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Higher Learning Academy

Public, Charter, Alternative Grades K-12

5682^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,857 California Alternative Schools

Better than 3% of California alternative schools

Summary

Higher Learning Academy is a K-12 alternative school serving 519 students in Sacramento, operating under its own Higher Learning Academy District and serving a community with significant economic need, where about 78% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.

Academic performance at the school is significantly below both state averages and nearby schools; for example, only about 20% of students are proficient in English and less than 8% are proficient in math, compared to schools like Westlake Charter and Natomas Charter which show much higher proficiency rates. While chronic absenteeism has improved, it remains higher than the state average, and a major area of concern is the student-teacher ratio, which has risen sharply to 33 students for every teacher, limiting individual attention compared to other local alternatives.

Interestingly, the school's per-student spending is similar to some higher-performing schools, suggesting that how resources are used is critical. The school faces particular challenges in math instruction across all grades and shows wide variation in performance between grade levels. Parents may want to explore how the school plans to address the high ratio of students to teachers and its strategies for improving foundational math skills, especially in the early grades.

519

Students ?

33.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$19,075

Per pupil spending ?

78.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

900 Grace Ave.
Sacramento, CA 95838-2348

(916) 286-5183

District: Higher Learning Academy District

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

39.7%

Asian:

19.8%

African American:

16.4%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Higher Learning Academy to nearby alternative schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 8th percentile in 2019 → 11th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (13% vs 41% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (3rd percentile)

!Mathematics scores 30 pts below the California average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school13%

California avg41%

Elementary school

5,682^nd of 5,857

California public elementary schools ?

Bottom 3%▼ down 12 pts since 2019

From bottom 15% (2019) to bottom 3% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

Middle school

2,469^th of 2,761

California public middle schools ?

Bottom 11%▲ up 2 pts since 2019

See the entire ranking list of California Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Elementary school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	9.1	5682 of 5857	3.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	12.8	5493 of 5869	6.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	10.0	5696 of 5859	2.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	12.9	5538 of 5883	5.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	18.6	4930 of 5789	14.8%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	30.5	411 of 593	30.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	22.2	564 of 661	14.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	30.7	457 of 663	31.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	55.5	273 of 747	63.5%	★★★☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	0.6	1188 of 1203	1.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	40.2	1804 of 3162	42.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	28.8	2610 of 3245	19.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	42.3	1661 of 3311	49.8%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	7.5	5538 of 5597	1.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	11.9	5366 of 5612	4.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	11.6	5402 of 5609	3.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	14.6	5224 of 5635	7.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	14.8	5037 of 5492	8.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	10.2	4973 of 5107	2.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	18.3	4572 of 5107	10.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	12.5	4921 of 5087	3.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	19.9	4511 of 5084	11.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	30.0	3696 of 4963	25.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	9.5	5334 of 5460	2.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	16.4	5057 of 5517	8.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	11.5	5221 of 5363	2.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	13.4	5053 of 5264	4.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	24.7	4246 of 5173	17.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	12.8	5267 of 5628	6.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	15.2	5152 of 5643	8.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	10.2	5504 of 5638	2.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	12.9	5375 of 5663	5.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	32.1	3614 of 5510	34.4%	★★☆☆☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	14.4	2469 of 2761	10.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	12.2	2573 of 2783	7.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	12.2	2607 of 2781	6.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	15.4	2428 of 2740	11.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	14.1	827 of 894	7.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	11.8	2494 of 2715	8.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	15.5	566 of 609	7.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	35.0	394 of 627	37.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	31.8	418 of 613	31.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	25.7	493 of 637	22.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	26.9	483 of 643	24.9%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	32.2	1117 of 1478	24.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	27.5	1385 of 1521	8.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	38.4	832 of 1540	46.0%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	16.8	2211 of 2533	12.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	11.8	2409 of 2551	5.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	13.1	2369 of 2531	6.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	18.7	2124 of 2509	15.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	15.2	679 of 738	8.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	7.0	2334 of 2380	1.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	20.2	2005 of 2395	16.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	14.4	2201 of 2388	7.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	17.9	2087 of 2374	12.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	18.1	2092 of 2359	11.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	16.9	2251 of 2542	11.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	11.6	2458 of 2579	4.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	8.5	2489 of 2531	1.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	19.3	2124 of 2458	13.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	18.9	652 of 721	9.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	11.5	2231 of 2369	5.8%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	12.5	2346 of 2534	7.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	13.9	2330 of 2552	8.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	12.3	2385 of 2538	6.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	12.9	2371 of 2527	6.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	13.9	719 of 763	5.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	21.8	1915 of 2407	20.4%	★☆☆☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Elementary school

