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Palomares Elementary

Q: Is Palomares Elementary a good school?

Palomares Elementary ranks 1754 th of 5804 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-5

1754^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,804 California Elementary Schools

Better than 70% of California elementary schools

Summary

Palomares Elementary is a K–5 school with 135 students in Castro Valley Unified, serving families in the Castro Valley area. Its clearest strength is science: 69% of students were proficient in 2025–2026, ranking second among Palomares and 10 nearby schools.

Results vary considerably by subject. Science proficiency was 17 percentage points above the district and 33 points above the state; only Jensen Ranch Elementary scored higher nearby. Math was also strong against the state (58% versus 38%) and nearly matched the district (59%), placing sixth among the 11 schools. ELA was the weaker subject: 48% proficiency was close to the state’s 49% but 18 points below the district, and the school ranked eighth nearby. Fourth grade stands out as a concern: 27% were proficient in ELA and 36% in math, both the lowest among the six nearby K–5 schools in the district. Those results were especially far below district averages in ELA (66%) and math (64%).

Over the four reported years, science proficiency rose 19 percentage points, while ELA fell 3 points; chronic absenteeism dropped from 29% in 2021–2022 to 8% in 2024–2025, then rose to 12% in 2025–2026. SchoolDigger gives the school 3 stars and a statewide ranking at the 70th percentile, below the nearby-school median of the 76th percentile; Castro Valley Unified ranks at the 85th percentile with 4 stars. SchoolDigger’s measure of how well the school serves female students ranked at the 85th percentile in 2025–2026, compared with 70th overall. Its measure for male students was at the 60th percentile, down from the 85th percentile in 2023–2024. The 2024–2025 student–teacher ratio was 22.5, below the nearby-school average of 23.8; 36% were free/reduced lunch eligible that year. With 135 students, year-to-year results may be sensitive to changes in a small number of students.

135

Students ?

22.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$19,565

Per pupil spending ?

36.3%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

All students in California receive free school meals.

6395 Palo Verde Rd.
Castro Valley, CA 94546-9708

(510) 582-4207

District: Castro Valley Unified

Students who attend Palomares Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Canyon Middle
	Creekside Middle
High:	Castro Valley High

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

34.8%

Two or more races:

25.2%

White:

21.5%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Palomares Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 81st percentile in 2016 → 70th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the California average (56% vs 42% meeting standards)

✓Above the California median (70th percentile)

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 11 percentile points since 2016

!Near the bottom of Castro Valley Unified's ranking

!Large classes — about 22 students per teacher

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school56%

District avg60%

California avg42%

1,754^th of 5,804

California public elementary schools ?

Top 30%▼ down 11 pts since 2016

From top 19% (2016) to top 30% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

9^th of 9Elementary Schools in the Castro Valley Unified

144^th of 968Castro Valley Unified 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

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	66.5	1754 of 5804	69.8%	★★★☆☆
2025	68.5	1667 of 5857	71.5%	★★★★☆
2024	78.9	1201 of 5869	79.5%	★★★★☆
2023	70.8	1541 of 5859	73.7%	★★★★☆
2022	81.0	1148 of 5883	80.5%	★★★★☆
2021	83.1	236 of 1417	83.3%	★★★★☆
2019	86.1	846 of 5789	85.4%	★★★★☆
2018	80.8	1087 of 5662	80.8%	★★★★☆
2017	86.5	845 of 5692	85.2%	★★★★☆
2016	81.5	1070 of 5614	80.9%	★★★★☆
2015	85.8	836 of 5611	85.1%	★★★★☆
2013	81.7	969 of 5530	82.5%	★★★★☆
2012	95.2	80 of 5390	98.5%	★★★★★
2011	96.3	48 of 5377	99.1%	★★★★★
2010	93.8	210 of 5314	96.0%	★★★★★
2009	94.6	183 of 5193	96.5%	★★★★★
2008	93.7	270 of 5113	94.7%	★★★★★
2007	94.1	282 of 5113	94.5%	★★★★★
2006	92.6	355 of 4818	92.6%	★★★★★
2005	92.5	354 of 4822	92.7%	★★★★★
2004	96.8	139 of 4809	97.1%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	84.4	854 of 5569	84.7%	★★★★☆
2025	87.1	741 of 5597	86.8%	★★★★☆
2024	72.6	1379 of 5612	75.4%	★★★★☆
2022	76.2	1273 of 5635	77.4%	★★★★☆
2021	60.4	440 of 1267	65.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	93.2	343 of 5492	93.8%	★★★★★
2018	86.4	750 of 5413	86.1%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2019	98.7	41 of 4963	99.2%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	80.4	812 of 5517	85.3%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	54.8	2251 of 5590	59.7%	★★★☆☆
2025	55.2	2226 of 5628	60.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	85.8	829 of 5643	85.3%	★★★★☆
2021	84.7	193 of 1272	84.8%	★★★★☆
2019	69.7	1532 of 5510	72.2%	★★★★☆

