Location: Lancaster, CA
Are you a student or parent at SOAR High (Students On Academic Rise)? Want to understand how to get the most out of high school?
We've written the best guide to SOAR High available. Here we'll cover:
- Breakdowns of student ethnicity, gender, and family income
- How safe SOAR High is to attend
- SAT/ACT/AP scores earned by SOAR High students
- Which AP/IB classes you can take at SOAR High
- Every sports team you can join at SOAR High
Let's get started!
Basic Information
SOAR High (Students On Academic Rise) is a public school, supporting grades 9 to 12 . It's located in Lancaster, CA in Los Angeles County.
Based on its location, SOAR High is classified as a school in a large suburb. Here's the location on a map:
Contact Information
Mailing address:
SOAR High (Students On Academic Rise)3041 W. Ave. K Lancaster, CA 93536-5426
Phone number: 6617226300
SOAR High (Students On Academic Rise) homepage: https://www.avc.edu/academics/avsoar
Principal: Chris GradoEmail the principal: [email protected]
Student Demographics
Student Enrollment
The total enrollment at SOAR High (Students On Academic Rise) is 384 students, making it a somewhat large high school, in the top half of all California high schools by size.
As a mid-sized high school, SOAR High strikes the balance between size and comfort. There will be enough students to provide a diversity of experiences, like clubs and sports, for you to join. But it'll be small enough that you'll likely get to know most people in your class.
Growth in Student Body Size
Is SOAR High (Students On Academic Rise) growing or shrinking? This will help you see trends in where the school is headed.
From our calculations, the enrollment at SOAR High has steadily increased over the past few years. We calculate this by comparing enrollment in grades 9 to 12.
| Male Students | Female Students | All Students | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9th grade | 52 | 69 | 121 |
| 10th grade | 35 | 63 | 98 |
| 11th grade | 38 | 53 | 91 |
| 12th grade | 25 | 49 | 74 |
As you can see in the table above, the freshman class is 47 students larger than the senior class. This suggests that the school is growing in size and taking on more students.
There are a few reasons this could be happening. The city of Lancaster could be growing in population, thus sending more students into SOAR High. Alternatively, SOAR High could be relaxing its student policies and taking in more students.
Gender Split
Are there more boys or girls at SOAR High (Students On Academic Rise)?
From our statistics, SOAR High has a 40:60 split between male and female students in the high school grades.
There is a large female majority at SOAR High, and the imbalance is greater than you would expect from the general population in Los Angeles County. As a result, it'll feel like there are a lot more girls than boys in your classes.
Sometimes this imbalance can result from random chance and may not suggest anything about SOAR High. In other cases, the school might preferentially select for females (if it has its own admissions criteria), or parents with female kids might prefer to send them to SOAR High. In yet other cases, other neighboring schools might attract male students, drawing them away from SOAR High.
If this gender imbalance is a concern for you, we suggest contacting SOAR High administration and asking if they have any thoughts about why there's a female majority. Their phone number is 6617226300.
Ethnicity Breakdown
What's the racial diversity at SOAR High (Students On Academic Rise)? Does one ethnicity make up most of the student body, or is it fairly balanced?
From our statistics, SOAR High has a somewhat homogenous student body, with the majority of students identifying as one ethnicity, but not representing over 70% of the student body. Most schools in California fit this profile, so SOAR High isn't out of the ordinary. Most students attending class with you will be of the predominant ethnicity, but there will be meaningful diversity from other races.
The majority of students at SOAR High are Hispanic. In California, Hispanic students make up the majority of all students at 51.5%, and are thus the most common ethnicity. Predominantly Hispanic schools are the most common type of homogenous school, and SOAR High fits within this category.
| Percentage | Number | |
|---|---|---|
| American Indian/Alaska Native | 0.5% | 2 |
| Asian | 4.1% | 16 |
| Hispanic | 56.5% | 217 |
| Black | 15.1% | 58 |
| White | 20.3% | 78 |
| Hawaiian Native/Pacific Islander | 0.5% | 2 |
| Two or more races | 2.8% | 11 |
High schools usually reflect the population in the surrounding area, so the ethnicities of students likely resembles those of Lancaster. If you'd like to see how other nearby schools look in diversity, just google "[name of school] prepscholar" to find our guide to that specific school.
