Is Academy of Careers and Exploration a good school?

Academy of Careers and Exploration ranks 926 th of 2323 California high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Academy of Careers and Exploration?

In the 2022-23 school year, 294 students attended Academy of Careers and Exploration.

What is the racial makeup of Academy of Careers and Exploration?

Students at Academy of Careers and Exploration are 49% Hispanic, 36% White, 8% African American, 2% Two or more races, 2% Asian, 1% Pacific Islander.

Academy of Careers and Exploration

Summary:

The Academy of Careers and Exploration is a public charter high school located in Helendale, California, serving grades 7-12 with a total enrollment of 294 students. The school is part of the Helendale Elementary School District, which is ranked 933 out of 1,568 districts in California and has a 2-star rating out of 5 from SchoolDigger.

The school's performance has declined over the past decade, with its statewide ranking dropping from 323 out of 1,994 California high schools in 2014-2015 (rated 4 out of 5 stars) to 1,428 out of 2,348 in 2022-2023 (rated 2 out of 5 stars). Student group performance varies significantly, with male students and Hispanic students generally performing better than female students and White students. Students with disabilities and those from low socioeconomic backgrounds have the lowest performance, ranking in the bottom 15-20% of California high schools. The school has also experienced high rates of chronic absenteeism, ranging from 19.3% in 2018-2019 to 32.3% in 2021-2022.

While the Academy of Careers and Exploration performs better than some nearby charter schools, such as Alta Vista Innovation High and Options for Youth-Victor Valley Charter, it lags behind higher-performing public schools in the Victor Valley Union High School District, such as Cobalt Institute of Math and Science and University Preparatory. The school's challenges may be partly due to its relatively high percentage of students from low-income families, which can impact academic performance and attendance.

Detail:

Public, Charter 7-12

13943 Rivers Edge Rd.
Helendale, CA 92342

(760) 952-1266

District: Helendale Elementary

SchoolDigger Rank:
926^th of 2,323 California High Schools

Student/teacher ratio: 20.7

Number of students: 294

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

49.3%

White:

36.4%

African American:

8.2%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 46.6%

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Compare Academy of Careers and Exploration to nearby high schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Academy of Careers and Exploration is not ranked due for the most recent year due to insufficient test score data. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2019 the calculated Average Standard Score was 5.85. (See more...)

Compare Details Academy of Careers and Exploration ranks better than 60.1% of high schools in California. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 47.47. (See more...)

The four-year cohort graduation rate measures the percentage of students at Academy of Careers and Exploration who earn a standard high school diploma within four years of starting ninth grade.

The high school dropout rate measures the percentage of students who do not complete their high school education.

Chronic absenteeism in a school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.

Student Body

Compare Details Racial makeup is: Hispanic (49.3%), White (36.4%), African American (8.2%). (See more...)

Compare Details 46.6% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Academy of Careers and Exploration is 20.7. (See more...)

Compare Academy of Careers and Exploration employs 14.1 full-time teachers.

Schooldigger 2019 Rankings:

Academy of Careers and Exploration:

SchoolDigger ranks Academy of Careers and Exploration 926^th of 2323 California public high schools. (See Academy of Careers and Exploration in the ranking list.)

High School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

Hispanic students:

White students:

Helendale Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Helendale Elementary 933^rd of 1568 California school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for Academy of Careers and Exploration

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Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	CA State Percentile
2015	3.98	2454^th	2477	0.9%
2016	21.01	1985^th	2497	20.5%
2019	5.85	2658^th	2715	2.1%

See the entire list of California High School Rankings!

Data source: test scores: California Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

Rank History for Academy of Careers and Exploration

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Rank History for all high school students at Academy of Careers and Exploration

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CA State Percentile
2009	65.64	329^th	2238	85.3%
2010	59.00	537^th	2281	76.5%
2011	58.75	559^th	2367	76.4%
2012	50.87	776^th	2354	67.0%
2013	52.88	713^th	2426	70.6%
2015	81.94	323^rd	1994	83.8%
2016	75.13	461^st	2039	77.4%
2017	62.63	740^th	2021	63.4%
2018	45.89	1101^st	2017	45.4%
2019	56.59	822^nd	2133	61.5%
2021	49.55	612^th	1290	52.6%
2022	41.69	1136^th	2123	46.5%
2023	29.56	1428^th	2348	39.2%
2024	47.47	926^th	2323	60.1%

See the entire list of California High School Rankings!

