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Luis Valdez Leadership Academy

Q: Is Luis Valdez Leadership Academy a good school?

Luis Valdez Leadership Academy ranks 1382 nd of 2162 California high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public, Charter Grades 9-12

1382^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,162 California High Schools

Better than 36% of California high schools

Summary

Luis Valdez Leadership Academy (LVLA) is a small public high school serving 225 students in grades 9–12 in San Jose, operating as its own district and sharing a campus area with Yerba Buena High.

The school serves a community with significant economic need and, while it achieves a strong graduation rate of 92.2%, it faces considerable challenges in academic proficiency and student attendance. Test scores, especially in science where only 3.64% of students are proficient, are well below state averages. Furthermore, chronic absenteeism, at 40.7%, is more than double the state average and is a critical area of concern. Interestingly, the school has shown historical strength in supporting English Language Learners, ranking in the 91st percentile for that subgroup in a prior year.

Compared to other schools in the immediate area, LVLA presents a mixed picture. Its graduation rate is higher than some neighbors like San Jose High (81.1%), but its academic proficiency and attendance rates are significantly lower than higher-performing schools such as University Preparatory Academy Charter. The school spends more per student than some traditional public high schools like Silver Creek High, but less than some local charters like KIPP Navigate College Prep. This highlights the stark differences in educational outcomes within a very small geographic area.

225

Students ?

16.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$20,645

Per pupil spending ?

83.6%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1855 Lucretia Ave.
San Jose, CA 95122-3730

(408) 479-0253

District: Luis Valdez Leadership Academy District

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

100.0%

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Compare Luis Valdez Leadership Academy to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 35th percentile in 2019 → 36th in 2025

Strengths

✓92% graduate in 4 years — above the California average (86%)

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (23% vs 41% meeting standards)

!High chronic absenteeism (41% vs 19% California)

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school23%

California avg41%

1,382^nd of 2,162

California public high schools ?

Bottom 36%▲ up 1 pts since 2019

See the entire ranking list of California High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1044^th of 1,543Luis Valdez Leadership Academy District among California districts

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

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	34.9	1382 of 2162	36.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	27.1	1552 of 2159	28.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	32.5	1414 of 2170	34.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	20.9	1633 of 2123	23.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	31.7	1391 of 2133	34.8%	★★☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	41.9	534 of 1161	54.0%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	33.3	757 of 1085	30.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	73.5	98 of 1064	90.8%	★★★★★
2022	36.5	629 of 1044	39.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	47.2	328 of 941	65.1%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	33.1	1274 of 1906	33.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	18.6	1555 of 1915	18.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	29.6	1328 of 1915	30.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	13.9	1624 of 1858	12.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	21.0	1427 of 1833	22.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	42.1	1116 of 1900	41.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	31.8	1325 of 1902	30.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	40.1	1135 of 1917	40.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	23.6	1421 of 1861	23.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	35.1	1178 of 1814	35.1%	★★☆☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	16.6	352 of 410	14.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	40.8	1196 of 2013	40.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	31.8	1408 of 2026	30.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	41.8	1136 of 2030	44.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	22.7	1489 of 1943	23.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	36.5	1231 of 1937	36.4%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	31.1	1323 of 1942	31.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	32.4	1275 of 1948	34.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	32.8	1269 of 1963	35.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	28.0	1337 of 1916	30.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	39.7	1089 of 1880	42.1%	★★☆☆☆

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)

Disabled (2022)54th percentile+31 vs school

Hispanic (2025)41st percentile+5 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)41st percentile+5 vs school

Female (2025)33rd percentile-3 vs school

Male (2025)32nd percentile-4 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)30th percentile~ school

Homeless (2025)14th percentile-22 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy39%-10 vs state

Mathematics21%-16 vs state

Science4%-29 vs state

★

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Schools Near Luis Valdez Leadership Academy

