Tulelake Basin Joint Unified

Tulelake Basin Joint Unified has two schools serving kindergarten through grade 12: Tulelake Basin Elementary (K–6, 270 students) and Tulelake High (grades 7–12, 209 students). In 2025–26, the schools’ average All Grades proficiency was 26% in English, 15% in math and 17% in science, compared with state results of 49%, 38% and 36%. Science was the closest subject to the state, but still trailed by 19 percentage points; the most important overall finding is that proficiency at both schools remains substantially below state results in every subject.

Tulelake Elementary leads the two-school group in English and math, with 29% proficient in English and 16% in math, compared with 23% and 14% at Tulelake High—gaps of 6 and 2 points. High leads in science, at 20% versus Elementary’s 14%, a 6-point difference. SchoolDigger ranks High at the 35th percentile in California, with two stars, and Elementary at the 16th percentile, with one star. High also reports a 100% graduation rate and 0% dropout rate, compared with state rates of 88% and 8%, even though its test proficiency is below state results.

Recent score changes were mixed rather than consistent across subjects. From 2024–25 to 2025–26, Elementary’s math proficiency fell 10 points while High’s rose 9; both improved in science, by 5 points at Elementary and 11 at High. Elementary’s fourth-grade English result is a notable exception to the broader state gaps: 48% proficient, compared with 46% statewide. As context, in 2024–25 High had a lower student–teacher ratio than Elementary (15.5 versus 19.8) and lower reported free/reduced lunch eligible measures (82% versus 85%); these figures describe the schools, not the reasons for their results.