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Cuyama Elementary

Public Grades K-8

5427^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,857 California Elementary Schools

Better than 7% of California elementary schools

Summary

Cuyama Elementary is a small, rural K-8 school serving 107 students in New Cuyama, part of the Cuyama Joint Unified district, which faces significant academic challenges and serves a predominantly economically disadvantaged community.

The school's academic performance is notably volatile, having dropped from ranking in the 47th percentile statewide in 2023 to the 7th percentile in 2025, a pattern of fluctuation more extreme than at nearby schools like Roosevelt Elementary or Maricopa Elementary. It spends significantly more per student ($22,241) than schools in the Taft City district, yet this high investment has not translated to stronger outcomes, particularly in mathematics where only 14% of students are proficient. While chronic absenteeism has improved, academic performance has continued to decline, suggesting attendance alone isn't the key issue.

Interesting comparisons show that success is possible for similar rural schools, as seen at Midway Elementary, which achieves much higher test scores despite a comparable setting. Furthermore, within the Taft City district, schools like Taft Primary outperform others like Jefferson Elementary with similar demographics, indicating that school-level practices matter. For Cuyama, this suggests its challenges may be addressable through strategic changes in how resources and instruction are managed.

107

Students ?

17.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$22,241

Per pupil spending ?

77.6%

Free/discounted lunch ?

2300 Highway 166
New Cuyama, CA 93254-9719

(661) 766-2642

District: Cuyama Joint Unified

Students who attend Cuyama Elementary usually attend:

High:

Cuyama Valley High

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

73.8%

White:

24.3%

Two or more races:

1.9%

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At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 7th percentile in 2015 → 7th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (22% vs 41% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (7th percentile)

!Mathematics scores 23 pts below the California average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school22%

District avg21%

California avg41%

Elementary school

5,427^th of 5,857

California public elementary schools ?

Bottom 7%▬ steady since 2015

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

Middle school

1,857^th of 2,761

California public middle schools ?

Bottom 33%▲ up 21 pts since 2015

From bottom 12% (2015) to bottom 33% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Elementary school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	12.9	5427 of 5857	7.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	23.2	4564 of 5869	22.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	40.6	3086 of 5859	47.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	33.6	3577 of 5883	39.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	17.9	1209 of 1417	14.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	20.2	4779 of 5789	17.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	22.2	4497 of 5662	20.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	21.0	4595 of 5692	19.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	14.6	5071 of 5614	9.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	14.2	5193 of 5611	7.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	17.8	4880 of 5530	11.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	14.4	4994 of 5390	7.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	23.4	4434 of 5377	17.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	24.7	4244 of 5314	20.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	24.5	4101 of 5193	21.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	30.9	3515 of 5113	31.3%	★★☆☆☆
2007	32.1	3421 of 5113	33.1%	★★☆☆☆
2006	26.5	3560 of 4818	26.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	44.4	2468 of 4822	48.8%	★★☆☆☆
2004	25.5	3525 of 4809	26.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2023	46.1	2478 of 5087	51.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	43.9	2602 of 5084	48.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	15.6	4636 of 4963	6.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	24.6	3931 of 4830	18.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	17.2	4923 of 5460	9.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	18.9	4871 of 5517	11.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	55.3	2022 of 5363	62.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	26.0	4171 of 5264	20.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	16.2	1047 of 1110	5.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	18.4	4664 of 5173	9.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	27.3	3974 of 5084	21.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2021	9.6	1254 of 1272	1.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	29.1	1857 of 2761	32.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	45.2	1308 of 2783	53.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	57.2	979 of 2781	64.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	17.0	2352 of 2740	14.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	17.3	783 of 894	12.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	41.2	1410 of 2715	48.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	41.8	1312 of 2480	47.1%	★★☆☆☆
2017	39.1	1419 of 2508	43.4%	★★☆☆☆
2016	12.0	2288 of 2497	8.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	15.1	2182 of 2477	11.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	10.5	2217 of 2379	6.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	25.1	1788 of 2259	20.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	23.0	1830 of 2236	18.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	27.9	1635 of 2179	25.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	16.7	1804 of 2063	12.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	27.6	1500 of 2005	25.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	39.4	1132 of 1999	43.4%	★★☆☆☆
2006	27.4	1316 of 1804	27.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	46.8	859 of 1777	51.7%	★★★☆☆
2004	46.5	855 of 1769	51.7%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	48.6	1064 of 2395	55.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	76.1	377 of 2374	84.1%	★★★★☆
2022	15.3	2171 of 2359	8.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	55.1	809 of 2213	63.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	61.9	623 of 2072	69.9%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	41.2	1370 of 2542	46.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	55.1	882 of 2579	65.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	63.0	675 of 2531	73.3%	★★★★☆
2022	13.8	2305 of 2458	6.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	28.1	558 of 721	22.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	64.0	634 of 2369	73.2%	★★★★☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Elementary school

