Magnolia Science Academy 4 vs Valor Academy High

Valor Academy High holds the stronger overall rating of the two Los Angeles charter schools — 9.2 out of 10 against Magnolia Science Academy 4's 8.7 — and that half-point gap reflects a significant difference in state standing. Valor Academy High ranks #130 of 9,533 California schools, placing it in the top 2 percent statewide. Magnolia Science Academy 4 ranks #522, still a strong top-6-percent finish, but the distance between 130th and 522nd represents hundreds of schools.

The academic scores drive most of that gap. Valor Academy High posts an 8.3 out of 10 on academics versus Magnolia Science Academy 4's 7.1 — a 1.2-point delta that signals a meaningful difference in tested proficiency outcomes. Growth tells a different story: both schools are essentially tied, with Magnolia Science Academy 4 scoring 9.9 and Valor Academy High 9.8. That near-perfect growth score at Magnolia Science Academy 4 means students there are gaining ground at a rate competitive with almost any school in the state, even if their absolute proficiency baseline sits lower.

The two schools serve demographically similar populations — free and reduced-price lunch eligibility sits at 96 percent at Magnolia Science Academy 4 and 95 percent at Valor Academy High, making both high-poverty schools by any measure. Enrollment diverges sharply: Valor Academy High serves 491 students while Magnolia Science Academy 4 enrolls just 124, meaning Valor is roughly four times larger. Student-teacher ratios are close — 17.7:1 at Magnolia Science Academy 4 and 18.2:1 at Valor Academy High — so class size is not a meaningful differentiator.

One structural difference families should factor in: Magnolia Science Academy 4 serves grades 6 through 12, while Valor Academy High is a pure high school covering grades 9 through 12. A family with a middle schooler gets continuity at Magnolia Science Academy 4 through a single campus from sixth grade onward. The two schools sit 14.6 miles apart in Los Angeles, so geography and commute will weigh on the decision as much as any single metric.