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Thomas Gaines Virtual Academy

Q: Is Thomas Gaines Virtual Academy a good school?

Thomas Gaines Virtual Academy ranks 3920 th of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public, Virtual Grades K-8

3920^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,857 California Elementary Schools

Better than 33% of California elementary schools

Summary

Thomas Gaines Virtual Academy is a fully online K-8 public school serving 261 students within the Antioch Unified School District, offering a unique virtual learning model in an area where most traditional schools face significant academic challenges.

While the school's overall state ranking is low, it shows important strengths, particularly outperforming the Antioch Unified district average in mathematics and science, even though it serves a student population with very high economic need. It is notably effective with special education students, ranking in the top third of schools statewide in that area. Compared to other district schools like Carmen Dragon Elementary and Jack London Elementary, Thomas Gaines achieves similar or better academic results despite having a higher percentage of students from low-income families.

When compared to higher-performing schools in neighboring districts, such as Pioneer Elementary in Brentwood Union or Almond Grove Elementary in Oakley Union Elementary, Thomas Gaines lags in overall proficiency. However, it operates with a much higher per-student budget, which supports its online model, and maintains a lower student-teacher ratio than many nearby schools. For families within the Antioch district seeking an alternative to traditional classrooms, it represents a relatively stronger option, though chronic absenteeism remains a challenge the school is working to improve.

261

Students ?

17.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$31,304

Per pupil spending ?

90%

Free/discounted lunch ?

4730 Sterling Hills Dr.
Antioch, CA 94531-7673

(925) 779-7640

District: Antioch Unified

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

35.6%

African American:

29.1%

White:

10.3%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Thomas Gaines Virtual Academy to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 22nd percentile in 2023 → 33rd in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 11 percentile points since 2023

✓Among the top-ranked schools in Antioch Unified

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (25% vs 41% meeting standards)

!High chronic absenteeism (30% vs 19% California)

!English Language Arts/Literacy scores 22 pts below the California average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school25%

District avg20%

California avg41%

Elementary school

3,920^th of 5,857

California public elementary schools ?

Bottom 33%▲ up 12 pts since 2023

From bottom 22% (2023) to bottom 33% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

Middle school

2,080^th of 2,761

California public middle schools ?

Bottom 25%▲ up 10 pts since 2023

From bottom 14% (2023) to bottom 25% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 15Elementary Schools in the Antioch Unified

1372^nd of 1,543Antioch Unified 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)

Elementary school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	30.5	3920 of 5857	33.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	28.2	4091 of 5869	30.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	22.5	4597 of 5859	21.5%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2023	40.4	358 of 661	45.8%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	37.3	3278 of 5597	41.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	29.3	3856 of 5612	31.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	25.3	4189 of 5609	25.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	35.8	3287 of 5107	35.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	21.6	4354 of 5087	14.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	37.0	3431 of 5460	37.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	27.4	4197 of 5517	23.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	23.6	4406 of 5363	17.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	42.3	2973 of 5628	47.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	29.2	3902 of 5643	30.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	21.1	4615 of 5638	18.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	53.9	863 of 2635	67.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	29.4	1681 of 2420	30.5%	★★☆☆☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	23.4	2080 of 2761	24.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	14.2	2507 of 2783	9.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	17.7	2383 of 2781	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	26.8	462 of 609	24.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	20.6	546 of 627	12.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	22.2	520 of 613	15.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	24.0	1911 of 2533	24.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	18.1	2177 of 2551	14.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	23.7	1934 of 2531	23.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	29.7	1669 of 2395	30.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	17.2	2113 of 2388	11.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	26.4	1777 of 2374	25.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	30.5	1738 of 2542	31.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	14.5	2368 of 2579	8.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	23.0	2041 of 2531	19.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	24.9	1877 of 2534	25.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	11.3	2433 of 2552	4.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	12.6	2376 of 2538	6.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	45.9	664 of 1566	57.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	21.0	1432 of 1552	7.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	40.4	757 of 1531	50.6%	★★★☆☆

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

Special Education (2024)67th percentile+37 vs school

Male (2025)47th percentile+14 vs school

African American (2023)46th percentile+24 vs school

Female (2025)41st percentile+8 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)37th percentile+4 vs school