Hispanic (2023)51st percentile+4 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)10th percentile~ school

Male (2021)1st percentile-13 vs school

Middle school

Hispanic (2025)56th percentile+23 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)46th percentile+13 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy30%-19 vs state

Science20%-13 vs state

Mathematics14%-23 vs state

★

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Schools Near Cuyama Elementary

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				CAST Science (2025)			Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy (2025)						Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2025)						% Completely Immunized (2022)	% DTP (2022)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
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/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	CAST Science 5th Grade	CAST Science 8th 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 8th 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 8th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics All Grades	% Completely Immunized KG	% DTP KG	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Cuyama Elementary	Public	K-8	2300 Highway 166	New Cuyama	93254	Santa Barbara County	Cuyama Joint Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 766-2642	107	6	17.7	77.6%	26 (24.3%)	0 (0.0%)	79 (73.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.9%)	12.9	5427^th of 5857 public elementary schools	7.3%		23.2	4564^th of 5869 public elementary schools	22.2%	863		23.5	20.0		21.4		21.4	41.2	29.6		14.3		14.3	23.5	14.1			$22,241	$2,443	$19,798
Maricopa Elementary	Public	K-5	955 Stanislaus St.	Maricopa	93252	Kern County	Maricopa Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 769-8231	133	8	17.7	97.7%	45 (33.8%)	0 (0.0%)	87 (65.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	16.3	5163^rd of 5857 public elementary schools	11.8%		11.1	5619^th of 5869 public elementary schools	4.3%	456	23.3		23.3	16.0	14.3	23.3			18.4	16.0	19.1	20.0			18.4			$19,817	$3,554	$16,263
Conley Elementary	Public	K-3	623 Rose Ave.	Taft	93268	Kern County	Taft City	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 765-4117	306	13	23.5	93.8%	46 (15.0%)	4 (1.3%)	252 (82.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.3%)								(n/a)				37.3					37.3	41.3					41.3	94.7	94.7	$15,328	$4,810	$10,518
Parkview Elementary	Public	K-3	520 A St.	Taft	93268	Kern County	Taft City	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 763-4164	328	16	20.5	79.0%	112 (34.1%)	2 (0.6%)	203 (61.9%)	5 (1.5%)	2 (0.6%)	3 (0.9%)	1 (0.3%)								(n/a)				28.4					28.4	43.2					43.2	95.7	95.7	$17,943	$4,790	$13,153
Midway Elementary	Public	K-8	259 F St.	Fellows	93224	Kern County	Midway Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 768-4344	65	5	13.0	52.3%	52 (80.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (16.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.5%)								(n/a)			57.1						58.5						57.1			$27,569	$1,012	$26,557
Taft Primary	Public	K-3	212 Lucard St.	Taft	93268	Kern County	Taft City	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 765-4151	231	11	20.9	91.8%	53 (22.9%)	2 (0.9%)	167 (72.3%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (2.2%)								(n/a)				40.4					40.4	42.3					42.3			$16,994	$5,037	$11,957
Roosevelt Elementary	Public	2-5	811 Sixth St.	Taft	93268	Kern County	Taft City	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 763-3113	520	21	24.7	93.1%	131 (25.2%)	4 (0.8%)	381 (73.3%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.4%)	25.8	4327^th of 5857 public elementary schools	26.1%		23.7	4495^th of 5869 public elementary schools	23.4%	168	15.3		15.3		36.7	38.9			37.8		25.8	14.9			20.2			$15,119	$5,161	$9,958
Jefferson Elementary	Public	K-3	318 Taylor St.	Taft	93268	Kern County	Taft City	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 763-4236	271	12	22.5	97.0%	13 (4.8%)	0 (0.0%)	256 (94.5%)	2 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)				16.0					16.0	8.0					8.0			$15,928	$4,790	$11,138

Frequently Asked Questions about Cuyama Elementary

What is the racial makeup of Cuyama Elementary?

Students at Cuyama Elementary are 74% Hispanic, 24% White, 2% Two or more races.

What schools do graduates of Cuyama Elementary attend?

Students who attend Cuyama Elementary usually go on to attend:

High : Cuyama Valley High

How many students attend Cuyama Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 107 students attended Cuyama Elementary.

What district is Cuyama Elementary in?

Cuyama Joint Unified

Is Cuyama Elementary a good school?

Cuyama Elementary ranks in the bottom 7.3% of California elementary schools.

Rate Cuyama Elementary!

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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.