Rank History for high school Special Education students at Academy of Careers and Exploration

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	19.23	1415^th	1547	8.5%

See the entire list of Best California High Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for high school Low Socio Economic Status students at Academy of Careers and Exploration

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	31.85	1279^th	1862	31.3%
2019	52.22	868^th	1937	55.2%
2021	66.09	318^th	1126	71.8%
2022	40.02	1125^th	1943	42.1%
2023	23.79	1576^th	2247	29.9%
2024	32.26	1370^th	2235	38.7%

See the entire list of Best California High Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for high school Female students at Academy of Careers and Exploration

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	39.54	1124^th	1760	36.1%
2019	47.23	914^th	1833	50.1%
2021	60.25	391^st	1054	62.9%
2022	38.26	1097^th	1858	41.0%
2023	24.63	1477^th	2118	30.3%
2024	25.29	1478^th	2098	29.6%

See the entire list of Best California High Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for high school Disabled students at Academy of Careers and Exploration

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2022	34.74	696^th	1161	40.1%

See the entire list of Best California High Schools for Disabled Students!

Rank History for high school Male students at Academy of Careers and Exploration

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	47.29	970^th	1834	47.1%
2019	60.50	649^th	1880	65.5%
2021	38.16	682^nd	1122	39.2%
2022	40.77	1034^th	1916	46.0%
2023	32.50	1265^th	2207	42.7%
2024	61.79	567^th	2172	73.9%

See the entire list of Best California High Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for high school African American students at Academy of Careers and Exploration

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2018	35.55	362^nd	582	37.8%

See the entire list of Best California High Schools for African American Students!

Rank History for high school Hispanic students at Academy of Careers and Exploration

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	52.28	859^th	1742	50.7%
2019	53.89	779^th	1814	57.1%
2022	46.19	923^rd	1861	50.4%
2023	55.76	698^th	2142	67.4%
2024	43.73	1005^th	2125	52.7%

See the entire list of Best California High Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for high school White students at Academy of Careers and Exploration

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	43.69	720^th	1173	38.6%
2019	66.59	390^th	1222	68.1%
2022	21.87	958^th	1204	20.4%
2023	8.62	1265^th	1434	11.8%
2024	41.71	720^th	1406	48.8%

See the entire list of Best California High Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: California Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Data source: California Department of Education

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Enrollment information for Academy of Careers and Exploration

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
2009	50	10	2	24	1	0	0	0	87
2010	65	14	4	34	1	0	3	0	121
2011	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	202	202
2012	116	25	9	57	0	0	4	0	211
2013	99	13	13	54	0	0	6	0	185
2014	133	27	12	100	0	0	9	0	281
2015	119	18	11	94	0	1	13	0	256
2016	118	33	4	114	1	1	17	0	288
2017	116	41	4	135	2	3	16	0	317
2018	100	38	6	158	3	2	14	0	321
2019	116	36	5	160	3	2	2	0	324
2020	131	35	4	163	1	2	2	0	338
2021	109	28	2	147	0	2	3	0	291
2022	115	18	4	144	2	1	5	0	289
2023	107	24	5	145	2	4	7	0	294

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Academy of Careers and Exploration

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2009	87	4.6	17.4	48.3
2010	121	5.0	24.2	35.5
2011	202	n/a	n/a	n/a
2012	211	10.0	21.1	n/a
2013	185	9.7	18.9	37.3
2014	281	13.7	20.3	49.8
2015	256	13.0	19.6	50.8
2016	288	13.0	22.1	58
2017	317	14.3	22.0	59.3
2018	321	14.0	22.9	56.7
2019	324	15.2	21.1	53.4
2020	338	n/a	n/a	53.3
2021	291	14.2	20.4	52.9
2022	289	14.0	20.5	45.3
2023	294	14.1	20.7	46.6

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Academy of Careers and Exploration

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2009	87	4.6	17.4	48.3
2010	121	5.0	24.2	35.5
2011	202	n/a	n/a	n/a
2012	211	10.0	21.1	n/a
2013	185	9.7	18.9	37.3
2014	281	13.7	20.3	49.8
2015	256	13.0	19.6	50.8
2016	288	13.0	22.1	58
2017	317	14.3	22.0	59.3
2018	321	14.0	22.9	56.7
2019	324	15.2	21.1	53.4
2020	338	n/a	n/a	53.3
2021	291	14.2	20.4	52.9
2022	289	14.0	20.5	45.3
2023	294	14.1	20.7	46.6

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.

Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Academy of Careers and Exploration

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Rankings

Rank Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Rank Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Ranks 822^nd of 2133 High schools	Ranks 1428^th of 2348 High schools	22.3%

Test Scores

	% proficient Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	% proficient Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
11th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (Academy of Careers and Exploration)	76.9	39	37.9%
11th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (Helendale Elementary)	57.9	40	17.9%
11th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (California)	57.3	55.4	1.9%
11th Grade Mathematics (Academy of Careers and Exploration)	25	15.5	9.5%
11th Grade Mathematics (Helendale Elementary)	19.7	13.5	6.2%
11th Grade Mathematics (California)	32.2	27.4	4.9%
12th Grade Science (Academy of Careers and Exploration)	25.9	23.6	2.3%
12th Grade Science (Helendale Elementary)	23.8	19.4	4.5%
12th Grade Science (California)	25.6	26.8	1.2%

Student Body

	Number of students Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Number of students Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Total Students	324	294	9.3%
African American	36	24	33.3%
American Indian	3	2	33.3%
Asian	5	5
Hispanic	160	145	9.4%
Pacific Islander	2	4	100%
White	116	107	7.8%
Two or More Races	2	7	250%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	53.4%	46.6%	6.8%

Schools Near Academy of Careers and Exploration

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2024)				Ranking (2023)				CAST Science (2024)				Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy (2024)				Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2024)				Per Pupil Expenditures (2018)
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 (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	SchoolDigger Rating (2024)	Average Standard Score (2023)	Statewide Rank (2023)	State Percentile (2023)	Rank Change from Previous Year	CAST Science 8th Grade	CAST Science 11th Grade	CAST Science 12th Grade	CAST Science End of Course	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 End of Course	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 7th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 8th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 11th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics End of Course	Total
Academy of Careers and Exploration	Public, Charter	7-12	13943 Rivers Edge Rd.	Helendale	92342	San Bernardino County	Helendale Elementary	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 952-1266	294	14	20.7	46.6%	107 (36.4%)	24 (8.2%)	145 (49.3%)	5 (1.7%)	2 (0.7%)	4 (1.4%)	7 (2.4%)	47.5	926^th of 2323 public high schools	60.1%		29.6	1428^th of 2348 public high schools	39.2%	502		25.9		22.9			50.0	47.1			25.9	21.4
Victor Valley High	Public	9-12	16500 Mojave Dr.	Victorville	92395	San Bernardino County	Victor Valley Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 955-3300	2,045	79	25.8	67.3%	112 (5.5%)	360 (17.6%)	1,426 (69.7%)	29 (1.4%)	6 (0.3%)	4 (0.2%)	104 (5.1%)	25.9	1533^rd of 2323 public high schools	34.0%		17.2	1773^rd of 2348 public high schools	24.5%	240		10.0	4.4	9.7			39.4	39.4			9.6	9.6	$6,109
Victor Valley Virtual Academy	Public, Virtual	7-12	16350 Mojave Dr.	Victorville	92395	San Bernardino County	Victor Valley Union High	No	(n/a)	Yes	(n/a)	(760) 955-3201	132	12	10.8	70.5%	8 (6.1%)	25 (18.9%)	79 (59.8%)	4 (3.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.8%)	15 (11.4%)	45.4	985^th of 2323 public high schools	57.6%		29.7	1421^st of 2348 public high schools	39.5%	436	20.0	37.5		30.0		28.6	37.5	33.3		15.4	33.3	23.4
Goodwill High	Public	9-12	16350 Mojave Dr.	Victorville	92395	San Bernardino County	Victor Valley Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 955-3201	108	6	17.5	69.4%	3 (2.8%)	21 (19.4%)	74 (68.5%)	1 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (7.4%)	8.2	2162^nd of 2323 public high schools	6.9%		9.6	2085^th of 2348 public high schools	11.2%	77		4.4	0.0	2.7			0.0	0.0			0.0	0.0	$10,624
