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Golden Plains Unified

New rankings! SchoolDigger recently updated its California rankings with newly released test scores for the 2025-26 school year.

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At a glance

1370^thof 1,530 California districts▲ 30

Better than 10% of California districts

Elementary 4 High 2Grades K-12

22000 Nevada St.
San Joaquin, CA 93660·(559) 210-5801·All California district rankings →

Statewide performance 2018–2026

2026: better than 10.5% of districts

Schools

1,351

Students

Top rankedTranquillity High1230^th of 2,135 California high schools

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Biggest riser

San Joaquin Elementary up 633 spots statewide this year

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Smallest classes

Tranquillity High 14.4 students per teacher

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Summary:

Golden Plains Unified has six schools serving students from elementary through high school: four K–8 schools and two high schools, with reported enrollment totaling 1,351. Across schools with reported 2025–2026 results, average proficiency was 33% in ELA, 25% in math and 14% in science, compared with California averages of 49%, 38% and 36%. The clearest area-wide concern is that proficiency averages trail the state in every subject, especially science, by 22 percentage points.

Helm Elementary is the ELA standout: 56% proficiency, 7 points above the state and 29 points above the other reported schools’ average. At the other end, San Joaquin Elementary had the lowest ELA result, 20%—16 points below its peers’ average and 29 below the state. Tranquillity High led reported math and science, at 31% and 19%, respectively, but remained 7 and 17 points below state rates. Tranquillity Elementary had the lowest math and science results: 16% and 8%, respectively. Cantua Elementary offers a grade-level bright spot: its eighth-grade ELA rate was 50%, just above the state’s 49%.

Recent changes are mixed: average math and science results rose by 7 and 8 points from 2024–2025 to 2025–2026, while ELA was nearly flat. Helm’s ELA result rose 16 points, while Tranquillity High’s fell 9. SchoolDigger ranks the district 879th of 968 districts, at the 9th percentile with zero stars; its school rankings show Tranquillity High rising from the 19th to the 42nd percentile between 2023–2024 and 2025–2026, while San Joaquin was at the 14th percentile in both years. School size and ratios vary, too: Helm has 60 students and an 11.7 student-teacher ratio, while San Joaquin has 518 students and a 21.2 ratio; these are context, not explanations for results. Income measures also differ: in 2024–2025, Helm reported 93% free/reduced lunch eligible, San Joaquin 96% and Tranquillity Elementary 88%; Cantua reported 67% directly certified for free meals, a different measure. Tranquillity High combines a 99% graduation rate with below-state test results, while chronic absenteeism was 33% at San Joaquin, 29% at Tranquillity High and 100% at Rio Del Rey High (Continuation), compared with 18% statewide.

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Vaccination Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				CAST Science (2026)					Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy (2026)								Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2026)								Vaccination (2024-25)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/reduced lunch (2024-25)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	CAST Science 5th Grade	CAST Science 8th Grade	CAST Science 11th Grade	CAST Science 12th Grade	CAST Science All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 3rd Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 4th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 5th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 6th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 7th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 8th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 11th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 3rd Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 4th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 5th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 6th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 7th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 8th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 11th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics All Grades	Vaccination: Kindergartners with all required immunizations	Vaccination: Exemption rate	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Rio Del Rey High (Continuation)	Public	9-12	13883 Lassen Ave.	Helm	93627	Fresno County	Golden Plains Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(559) 866-5683	10	1	9.0	70.0%	1 (10.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (90.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)																								$48,816	$3,674	$45,142
Tranquillity High	Public	9-12	6052 Juanche St.	Tranquillity	93660	Fresno County	Golden Plains Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(559) 698-7205	370	26	14.4	—	4 (1.1%)	2 (0.5%)	363 (98.1%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	41.6	1230^th of 2135 public high schools	42.4%		33.7	1405^th of 2162 public high schools	35.0%	175			19.1		18.8							40.5	40.5							31.0	31.0			$33,216	$3,684	$29,532
Cantua Elementary	Public	K-8	29288 West Clarkson	Cantua Creek	93660	Fresno County	Golden Plains Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(559) 829-3331	184	10	17.9	—	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.6%)	178 (96.7%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.5%)	18.4	4944^th of 5817 public elementary schools	15.0%		14.9	5265^th of 5857 public elementary schools	10.1%	321	20.0	0.0			12.5	23.1	13.6	27.8	10.5	40.0	50.0		25.3	30.8	27.3	30.0	10.5	20.0	33.3		24.8	≥ 95%		$29,092	$2,995	$26,097
Helm Elementary	Public	K-8	13883 South Lassen Ave.	Helm	93660	Fresno County	Golden Plains Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(559) 866-5683	60	5	11.7	93.3%	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	60 (100.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)													56.3								30.3			$34,619	$2,906	$31,713
San Joaquin Elementary	Public	K-8	8535 South Ninth	San Joaquin	93660	Fresno County	Golden Plains Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(559) 693-4321	518	24	21.2	96.1%	1 (0.2%)	10 (1.9%)	502 (96.9%)	4 (0.8%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	18	4979^th of 5817 public elementary schools	14.4%		10.4	5612^th of 5857 public elementary schools	4.2%	633	17.9	14.1			15.8	25.0	10.5	23.2	20.3	24.0	20.3		20.2	30.4	16.4	25.0	27.1	22.0	15.6		22.4	97%	0%	$25,879	$3,327	$22,552
Tranquillity Elementary	Public	K-8	6116 South Daniels	Tranquillity	93660	Fresno County	Golden Plains Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(559) 698-5517	209	13	16.3	88.0%	4 (1.9%)	3 (1.4%)	201 (96.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	15.5	5176^th of 5817 public elementary schools	11.0%		16.2	5167^th of 5857 public elementary schools	11.8%	9	16.7	0.0			8.3	11.1	25.0	29.2	32.0	21.7	16.7		23.2	11.1	16.7	8.3	20.8	17.4	20.8		16.1	≥ 95%		$28,470	$4,262	$24,208

Districts nearby

District	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Burrel Union Elementary	6.75 mi	1	1199^th
Westside Elementary	9.5 mi	3	964^th
Raisin City Elementary	11.7 mi	3	1099^th
Kerman Unified	13.33 mi	9	909^th
Caruthers Unified	14.4 mi	4	728^th

See the top CA California districts

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the California Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.