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Neal Dow Elementary

Q: Is Neal Dow Elementary a good school?

Neal Dow Elementary ranks 1814 th of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-5

1814^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,857 California Elementary Schools

Better than 69% of California elementary schools

Summary

Neal Dow Elementary is a public K-5 school serving 364 students in the Chico Unified district, consistently performing above the state average despite serving a population where a significant number of students face economic disadvantages.

The school's standout strength is in mathematics, where student proficiency consistently outpaces both the district and state averages, a notable achievement when compared to other local schools with similar student demographics like John A. McManus Elementary and Citrus Avenue Elementary. Neal Dow also shows exceptional effectiveness in supporting students with special needs and those from low-income families, and it has made impressive strides in reducing chronic student absenteeism. While the school's per-student spending is higher than some neighbors, this investment appears linked to its stronger academic outcomes for the students it serves.

When considering educational options, Neal Dow provides competitive quality compared to local charter schools like Chico Country Day and Wildflower Open Classroom, especially given its student population. Its performance is particularly interesting when compared to the very nearby Hooker Oak Elementary, which achieves similar results with different resource levels, suggesting both schools are effective in their own right. Overall, Neal Dow demonstrates that a school can achieve solid, above-average academic success while serving a community with significant economic need.

364

Students ?

16.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$28,179

Per pupil spending ?

67.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1420 Neal Dow Ave.
Chico, CA 95926-2441

(530) 891-3110

District: Chico Unified

Students who attend Neal Dow Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Bidwell Junior High
High:	Pleasant Valley High

Racial breakdown:

White:

53.6%

Hispanic:

27.5%

Two or more races:

13.5%

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At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 52nd percentile in 2013 → 69th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the California average (50% vs 41% meeting standards)

✓Ranking is trending up — up 17 percentile points since 2013

✓Above the California median (69th percentile)

Worth a look

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school50%

District avg46%

California avg41%

1,814^th of 5,857

California public elementary schools ?

Top 31%▲ up 15 pts since 2015

From top 46% (2015) to top 31% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

5^th of 12Elementary Schools in the Chico Unified

711^th of 1,543Chico 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
2025	65.6	1814 of 5857	69.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	65.1	1813 of 5869	69.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	72.4	1479 of 5859	74.8%	★★★★☆
2022	63.7	1856 of 5883	68.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	30.0	3938 of 5789	32.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	55.1	2279 of 5662	59.7%	★★★☆☆
2017	53.1	2373 of 5692	58.3%	★★★☆☆
2016	43.9	2839 of 5614	49.4%	★★☆☆☆
2015	48.1	2559 of 5611	54.4%	★★★☆☆
2013	50.5	2659 of 5530	51.9%	★★★☆☆
2012	48.8	2696 of 5390	50.0%	★★☆☆☆
2011	59.0	2093 of 5377	61.1%	★★★☆☆
2010	46.1	2792 of 5314	47.5%	★★☆☆☆
2009	61.1	1869 of 5193	64.0%	★★★☆☆
2008	59.7	1865 of 5113	63.5%	★★★☆☆
2007	60.3	1811 of 5113	64.6%	★★★☆☆
2006	54.6	1981 of 4818	58.9%	★★★☆☆
2005	60.7	1711 of 4822	64.5%	★★★☆☆
2004	45.3	2389 of 4809	50.3%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2019	52.1	919 of 2585	64.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	50.7	761 of 2128	64.2%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	62.9	1833 of 5597	67.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	65.4	1693 of 5612	69.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	76.9	1221 of 5609	78.2%	★★★★☆
2022	69.3	1551 of 5635	72.5%	★★★★☆
2019	39.4	3145 of 5492	42.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	60.1	1973 of 5413	63.6%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	52.0	2151 of 5107	57.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	51.6	2172 of 5107	57.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	84.9	554 of 5087	89.1%	★★★★☆
2019	21.9	4248 of 4963	14.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	70.1	1284 of 5460	76.5%	★★★★☆
2024	74.8	1070 of 5517	80.6%	★★★★☆
2023	82.5	681 of 5363	87.3%	★★★★☆
2022	74.5	978 of 5264	81.4%	★★★★☆
2019	31.2	3780 of 5173	26.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	45.7	2633 of 5084	48.2%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	65.3	1734 of 5628	69.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	61.7	1906 of 5643	66.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	64.1	1763 of 5638	68.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	56.0	2148 of 5663	62.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	24.0	4284 of 5510	22.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	48.4	2546 of 5431	53.1%	★★★☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2023	32.9	496 of 669	25.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	80.9	373 of 2847	86.9%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	52.5	1337 of 2598	48.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	46.8	1519 of 2651	42.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	45.8	1545 of 2661	41.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	40.5	1724 of 2726	36.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	10.3	2620 of 2834	7.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	33.8	1987 of 2737	27.4%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Special Education (2025)87th percentile+18 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)76th percentile+7 vs school

