Summary:
Salida, California, has four public schools serving 1,676 students: three elementary schools for grades K–5 and one middle school for grades 6–8. In 2025–2026, their average proficiency was 48% in English language arts (ELA), 41% in math and 37% in science, compared with state results of 49%, 38% and 36%. The area averages are close to the state overall, but school results differ substantially; most notably, Salida Middle School – Vella Campus scored below the state in all three subjects.
Dena Boer Elementary led in all-grades ELA, with 54% proficiency—5 percentage points above the next-highest school and the state. Salida Elementary led in math at 47% and science at 39%, respectively 9 and 3 points above the state. By contrast, Vella scored 42% in ELA, 28% in math and 33% in science—8, 10 and 3 points below state results. The elementary schools also have different grade-level strengths: Dena Boer led third-grade ELA and math, Sisk Elementary led fifth-grade ELA, and Salida Elementary led fifth-grade math and science.
Results improved overall from 2024–2025, though not at every school or in every subject. Salida Elementary made the largest gains in ELA and math, rising 17 and 18 points; Dena Boer had the biggest science gain, 15 points. SchoolDigger’s percentile rankings also rose from 2023–2024 to 2025–2026 at Dena Boer (44th to 66th), Sisk (42nd to 61st) and Salida Elementary (21st to 63rd), while Vella edged down from 48th to 46th; the elementary schools have three stars each and Vella has two. Among the elementary schools, student–teacher ratios range from 20.1 at Dena Boer to 22.7 at Salida Elementary, so the school with the lowest ratio does not lead in every subject.
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