Buena Vista High

Summary:

Buena Vista High is a public high school located in Lakewood, California, serving grades 9-12 with a total enrollment of 245 students. The school is part of the Paramount Unified School District, which is ranked 961 out of 1,568 districts in California and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Buena Vista High consistently ranks in the bottom 10-15% of California high schools, with significantly below-average performance on standardized tests. In 2023-2024, only 14.77% of 11th-grade students were proficient or better in English Language Arts/Literacy, compared to 55.73% statewide and 45.77% in the Paramount Unified School District. In Mathematics, 0% of 11th-grade students were proficient or better, compared to 27.9% statewide and 14.26% in the district. The school's graduation rates have also been inconsistent, ranging from 49.5% to 80.7% in recent years, and its dropout rate has been high, ranging from 8.8% to 38.1%. Additionally, Buena Vista High has experienced a significant increase in chronic absenteeism, from 51.3% in 2017-2018 to 83.7% in 2022-2023.

Compared to nearby schools, Buena Vista High's academic performance is significantly lower than the Odyssey STEM Academy, which is ranked in the top 15% of California high schools, as well as Paramount High and Mayfair High, which also outperform Buena Vista High academically. However, the school's special education students perform relatively better, suggesting the potential for improvement in other areas with the right interventions and support.


Detail:

Public 9-12

 3717 Michelson St.
       Lakewood, CA  90712-1402


(562) 602-8090

District: Paramount Unified

SchoolDigger Rank:
2041st of 2,323 California High Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures:  $8,863 Help


Student/teacher ratio:  13.1 Help
Number of students:  213

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:
88.7%
African American:
7.5%
White:
1.4%
more

Free/discounted lunch recipients:  93.9% Help


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Performance Trends
Help
Compare Details Buena Vista High ranks worse than 87.9% of high schools in California. (See more...)
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Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 9.77. (See more...)
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The four-year cohort graduation rate measures the percentage of students at Buena Vista High who earn a standard high school diploma within four years of starting ninth grade.
Help
The high school dropout rate measures the percentage of students who do not complete their high school education.
Help
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
Help
Compare Details Racial makeup is: Hispanic (88.7%), African American (7.5%), two or more races (1.4%). (See more...)
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Compare Details 93.9% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. This is the lowest percentage in the Paramount Unified School District. (See more...)
Teachers
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Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Buena Vista High is 13.1. 1 high schools in the Paramount Unified School District have better student/teacher ratios. (See more...)
Help
Compare Buena Vista High employs 16.2 full-time teachers.
Finance
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Compare Details The average total spent per student at Buena Vista High is $8,863. 1 high schools in the Paramount Unified School District spend more per student.
Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Buena Vista High:

SchoolDigger ranks Buena Vista High 2041st of 2323 California public high schools. (See Buena Vista High in the ranking list.)

High School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:


English Language Learner students:
Special Education students:
Low Socio Economic Status students:
Female students:
Male students:
Hispanic students:


Paramount Unified:

SchoolDigger ranks Paramount Unified 961st of 1568 California school districts. (See district ranking list.)


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Rank History for Buena Vista High

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Rank History for all students at Buena Vista High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2004 10.34 1627th 1653 1.6%
2005 9.79 1707th 1901 10.2%
2006 14.48 1664th 1968 15.4%
2007 12.79 1803rd 2063 12.6%
2008 13.32 1813th 2117 14.4%
2009 18.42 1855th 2238 17.1%
2010 13.22 1903rd 2281 16.6%
2011 10.73 2019th 2367 14.7%
2012 12.09 1934th 2354 17.8%
2013 19.34 1679th 2426 30.8%
2015 13.20 1651st 1994 17.2%
2016 9.61 1900th 2039 6.8%
2017 9.32 1914th 2021 5.3%
2018 9.26 1948th 2017 3.4%
2019 13.28 1838th 2133 13.8%
2021 9.73 1184th 1290 8.2%
2022 13.94 1839th 2123 13.4%
2023 11.35 1976th 2348 15.8%
2024 9.77 2041st 2323 12.1%
See the entire list of California High School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Buena Vista High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 25.40 739th 938 21.2%
2019 31.04 725th 941 23.0%
2022 24.88 1002nd 1044 4.0%
2023 26.30 974th 1323 26.4%
2024 23.17 1132nd 1350 16.1%
See the entire list of Best California High Schools for English Language Learner Students!

