Summary:
Zip code 92083, in Vista, has two K–8 schools in this comparison: Classical Academy Vista and Bella Mente Montessori Academy. Both reported all-grade results for 2024–2025, making that the clearest year for comparing their test performance. The most important finding is that Classical was ahead in all three subjects, with its largest lead in science.
Classical Academy Vista stands out at the top of the shared-year comparison: 66% of students were proficient in ELA, 51% in math, and 51% in science, compared with 54%, 36%, and 25% at Bella Mente Montessori Academy. Those are school-to-school gaps of 12 percentage points in ELA, 16 in math, and 26 in science. Bella Mente’s strongest result was ELA, 5 points above the state; its math and science results were 2 and 8 points below state levels. Classical was above the state in all three subjects.
Classical remained above state levels in 2025–2026, but its results shifted: ELA fell 4 percentage points from the prior year, math rose 1 point, and science fell 5 points; its advantage over the state narrowed by 5 points in ELA and 8 in science. SchoolDigger rated Classical at the 77th percentile with 4 stars in 2025–2026, while Bella Mente was at the 60th percentile with 3 stars in 2024–2025; their rankings have moved in different directions over time. In 2024–2025, Classical had 651 students, a 23.2 student–teacher ratio, and 28% free/reduced lunch eligible; Bella Mente had 424 students, a 19.2 ratio, and 60% free/reduced lunch eligible. Bella Mente’s grade-level results also varied: grade 3 was above state in both ELA and math, while grade 4 was below in both. Bella Mente has no supplied 2025–2026 scores, so a newer direct comparison is not available.
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