Summary:
Trona Joint Unified has two schools serving the Trona area: Trona Elementary for grades K–6 and Trona High for grades 7–12. The most important finding is that both schools’ 2025–2026 proficiency rates were well below California’s in ELA, math and science. Elementary’s rates were 17% in ELA, 21% in math and 7% in science, compared with state rates of 49%, 38% and 36%; High’s were 5%, 12% and 0%. That leaves Elementary 33, 18 and 29 points below the state, and High 44, 27 and 36 points below. Because the schools serve different grade spans, their all-grades rates are not same-grade comparisons.
Trona Elementary stands out for test results: it led Trona High by 12 points in ELA, 9 in math and 7 in science. High’s grade 8 math result, 27%, is a relative bright spot, though it is still below the state’s 36%. High stands out more positively on completion: its 93% graduation rate was 5 points above the state’s 88%, while its 7% dropout rate was 1 point lower than the state’s 8%. Thus, High’s stronger completion figures contrast with its lower reported proficiency.
Results fell at both schools from 2024–2025 to 2025–2026, while state rates rose in all three subjects. Elementary declined 7 points in ELA, 1 in math and 4 in science; High declined 8, 1 and 12 points, respectively, with science reaching 0%. SchoolDigger’s reported percentile for Elementary moved from 14 in 2024–2025 to 8 in 2025–2026; High’s was 15 in 2025–2026. High has a lower student–teacher ratio, 11.6 versus Elementary’s 21, but lower proficiency and higher chronic absenteeism (39% versus 36%). Both schools reported free/reduced lunch eligible for 2024–2025: 80% at Elementary and 74% at High. These are contextual differences, not explanations for the results.
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