Hispanic (2024)36th percentile+5 vs school

Middle school

Special Education (2025)58th percentile+33 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)32nd percentile+7 vs school

Hispanic (2025)30th percentile+6 vs school

Male (2025)26th percentile~ school

Female (2025)25th percentile~ school

African American (2025)24th percentile~ school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy27%-22 vs state

Mathematics26%-11 vs state

Science18%-15 vs state

★

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Schools Near Thomas Gaines Virtual Academy

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Immunizations 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)							% Completely Immunized (2022)	% Polio (2022)	% Hepatitis B (2022)	% Varicella (2022)	% DTP (2022)	% MMR (2022)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
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 5th Grade	CAST Science 8th 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 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 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
Thomas Gaines Virtual Academy	Public, Virtual	K-8	4730 Sterling Hills Dr.	Antioch	94531	Contra Costa County	Antioch Unified	No	(n/a)	Yes	(n/a)	(925) 779-7640	261	15	17.4	90.0%	27 (10.3%)	76 (29.1%)	93 (35.6%)	26 (10.0%)	5 (1.9%)	15 (5.7%)	19 (7.3%)	30.5	3920^th of 5857 public elementary schools	33.1%		28.2	4091^st of 5869 public elementary schools	30.3%	171	28.6	13.6	17.5	33.3	28.6	33.3	27.8	32.7	17.0	27.1	28.6	33.3	28.6	29.7	25.5	19.0	25.8							$31,304	$29,500	$1,804
Jack London Elementary	Public	K-6	4550 Country Hills Dr.	Antioch	94531	Contra Costa County	Antioch Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(925) 779-7455	446	19	23.1	76.9%	42 (9.4%)	129 (28.9%)	176 (39.5%)	59 (13.2%)	5 (1.1%)	13 (2.9%)	22 (4.9%)	13.8	5362^nd of 5857 public elementary schools	8.5%		15	5307^th of 5869 public elementary schools	9.6%	55	14.9		14.9	10.8	28.9	26.0	23.8			22.1	13.9	15.4	12.2	14.3			13.8	76.8	78.6	92.9	78.6	76.8	78.6	$28,232	$26,124	$2,108
Diablo Vista Elementary	Public	K-5	4791 Prewett Ranch Dr.	Antioch	94531	Contra Costa County	Antioch Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(925) 779-7470	496	21	23.6	61.1%	29 (5.8%)	133 (26.8%)	203 (40.9%)	98 (19.8%)	2 (0.4%)	6 (1.2%)	25 (5.0%)	35.9	3508^th of 5857 public elementary schools	40.1%		27.3	4174^th of 5869 public elementary schools	28.9%	666	29.1		29.1	44.1	30.3	42.9				39.3	42.9	18.4	22.1				28.1	94.0	96.4		96.4	95.2	96.4	$24,494	$22,354	$2,140
Carmen Dragon Elementary	Public	K-6	4721 Vista Grande Dr.	Antioch	94531	Contra Costa County	Antioch Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(925) 779-7475	495	23	21.9	61.6%	57 (11.5%)	155 (31.3%)	160 (32.3%)	87 (17.6%)	3 (0.6%)	11 (2.2%)	22 (4.4%)	17.4	5067^th of 5857 public elementary schools	13.5%		21.9	4686^th of 5869 public elementary schools	20.2%	381	21.9		21.9	15.0	21.4	37.5	33.9			26.2	13.9	13.6	15.6	13.3			14.1		80.0	89.3	74.7	78.7	78.7	$25,735	$23,656	$2,079
Grant Elementary	Public	K-6	4325 Spaulding St.	Antioch	94531	Contra Costa County	Antioch Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(925) 779-7465	478	24	19.5	77.4%	35 (7.3%)	122 (25.5%)	215 (45.0%)	67 (14.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.6%)	36 (7.5%)	15.2	5250^th of 5857 public elementary schools	10.4%		17	5123^rd of 5869 public elementary schools	12.7%	127	14.3		14.3	6.3	30.8	21.4	38.3			22.7	7.4	21.2	14.3	13.3			13.3	88.2	88.2	88.2	88.2	88.2	88.2	$26,068	$23,952	$2,116
