Alma Fuerte Public

Alma Fuerte Public is a K-8 elementary school in Pasadena, California, serving 227 students within its own independent Alma Fuerte Public District, which faces significant challenges as it ranks in the bottom 4% of districts statewide.

Academically, the school performs well below state averages, with only about 22% of students proficient in English, 13% in math, and 15% in science, placing it among the lowest-performing schools in the area. For comparison, the nearby Aveson School of Leaders, which shares the same address, has proficiency rates more than double those of Alma Fuerte. Other local charter schools like Odyssey Charter also perform significantly higher, indicating that charter status alone does not guarantee similar outcomes.

Despite these academic struggles and serving a student population where over 77% qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, Alma Fuerte manages student attendance effectively, with a chronic absenteeism rate better than the state average and notably lower than some higher-poverty schools in the Pasadena Unified district, such as Washington Elementary STEM Magnet. The school spends less per student than most neighboring schools but maintains a relatively low student-teacher ratio. Performance varies greatly by grade, with middle school scores showing particular decline, suggesting the school's model may be more effective in earlier grades.