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What's the biggest difference between Arbuckle Elementary and what you expected?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
604
Elementary
DISTRICT 327 · STATE 465
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·PIERCE JOINT UNIFIED·NCES 063036004734
Arbuckle Elementary
701 Hall St., Arbuckle, CA 95912 · (530) 476-2522 · Colusa County
GRADES KG–05ELEMENTARY42-RURALTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL604 STUDENTS
C-
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 24% of California public elementary schools
- C+Test scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- CBeats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- DThree-year trend Change in reading and math proficiency over the last three test years.
Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded California public elementary schools
Student : Teacher
21.5:1
28 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 18.4:1 · STATE 22.3:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
73%
438 students
DISTRICT 72% · STATE 65%
Community
6
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other elementary schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Kindergarten | 131 | 22% |
| Grade 1 | 87 | 14% |
| Grade 2 | 87 | 14% |
| Grade 3 | 105 | 17% |
| Grade 4 | 88 | 15% |
| Grade 5 | 106 | 18% |
This year's kindergarten class (131) is 24% larger than its 5th grade class (106).
Student demographics
33%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 32% · STATE 62% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
School pathway
Students here typically continue to
Arbuckle Elementary→Lloyd G. Johnson Junior High
Based on grade levels within Pierce Joint Unified. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
CAASPP 2024-25 . % met or exceeded standardEnglish Language Arts
35.6%
CA avg 49.1% . +1.6pp since 2014
Math
28.2%
CA avg 37.7% . -9.8pp since 2014
What this means: On the CAASPP, California's statewide test, about 36 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 28 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all California schools, those numbers are about 49 and 38. Reading and writing scores are up about 2 points since 2014, while math scores are down about 10 points.
Performance levels, 2024-25
| Subject | Standard Exceeded | Standard Met | Standard Nearly Met | Standard Not Met |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| English Language Arts | 12.3% | 23.3% | 30.5% | 33.9% |
| Math | 8.8% | 19.4% | 34.0% | 37.8% |
Share of tested students at each CAASPP level. Each student counts in one level, so a row adds to about 100%.
CAASPP results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 35.6% | 28.2% |
| 2023-24 | 35.5% | 29.2% |
| 2022-23 | 38.3% | 30.9% |
| 2021-22 | 39.6% | 31.1% |
| 2018-19 | 48.5% | 46.1% |
| 2017-18 | 44.2% | 41.0% |
| 2016-17 | 31.4% | 33.6% |
| 2015-16 | 36.0% | 38.0% |
| 2014-15 | 34.0% | 38.0% |
% met or exceeded standard, all students and all tested grades.
Source: CAASPP. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
32.2%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
37.0%
based on CA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-4.9pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 32% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 37% typical for California schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among California's top nor bottom 10%.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
Schools most like Arbuckle Elementary
Arbuckle Elementary's state test result (32.2% proficient) is higher than 2 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arbuckle Elementary this school | 604 | 72.5% | 32.2% |
| T.H.E Leadership Academy Oceanside | 584 | 71.9% | 44.5% |
| Miguelito Elementary Lompoc | 634 | 69.9% | 30.5% |
| Sky Country Elementary Jurupa Valley | 525 | 72.0% | 32.1% |
| Mountain View Elementary Visalia | 618 | 68.4% | 38.4% |
| Georgia Brown Dual Immersion Magnet Elementary Paso Robles | 682 | 69.4% | 35.8% |
Matched among California elementary schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where Arbuckle Elementary ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In California | In Colusa County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 32.2% | #3,255 of 5,151 | N/A |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 28.2% | #3,396 of 5,172 ▼ 229 | N/A |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 35.6% | #3,366 of 5,172 ▼ 182 | N/A |
| 3-year test score change ranked biggest drop first | -3.4pp | #876 of 5,116 | N/A |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 604 | #1,363 of 5,915 | #1 of 6 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 21.5:1 | #1,821 of 5,352 | N/A |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 33.4% | #3,777 of 5,354 | N/A |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 72.5% | #2,812 of 5,625 | N/A |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -1.1% | #3,743 of 3,837 | N/A |
Ranked against other public elementary schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
604
+40 (+7%) vs 2020
+14% since 1990-91, when it was 532
Student : Teacher
21.5:1
was 23.5:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 604 | 28.1 | 21.5:1 | 73% (438) |
| 2023-24 | 602 | 26 | 23.1:1 | 70% (424) |
| 2022-23 | 596 | 26 | 22.9:1 | 70% (417) |
| 2020-21 | 564 | 24 | 23.5:1 | 62% (349) |
| 2017-18 | 611 | 27 | 22.6:1 | 74% (453) |
| 2015-16 | 627 | 27 | 23.2:1 | 71% (443) |
| 2010-11 | 551 | N/A | N/A | 66% (366) |
| 2000-01 | 554 | 30 | 18.5:1 | 74% (408) |
| 1990-91 | 532 | 20 | 26.6:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Arbuckle Elementary.
