Best Elementary Schools in Tehachapi, CA

Tehachapi has four elementary schools: three serving kindergarten through grade five and Tehachapi Independent Learning Academy serving kindergarten through grade eight. In 2025–26, the schools’ average proficiency was below California’s in all three subjects: 36% in English language arts (ELA) versus 49% statewide, 28% in math versus 38%, and 25% in science versus 36%. Most importantly, Cummings Valley Elementary was the only school above the state rate in all three subjects.

Cummings Valley Elementary led the group, with 54% proficiency in ELA, 48% in math, and 43% in science—about 21 to 23 percentage points ahead of the next-highest school in each subject. Its results were also 5 points above the state in ELA, 9 in math, and 7 in science. At the other end, Golden Hills Elementary had the lowest ELA rate (26%, 23 points below state) and science rate (16%, 20 points below state); Tehachapi Independent Learning Academy had the lowest math rate (19%, 19 points below state). SchoolDigger’s 2025–26 statewide rankings likewise placed Cummings highest, at the 68th percentile, compared with the 24th percentile for Tompkins Elementary and the Academy, and the 13th for Golden Hills.

Average results moved farther from the state between 2024–25 and 2025–26, particularly in science: the four-school averages fell from 32% to 25% in science, 30% to 28% in math, and 37% to 36% in ELA, while state results rose in each subject. Cummings bucked the science trend, improving by 5 percentage points, while Golden Hills and Tompkins each fell by about 14 points. Other factors offer context, not explanations: in 2024–25, Cummings had the highest student–teacher ratio among the K–5 schools (26.6) and the strongest scores; the K–5 schools’ free/reduced lunch eligible shares ranged from 40% to 52%, and the Academy reported 38%. The Academy’s K–8 span makes its all-grades results less directly comparable with those of the K–5 schools.