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Burbank Unified Independent Learning Academy (BUILA)

Public, Virtual Grades 9-12

1471^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,162 California High Schools

Better than 32% of California high schools

Summary

Burbank Unified Independent Learning Academy (BUILA) is a small, alternative high school serving about 140 students in grades 9-12 within the Burbank Unified school district, offering a flexible, non-traditional educational model for students who may need a different path to graduation.

When looking at key metrics, BUILA presents a distinct profile compared to nearby comprehensive high schools like Burbank High and Burroughs High. Its standardized test scores in English, math, and science are significantly lower than both district and state averages, and it has a very high chronic absenteeism rate of 40.9%. However, BUILA excels in a crucial area: it graduates over 94% of its students, a rate that surpasses the state average, and has a very low dropout rate of 1.8%. This contrast highlights its mission to successfully guide students to a diploma through an alternative approach.

BUILA's role in the community is specialized, similar to other alternative programs such as Monterey High (Continuation). While its statewide ranking has declined in recent years, it maintains a higher standing than some local continuation schools. The school operates with a favorable student-teacher ratio, and it serves an important function by providing a flexible pathway to graduation for students who have not thrived in traditional school settings, ultimately prioritizing diploma completion alongside academic support.

140

Students ?

19.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

30.7%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1915 Monterey Ave.
Burbank, CA 91506-1107

(818) 729-5900

District: Burbank Unified

Racial breakdown:

White:

83.6%

Hispanic:

10.0%

Two or more races:

2.9%

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Compare Burbank Unified Independent Learning Academy (BUILA) to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 71st percentile in 2017 → 32nd in 2025

Strengths

✓95% graduate in 4 years — above the California average (88%)

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (21% vs 41% meeting standards)

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

!Ranking has slipped — down 39 percentile points since 2017

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school21%

District avg50%

California avg41%

1,471^st of 2,162

California public high schools ?

Bottom 32%▼ down 39 pts since 2017

From top 29% (2017) to bottom 32% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd of 4High Schools in the Burbank Unified

434^th of 1,543Burbank 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)

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2023	37.5	1538 of 2781	44.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	80.8	458 of 2740	83.3%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	81.2	406 of 2509	83.8%	★★★★☆

High school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	31.0	1471 of 2162	32.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	33.9	1398 of 2159	35.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	64.1	680 of 2170	68.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	47.4	985 of 2123	53.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	84.4	287 of 2133	86.5%	★★★★☆
2018	69.9	595 of 2017	70.5%	★★★★☆
2017	70.7	587 of 2021	71.0%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	21.2	1505 of 1906	21.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	40.6	1108 of 1915	42.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	65.6	581 of 1915	69.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	30.4	1263 of 1858	32.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	74.5	401 of 1833	78.1%	★★★★☆
2018	66.9	577 of 1760	67.2%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2023	64.0	589 of 1917	69.3%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	29.3	1432 of 2013	28.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	11.5	1875 of 2026	7.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	85.3	246 of 2030	87.9%	★★★★☆
2018	78.9	337 of 1862	81.9%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	28.3	1379 of 1942	29.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	25.4	1437 of 1948	26.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	55.9	740 of 1963	62.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	55.6	730 of 1916	61.9%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	9.4	1050 of 1155	9.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	9.7	1064 of 1173	9.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	42.7	702 of 1193	41.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	25.7	907 of 1204	24.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	57.5	563 of 1173	52.0%	★★★☆☆

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)

Middle school

Female (2022)84th percentile~ school

High school

Hispanic (2023)69th percentile~ school

Male (2025)29th percentile-3 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)29th percentile-3 vs school

Female (2025)21st percentile-11 vs school

White (2025)9th percentile-23 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy36%-13 vs state

Science15%-17 vs state

Mathematics12%-25 vs state

★

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Schools Near Burbank Unified Independent Learning Academy (BUILA)