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)

Hispanic (2019)99th percentile+14 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2024)85th percentile+6 vs school

Female (2026)85th percentile+15 vs school

Male (2026)60th percentile-10 vs school

By subject vs California (2025-2026) ?

Science69%+33 vs state

Mathematics58%+19 vs state

English Language Arts/Literacy48%~ state avg

1.0

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What people are saying

by a parent
Tuesday, May 29, 2018

This school is bad news. My son came their with high self esteem and strong academics. He left with his head down. The school threatened to remove him constantly. If they are 2 minutes late, if they can't keep up with the curriculum, or if they get into any trouble, the school threatens to kick them out. The principle is extremely rude, the teachers ... lets just say they caused us to hire a private tutor. They most likely only have high test scores because they criminalize and remove the students who need guidance. Want your kid to develop confidence issues? This is the school for you. I would give negative stars if possible. My poor 5 year old!! Close Quote

Schools Near Palomares Elementary

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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 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)					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 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 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 All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Palomares Elementary	Public	K-5	6395 Palo Verde Rd.	Castro Valley	94546	Alameda County	Castro Valley Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(510) 582-4207	135	6	22.5	36.3%	29 (21.5%)	3 (2.2%)	47 (34.8%)	22 (16.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	34 (25.2%)	66.5	1754^th of 5804 public elementary schools	69.8%		68.5	1667^th of 5857 public elementary schools	71.5%	87	69.0	69.0	57.1	26.7	55.2		48.3	71.4	35.7	72.4		57.8	$19,565	$19,464	$101
Jensen Ranch Elementary	Public	K-5	20001 Carson Ln.	Castro Valley	94546	Alameda County	Castro Valley Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(510) 537-6365	373	16	23.3	20.1%	52 (13.9%)	9 (2.4%)	38 (10.2%)	231 (61.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	43 (11.5%)	98.1	60^th of 5804 public elementary schools	99.0%		97.6	110^th of 5857 public elementary schools	98.1%	50	73.8	73.8	89.4	84.1	93.4		89.0	86.4	88.9	77.1		84.2	$20,807	$20,568	$239
Independent Elementary	Public	K-5	21201 Independent School Rd.	Castro Valley	94546	Alameda County	Castro Valley Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(510) 537-9558	662	27	24.9	28.2%	105 (15.9%)	18 (2.7%)	103 (15.6%)	329 (49.7%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	106 (16.0%)	89.8	658^th of 5804 public elementary schools	88.7%		87.7	792^nd of 5857 public elementary schools	86.5%	134	68.3	68.3	71.7	60.0	84.0		71.9	73.5	60.0	69.3		67.8	$17,995	$17,894	$101
Fairview Elementary	Public	K-6	23515 Maud Ave.	Hayward	94540	Alameda County	Hayward Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(510) 723-3830	543	22	25.2	73.1%	30 (5.5%)	72 (13.3%)	304 (56.0%)	83 (15.3%)	2 (0.4%)	4 (0.7%)	48 (8.8%)	25	4370^th of 5804 public elementary schools	24.7%		17.4	5058^th of 5857 public elementary schools	13.6%	688	26.1	26.1	33.3	38.1	37.5	29.4	34.7	27.9	20.0	14.8	17.7	19.6	$28,292	$25,258	$3,034
