Zupanic Virtual Academy

Zupanic Virtual Academy is a small, online public high school serving about 90 students in grades 9-12 within the Rialto Unified School District, and it stands out for making remarkable academic improvements in recent years.

This school has shown one of the strongest growth trajectories in the area, climbing from a low state ranking to the 50th percentile, meaning it now performs as well as or better than half of all California high schools. It excels at supporting English Language Learners, ranking in the state's top 6% for this group, and achieves a high graduation rate of 91.5%, which is above the state average. While its overall test scores are still catching up, it performs better in English than the district average. Interestingly, for an online school, it reports a high chronic absenteeism rate, which may reflect the unique challenges of measuring engagement in a virtual setting or the significant barriers its students face.

Compared to other local schools, Zupanic's virtual model appears particularly effective for specific student needs. It dramatically outperforms nearby continuation schools like Dr. John H. Milor High Continuation and has a much higher graduation rate than other alternative programs such as Options for Youth-Acton. While traditional comprehensive high schools like Eisenhower High and Rialto High have higher overall rankings, Zupanic serves a different population with greater economic needs and shows a powerful upward trend, offering a valuable and successful alternative for students who may struggle in a traditional classroom.