English Language Learner (2024)43rd percentile+37 vs school

African American (2024)31st percentile+24 vs school

Male (2025)6th percentile+3 vs school

Hispanic (2025)3rd percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)2nd percentile~ school

Asian (2025)1st percentile~ school

Female (2025)1st percentile~ school

Middle school

English Language Learner (2024)24th percentile+17 vs school

Hispanic (2025)16th percentile+6 vs school

Female (2025)13th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)11th percentile~ school

Male (2025)7th percentile-3 vs school

African American (2025)7th percentile-4 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy20%-28 vs state

Science8%-24 vs state

Mathematics8%-30 vs state

★

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Schools Near Higher Learning Academy

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Immunizations Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking ()				Ranking ()				CAST Science (2025)						Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy (2025)								Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2025)								% Completely Immunized (2022)	% Polio (2022)	% Hepatitis B (2022)	% Varicella (2022)	% DTP (2022)	% MMR (2022)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score ()	Statewide Rank ()	State Percentile ()	SchoolDigger Rating ()	Average Standard Score ()	Statewide Rank ()	State Percentile ()	Rank Change from Previous Year	CAST Science 5th Grade	CAST Science 8th Grade	CAST Science 10th Grade	CAST Science 11th Grade	CAST Science 12th Grade	CAST Science All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 3rd Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 4th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 5th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 6th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 7th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 8th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 11th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 3rd Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 4th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 5th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 6th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 7th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 8th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 11th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics All Grades	% Completely Immunized KG	% Polio KG	% Hepatitis B KG	% Varicella KG	% DTP KG	% MMR KG	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Higher Learning Academy	Public, Charter, Alternative	K-12	900 Grace Ave.	Sacramento	95838	Sacramento County	Higher Learning Academy District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(916) 286-5183	519	16	33.0	78.2%	64 (12.3%)	85 (16.4%)	206 (39.7%)	103 (19.8%)	3 (0.6%)	25 (4.8%)	33 (6.4%)								(n/a)	1.9	14.8				8.4	3.5	26.8	13.2	15.5	26.8	37.0		20.4	3.5	25.0	1.9	8.6	3.6	3.7		7.8	96.7	96.7	96.7		96.7		$19,075	$1,245	$17,830
Paseo Grande Charter	Public, Virtual, Charter, Alternative	K-12	5248 Rose St.	Sacramento	95838	Sacramento County	Paseo Grande Charter District	Yes	(n/a)	Yes	(n/a)	(833) 980-1356	152	7	23.1	77.6%	41 (27.0%)	19 (12.5%)	65 (42.8%)	4 (2.6%)	1 (0.7%)	1 (0.7%)	19 (12.5%)								(n/a)		13.6				20.0				30.8	46.7	13.6	46.7	35.0				23.1	46.7	27.3	50.0	38.8							$36,034	$78	$35,956
Keema School for Independent Study	Public, Alternative	K-12	1281 North Ave.	Sacramento	95838	Sacramento County	Twin Rivers Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(916) 566-3410	529	28	18.8	91.9%	109 (20.6%)	60 (11.3%)	264 (49.9%)	34 (6.4%)	7 (1.3%)	6 (1.1%)	46 (8.7%)								(n/a)	12.5	7.0		9.8		9.3			20.0	30.8	31.3	18.6	31.6	27.5			0.0	15.4	9.7	4.7	3.2	5.3	75.0	80.0	87.5	82.5	77.5	82.5	$18,219	$2,451	$15,768
