Best Public Schools in Laton, CA

Laton has four schools serving kindergarten through grade 12: Laton Elementary (K–5), Laton Middle (6–8), Laton High (9–12), and Laton Online Academy (K–12). All-grades test results are reported for the three traditional schools; the Academy’s results are state-suppressed. The clearest concern is math: the three schools average 14% proficiency, 24 points below California’s 38%, and the average fell 3 points from the prior year while the state rate rose.

No school leads in every subject. Laton High stands out in ELA at 55%, about 5 points above the state rate, while Laton Elementary and Laton Middle are both around 31%. In math, Elementary leads at 18%, just 1 point above Middle, but High is lowest at 9%; all three are well below the state rate. Middle leads science at 26%, compared with 17% at High and 15% at Elementary, though Middle remains about 10 points below California. Grade-level figures add nuance: Middle’s eighth-grade ELA result is 48%, close to the state’s 49%, while its seventh-grade result is 17% versus 51% statewide.

Recent changes differ by subject: average ELA proficiency rose 12 points, led by High’s 28-point gain, while Elementary gained 6 and Middle gained 3; science rose 4 points overall, but math declined. SchoolDigger’s ranking percentiles improved from 2023–24 to 2025–26 for Elementary (11th to 15th), Middle (21st to 26th), and especially High (31st to 41st). High has the lowest student-teacher ratio among the traditional schools at 12.4, compared with Elementary’s 18.2, but its math result is lowest. In 2024–25, free/reduced lunch eligible figures were similar at the three traditional schools: 87% at Elementary and 88% at both Middle and High. Attendance also differs: Middle’s chronic absenteeism was 6%, versus 22% at High and 18% statewide.