and ongoing large-scale redevelopment of Mare Island, the former naval shipyard. The city's median housing values are moderate for the Bay Area, though rents are rising modestly. The broader economic picture includes major employers such as Kaiser Permanente and Six Flags Discovery Kingdom, but the city and school district have experienced enrollment decline of roughly one-third from 2020 to 2025, driven by families leaving or choosing schools elsewhere.

The district is undergoing rapid structural change. Vallejo City Unified recently exited state receivership after nearly two decades of state oversight tied to a prior financial crisis, regaining full local control in mid-2025. However, that governance milestone arrives alongside severe fiscal strain. The board has voted to close five schools across two rounds, including Loma Vista, which is scheduled to close before the end of the 2025-26 school year. This closure directly affects families currently enrolled; students will be reassigned to other district campuses. The district is simultaneously implementing a new K-12 mathematics curriculum and weighing whether to extend an expiring property tax through 2027 to fund modernization of aging elementary facilities.

For a parent considering enrollment or already attending, the essential context is that Loma Vista is a closing school within a district managing both long-term enrollment contraction and the opening opportunity of post-receivership autonomy. Test results show students performing well below state proficiency benchmarks. The school's environmental science identity may offer distinctive programming, but academic outcomes are not strong. Families should confirm with the district the timeline and receiving school for their child's reassignment, and consider whether the school's remaining operational window and curriculum approach align with their educational priorities.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 310%

School 10% · District 24% · ▼ 15 pts below district

▼ 33 pts below state median · ▼ 23 pts below county median

Grade 416%

School 16% · District 19% · ▼ 3 pts below district

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

Grade 511%

School 11% · District 16% · ▼ 5 pts below district

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

Grade 67%

School 7% · District 17% · ▼ 10 pts below district

▼ 23 pts below state median · ▼ 17 pts below county median

Grade 733%

School 33% · District 16% · ▲ 18 pts above district

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

Grade 83%

School 3% · District 15% · ▼ 11 pts below district

▼ 25 pts below state median · ▼ 20 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 36%

School 6% · District 25% · ▼ 19 pts below district

▼ 35 pts below state median · ▼ 24 pts below county median

Grade 414%

School 14% · District 21% · ▼ 8 pts below district

▼ 29 pts below state median · ▼ 16 pts below county median

Grade 521%

School 21% · District 31% · ▼ 10 pts below district

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

Grade 67%

School 7% · District 27% · ▼ 20 pts below district

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

Grade 737%

School 37% · District 25% · ▲ 12 pts above district

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

Grade 827%

School 27% · District 25% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▼ 18 pts below state median · ▼ 6 pts below county median

Science

Grade 55%

School 5% · District 17% · ▼ 12 pts below district

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

Grade 83%

School 3% · District 12% · ▼ 9 pts below district

▼ 22 pts below state median · ▼ 17 pts below county median

This schoolVallejo City 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.