Downey Unified Virtual Academy at Lynn L. Pace Educational Center

Downey Unified Virtual Academy at Lynn L. Pace Educational Center is an alternative public virtual school serving grades K-12 in Bellflower, CA, with 331 students, the majority of whom are Hispanic. This high-performing school outshines many of its nearby counterparts, boasting a stellar 95.2% 4-year graduation rate, strong test scores that exceed district and state averages, and a relatively low student-teacher ratio of 14.6.

Downey Unified Virtual Academy's academic achievements are particularly noteworthy. Its 11th-grade students outperform their peers in the Bellflower Unified district and the state of California in English Language Arts/Literacy, Mathematics, and Science. For example, 64% of 11th-graders at the school are proficient in ELA, compared to 62.22% in the district and 55.41% statewide. The school also boasts a much higher 11th-grade Science proficiency rate of 44% versus 26.79% in the district and 31.67% across California.

While Downey Unified Virtual Academy faces challenges, such as a high chronic absenteeism rate of 41.3%, it still outperforms many nearby alternative schools, including Virtual Academy of the Arts & Entertainment, which has a lower 4-year graduation rate of 67.9%, and Thurgood Marshall, which has a 4-year graduation rate of 63.4%. The school's diverse student population, with a higher percentage of non-Hispanic students compared to some nearby schools, is another positive attribute.