Beta You're viewing our redesigned school page. Prefer the classic layout?

Coming soon: We're expecting this year's test scores from the California Department of Education any day now — new rankings will be posted the moment they're released!

Coming soon: This year's test scores are expected from the California Department of Education any day now — new rankings will follow the moment they're released!

Buena Vista High

Public Grades 9-12

1995^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,162 California High Schools

Better than 8% of California high schools

Summary

Buena Vista High is a small public high school serving 180 students in grades 9-12 within the Paramount Unified district in Lakewood, CA, operating in a high-need environment with nearly all students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch.

Academically, the school faces significant challenges, ranking in the bottom 8% of California high schools with very low proficiency rates in core subjects and a graduation rate (71.5%) well below district and state averages. A critical issue is chronic absenteeism, with over three-quarters of students missing a substantial amount of school, which is the highest rate among nearby comprehensive high schools and contributes to a dropout rate more than triple the local average. Interestingly, despite having a low student-teacher ratio and higher per-student spending than most neighboring schools, these resources have not translated into stronger academic outcomes.

The school's performance stands in stark contrast to some others in the area, most notably the Odyssey STEM Academy, which is located just next door in the same district but achieves much higher rankings, a 100% graduation rate, and excellent attendance. Compared to other alternative education options like Cesar Chavez Continuation High or Somerset High, Buena Vista's results are mixed, performing at the lower end for graduation and dropout rates. This suggests that factors beyond just funding or demographics, such as program structure or school culture, play a significant role in student success.

180

Students ?

11.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$36,905

Per pupil spending ?

95.6%

Free/discounted lunch ?

3717 Michelson St.
Lakewood, CA 90712-1402

(562) 602-8090

District: Paramount Unified

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

82.2%

African American:

11.7%

White:

2.2%

See top rated California high schools

Compare Buena Vista High to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 17th percentile in 2015 → 8th in 2025

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 11 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (6% vs 41% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (8th percentile)

!Graduation rate below the California average (72% vs 88%)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school6%

District avg32%

California avg41%

1,995^th of 2,162

California public high schools ?

Bottom 8%▼ down 9 pts since 2015

From bottom 17% (2015) to bottom 8% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd of 3High Schools in the Paramount Unified

948^th of 1,543Paramount 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)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	10.5	1995 of 2162	7.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	11.6	1968 of 2159	8.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	14.0	1879 of 2170	13.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	13.9	1839 of 2123	13.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	9.7	1184 of 1290	8.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	13.3	1838 of 2133	13.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	9.3	1948 of 2017	3.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	9.3	1914 of 2021	5.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	9.6	1900 of 2039	6.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	13.2	1651 of 1994	17.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	19.3	1679 of 2426	30.8%	★★☆☆☆
2012	12.1	1934 of 2354	17.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	10.7	2019 of 2367	14.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	13.2	1903 of 2281	16.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	18.4	1855 of 2238	17.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	13.3	1813 of 2117	14.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	12.8	1803 of 2063	12.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	14.5	1664 of 1968	15.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	9.8	1707 of 1901	10.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	10.3	1627 of 1653	1.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	19.5	436 of 523	16.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	13.2	545 of 592	7.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	26.0	1001 of 1085	7.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	29.6	841 of 1064	21.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	24.9	1002 of 1044	4.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	31.0	725 of 941	23.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	25.4	739 of 938	21.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	10.2	1730 of 1906	9.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	11.4	1728 of 1915	9.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	12.4	1705 of 1915	11.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	13.3	1640 of 1858	11.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	7.6	996 of 1054	5.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	12.9	1579 of 1833	13.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	10.1	1762 of 1900	7.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	12.3	1707 of 1902	10.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	15.4	1637 of 1917	14.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	14.4	1613 of 1861	13.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	13.9	1555 of 1814	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	9.2	1657 of 1742	4.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	10.5	1849 of 2013	8.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	11.3	1886 of 2026	6.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	15.8	1719 of 2030	15.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	15.9	1648 of 1943	15.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	10.9	1011 of 1126	10.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	13.9	1675 of 1937	13.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	9.7	1783 of 1862	4.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	9.5	1806 of 1942	7.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	10.5	1824 of 1948	6.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	14.3	1686 of 1963	14.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	12.0	1750 of 1916	8.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	6.5	1106 of 1122	1.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	12.1	1669 of 1880	11.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	9.4	1751 of 1834	4.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	15.1	1191 of 1252	4.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	42.4	582 of 1216	52.1%	★★★☆☆

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)

African American (2025)17th percentile+9 vs school

Female (2025)9th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)8th percentile~ school

English Language Learner (2024)8th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2025)7th percentile~ school

Male (2025)7th percentile~ school

Special Education (2025)5th percentile-3 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy14%-35 vs state

Science3%-30 vs state

Mathematics2%-35 vs state

★

No ratings yet

Be the first to rate Buena Vista High and help other families decide.

Rate Buena Vista High

Have first-hand experience? A quick rating - and a sentence or two about what stands out (teachers, academics, safety, communication) - helps other families know what to expect.

Takes about a minute. We email you a link to verify your review - your address is never shown publicly.

Tap a star to rate

Reviews

No written reviews yet. If you know this school, be the first to share what stands out.

