Enrollment
36
Elementary
DISTRICT 44 · STATE 465
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·LEGGETT VALLEY UNIFIED·NCES 060966500669
Whale Gulch Elementary
76811 Usal Rd., Whitethorn, CA 95589 · (707) 986-7131 · Mendocino County
GRADES KG–08ELEMENTARY43-RURALTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL36 STUDENTS
A-
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 77% of California public elementary schools
- B+Test scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- A-Beats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- B+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
12.2:1
3 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 12.3:1 · STATE 22.3:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
78%
28 students
DISTRICT 75% · STATE 65%
Community
0
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 | 6 | 17% |
| Grade 1 | 2 | 6% |
| Grade 2 | 4 | 11% |
| Grade 3 | 3 | 8% |
| Grade 4 | 3 | 8% |
| Grade 5 | 4 | 11% |
| Grade 6 | 3 | 8% |
| Grade 7 | 7 | 19% |
| Grade 8 | 4 | 11% |
Student demographics
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
72.7%
CA avg 49.1% . +28.7pp since 2014
Math
50.0%
CA avg 37.7% . +10.0pp since 2014
What this means: On the CAASPP, California's statewide test, about 73 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 50 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 29 points since 2014, while math scores are up about 10 points.
Performance levels, 2024-25
| Subject | Standard Exceeded | Standard Met | Standard Nearly Met | Standard Not Met |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| English Language Arts | 36.4% | 36.4% | 13.6% | 13.6% |
| Math | 27.3% | 22.7% | 27.3% | 22.7% |
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 | 72.7% | 50.0% |
| 2023-24 | 57.7% | 23.1% |
| 2022-23 | 52.2% | 34.8% |
| 2021-22 | 55.6% | 33.3% |
| 2020-21 | 65.0% | 20.0% |
| 2018-19 | 57.9% | 31.6% |
| 2017-18 | 47.6% | 42.9% |
| 2016-17 | 36.4% | 45.5% |
| 2015-16 | 56.0% | 48.0% |
| 2014-15 | 44.0% | 40.0% |
% 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
OUTPERFORMING
Top 10% of CA schools after controlling for student poverty
Actual proficiency
50.9%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
34.0%
based on CA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+16.9pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 51% of students here test proficient in math and reading, well above the roughly 34% typical for California schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations ranks schools against others at the same poverty level, not by raw scores, so a school can post high scores and still fall short of its prediction, or post lower scores and still beat it. This school clears its prediction by about 17 points, placing it in California's top 10%.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
Where Whale Gulch Elementary ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In California | In Mendocino County |
|---|---|---|---|
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 36 | #5,801 of 5,915 | #25 of 28 |
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
36
+5 (+16%) vs 2020
+16% since 2000-01, when it was 31
Student : Teacher
12.2:1
was 10.3:1
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 | 36 | 3 | 12.2:1 | 78% (28) |
| 2023-24 | 38 | 3.5 | 10.8:1 | 55% (21) |
| 2022-23 | 33 | 2.7 | 12.3:1 | 42% (14) |
| 2020-21 | 31 | 3 | 10.3:1 | 48% (15) |
| 2017-18 | 36 | 2.6 | 13.9:1 | 47% (17) |
| 2015-16 | 40 | 2 | 20.0:1 | 43% (17) |
| 2010-11 | 34 | N/A | N/A | 0% (0) |
| 2000-01 | 31 | 3 | 10.3:1 | 0% (0) |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Whale Gulch Elementary.
Since 2017-18: students unchanged (36 to 36); teachers up 14% (2.6 to 3).
About Whale Gulch Elementary
Whitethorn, California, is home to Whale Gulch Elementary, a small elementary school. Enrolled students number 36 students, in kindergarten through 8. Enrollment is 92% lower than the average for elementary schools in California, which is about 465.
Leggett Valley Unified oversees Whale Gulch Elementary and 3 other schools, with 111 students in total.
Whale Gulch Elementary has no majority group; White students are the largest, at 50%. The remaining students are 36% Hispanic and 14% multiracial. Among people living in Mendocino County, the White share is about 64%.
The school reported 3 full-time-equivalent teachers in 2024-25 and a ratio of 12.2:1. The school has fewer students per teacher than the 22.3:1 average for elementary schools in California. Eligible students account for 78% of enrollment in the free or reduced-price lunch program.
Whale Gulch Elementary is graded A- by allk12, scoring above 77% of California public elementary schools once test results, poverty-adjusted performance, and the recent trend are combined.
Whale Gulch Elementary is a top-10% school in California on BeatsExpectations, beating its predicted average proficiency rate on state tests of 34.0% with an actual 50.9%.
Census estimates describe Mendocino County this way: the median household income is $68,092, 25% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and about 11% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Besides Whale Gulch Elementary, Mendocino County has 65 other public schools.
Whale Gulch High is located less than a tenth of a mile from Whale Gulch Elementary. The five-mile area around Whale Gulch Elementary holds 2 other public schools.
Its NCES locale code is Rural: Remote: the school is in rural territory far from an urban area.
Enrollment has grown by 5 students since 2020-21, to 36. From 2020-21 to 2024-25, the ratio rose from 10.3:1 to 12.2:1.
Parents and students can post about sports schedules, lunch menus, and spirit week at Whale Gulch Elementary. Questions from prospective families are welcome too.
Mendocino County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
90,244
Census ACS
Median income
$68,092
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
25%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
11%
Below federal line
Schools in county
66
12,738 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Leggett Valley Unified
- Leggett Valley ElementaryElementary · 51 students
- Leggett Valley HighHigh · 17 students
- Whale Gulch HighHigh · 7 students
- Fin and Claw AcademyCombined
Other schools in Whitethorn
- Whitethorn ElementaryElementary · 16 students
- Whale Gulch HighHigh · 7 students
Nearby schools
- Whale Gulch High0.0 mi · 7
- Whitethorn Elementary3.2 mi · 16
- Southern Humboldt Community12.3 mi · 4
- Redway Elementary12.3 mi · 272
- Osprey Learning Center (Alternative)12.3 mi · 8
- Osprey Learning Center12.3 mi · 9
Frequently asked questions
About Whale Gulch ElementaryHow large is Whale Gulch Elementary?
Whale Gulch Elementary enrolls approximately 36 students in grades KG-08.
What age range does Whale Gulch Elementary serve?
Whale Gulch Elementary serves students from grade KG through grade 08.
How many teachers does Whale Gulch Elementary have?
Whale Gulch Elementary employs 3 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 12.2:1.
What is the racial breakdown of students at Whale Gulch Elementary?
At Whale Gulch Elementary, the student body is approximately 50% White, 36% Hispanic, 14% Two or more.
What district is Whale Gulch Elementary in?
Whale Gulch Elementary is part of Leggett Valley Unified.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.