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Arcata Elementary

Public Grades K-5
5153rd
SchoolDigger Rank ?
of 5,804 California Elementary Schools
Better than 11% of California elementary schools
Summary

Arcata Elementary is a K–5 school in Arcata, California, serving 240 students. Its 2025–2026 proficiency results were 23% in English language arts (ELA), 15% in math and 21% in science; each was below the state and district. Chronic absenteeism was also high, at 28%, compared with 19% in the Arcata Elementary district and 18% statewide. The most important finding is that the school’s latest results are low across all three subjects, with a particularly severe weakness in fourth-grade math.

Science was the closest subject to the state, but Arcata Elementary still trailed by 15 percentage points; its gaps were 26 points in ELA and 23 in math. Compared with its district, the school was behind by 18 points in science, 19 in ELA and 13 in math. Against nearby schools with current all-grades results, Arcata was lowest in math and science and second-lowest in ELA. Fourth-grade math stands out even in same-grade comparisons: 3% of Arcata fourth-graders were proficient, versus 42% statewide. Nearby results included 13% at Lafayette Elementary, 30% at Morris Elementary, 47% at Blue Lake Union Elementary, 69% at Jacoby Creek and 50% at Pacific Union Elementary. Nearby schools have different grade spans, so same-grade comparisons are especially useful.

Results have fallen since 2022–2023: ELA dropped 22 percentage points and math 20, while science fell 3 overall after rising to 35% in 2024–2025 and then dropping 14 points the following year. SchoolDigger’s statewide rating fell from the 36th percentile and 2 stars in 2024–2025 to the 11th percentile and 1 star in 2025–2026 (rank 5,153 of 5,804). SchoolDigger also rated effectiveness for Low Socio Economic Status Students at the 19th percentile in 2024–2025, below the school’s overall 36th percentile; its Male Students ranking fell from the 41st percentile in 2024–2025 to the 7th in 2025–2026. As context, 79% of students were free/reduced lunch eligible in 2024–2025, and the student-teacher ratio was 16.0.

240
Students ?
16.0
Student/teacher ratio ?
$30,354
Per pupil spending ?
78.8%
Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?
All students in California receive free school meals.
 2400 Baldwin St.
       Arcata, CA  95521-5168

(707) 822-4858

District: Arcata Elementary


Students who attend Arcata Elementary usually attend:

Middle:    Sunny Brae Middle
High:    Arcata High
Racial breakdown:

White:
45.8%
Hispanic:
23.8%
Two or more races:
17.1%
more
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 Compare Arcata Elementary to nearby elementary schools!
At a glance
▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 53rd percentile in 2016 → 11th in 2026
Worth a look
!Test scores below the California average (19% vs 42% meeting standards)
!In the lower quartile statewide (11th percentile)
!High chronic absenteeism (28% vs 18% California)
Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?
This school19%
District avg36%
California avg42%
5,153rd of 5,804
California public elementary schools ?
Bottom 11%▼ down 42 pts since 2016
From top 47% (2016) to bottom 11% (2026)
See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →
★★★★★
SchoolDigger rating ?
4th of 4Elementary Schools in the Arcata Elementary
395th of 968Arcata Elementary among California districts
Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)
Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202615.75153 of 580411.2%★☆☆☆☆
202532.93738 of 585736.2%★★☆☆☆
202432.63726 of 586936.5%★★☆☆☆
202346.62718 of 585953.6%★★★☆☆
202251.82464 of 588358.1%★★★☆☆
202150.3642 of 141754.7%★★★☆☆
201958.52155 of 578962.8%★★★☆☆
201856.72201 of 566261.1%★★★☆☆
201757.42157 of 569262.1%★★★☆☆
201647.62627 of 561453.2%★★★☆☆
201539.53044 of 561145.7%★★☆☆☆
201338.13451 of 553037.6%★★☆☆☆
201257.32188 of 539059.4%★★★☆☆
201159.52061 of 537761.7%★★★☆☆
201057.42140 of 531459.7%★★★☆☆
200959.11965 of 519362.2%★★★☆☆
200857.71956 of 511361.7%★★★☆☆
200767.51484 of 511371.0%★★★★☆
200669.91346 of 481872.1%★★★★☆
200568.61395 of 482271.1%★★★★☆
200479.0943 of 480980.4%★★★★☆

Disabled

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
201896.075 of 212896.5%★★★★★

Female

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202620.44629 of 556916.9%★☆☆☆☆
202530.33830 of 559731.6%★★☆☆☆
202431.83658 of 561234.8%★★☆☆☆
202337.43180 of 560943.3%★★☆☆☆
202242.82819 of 563550.0%★★★☆☆
202149.1581 of 126754.1%★★★☆☆
201957.32097 of 549261.8%★★★☆☆
201850.72453 of 541354.7%★★★☆☆

Hispanic

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202368.31269 of 508775.1%★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202612.85152 of 54124.8%☆☆☆☆☆
202524.54403 of 546019.4%★☆☆☆☆
202425.04380 of 551720.6%★☆☆☆☆
202346.62586 of 536351.8%★★★☆☆
202262.11566 of 526470.3%★★★★☆
202168.0260 of 111076.6%★★★★☆
201961.31684 of 517367.4%★★★☆☆
201868.41273 of 508475.0%★★★★☆

Male

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202613.35219 of 55906.6%☆☆☆☆☆
202537.63300 of 562841.4%★★☆☆☆
202435.83364 of 564340.4%★★☆☆☆
202355.52153 of 563861.8%★★★☆☆
202258.92012 of 566364.5%★★★☆☆
202150.5564 of 127255.7%★★★☆☆
201958.42019 of 551063.4%★★★☆☆
201861.31872 of 543165.5%★★★☆☆

Special Education

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202449.4981 of 263562.8%★★★☆☆
202324.31941 of 242019.8%★☆☆☆☆

White

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
20266.72422 of 25324.3%☆☆☆☆☆
202537.11779 of 259831.5%★★☆☆☆
202421.02189 of 265117.4%★☆☆☆☆
202333.51898 of 266128.7%★☆☆☆☆
202229.92020 of 272625.9%★☆☆☆☆
201948.71590 of 283443.9%★★☆☆☆
201834.41972 of 273728.0%★☆☆☆☆
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)
Disabled (2018)96th percentile+35 vs school
Hispanic (2023)75th percentile+21 vs school
Special Education (2024)63rd percentile+26 vs school
Female (2026)17th percentile+6 vs school
Male (2026)7th percentile-5 vs school
Low Socio Economic Status (2026)5th percentile-6 vs school
White (2026)4th percentile-7 vs school
By subject vs California (2025-2026) ?
English Language Arts/Literacy23%-26 vs state
Science21%-15 vs state
Mathematics15%-23 vs state

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Frequently Asked Questions about Arcata Elementary

Arcata Elementary ranks in the bottom 11.2% of California elementary schools.

Students at Arcata Elementary are 46% White, 24% Hispanic, 17% Two or more races, 5% American Indian, 4% African American, 4% Asian.

In the 2024-25 school year, 240 students attended Arcata Elementary.

Students who attend Arcata Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Sunny Brae Middle
High : Arcata High

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Latest California data All new data »
2025–26 attendance data, dropout rates & graduation ratesNewOct 15, 2026
2025–26 CAST, CSA Spanish & Smarter Balanced Assessments scoresNewOct 15, 2026
2024–25 school spending dataJul 1, 2026
2024–25 attendance dataMar 13, 2026


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.

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