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How has Sonoma Mountain Elementary changed in the last five years, for better or worse?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
422
Elementary
DISTRICT 347 · STATE 465
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·OLD ADOBE UNION·NCES 062832007455
Sonoma Mountain Elementary
1900 Rainier Cir., Petaluma, CA 94954 · (707) 765-4305 · Sonoma County
GRADES KG–06ELEMENTARY13-CITYCHARTERREGULAR SCHOOL422 STUDENTS
A-
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 83% of California public elementary schools
- ATest scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- B-Beats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- A+Three-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
24.8:1
17 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 23.8:1 · STATE 22.3:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
15%
65 students
DISTRICT 40% · 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 | 97 | 23% |
| Grade 1 | 51 | 12% |
| Grade 2 | 51 | 12% |
| Grade 3 | 55 | 13% |
| Grade 4 | 56 | 13% |
| Grade 5 | 56 | 13% |
| Grade 6 | 56 | 13% |
This year's kindergarten class (97) is 73% larger than its 6th grade class (56).
Student demographics
48%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 59% · 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
78.5%
CA avg 49.1% . +20.5pp since 2014
Math
72.3%
CA avg 37.7% . +23.3pp since 2014
What this means: On the CAASPP, California's statewide test, about 79 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 72 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 21 points since 2014, while math scores are up about 23 points.
Performance levels, 2024-25
| Subject | Standard Exceeded | Standard Met | Standard Nearly Met | Standard Not Met |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| English Language Arts | 49.8% | 28.8% | 12.3% | 9.1% |
| Math | 44.5% | 27.7% | 19.1% | 8.6% |
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 | 78.5% | 72.3% |
| 2023-24 | 69.0% | 64.6% |
| 2022-23 | 70.8% | 60.9% |
| 2021-22 | 66.0% | 57.1% |
| 2018-19 | 61.8% | 64.7% |
| 2017-18 | 63.5% | 64.5% |
| 2016-17 | 66.0% | 61.5% |
| 2015-16 | 60.0% | 52.0% |
| 2014-15 | 58.0% | 49.0% |
% 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
71.1%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
70.5%
based on CA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+0.6pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 71% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 71% 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 Sonoma Mountain Elementary
Sonoma Mountain Elementary's state test result (71.1% proficient) is higher than 3 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sonoma Mountain Elementary this school | 422 | 15.4% | 71.1% |
| Sunset View Elementary San Diego | 408 | 14.5% | 77.7% |
| Flora Vista Elementary Encinitas | 377 | 13.3% | 69.8% |
| Lake Forest Elementary El Dorado Hills | 421 | 14.3% | 68.2% |
| Carl H. Sundahl Elementary Folsom | 435 | 18.2% | 73.0% |
| Brook Knoll Elementary Santa Cruz | 498 | 13.9% | 68.9% |
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 Sonoma Mountain Elementary ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In California | In Sonoma County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 71.1% | #607 of 5,151 | #5 of 79 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 72.3% | #511 of 5,172 ▲ 316 | #4 of 79 ▲ 3 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 78.5% | #336 of 5,172 ▲ 443 | #3 of 79 ▲ 5 |
| 3-year test score change ranked biggest gain first | +13.8pp | #246 of 5,116 | #5 of 79 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 422 | #3,396 of 5,915 | #26 of 105 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 24.8:1 | #4,330 of 5,352 | #67 of 76 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 48.2% | #2,902 of 5,354 | #44 of 76 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 15.4% | #5,296 of 5,625 | #87 of 89 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -7.5% | #3,000 of 3,837 | #37 of 50 |
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
422
-40 (-9%) vs 2020
-2% since 2000-01, when it was 431
Student : Teacher
24.8:1
was 27.2:1
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 | 422 | 17 | 24.8:1 | 15% (65) |
| 2023-24 | 451 | 17 | 26.5:1 | 13% (57) |
| 2022-23 | 437 | 16 | 27.3:1 | 13% (57) |
| 2020-21 | 462 | 17 | 27.2:1 | 12% (56) |
| 2017-18 | 456 | 17.4 | 26.2:1 | 15% (68) |
| 2015-16 | 469 | 16 | 29.3:1 | 16% (73) |
| 2010-11 | 439 | N/A | N/A | 13% (55) |
| 2000-01 | 431 | 20 | 21.6:1 | 3% (11) |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Sonoma Mountain Elementary.