Income Level of SOAR High Families
What are the family incomes of students at SOAR High (Students On Academic Rise)? To determine this, we look at the number of students who qualify for free or reduced lunches, a classification by the US federal government.
To qualify for a reduced price meal, family income needs to be below 185% of the federal poverty guidelines. For a family of 4, this means an income of around $45,000 or below.
To qualify for a free meal, family income needs to be below 130% of the federal poverty guidelines. For a family of 4, this means an income of around $32,000 or below.
The lower the percentage of students who qualify for free or reduced price meals, the higher the income levels are likely to be.
At SOAR High, 14.8% of students qualify for reduced-price lunches, and 43.7% qualify for free lunches.
This means SOAR High has a below average level of poverty. With most students not qualifying for free or reduced price lunches, SOAR High is below average among California schools in poverty level. The income level of families in Lancaster is thus likely to be relatively high.
| Number | Percent | |
|---|---|---|
| Reduced-price lunches | 57 | 14.8% |
| Free lunches | 168 | 43.7% |
| Do not qualify for reduced-price or free lunches | 159 | 41.4% |
As with ethnicity, this likely reflects the surrounding community in Lancaster and doesn't speak much about the school itself.
SOAR High is in the middle 50% of schools by income level. Generally, higher income level schools are better-funded and have a higher quality range of classes and activities. SOAR High is likely in the middle of the pack in this regard and will give you a good set of options to try.
If you have any interests that SOAR High doesn't cover, look to your local community for activities, or to the Internet for self-study AP classes.
Download our free guide on the top 5 strategies you must be using to improve your score. This guide was written by Harvard graduates and SAT perfect scorers. If you apply the strategies in this guide, you'll study smarter and make huge score improvements.
School Safety
How safe is SOAR High (Students On Academic Rise) to attend? Can you expect a lot of conflict as a student here?
To study this, we look at disciplinary data for two types of incidents at SOAR High: referrals to law enforcement (when incidents are reported to police), and arrests.
These are the most serious disciplinary actions available to school administration and are more severe than suspensions or expulsions. Suspensions are often discretionary and can be given just for being disruptive in class. In contrast, law enforcement referrals and arrests often indicate incidents that put the safety of other SOAR High students at risk.
In the school year of 2011-2012, there were 0 referrals to law enforcement, and 0 school-related arrests. This is out of a total enrollment of 321 students.
To put this into perspective, most California schools (59% of them) reported 0 law enforcement referrals and arrests.
Compare this school with other high schools in the same school district, using the following table:
Antelope Valley Union High School District Safety
| School Name | Total Referred | Total Arrests | Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Antelope Valley High | 0 | 0 | 1764 |
| Desert Winds Continuation High | 0 | 0 | 433 |
| Palmdale High | 0 | 0 | 3067 |
| Quartz Hill High | 0 | 0 | 3151 |
| Lancaster High | 0 | 0 | 2452 |
| Phoenix High Community Day | 0 | 0 | 140 |
Academic Performance
Now we get to a major aspect of assessing a high school: academic performance. How good of an education will you get at SOAR High (Students On Academic Rise)? Will you be competitive for college? Will you have access to advanced classes?
We've compiled everything we could find about SOAR High's academics here.
Standardized Testing
Next, we'll look at another major piece of high school academics: standardized testing performance for SOAR High (Students On Academic Rise) students. These are tests that are administered to large populations of students for comparison purposes.
Let’s start by taking a look at the data for nationally administered standardized tests.
SAT Scores
As you probably know, the SAT is a critical test used for college admissions. The higher the score you get, the better your academic performance compared to students nationwide, and the easier it is to get into top colleges.
We did in-depth research and found the average SOAR High (Students On Academic Rise) SAT scores.
The average composite SAT score is a 1530 out of 2400, compared to a national average of 1500. Each year, roughly 122 at SOAR High take the SAT.
