Cadence Park, Irvine CA - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Cadence Park

Cadence Park is a kindergarten-through-eighth-grade school in Irvine, part of a master-planned community known for a strong economy, robust public services, and a high standard of living. The school serves a student body of about mid-size for its grade band, with more than half Asian students, a smaller Hispanic enrollment, and a low share of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. The school's academic performance varies across grades and subjects. In the upper elementary grades (fourth and fifth), both English language arts and math proficiency run in the high range. Middle grade performance is more mixed. Sixth grade shows a dip in both subjects, with math proficiency notably lower. Seventh and eighth grades recover somewhat; eighth-grade English language arts proficiency rises to a solid level, while math stays moderate across the middle band. In science, fifth-grade proficiency is moderate, but eighth-grade science falls to a lower range. Overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades places Cadence Park in the top quartile among districts in Orange County, a meaningful strength given the county's diversity of school types and performance levels.

The school is part of Irvine Unified, a district undergoing several curriculum and facility changes relevant to families. The district is implementing an ethnic studies graduation requirement for high school beginning fall 2025, and it has raised the high school graduation credit requirement for the class of 2027 onward. Separately, a voter-approved facilities bond (Measure E) has funded modernization projects across older Irvine schools, bringing classrooms, science labs, theaters, and athletic facilities up to the standard of newer campuses. These improvements are ongoing across the district. For families in the Woodbury community, a boundary adjustment would reassign sixth-grade and younger students to a different high school beginning in 2028-29, a change prompted by rapid growth at another school. Cadence Park itself feeds into the district's middle and high schools, so these curriculum and assignment changes affect the pathway forward.

Irvine's economy is anchored by the University of California, Irvine as the largest employer, alongside healthcare systems including UCI Health, Hoag, and MemorialCare, which are expanding significantly. Technology companies such as Google, Broadcom, and others have headquartered or major operations in the city. Housing in Irvine is expensive; median home values are substantially above both California and national benchmarks. Rent levels are also high and rise faster than typical. A family's ability to purchase or rent near the school depends on income; the cost of ownership, though moderately manageable relative to income at the national scale, is notably higher than renting, a tradeoff many families weigh.

English learner enrollment data and special education counts were not available, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about the availability of English language support and special services. Kindergarten enrollment is reported in the school's grade distribution, making it a K-8 school, though state testing results cover only grades three through eight, which is standard for California's assessment system at the K-8 grade span. The school's attendance and discipline data were not available, so families interested in school culture, behavioral supports, or absence trends should reach out to the administration.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 360%

School 60% · District 73% · ▼ 12 pts below district

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

Grade 476%

School 76% · District 72% · ▲ 4 pts above district

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

Grade 576%

School 76% · District 66% · ▲ 10 pts above district

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

Grade 659%

School 59% · District 73% · ▼ 13 pts below district

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

Grade 765%

School 65% · District 74% · ▼ 9 pts below district

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

Grade 868%

School 68% · District 73% · ▼ 6 pts below district

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

English language arts

Grade 360%

School 60% · District 68% · ▼ 8 pts below district

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

Grade 469%

School 69% · District 73% · ▼ 4 pts below district

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

Grade 573%

School 73% · District 75% · ▼ 2 pts below district

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

Grade 661%

School 61% · District 76% · ▼ 15 pts below district

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

Grade 773%

School 73% · District 78% · ▼ 5 pts below district

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

Grade 875%

School 75% · District 78% · ▼ 3 pts below district

▲ 31 pts above state median · ▲ 14 pts above county median

Science

Grade 563%

School 63% · District 65% · ▼ 2 pts below district

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

Grade 854%

School 54% · District 66% · ▼ 13 pts below district

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

This schoolIrvine 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-income46%Higher-income65%19 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income70%Higher-income69%0 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income62%Higher-income77%16 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income52%Higher-income65%13 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income56%Higher-income78%22 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income61%Higher-income78%17 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income50%Higher-income63%13 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income74%Higher-income77%3 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income58%Higher-income82%24 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income46%Higher-income64%19 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income52%Higher-income68%16 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income33%Higher-income74%41 pp gap