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 11th Grade	CAST Science 12th Grade	CAST Science All Grades	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 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	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Burbank Unified Independent Learning Academy (BUILA)	Public, Virtual	9-12	1915 Monterey Ave.	Burbank	91506	Los Angeles County	Burbank Unified	No	(n/a)	Yes	(n/a)	(818) 729-5900	140	7	19.0	30.7%	117 (83.6%)	1 (0.7%)	14 (10.0%)	2 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.7%)	4 (2.9%)	31	1471^st of 2162 public high schools	32.0%		33.9	1398^th of 2159 public high schools	35.2%	73		11.8	22.2	15.4				36.1	36.1				12.1	12.1
Monterey High (Continuation)	Public	9-12	1915 Monterey Ave.	Burbank	91506	Los Angeles County	Burbank Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(818) 729-5900	91	8	11.2	52.7%	32 (35.2%)	5 (5.5%)	45 (49.5%)	4 (4.4%)	1 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (4.4%)	10.2	2011^th of 2162 public high schools	7.0%		19.9	1706^th of 2159 public high schools	21.0%	305		4.3		5.7				14.3	14.3				0.0	0.0
Magnolia Park	Public	6-12	1915 Monterey Ave.	Burbank	91506	Los Angeles County	Burbank Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(818) 729-7650	33	3	10.7	45.5%	10 (30.3%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (48.5%)	1 (3.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (18.2%)								(n/a)
Burbank High	Public	9-12	902 North Third St.	Burbank	91502	Los Angeles County	Burbank Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(818) 729-5100	2,457	96	25.4	37.4%	1,622 (66.0%)	38 (1.5%)	446 (18.2%)	191 (7.8%)	2 (0.1%)	6 (0.2%)	146 (5.9%)	61.2	793^rd of 2162 public high schools	63.3%		58.6	804^th of 2159 public high schools	62.8%	11		27.0	2.7	25.2				56.2	56.2				37.3	37.3	$49,304	$2,851	$46,453
Burroughs High	Public	9-12	1920 Clark Ave.	Burbank	91506	Los Angeles County	Burbank Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(818) 729-6900	2,283	93	24.5	26.6%	775 (33.9%)	51 (2.2%)	1,067 (46.7%)	188 (8.2%)	5 (0.2%)	1 (0.0%)	190 (8.3%)	85.3	305^th of 2162 public high schools	85.9%		85.1	325^th of 2159 public high schools	84.9%	20		45.6	28.6	45.2				77.4	77.4				44.0	44.0	$51,569	$2,998	$48,571
East Valley Senior High	Public	9-12	5525 Vineland Ave.	North Hollywood	91601	Los Angeles County	Los Angeles Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(818) 753-4400	558	33	16.7	96.2%	50 (9.0%)	19 (3.4%)	464 (83.2%)	12 (2.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (2.2%)	31.6	1453^rd of 2162 public high schools	32.8%		41.7	1200^th of 2159 public high schools	44.4%	253		16.3		15.8				44.3	44.3				9.3	9.3	$29,284	$6,509	$22,775
Science Academy STEM Magnet	Public	6-12	5525 Vineland Ave.	North Hollywood	91601	Los Angeles County	Los Angeles Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(818) 753-4470	536	23	23.0	36.2%	194 (36.2%)	7 (1.3%)	41 (7.6%)	248 (46.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	46 (8.6%)	99.2	8^th of 2162 public high schools	99.6%		99.6	2^nd of 2159 public high schools	99.9%	6	96.9	93.1		95.5	100.0	99.0	95.9	96.6	97.9	100.0	100.0	94.9	94.8	97.6	$15,955	$1,626	$14,329
Sun Valley Magnet	Public	6-12	7330 Bakman Ave.	Sun Valley	91352	Los Angeles County	Los Angeles Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(818) 255-5100	1,272	73	17.3	95.2%	70 (5.5%)	15 (1.2%)	1,154 (90.7%)	23 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (0.4%)	5 (0.4%)	67.1	654^th of 2162 public high schools	69.8%		56.2	852^nd of 2159 public high schools	60.5%	198	12.9	35.1		18.6	33.3	32.0	29.4	75.8	36.2	23.3	22.2	21.7	23.2	22.5	$22,534	$4,535	$17,999
Amelia Earhart Continuation	Public	9-12	5355 Colfax Ave.	North Hollywood	91601	Los Angeles County	Los Angeles Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(818) 769-4877	69	3	22.6	97.1%	2 (2.9%)	2 (2.9%)	60 (87.0%)	1 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (5.8%)	10.1	2016^th of 2162 public high schools	6.8%		10.2	2058^th of 2159 public high schools	4.7%	42		0.0		0.0				18.2	18.2				0.0	0.0	$31,481	$6,676	$24,805
North Hollywood Senior High	Public	9-12	5231 Colfax Ave.	North Hollywood	91601	Los Angeles County	Los Angeles Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(818) 753-6200	2,444	119	20.5	72.0%	502 (20.5%)	60 (2.5%)	1,480 (60.6%)	283 (11.6%)	2 (0.1%)	2 (0.1%)	115 (4.7%)	81.8	385^th of 2162 public high schools	82.2%		81.9	378^th of 2159 public high schools	82.5%	7		43.7	18.2	43.2				71.6	71.6				42.2	42.2	$17,630	$3,043	$14,587

Frequently Asked Questions about Burbank Unified Independent Learning Academy (BUILA)

What is the racial makeup of Burbank Unified Independent Learning Academy (BUILA)?

Students at Burbank Unified Independent Learning Academy (BUILA) are 84% White, 10% Hispanic, 3% Two or more races, 1% Asian.

How many students attend Burbank Unified Independent Learning Academy (BUILA)?

In the 2024-25 school year, 140 students attended Burbank Unified Independent Learning Academy (BUILA).

Is Burbank Unified Independent Learning Academy (BUILA) a good school?

Burbank Unified Independent Learning Academy (BUILA) ranks 1471^st of 2162 California high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What district is Burbank Unified Independent Learning Academy (BUILA) in?

Burbank Unified

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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.