Vannoy Elementary	Public	K-5	5100 Vannoy	Castro Valley	94546	Alameda County	Castro Valley Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(510) 537-1832	536	22	24.3	29.5%	115 (21.5%)	9 (1.7%)	162 (30.2%)	164 (30.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	85 (15.9%)	81.5	1063^rd of 5804 public elementary schools	81.7%		83.9	969^th of 5857 public elementary schools	83.5%	94	66.1	66.1	48.4	64.1	74.6		60.9	54.8	67.4	77.8		65.3	$18,010	$17,856	$154
Marshall Elementary	Public	K-5	20111 Marshall St.	Castro Valley	94546	Alameda County	Castro Valley Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(510) 537-2431	515	21	24.5	44.5%	71 (13.8%)	20 (3.9%)	142 (27.6%)	213 (41.4%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.0%)	64 (12.4%)	78.6	1186^th of 5804 public elementary schools	79.6%		86.2	870^th of 5857 public elementary schools	85.1%	316	42.4	42.4	49.4	71.9	57.6		60.3	70.9	71.6	53.3		65.0	$18,231	$17,762	$469
East Avenue Elementary	Public	K-6	2424 East Ave.	Hayward	94541	Alameda County	Hayward Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(510) 723-3815	407	20	20.8	66.8%	39 (9.6%)	58 (14.3%)	204 (50.1%)	55 (13.5%)	1 (0.2%)	14 (3.4%)	36 (8.8%)	29.4	4030^th of 5804 public elementary schools	30.6%		30.2	3947^th of 5857 public elementary schools	32.6%	83	42.1	42.1	18.2	29.6	44.8	26.3	30.5	16.3	31.8	28.1	15.8	22.9	$37,494	$34,426	$3,068
Stonebrae Elementary	Public	K-6	28761 Hayward Blvd.	Hayward	94540	Alameda County	Hayward Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(510) 723-3910	605	28	21.7	54.2%	55 (9.1%)	40 (6.6%)	233 (38.5%)	173 (28.6%)	3 (0.5%)	8 (1.3%)	93 (15.4%)	57.5	2179^th of 5804 public elementary schools	62.5%		56.7	2226^th of 5857 public elementary schools	62.0%	47	33.3	33.3	42.4	63.0	43.4	56.2	51.5	42.4	46.3	35.4	48.6	43.1	$29,239	$26,924	$2,315
Faith Ringgold School of Arts and Science	Public	K-6	1570 Ward St.	Hayward	94541	Alameda County	Hayward Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(510) 889-7399	111	5	21.5	92.8%	4 (3.6%)	15 (13.5%)	72 (64.9%)	12 (10.8%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.9%)	7 (6.3%)	5.3	5777^th of 5804 public elementary schools	0.5%		13.3	5398^th of 5857 public elementary schools	7.8%	379	0.0	0.0	10.5	10.0	5.9		12.5	21.1	5.0	0.0		9.4	$41,135	$36,724	$4,411
Proctor Elementary	Public	K-5	17520 Redwood Rd.	Castro Valley	94546	Alameda County	Castro Valley Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(510) 537-0630	613	25	24.5	30.2%	134 (21.9%)	12 (2.0%)	100 (16.3%)	243 (39.6%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.5%)	121 (19.7%)	96.5	185^th of 5804 public elementary schools	96.8%		94.8	349^th of 5857 public elementary schools	94.0%	164	66.3	66.3	78.0	82.5	82.1		80.8	85.0	87.6	74.7		82.5	$18,559	$18,088	$471

Frequently Asked Questions about Palomares Elementary

What is the racial makeup of Palomares Elementary?

Students at Palomares Elementary are 35% Hispanic, 25% Two or more races, 21% White, 16% Asian, 2% African American.

What schools do graduates of Palomares Elementary attend?

Students who attend Palomares Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Canyon Middle
Middle : Creekside Middle
High : Castro Valley High

How many students attend Palomares Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 135 students attended Palomares Elementary.

Is Palomares Elementary a good school?

Palomares Elementary ranks 1754^th of 5804 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What district is Palomares Elementary in?

Castro Valley Unified

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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.