Highlands Community Charter	Public, Charter, Alternative	1-12	1333 Grand Ave.	Sacramento	95838	Sacramento County	Highlands Community Charter District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(916) 844-2283	11,713	127	92.1	97.4%	5,530 (47.2%)	130 (1.1%)	1,637 (14.0%)	2,893 (24.7%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (0.2%)	1,503 (12.8%)								(n/a)					8.3	8.3																							$16,929	$225	$16,704
California Innovative Career Academy	Public, Charter, Alternative	1-12	1333 Grand Ave.	Sacramento	95838	Sacramento County	California Innovative Career Academy District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(916) 436-5770	1,729	121	14.2	93.2%	838 (48.5%)	160 (9.3%)	278 (16.1%)	220 (12.7%)	3 (0.2%)	4 (0.2%)	224 (13.0%)								(n/a)																													$17,644	$270	$17,374
Heritage Peak Charter	Public, Charter, Alternative	K-12	631 L St.	Rio Linda	95673	Sacramento County	Heritage Peak Charter District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(866) 992-9033	1,181	52	22.8	54.7%	674 (57.1%)	49 (4.1%)	301 (25.5%)	108 (9.1%)	21 (1.8%)	9 (0.8%)	19 (1.6%)								(n/a)	44.9	37.7		45.3		41.2	31.0	45.2	50.0	47.8	52.8	49.1	63.0	48.4	35.7	40.0	30.8	32.8	34.4	33.0	21.0	32.7	42.7	47.6	56.1	43.9	48.8	43.9	$13,101	$1,229	$11,872
Marconi Learning Academy	Public, Charter, Alternative	K-12	2444 Marconi Ave.	Sacramento	95821	Sacramento County	Marconi Learning Academy District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(916) 974-7307	464	12	38.3	89.0%	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)													41.4	41.4							4.8	4.8
Community Outreach Academy	Public, Charter, Alternative	K-12	5637 Skvarla Ave.	McClellan	95652	Sacramento County	Community Outreach Academy District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(916) 286-5170	1,931	78	24.6	74.0%	1,852 (95.9%)	3 (0.2%)	58 (3.0%)	16 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.1%)								(n/a)	27.5	23.2				25.8	32.5	42.3	37.1	39.7	34.5	29.6		36.1	37.6	41.0	31.3	32.3	28.0	25.2		33.2	65.7	86.1	84.3	97.1	74.4		$16,955	$1,144	$15,811
Community Collaborative Charter	Public, Charter, Alternative	K-12	5715 Skvarla Ave.	McClellan	95652	Sacramento County	Community Collaborative Charter District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(916) 286-5161	649	47	13.9	84.6%	337 (51.9%)	64 (9.9%)	200 (30.8%)	9 (1.4%)	5 (0.8%)	1 (0.2%)	31 (4.8%)								(n/a)	18.2	11.5	22.6	9.7	10.5	13.7	11.5	23.5	21.9	7.1	9.6	11.5	26.7	17.4	11.1	20.0	12.1	0.0	9.6	7.7	4.0	7.9							$17,738	$1,086	$16,652
Natomas Charter	Public, Charter, Alternative	K-12	2920 Advantage Way	Sacramento	95834	Sacramento County	Natomas Charter District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(916) 419-3788	1,850	79	23.4	39.8%	358 (19.4%)	196 (10.6%)	541 (29.2%)	441 (23.8%)	3 (0.2%)	12 (0.6%)	299 (16.2%)								(n/a)	56.1	32.5		49.2		43.0	62.5	66.0	74.8	64.7	65.2	59.0	78.6	66.4	59.6	59.4	53.3	38.5	31.4	29.8	35.1	40.7	97.2			97.9		97.9	$13,714	$344	$13,370

Frequently Asked Questions about Higher Learning Academy

What district is Higher Learning Academy in?

Higher Learning Academy District

How many students attend Higher Learning Academy?

In the 2024-25 school year, 519 students attended Higher Learning Academy.

What is the racial makeup of Higher Learning Academy?

Students at Higher Learning Academy are 40% Hispanic, 20% Asian, 16% African American, 12% White, 6% Two or more races, 5% Pacific Islander.

Is Higher Learning Academy a good school?

Higher Learning Academy ranks in the bottom 3.0% of California alternative schools.

Rate Higher Learning Academy!

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the California Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.