Rank History for Special Education students at Buena Vista High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2023 43.33 622nd 1547 59.8%
2024 40.29 708th 1534 53.8%
See the entire list of Best California High Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Buena Vista High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 9.70 1783rd 1862 4.2%
2019 13.88 1675th 1937 13.5%
2021 10.90 1011th 1126 10.2%
2022 15.88 1648th 1943 15.2%
2023 12.50 1887th 2247 16.0%
2024 9.31 2014th 2235 9.9%
See the entire list of Best California High Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Buena Vista High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2019 12.86 1579th 1833 13.9%
2021 7.60 996th 1054 5.5%
2022 13.26 1640th 1858 11.7%
2023 10.37 1883rd 2118 11.1%
2024 10.58 1844th 2098 12.1%
See the entire list of Best California High Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Male students at Buena Vista High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 9.38 1751st 1834 4.5%
2019 12.07 1669th 1880 11.2%
2021 6.50 1106th 1122 1.4%
2022 12.03 1750th 1916 8.7%
2023 11.76 1859th 2207 15.8%
2024 8.55 1982nd 2172 8.7%
See the entire list of Best California High Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for African American students at Buena Vista High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2019 13.17 545th 592 7.9%
See the entire list of Best California High Schools for African American Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Buena Vista High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 9.21 1657th 1742 4.9%
2019 13.89 1555th 1814 14.3%
2022 14.41 1613th 1861 13.3%
2023 12.35 1807th 2142 15.6%
2024 10.58 1831st 2125 13.8%
See the entire list of Best California High Schools for Hispanic 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.

Buena Vista High Test Scores
Tests: 
  
Grades: 
  
Years: 
  
Group by: 
District Scores:
State Scores:    
  
Subgroup: 




Data source: California Department of Education

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Enrollment information for Buena Vista High

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Year White African American Asian Hispanic American Indian Pacific Islander Two or More Races Not Specified Total
1988 57 14 1 67 3 n/a n/a 0 142
1989 56 23 2 89 1 n/a n/a 0 171
1990 40 15 1 106 1 n/a n/a 0 163
1991 40 16 5 113 1 n/a n/a 0 175
1992 20 16 3 109 1 n/a n/a 0 149
1993 27 28 6 130 0 n/a n/a 0 191
1994 21 35 4 156 1 n/a n/a 0 217
1995 17 38 5 163 1 n/a n/a 0 224
1996 17 38 5 163 1 n/a n/a 0 224
1997 17 33 4 159 0 n/a n/a 0 213
1998 16 41 8 150 0 n/a n/a 0 215
1999 11 27 5 147 0 n/a n/a 0 190
2000 6 29 0 112 1 n/a n/a 0 148
2001 3 6 1 49 0 n/a n/a 0 59
2002 2 11 1 41 0 n/a n/a 0 55
2003 2 11 1 41 0 n/a n/a 0 55
2004 1 15 0 51 0 n/a n/a 0 67
2005 3 14 4 68 0 n/a n/a 0 89
2006 6 36 7 249 1 n/a n/a 0 299
2007 5 25 5 153 4 n/a n/a 0 192
2008 4 32 5 205 n/a n/a n/a 0 246
2009 8 35 3 216 3 6 2 0 273
2010 4 33 2 195 0 2 1 0 237
2011 4 34 1 163 0 0 0 0 202
2012 5 24 1 163 0 0 0 0 193
2013 4 28 1 183 0 2 0 0 218
2014 1 33 2 181 0 1 3 0 221
2015 1 31 0 180 0 2 0 0 214
2016 3 30 1 166 0 1 4 0 205
2017 3 30 0 217 0 1 2 0 253
2018 5 14 0 174 0 1 2 0 196
2019 4 24 0 166 0 0 3 0 197
2020 6 23 0 202 0 1 2 0 234
2021 4 19 0 149 0 2 1 0 175
2022 3 22 0 204 0 3 2 0 234
2023 2 21 1 215 0 3 2 1 245
2024 3 16 1 189 0 1 3 0 213

