Arena Union Elementary

Arena Union Elementary has one K–8 school, Arena Elementary, with 239 students; its results are the only school results available for the area. In 2025–2026, 24% of students were proficient in ELA, 9% in mathematics and 17% in science, compared with California rates of 49%, 38% and 36%. The most important finding is that the school was below the state in all three subjects, with the largest shortfall in mathematics: 30 percentage points.

There is no within-area top or bottom school to compare, so the clearest distinction is how the school’s subjects and grades compare with state results. Science was the relative bright spot: its 19-point state gap was smaller than the 26-point ELA gap and 30-point mathematics gap. Results also varied by grade: ELA proficiency ranged from 4% in grade 6 to 35% in grade 5, while mathematics ranged from 6% in grade 3 to 19% in grade 4. Even the strongest of these grade-level results remained below the corresponding state rate; for example, grade 5 ELA was 14 points below California, and grade 4 mathematics was 24 points below.

Over the two years with results, science improved while ELA and mathematics declined: Arena Elementary gained 11 percentage points in science, but fell 3 points in ELA and 5 in mathematics. Its science gap with the state narrowed by 7 points, while the ELA and mathematics gaps widened by 4 and 6 points. SchoolDigger ranked the school 5,322nd of 5,804 for 2025–2026, at the 8th percentile with zero stars; its listed percentile was 11th in 2023–2024 and 14th in 2024–2025. Context figures include a student–teacher ratio of 21.8:1 and 61% free/reduced lunch eligible in 2024–2025. Chronic absenteeism was 43% in 2025–2026, versus 40% districtwide and 18% statewide. These measures provide context, not an explanation for the school’s results.