Lone Tree Elementary	Public	K-5	1931 Mokelumne Dr.	Antioch	94531	Contra Costa County	Antioch Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(925) 779-7480	518	25	20.3	72.8%	41 (7.9%)	150 (29.0%)	219 (42.3%)	66 (12.7%)	5 (1.0%)	13 (2.5%)	24 (4.6%)	22.7	4622^nd of 5857 public elementary schools	21.1%		18.2	5015^th of 5869 public elementary schools	14.6%	393	21.8		21.8	23.3	30.3	37.2				30.7	21.6	25.8	15.1				20.9	81.2	82.6	94.2	82.6	82.6	82.6	$23,753	$21,662	$2,091
Muir (John) Elementary	Public	K-5	615 Greystone Dr.	Antioch	94509	Contra Costa County	Antioch Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(925) 779-7450	660	32	20.6	58.9%	54 (8.2%)	135 (20.5%)	368 (55.8%)	61 (9.2%)	5 (0.8%)	3 (0.5%)	34 (5.2%)	26.2	4301^st of 5857 public elementary schools	26.6%		19.4	4914^th of 5869 public elementary schools	16.3%	613	14.6		14.6	37.0	32.8	36.5				35.3	27.8	25.8	19.8				24.7	91.3	92.1	96.8	92.9	92.1	92.9	$24,720	$22,720	$2,000
Pioneer Elementary	Public	K-5	2010 Shady Willow Ln.	Brentwood	94513	Contra Costa County	Brentwood Union	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(925) 513-6410	859	33	26.3		193 (22.5%)	89 (10.4%)	215 (25.0%)	259 (30.2%)	5 (0.6%)	2 (0.2%)	96 (11.2%)	60.5	2038^th of 5857 public elementary schools	65.2%		65.4	1796^th of 5869 public elementary schools	69.4%	242	37.4		37.4	51.7	56.1	54.8				54.3	45.6	46.2	35.5				42.4	92.0	94.0	98.0	94.7	94.0	93.3	$13,076	$12,008	$1,068
Almond Grove Elementary	Public	K-5	5000 Amaryllis St.	Oakley	94561	Contra Costa County	Oakley Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(925) 625-6270	427	19	22.4	36.3%	125 (29.3%)	36 (8.4%)	168 (39.3%)	75 (17.6%)	2 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	20 (4.7%)	55.6	2270^th of 5857 public elementary schools	61.2%		67.3	1715^th of 5869 public elementary schools	70.8%	555	32.8		32.8	26.2	49.4	55.2				43.8	43.1	59.8	39.7				49.1	93.4	95.6		96.7	95.6		$23,657	$22,776	$881
Belshaw Elementary	Public	K-5	2801 Roosevelt Ln.	Antioch	94509	Contra Costa County	Antioch Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(925) 779-7495	431	19	22.6	83.3%	55 (12.8%)	73 (16.9%)	257 (59.6%)	14 (3.2%)	2 (0.5%)	11 (2.6%)	19 (4.4%)	9.4	5665^th of 5857 public elementary schools	3.3%		12.2	5539^th of 5869 public elementary schools	5.6%	126	8.5		8.5	18.7	6.0	19.7				15.0	22.1	4.5	9.9				12.6	91.4	97.1		95.7	94.3		$29,424	$27,224	$2,200

Frequently Asked Questions about Thomas Gaines Virtual Academy

What district is Thomas Gaines Virtual Academy in?

Antioch Unified

What is the racial makeup of Thomas Gaines Virtual Academy?

Students at Thomas Gaines Virtual Academy are 36% Hispanic, 29% African American, 10% White, 10% Asian, 7% Two or more races, 6% Pacific Islander, 2% American Indian.

How many students attend Thomas Gaines Virtual Academy?

In the 2024-25 school year, 261 students attended Thomas Gaines Virtual Academy.

Is Thomas Gaines Virtual Academy a good school?

Thomas Gaines Virtual Academy ranks 3920^th of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Rate Thomas Gaines Virtual Academy!

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Latest California data All new data »

2024–25 school spending dataJul 1, 2026

2024–25 attendance dataMar 13, 2026

2024–25 CSA Spanish test scoresDec 22, 2025

2024–25 dropout rates & graduation ratesNov 14, 2025

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.