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What's one thing James R. Cowan Fundamental Elementary gets right about preparing students for what comes next?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
406
Elementary
DISTRICT 480 · STATE 465
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·SAN JUAN UNIFIED·NCES 063462005766
James R. Cowan Fundamental Elementary
3350 Becerra Way, Sacramento, CA 95821 · (916) 979-8240 · Sacramento County
GRADES KG–06ELEMENTARY21-SUBURBTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL406 STUDENTS
C
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 33% of California public elementary schools
- BTest scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- C-Beats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- FThree-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
25.4:1
16 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 24.5:1 · STATE 22.3:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
48%
196 students
DISTRICT 59% · STATE 65%
Community
5
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 | 70 | 17% |
| Grade 1 | 71 | 17% |
| Grade 2 | 53 | 13% |
| Grade 3 | 53 | 13% |
| Grade 4 | 57 | 14% |
| Grade 5 | 58 | 14% |
| Grade 6 | 44 | 11% |
This year's kindergarten class (70) is 59% larger than its 6th grade class (44).
Student demographics
68%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 70% · 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
Test scores
CAASPP 2024-25 . % met or exceeded standardEnglish Language Arts
47.8%
CA avg 49.1% . -16.2pp since 2014
Math
35.0%
CA avg 37.7% . -15.0pp since 2014
What this means: On the CAASPP, California's statewide test, about 48 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 35 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all California schools, those numbers are about 49 and 38. Reading and writing scores are down about 16 points since 2014, while math scores are down about 15 points.
Performance levels, 2024-25
| Subject | Standard Exceeded | Standard Met | Standard Nearly Met | Standard Not Met |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| English Language Arts | 24.4% | 23.4% | 21.5% | 30.7% |
| Math | 17.3% | 17.8% | 27.1% | 37.9% |
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 | 47.8% | 35.0% |
| 2023-24 | 51.4% | 44.0% |
| 2022-23 | 50.5% | 41.9% |
| 2021-22 | 51.9% | 46.6% |
| 2018-19 | 66.2% | 57.3% |
| 2017-18 | 63.1% | 51.4% |
| 2016-17 | 62.9% | 53.5% |
| 2015-16 | 67.0% | 57.0% |
| 2014-15 | 64.0% | 50.0% |
% 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
44.0%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
51.3%
based on CA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-7.2pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 44% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 51% 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 James R. Cowan Fundamental Elementary
James R. Cowan Fundamental Elementary's state test result (44.0% proficient) is higher than 0 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| James R. Cowan Fundamental Elementary this school | 406 | 48.3% | 44.0% |
| Antelope Creek Elementary Rocklin | 493 | 46.0% | 54.1% |
| Catheryn Gates Elementary Roseville | 383 | 52.7% | 48.6% |
| Parkview Elementary Chico | 406 | 47.3% | 54.9% |
| Ocean Beach Elementary San Diego | 432 | 49.5% | 77.2% |
| San Gabriel Elementary Atascadero | 360 | 47.5% | 52.8% |
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 James R. Cowan Fundamental Elementary ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In California | In Sacramento County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 44.0% | #2,152 of 5,151 | #79 of 217 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 35.0% | #2,744 of 5,172 ▼ 857 | #102 of 217 ▼ 37 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 47.8% | #2,208 of 5,172 ▼ 403 | #80 of 217 ▼ 16 |
| 3-year test score change ranked biggest drop first | -7.8pp | #236 of 5,116 | #9 of 213 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 406 | #3,636 of 5,915 | #156 of 238 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 25.4:1 | #4,612 of 5,352 | #186 of 227 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 68.4% | #824 of 5,354 | #128 of 227 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 48.3% | #3,987 of 5,625 | #176 of 235 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -16.8% | #1,808 of 3,837 | #51 of 145 |
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
406
+21 (+5%) vs 2020
-5% since 1990-91, when it was 428
Student : Teacher
25.4:1
was 22.6:1
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 | 406 | 16 | 25.4:1 | 48% (196) |
| 2023-24 | 406 | 16 | 25.4:1 | 41% (166) |
| 2022-23 | 387 | 15 | 25.8:1 | 43% (167) |
| 2020-21 | 385 | 17 | 22.6:1 | 41% (158) |
| 2017-18 | 488 | 16.5 | 29.6:1 | 42% (205) |
| 2015-16 | 505 | 17 | 29.7:1 | 35% (177) |
| 2010-11 | 464 | N/A | N/A | 19% (89) |
| 2000-01 | 432 | 19 | 22.7:1 | 9% (40) |
| 1990-91 | 428 | 17 | 25.2:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for James R. Cowan Fundamental Elementary.