Schools Near Buena Vista High

Load more schools when map is moved

Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

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 (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 (2025)	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 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
Buena Vista High	Public	9-12	3717 Michelson St.	Lakewood	90712	Los Angeles County	Paramount Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(562) 602-8090	180	16	11.0	95.6%	4 (2.2%)	21 (11.7%)	148 (82.2%)	2 (1.1%)	1 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.7%)	10.5	1995^th of 2162 public high schools	7.7%		11.6	1968^th of 2159 public high schools	8.8%	27		3.1		2.9			13.8	13.8			2.0	2.0	$36,905	$35,208	$1,697
Odyssey STEM Academy	Public	9-12	3701 Michelson St.	Lakewood	90712	Los Angeles County	Paramount Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(562) 602-6025	336	19	17.6	95.2%	10 (3.0%)	32 (9.5%)	287 (85.4%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	4 (1.2%)	62.1	760^th of 2162 public high schools	64.8%		84.3	340^th of 2159 public high schools	84.3%	420		34.0		34.0			68.0	68.0			20.6	20.6	$23,391	$22,242	$1,149
Somerset High	Public	7-12	9242 East Laurel St.	Bellflower	90706	Los Angeles County	Bellflower Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(562) 804-6548	104	12	8.6	87.5%	7 (6.7%)	15 (14.4%)	76 (73.1%)	4 (3.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.9%)	11.9	1919^th of 2162 public high schools	11.2%		15.5	1804^th of 2159 public high schools	16.4%	115		7.0		6.1			14.0	13.6			2.3	2.3	$57,961	$55,874	$2,087
CA Advancing Pathways for Students in Los Angeles County	Public	9-12	16703 South Clark Ave.	Bellflower	90706	Los Angeles County	California Advancing Pathways Students in LA County Regiona	No	(n/a)	(n/a)	(n/a)	(562) 866-9011	0				0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Mayfair High	Public	7-12	6000 North Woodruff Ave.	Lakewood	90706	Los Angeles County	Bellflower Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(562) 925-9981	2,422	109	22.1	70.4%	226 (9.3%)	371 (15.3%)	1,429 (59.0%)	271 (11.2%)	7 (0.3%)	26 (1.1%)	89 (3.7%)	64	714^th of 2162 public high schools	67.0%		70.6	557^th of 2159 public high schools	74.2%	157	21.8	32.7		27.2	48.7	47.7	72.0	56.4	27.7	28.5	22.7	26.2	$21,063	$19,304	$1,759
Lakewood High	Public	9-12	4400 Briercrest Ave.	Lakewood	90713	Los Angeles County	Long Beach Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(562) 425-1281	2,305	107	21.4	58.4%	186 (8.1%)	442 (19.2%)	1,281 (55.6%)	246 (10.7%)	2 (0.1%)	53 (2.3%)	94 (4.1%)	44	1170^th of 2162 public high schools	45.9%		43.6	1158^th of 2159 public high schools	46.4%	12			15.2	15.2			51.3	51.3			16.3	16.3	$27,540	$25,330	$2,210
Jordan High	Public	9-12	6500 Atlantic Ave.	Long Beach	90805	Los Angeles County	Long Beach Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(562) 423-1471	2,272	104	21.7	74.0%	23 (1.0%)	331 (14.6%)	1,740 (76.6%)	104 (4.6%)	1 (0.0%)	43 (1.9%)	30 (1.3%)	27.4	1541^st of 2162 public high schools	28.7%		26.6	1561^st of 2159 public high schools	27.7%	20			8.1	8.1			31.5	31.5			14.0	14.0	$26,453	$23,782	$2,671
Paramount High	Public	9-12	14429 South Downey Ave.	Paramount	90723	Los Angeles County	Paramount Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(562) 602-6067	3,400	176	19.2	96.7%	28 (0.8%)	192 (5.6%)	3,087 (90.8%)	45 (1.3%)	3 (0.1%)	9 (0.3%)	30 (0.9%)	45.7	1125^th of 2162 public high schools	48.0%		36.5	1327^th of 2159 public high schools	38.5%	202		20.4	15.8	20.3			55.9	55.9			18.3	18.3	$17,420	$16,354	$1,066
Cesar Chavez Continuation High	Public	9-12	15301 San Jose Ave.	Compton	90221	Los Angeles County	Compton Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(310) 898-6340	263	15	17.3	91.3%	0 (0.0%)	48 (18.3%)	211 (80.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.1%)	11.9	1922^nd of 2162 public high schools	11.1%		10.6	2034^th of 2159 public high schools	5.8%	112		3.3	3.3	3.3			7.6	7.6			6.7	6.7	$23,376	$19,602	$3,774
Manuel Dominguez High	Public	9-12	15301 South San Jose Ave.	Compton	90221	Los Angeles County	Compton Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(562) 630-0142	1,582	72	21.9	91.5%	3 (0.2%)	170 (10.7%)	1,393 (88.1%)	3 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (0.4%)	7 (0.4%)	46.4	1106^th of 2162 public high schools	48.8%		52.3	941^st of 2159 public high schools	56.4%	165		14.5	0.0	14.1			55.5	55.5			25.5	25.5	$20,680	$16,680	$4,000

Frequently Asked Questions about Buena Vista High

Is Buena Vista High a good school?

Buena Vista High ranks in the bottom 7.7% of California high schools.

What is the racial makeup of Buena Vista High?

Students at Buena Vista High are 82% Hispanic, 12% African American, 2% White, 2% Two or more races, 1% Asian.

How many students attend Buena Vista High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 180 students attended Buena Vista High.

What district is Buena Vista High in?

Paramount Unified

Rate Buena Vista High!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

CACalifornia High School Rankings

CACalifornia District Rankings

Schools in Lakewood, CA

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for Buena Vista High!

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.