This is an average SAT score, putting SOAR High (Students On Academic Rise) right around the national average. Because the SAT measures academic achievement, this suggests that SOAR High will offer a fairly standard high school education, neither strongly lacking or outperforming.
Note, however, that this is just an average - the top students can still exceed the average significantly. If you can rise far above your school average, you'll have a great shot at entering a strong college.
Here's a breakdown of SAT scores by section:
Average SAT Scores (2013-2014)
| Source | Critical Reading | Math | Writing | Composite |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SOAR High | 520 | 513 | 504 | 1530 |
| California | 498 | 510 | 496 | 1504 |
| United States | 495 | 511 | 484 | 1490 |
Note that the SAT has since changed to a 1600 scale, but the trends above for your high school are likely to continue. Just use this guide to convert between the old 2400 scale and the new 1600 scale.
To learn more about SAT percentile rankings, read our guide on what SAT percentiles really mean.
How good is 1530 as an SAT score? Find out with our complete 1530 SAT score guide, including which colleges you can get into with a 1530 or any other SAT score!
Download our free guide on the top 5 strategies you must be using to improve your score. This guide was written by Harvard graduates and SAT perfect scorers. If you apply the strategies in this guide, you'll study smarter and make huge score improvements.
ACT Scores
In California, the ACT is less popular than the SAT. Fewer students take the ACT, and typically these students are more motivated and academically prepared for college. Therefore, it's harder to compare SOAR High (Students On Academic Rise) ACT scores with the rest of the country.
At SOAR High, the average ACT composite score was 23, compared to the nationwide average of 20. Each year, roughly 40 out of 384 total students take the ACT.
This is above average performance, putting SOAR High in the top 50% of California high schools. Since the ACT tests what you learn in school, these ACT scores are a good indication that you'll get an above-average education at SOAR High.
Here are the average English, Math, Reading, and Science scores for SOAR High compared to California and the US:
Average ACT Scores
| Source | English | Math | Reading | Science |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SOAR High | 24 | 23 | 25 | 22 |
| California | 21.8 | 22.8 | 22.3 | 21.7 |
| United States | 20.3 | 20.9 | 21.3 | 20.8 |
Scores provided are for the 2013-14 school year.
Find out more about percentile rankings and the ACT in this article.
Every individual is different. What counts as a good ACT score for you? Learn more with this article!
Download our free guide on the top 5 strategies you must be using to improve your score. This guide was written by Harvard graduates and ACT perfect scorers. If you apply the strategies in this guide, you'll study smarter and make huge score improvements.
State Tests
As of 2014, eleventh graders attending SOAR High (Students On Academic Rise) must take standardized tests in English/Language Arts and Math as part of the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP). These align with the new Common Core standards and are called the "Smarter Balanced" tests.
If SOAR High students meet or exceed state standards, they're academically prepared to graduate high school and go to college. Specifically, we care about the percentage of students who meet or exceed state standards. The larger this number, the higher the preparation of students at SOAR High.
English/Language Arts
At SOAR High (Students On Academic Rise), 96% of students meet or exceed state standards in English/Language Arts.
This is considered excellent and puts SOAR High in the top 5% of all high schools in California for English/Language Arts. The vast majority of SOAR High students easily meet state standards, and many of them are likely well above average. Students here are very well prepared academically.
English/Language Arts Test Results (2015)
Read more about what’s measured in each ELA area score here.
Math
The other major test taken for state assessments is Math. Across the state, Math performance is generally lower than English/Language Arts performance, so it's natural for this number to be lower.
At SOAR High (Students On Academic Rise), 63% of students meet or exceed state standards in Math. This is considered well below average and puts SOAR High in the bottom 25% of all high schools in California. The vast majority of SOAR High students don't meet state standards, and only a small percentage pass.
Math Test Results (2015)
Read more about what’s measured in each Math area score, go here.
Sports Teams
What’s Next?
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Sources
The data on this page is drawn from a variety of sources, including (but not limited to):
- National Center for Educational Statistics CCD 2013-2014
- "Free or reduced price lunch: A proxy for poverty?", NCES Blog
- CRDC 2011-2012 school year data
- California Department of Education SAT, ACT, and AP Test Results
- California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) System Results
- IBO.org