Since 2017-18: students down 17% (488 to 406); teachers down 3% (16.5 to 16).
About James R. Cowan Fundamental Elementary
James R. Cowan Fundamental Elementary is a medium-sized elementary school based in Sacramento, California. School enrollment was 406 students in 2024-25, in kindergarten through 6.
San Juan Unified is responsible for 67 schools, James R. Cowan Fundamental Elementary included, with 39,171 students in all.
James R. Cowan Fundamental Elementary has no majority group; White students are the largest, at 49%. Smaller groups are 22% Hispanic, 11% multiracial, 10% Asian, and 6% Black. The school's diversity index is 68%, meaning two students picked at random have a 68% chance of belonging to different racial or ethnic groups.
James R. Cowan Fundamental Elementary employs 16 full-time-equivalent teachers. That gives a ratio of about 25.4:1. This ratio sits 3.1 above the 22.3:1 average for elementary schools in California. Free or reduced-price lunch eligibility was 48% in 2024-25. That is 15 points below the 63% average for public schools in Sacramento County.
The allk12 Grade for James R. Cowan Fundamental Elementary is C. Compared with California public elementary schools, the school scored higher than 33% on a mix of test scores, poverty-adjusted results, and recent trend.
BeatsExpectations compares each school's average proficiency rate on state tests with a prediction based on free or reduced-price lunch eligibility. For James R. Cowan Fundamental Elementary, the prediction is 51.3% and the result is 44.0%.
Recent Census Bureau figures for Sacramento County show that the median household income is $92,175, 34% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and about 9% of residents live below the federal poverty line. James R. Cowan Fundamental Elementary is one of 387 public schools in the county.
The closest other public school is Whitney Avenue Elementary, about 0.4 miles away. Within five miles are at least 8 other public schools. In a group of 9 nearby schools with scores, James R. Cowan Fundamental Elementary ranks 3rd on average proficiency.
In the federal locale system, James R. Cowan Fundamental Elementary is coded Suburb: Large, for schools in a suburban area outside a principal city, within an urbanized area with a population of 250,000 or more.
Enrollment is up 5% from 2020-21, when James R. Cowan Fundamental Elementary had 385 students, to 2024-25, when it had 406. The ratio was 22.6:1 in 2020-21 and 25.4:1 in 2024-25.
To ask about science fairs, picture day, and bus routes, start a discussion on this page. Posting is open to anyone connected to the school.
Sacramento County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
1,594,006
Census ACS
Median income
$92,175
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
34%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
9%
Below federal line
Schools in county
387
259,342 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in San Juan Unified
- Bella Vista HighHigh · 1,939 students
- Rio Americano HighHigh · 1,891 students
- Mira Loma HighHigh · 1,655 students
- Del Campo HighHigh · 1,548 students
- El Camino Fundamental HighHigh · 1,226 students
- Casa Roble Fundamental HighHigh · 1,150 students
Other schools in Sacramento
- Highlands Community CharterCombined · 11,713 students
- C. K. McClatchy HighHigh · 2,569 students
- Sheldon HighHigh · 2,368 students
- Inderkum HighHigh · 2,194 students
- Grant Union HighHigh · 1,987 students
- Rio Americano HighHigh · 1,891 students
Nearby schools
- Whitney Avenue Elementary0.4 mi · 411
- Mira Loma High0.5 mi · 1,655
- Arcade Middle0.6 mi · 595
- Del Paso Manor Elementary0.9 mi · 734
- Pasadena Avenue Elementary0.9 mi · 343
- Mission Avenue Open Elementary1.1 mi · 415
Frequently asked questions
About James R. Cowan Fundamental ElementaryHow many students attend James R. Cowan Fundamental Elementary?
James R. Cowan Fundamental Elementary enrolls approximately 406 students in grades KG-06.
What grades does James R. Cowan Fundamental Elementary serve?
James R. Cowan Fundamental Elementary serves grades KG-06.
What is the student-teacher ratio at James R. Cowan Fundamental Elementary?
The student-to-teacher ratio at James R. Cowan Fundamental Elementary is approximately 25.4:1 (16 FTE teachers).
What is the racial breakdown of students at James R. Cowan Fundamental Elementary?
At James R. Cowan Fundamental Elementary, the student body is approximately 49% White, 22% Hispanic, 6% Black, 10% Asian, 11% Two or more.
What district is James R. Cowan Fundamental Elementary in?
James R. Cowan Fundamental Elementary is part of San Juan Unified.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.