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 Buena Vista High

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1988 142 6.0 23.6 n/a
1989 171 7.3 23.4 n/a
1990 163 7.9 20.6 n/a
1991 175 9.0 19.4 n/a
1992 149 9.1 16.3 10.1
1993 191 11.0 17.4 14.1
1994 217 11.0 19.7 0
1995 224 10.0 22.4 8.9
1996 224 10.0 22.4 8.9
1997 213 10.0 21.3 74.6
1998 215 10.0 21.5 27.9
1999 190 10.0 19.0 52.1
2000 148 10.0 14.8 60.1
2001 59 2.0 29.5 81.4
2002 55 2.0 27.5 61.8
2003 55 2.0 27.5 61.8
2004 67 3.0 22.3 86.6
2005 89 2.0 44.5 0
2006 299 8.7 34.4 83.9
2007 192 9.0 21.3 83.9
2008 246 13.5 18.2 32.5
2009 273 12.0 18.2 67
2010 237 11.9 19.7 80.6
2011 202 n/a n/a 79.2
2012 193 11.0 17.5 n/a
2013 218 9.7 22.3 26.6
2014 221 10.1 21.8 62.4
2015 214 12.0 17.8 95.3
2016 205 13.0 15.7 90.7
2017 253 17.0 14.8 90.1
2018 196 15.2 12.8 83.7
2019 197 16.0 12.2 94.9
2020 234 n/a n/a 96.6
2021 175 15.7 11.1 95.4
2022 234 15.8 14.7 94.9
2023 245 15.7 15.5 92.7
2024 213 16.2 13.1 93.9

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 Buena Vista High

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1988 142 6.0 23.6 n/a
1989 171 7.3 23.4 n/a
1990 163 7.9 20.6 n/a
1991 175 9.0 19.4 n/a
1992 149 9.1 16.3 10.1
1993 191 11.0 17.4 14.1
1994 217 11.0 19.7 0
1995 224 10.0 22.4 8.9
1996 224 10.0 22.4 8.9
1997 213 10.0 21.3 74.6
1998 215 10.0 21.5 27.9
1999 190 10.0 19.0 52.1
2000 148 10.0 14.8 60.1
2001 59 2.0 29.5 81.4
2002 55 2.0 27.5 61.8
2003 55 2.0 27.5 61.8
2004 67 3.0 22.3 86.6
2005 89 2.0 44.5 0
2006 299 8.7 34.4 83.9
2007 192 9.0 21.3 83.9
2008 246 13.5 18.2 32.5
2009 273 12.0 18.2 67
2010 237 11.9 19.7 80.6
2011 202 n/a n/a 79.2
2012 193 11.0 17.5 n/a
2013 218 9.7 22.3 26.6
2014 221 10.1 21.8 62.4
2015 214 12.0 17.8 95.3
2016 205 13.0 15.7 90.7
2017 253 17.0 14.8 90.1
2018 196 15.2 12.8 83.7
2019 197 16.0 12.2 94.9
2020 234 n/a n/a 96.6
2021 175 15.7 11.1 95.4
2022 234 15.8 14.7 94.9
2023 245 15.7 15.5 92.7
2024 213 16.2 13.1 93.9

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.
Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for Buena Vista High

Help

YearTotal Expenditures Per Pupil
2018 $8,863

Data source: California Department of Education
Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Buena Vista High

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 1838th of 2133 High schoolsRanks 1976th of 2348 High schools
 2%

Test Scores

% proficient
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
% proficient
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
11th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (Buena Vista High)3.610.7
 7.1%
   11th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (Paramount Unified)39.246.6
 7.4%
   11th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (California)57.355.4
 1.9%
11th Grade Mathematics (Buena Vista High)1.21.3
 0.1%
   11th Grade Mathematics (Paramount Unified)18.711.8
 7%
   11th Grade Mathematics (California)32.227.4
 4.9%
11th Grade Science (Buena Vista High)2.34.7
 2.4%
   11th Grade Science (Paramount Unified)18.314.2
 4.1%
   11th Grade Science (California)30.431.7
 1.3%
12th Grade Science (Buena Vista High)4.84.7
 0.1%
   12th Grade Science (Paramount Unified)13.515.2
 1.7%
   12th Grade Science (California)25.626.9
 1.3%

Student Body

Number of students
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Number of students
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Total Students197245
 24.4%
African American2421
 12.5%
American Indian00
Asian01
Hispanic166215
 29.5%
Pacific Islander03
White42
 50%
Two or More Races32
 33.3%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients94.9%92.7%
 2.3%


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Frequently Asked Questions about Buena Vista High

Buena Vista High ranks in the bottom 12.1% of California high schools.

In the 2023-24 school year, 213 students attended Buena Vista High.

Students at Buena Vista High are 89% Hispanic, 8% African American, 1% White, 1% Two or more races.


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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.





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