Goodwill Independent Study	Public	7-12	16350 Mojave Dr.	Victorville	92395	San Bernardino County	Victor Valley Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 955-3440	237	5	45.4	70.0%	16 (6.8%)	61 (25.7%)	141 (59.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	1 (0.4%)	17 (7.2%)	10.9	1955^th of 2323 public high schools	15.8%		10.4	2036^th of 2348 public high schools	13.3%	81	5.0	6.1	0.0	4.8		10.0	16.7	15.8		0.0	1.5	2.1
University Preparatory	Public	7-12	13853 Seneca Rd.	Victorville	92392	San Bernardino County	Victor Valley Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 243-5940	1,120	41	27.0	54.3%	113 (10.1%)	50 (4.5%)	790 (70.5%)	113 (10.1%)	2 (0.2%)	3 (0.3%)	46 (4.1%)	92.8	115^th of 2323 public high schools	95.0%		92.1	135^th of 2348 public high schools	94.3%	20	37.1	68.5		51.8	88.6	66.8	95.5	83.2	62.9	49.0	60.1	57.2	$4,650
Silverado High	Public	9-12	14048 Cobalt Rd.	Victorville	92392	San Bernardino County	Victor Valley Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 955-3353	2,175	94	23.1	59.3%	104 (4.8%)	400 (18.4%)	1,468 (67.5%)	56 (2.6%)	7 (0.3%)	11 (0.5%)	120 (5.5%)	30.2	1414^th of 2323 public high schools	39.1%		25.4	1546^th of 2348 public high schools	34.2%	132		15.1	4.0	14.5			40.0	40.0			12.4	12.4	$6,216
Cobalt Institute of Math and Science	Public	7-12	14045 Topaz Rd.	Victorville	92392	San Bernardino County	Victor Valley Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 955-2530	1,137	43	26.7	51.9%	100 (8.8%)	76 (6.7%)	863 (75.9%)	48 (4.2%)	2 (0.2%)	1 (0.1%)	45 (4.0%)	81.6	303^rd of 2323 public high schools	87.0%		67.7	512^th of 2348 public high schools	78.2%	209	39.0	42.3		40.3	76.4	66.0	94.3	78.3	52.9	40.5	38.9	44.2	$6,692
Options for Youth-Victor Valley Charter	Public, Charter	7-12	14120 Bear Valley Rd.	Victorville	92392	San Bernardino County	Options for Youth-Victor Valley Charter District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 241-8300	748	26	28.9	88.9%	100 (13.4%)	110 (14.7%)	504 (67.4%)	3 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	25 (3.3%)	22.5	1616^th of 2323 public high schools	30.4%		18	1746^th of 2348 public high schools	25.6%	130	7.8		12.3	9.3	24.6	21.6	42.8	31.3	8.9	5.2	6.9	6.6
Lakeview Leadership Academy	Public	7-12	12484 Tamarisk Rd.	Victorville	92395	San Bernardino County	Victor Valley Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 955-3400	1,163	52	22.1	72.6%	112 (9.6%)	169 (14.5%)	790 (67.9%)	24 (2.1%)	2 (0.2%)	8 (0.7%)	54 (4.6%)	14	1842^nd of 2323 public high schools	20.7%		17.1	1777^th of 2348 public high schools	24.3%	65	4.3	21.3		6.6	18.1	16.3	55.7	20.2	7.7	3.7	8.2	5.9	$6,165

Academy of Careers and Exploration

Academy of Careers and Exploration:

High School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Helendale Elementary:

What do you think?

Rank History for Academy of Careers and Exploration

Rank History for Academy of Careers and Exploration

Rank History for all high school students at Academy of Careers and Exploration

Rank History for high school Special Education students at Academy of Careers and Exploration

Rank History for high school Low Socio Economic Status students at Academy of Careers and Exploration

Rank History for high school Female students at Academy of Careers and Exploration

Rank History for high school Disabled students at Academy of Careers and Exploration

Rank History for high school Male students at Academy of Careers and Exploration

Rank History for high school African American students at Academy of Careers and Exploration

Rank History for high school Hispanic students at Academy of Careers and Exploration

Rank History for high school White students at Academy of Careers and Exploration

Enrollment information for Academy of Careers and Exploration

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Academy of Careers and Exploration

Student/Teacher Ratio Academy of Careers and Exploration

Impact of COVID-19 on Academy of Careers and Exploration

Rankings

Test Scores

Student Body

Schools Near Academy of Careers and Exploration

Frequently Asked Questions about Academy of Careers and Exploration

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