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				CAST Science (2025)					Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy (2025)				Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2025)				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 (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	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 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 7th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 8th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 11th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Luis Valdez Leadership Academy	Public, Charter	9-12	1855 Lucretia Ave.	San Jose	95122	Santa Clara County	Luis Valdez Leadership Academy District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(408) 479-0253	225	13	16.9	83.6%	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	225 (100.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	34.9	1382^nd of 2162 public high schools	36.1%		27.1	1552^nd of 2159 public high schools	28.1%	170				3.6	3.6			39.2	39.2			21.3	21.3	$20,645	$2,985	$17,660
Yerba Buena High	Public	9-12	1855 Lucretia Ave.	San Jose	95122	Santa Clara County	East Side Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(408) 347-4700	1,612	67	23.8	61.9%	32 (2.0%)	21 (1.3%)	800 (49.6%)	738 (45.8%)	2 (0.1%)	5 (0.3%)	14 (0.9%)	58.9	850^th of 2162 public high schools	60.7%		67.1	614^th of 2159 public high schools	71.6%	236			30.9	6.3	29.1			55.0	55.0			29.6	29.6	$17,113	$1,131	$15,982
Apollo High	Public	11-12	1835 Cunningham Ave.	San Jose	95122	Santa Clara County	East Side Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(408) 928-5400	141	7	19.1	67.4%	1 (0.7%)	5 (3.5%)	120 (85.1%)	10 (7.1%)	1 (0.7%)	2 (1.4%)	2 (1.4%)	13.6	1854^th of 2162 public high schools	14.2%		16.4	1775^th of 2159 public high schools	17.8%	79			0.0		1.4			27.7	27.7			1.5	1.5	$17,486	$754	$16,732
William C. Overfelt High	Public	9-12	1835 Cunningham Ave.	San Jose	95122	Santa Clara County	East Side Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(408) 347-5900	1,363	68	20.0	62.7%	7 (0.5%)	16 (1.2%)	1,153 (84.6%)	167 (12.3%)	2 (0.1%)	18 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	36.7	1337^th of 2162 public high schools	38.2%		26.3	1567^th of 2159 public high schools	27.4%	230			19.0		18.5			46.8	46.8			13.4	13.4	$19,168	$1,422	$17,746
Downtown College Preparatory	Public, Charter	9-12	1402 Monterey Hwy.	San Jose	95110	Santa Clara County	Downtown College Preparatory District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(408) 271-8120	520	29	18.2	78.8%	3 (0.6%)	6 (1.2%)	497 (95.6%)	11 (2.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.6%)	40.2	1253^rd of 2162 public high schools	42.0%		46.1	1099^th of 2159 public high schools	49.1%	154				19.2	19.2			39.2	39.2			14.2	14.2	$20,075	$1,986	$18,089
Alpha Cindy Avitia High	Public, Charter	9-12	1881 Cunningham Ave.	San Jose	95122	Santa Clara County	Alpha Cindy Avitia High District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(408) 791-1558	405	30	13.5	72.8%	7 (1.7%)	3 (0.7%)	378 (93.3%)	11 (2.7%)	2 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	3 (0.7%)	13.8	1845^th of 2162 public high schools	14.7%		29.5	1502^nd of 2159 public high schools	30.4%	343			6.6		7.9			18.9	18.9			4.4	4.4	$21,801	$3,003	$18,798
Andrew P. Hill High	Public	9-12	3200 Senter Rd.	San Jose	95111	Santa Clara County	East Side Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(408) 347-4100	1,564	73	21.3	67.6%	37 (2.4%)	31 (2.0%)	1,011 (64.6%)	459 (29.3%)	8 (0.5%)	5 (0.3%)	11 (0.7%)	43.6	1178^th of 2162 public high schools	45.5%		46	1102^nd of 2159 public high schools	49.0%	76			25.0	15.0	24.5			47.8	47.8			17.1	17.1	$18,676	$1,257	$17,419
San Jose High	Public	9-12	275 North 24th St.	San Jose	95116	Santa Clara County	San Jose Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(408) 535-6320	874	47	18.6	69.9%	28 (3.2%)	8 (0.9%)	746 (85.4%)	71 (8.1%)	3 (0.3%)	3 (0.3%)	15 (1.7%)	42.9	1190^th of 2162 public high schools	45.0%		30.1	1485^th of 2159 public high schools	31.2%	295			21.0	30.0	24.6			42.8	42.8			16.4	16.4	$21,364	$674	$20,690
University Preparatory Academy Charter	Public, Charter	7-12	2315 Canoas Garden Ave.	San Jose	95125	Santa Clara County	University Preparatory Academy Charter District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(408) 723-1839	727	38	19.3	27.8%	40 (5.5%)	135 (18.6%)	129 (17.7%)	366 (50.3%)	1 (0.1%)	3 (0.4%)	53 (7.3%)	96.2	74^th of 2162 public high schools	96.6%		94.4	121^st of 2159 public high schools	94.4%	47	49.2	61.7		46.4	52.6	80.0	72.5	86.9	79.4	75.8	59.1	62.2	66.2	$12,808	$218	$12,590
Silver Creek High	Public	9-12	3434 Silver Creek Rd.	San Jose	95121	Santa Clara County	East Side Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(408) 347-5600	2,139	90	23.6	44.6%	73 (3.4%)	22 (1.0%)	671 (31.4%)	1,294 (60.5%)	7 (0.3%)	7 (0.3%)	61 (2.9%)	82.8	366^th of 2162 public high schools	83.1%		85.4	320^th of 2159 public high schools	85.2%	46			47.1	29.6	46.2			66.9	66.9			45.1	45.1	$16,130	$996	$15,134

Frequently Asked Questions about Luis Valdez Leadership Academy

What district is Luis Valdez Leadership Academy in?

Luis Valdez Leadership Academy District

Is Luis Valdez Leadership Academy a good school?

Luis Valdez Leadership Academy ranks 1382^nd of 2162 California high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Luis Valdez Leadership Academy?

Students at Luis Valdez Leadership Academy are 100% Hispanic.

How many students attend Luis Valdez Leadership Academy?

In the 2024-25 school year, 225 students attended Luis Valdez Leadership 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.