Manzanita Elementary

The Manzanita area has one school, Manzanita Elementary, serving kindergarten through grade 8 with 306 students. Since it is the only school in the list, the available comparison is with California, not with another local school. In 2025–26, its all-grade math proficiency was 43%, compared with 38% statewide, while ELA was 47% versus 49%; the most important finding is that the overall math advantage hides a marked weakness in sixth grade.

Within the school’s grade-level results, fourth grade stands out as the strongest and sixth grade as the weakest. Fourth-grade proficiency was 61% in both ELA and math, ahead of state results of 46% in ELA and 42% in math—a 16-point and 19-point advantage, respectively. Sixth grade was well below the state in both subjects: ELA was 26% versus 48%, a 22-point gap, and math was 19% versus 37%, an 18-point gap. Math was not stronger in every grade: Manzanita was below the state in sixth- and seventh-grade math, despite its all-grade advantage.

Results changed in different directions over the two years reported: from 2024–25 to 2025–26, ELA proficiency fell 4 points, math rose 5, and science fell 2; statewide, ELA was essentially flat, math rose 1 point, and science rose 3. SchoolDigger ranked Manzanita 2,551 of 5,804 schools, at the 56th percentile with 3 stars in 2025–26; its percentile was 57th in 2023–24 and 55th in 2024–25, so the recent movement is not a steady upward trend. Other context includes a 2024–25 student–teacher ratio of 18.6 and 43% free/reduced lunch eligible. Chronic absenteeism was 7% in 2025–26, compared with 18% statewide, a 12-point lower rate.