Since 2017-18: students down 7% (456 to 422); teachers down 2% (17.4 to 17).
About Sonoma Mountain Elementary
As a medium-sized elementary school, Sonoma Mountain Elementary serves students in Petaluma, California. The student body numbers 422 students, from kindergarten through 6.
Old Adobe Union counts 5 schools and 1,734 students, including Sonoma Mountain Elementary.
Roughly 70% of students at Sonoma Mountain Elementary are White. Enrollment also includes 14% Hispanic, 10% multiracial, and 5% Asian. Sonoma Mountain Elementary's diversity index is 48%, against a US figure of 70%.
Teacher staffing is 17 full-time equivalents, or about 24.8 students per teacher. This ratio sits 2.5 above the 22.3:1 average for elementary schools in California. Eligibility for subsidized school meals is 15%. Compared with the 51% average for public schools in Sonoma County, the school's rate is lower.
The allk12 Grade for Sonoma Mountain Elementary is A-. Compared with California public elementary schools, the school scored higher than 83% on a mix of test scores, poverty-adjusted results, and recent trend.
The BeatsExpectations prediction for Sonoma Mountain Elementary is 70.5%, and its average proficiency rate on state tests is 71.1%.
Census Bureau estimates for Sonoma County show that the median household income is $104,674, roughly 39% of adults have a four-year degree or more, and the share of residents below the poverty line is 5%. There are 184 public schools in Sonoma County, enrolling about 63,389 students in all.
Kenilworth Junior High is located about 0.7 miles from Sonoma Mountain Elementary. Around the school, at least 8 other public schools are within five miles. Of 8 schools in the immediate area with test results, Sonoma Mountain Elementary ranks 3rd on average proficiency.
Locale data from NCES put Sonoma Mountain Elementary inside a principal city with a population under 100,000 (City: Small). Sonoma Mountain Elementary is a public charter school.
Compared with 2020-21, the school had 40 fewer students in 2024-25. Federal data show the ratio falling from 27.2:1 to 24.8:1.
Posts about science fairs, picture day, and bus routes are welcome on this page. Questions from prospective families are welcome too.
Sonoma County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
485,040
Census ACS
Median income
$104,674
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
39%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
5%
Below federal line
Schools in county
184
63,389 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Old Adobe Union
- Loma Vista Immersion AcademyElementary · 451 students
- La Tercera ElementaryElementary · 295 students
- Miwok Valley Elementary CharterElementary · 288 students
- Old Adobe Elementary CharterElementary · 278 students
Other schools in Petaluma
- Casa Grande HighHigh · 1,653 students
- Petaluma HighHigh · 1,193 students
- Kenilworth Junior HighMiddle · 812 students
- Heartwood CharterCombined · 739 students
- Mary Collins Charter School at Cherry ValleyElementary · 494 students
- Petaluma Junior HighMiddle · 454 students
Nearby schools
- Kenilworth Junior High0.7 mi · 812
- Meadow Elementary0.8 mi · 384
- Loma Vista Immersion Academy0.8 mi · 451
- Corona Creek Elementary1.2 mi · 403
- McDowell Elementary1.5 mi · 329
- Dual Language Immersion Academy Charter1.5 mi · 31
Frequently asked questions
About Sonoma Mountain ElementaryWhat is the total enrollment at Sonoma Mountain Elementary?
Sonoma Mountain Elementary enrolls approximately 422 students in grades KG-06.
What age range does Sonoma Mountain Elementary serve?
Sonoma Mountain Elementary serves students from grade KG through grade 06.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Sonoma Mountain Elementary?
The student-to-teacher ratio at Sonoma Mountain Elementary is approximately 24.8:1 (17 FTE teachers).
What is the student diversity at Sonoma Mountain Elementary?
Student demographics at Sonoma Mountain Elementary are roughly 70% White, 14% Hispanic, 0% Black, 5% Asian, 10% Two or more.
What district is Sonoma Mountain Elementary in?
Sonoma Mountain Elementary is part of Old Adobe Union.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.