Since 2017-18: students down 1% (611 to 604); teachers up 4% (27 to 28.1).
About Arbuckle Elementary
Arbuckle Elementary is a mid-sized elementary school located in Arbuckle, California. It has an enrollment of 604 students in kindergarten through 5. That compares with an average of about 465 students for elementary schools in California.
Arbuckle Elementary is one school in Pierce Joint Unified, a system of 5 schools with 1,447 students.
Hispanic students are 80% of those enrolled at Arbuckle Elementary. The remaining shares are 17% White. Census estimates put the Hispanic share of Colusa County's population at about 63%. Its diversity index, the chance that two randomly chosen students belong to different racial or ethnic groups, is 33%.
There are about 21.5 students for every full-time-equivalent teacher at Arbuckle Elementary, which has 28.1. By comparison, the average for elementary schools in California is 22.3:1. Free or reduced-price lunch eligibility at Arbuckle Elementary is about 73%.
Arbuckle Elementary holds a C- allk12 Grade, placing it above 24% of California public elementary schools.
Predicted from its free or reduced-price lunch share, Arbuckle Elementary would score about 37.0%. It scores 32.2%, 4.9 points below that figure.
For Colusa County, Census Bureau data show median household income comes to about $75,672, about 16% of adults have at least a bachelor's degree, and roughly 10% of residents are in poverty. There are 23 public schools in the county, enrolling about 4,732, Arbuckle Elementary among them.
Pierce High, about 0.5 miles away, is the closest public school. Other public schools within five miles number 3. Arbuckle Elementary is 3rd of 5 nearby schools by average proficiency rate.
On the NCES locale scale, the school is Rural: Distant.
In 2024-25, the school enrolled 604, up from 564 in 2020-21. From 2020-21 to 2024-25, the ratio dropped from 23.5:1 to 21.5:1.
The Arbuckle Elementary discussion page is a place for special education services, counseling, and support programs. Teachers and staff are welcome to share updates too.
Colusa County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
21,984
Census ACS
Median income
$75,672
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
16%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
10%
Below federal line
Schools in county
23
4,732 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Pierce Joint Unified
- Pierce HighHigh · 463 students
- Lloyd G. Johnson Junior HighMiddle · 321 students
- Grand Island ElementaryElementary · 49 students
- Arbuckle Alternative High (Continuation)High · 10 students
Other schools in Arbuckle
- Pierce HighHigh · 463 students
- Lloyd G. Johnson Junior HighMiddle · 321 students
- Arbuckle Alternative High (Continuation)High · 10 students
Nearby schools
- Pierce High0.5 mi · 463
- Arbuckle Alternative High (Continuation)0.5 mi · 10
- Lloyd G. Johnson Junior High0.6 mi · 321
- Grand Island Elementary9.5 mi · 49
- Coastal Buttes Academy10.8 mi · 12
- S. William Abel Academy10.8 mi · 43
Frequently asked questions
About Arbuckle ElementaryWhat is the total enrollment at Arbuckle Elementary?
Arbuckle Elementary enrolls approximately 604 students in grades KG-05.
What age range does Arbuckle Elementary serve?
Arbuckle Elementary serves students from grade KG through grade 05.
How many students per teacher at Arbuckle Elementary?
Approximately 21.5:1 students per teacher at Arbuckle Elementary.
What is the student diversity at Arbuckle Elementary?
Student demographics at Arbuckle Elementary are roughly 17% White, 80% Hispanic, 2% Black, 1% Asian, 1% Two or more.
What district is Arbuckle Elementary in?
Arbuckle Elementary is part of Pierce Joint Unified.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.