Male (2025)69th percentile~ school

Female (2025)67th percentile~ school

Disabled (2019)64th percentile+32 vs school

Hispanic (2025)58th percentile-11 vs school

White (2025)49th percentile-20 vs school

Multi-racial (2023)26th percentile-49 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

Mathematics51%+14 vs state

English Language Arts/Literacy50%~ state avg

Science46%+13 vs state

★

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Schools Near Neal Dow 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 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)	% Polio (2022)	% Hepatitis B (2022)	% Varicella (2022)	% DTP (2022)	% MMR (2022)	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/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 7th 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 7th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 8th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics All Grades	% Completely Immunized KG	% Polio KG	% Hepatitis B KG	% Varicella KG	% DTP KG	% MMR KG	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Neal Dow Elementary	Public	K-5	1420 Neal Dow Ave.	Chico	95926	Butte County	Chico Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(530) 891-3110	364	22	16.9	67.9%	195 (53.6%)	5 (1.4%)	100 (27.5%)	11 (3.0%)	3 (0.8%)	1 (0.3%)	49 (13.5%)	65.6	1814^th of 5857 public elementary schools	69.0%		65.1	1813^th of 5869 public elementary schools	69.1%	1	45.8		45.8	36.4	51.2	59.7				50.0	47.3	65.9	45.8				51.2	95.9			97.3			$28,179	$27,528	$651
Hooker Oak Elementary	Public	K-5	1238 Arbutus Ave.	Chico	95926	Butte County	Chico Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(530) 891-3119	337	16	21.0	47.5%	224 (66.5%)	3 (0.9%)	56 (16.6%)	6 (1.8%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	46 (13.6%)	67.3	1728^th of 5857 public elementary schools	70.5%		62.9	1931^st of 5869 public elementary schools	67.1%	203	42.2		42.2	51.9	69.2	53.3				58.3	44.4	47.1	51.1				47.3	95.1	95.1	96.7		95.1		$24,414	$23,894	$520
Wildflower Open Classroom	Public, Charter	K-8	2414 Cohasset Rd. Ste. 3	Chico	95926	Butte County	Wildflower Open Classroom District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(530) 892-1676	183	11	17.4	41.5%	133 (72.7%)	7 (3.8%)	25 (13.7%)	2 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (8.7%)	65	1836^th of 5857 public elementary schools	68.7%		56.3	2221^st of 5869 public elementary schools	62.2%	385	47.6		43.3	66.7	62.5	57.1	35.3	61.5		57.7	47.6	56.3	42.9	29.4	53.9		47.4
McManus (John A.) Elementary	Public	K-5	988 East Ave.	Chico	95926	Butte County	Chico Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(530) 891-3128	397	22	18.0	77.6%	147 (37.0%)	12 (3.0%)	157 (39.5%)	21 (5.3%)	8 (2.0%)	3 (0.8%)	48 (12.1%)	16.8	5117^th of 5857 public elementary schools	12.6%		33.7	3630^th of 5869 public elementary schools	38.1%	1487	11.1		11.1	27.0	20.3	34.4				27.2	27.0	17.2	9.5				17.9	97.3				97.3		$26,697	$25,186	$1,511
Sierra View Elementary	Public	K-5	1598 Hooker Oak Ave.	Chico	95926	Butte County	Chico Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(530) 891-3117	428	24	17.7	33.9%	294 (68.7%)	1 (0.2%)	69 (16.1%)	17 (4.0%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	45 (10.5%)	92.3	523^rd of 5857 public elementary schools	91.1%		90.3	685^th of 5869 public elementary schools	88.3%	162	67.1		67.1	89.1	62.5	73.2				74.8	79.7	68.8	70.7				72.9							$24,560	$24,260	$300
Parkview Elementary	Public	K-5	1770 East Eighth St.	Chico	95928	Butte County	Chico Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(530) 891-3114	406	22	18.3	47.3%	215 (53.0%)	8 (2.0%)	99 (24.4%)	16 (3.9%)	4 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	64 (15.8%)	76.4	1316^th of 5857 public elementary schools	77.5%		74.5	1386^th of 5869 public elementary schools	76.4%	70	62.0		62.0	46.3	55.1	73.2				60.0	39.0	57.7	57.8				53.7	96.9			96.9			$22,735	$22,146	$589
Achieve Charter School of Chico	Public, Charter	K-8	1494 East Ave.	Chico	95926	Butte County	Achieve Charter School of Chico District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(530) 872-4100	222	8	27.0	37.8%	150 (67.6%)	6 (2.7%)	38 (17.1%)	5 (2.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (10.4%)	49.5	2621^st of 5857 public elementary schools	55.3%		53.2	2392^nd of 5869 public elementary schools	59.2%	229	40.0	28.0	34.0	41.7	59.3	60.0	26.1	42.9	36.0	44.8	45.8	40.7	32.0	13.0	47.6	16.0	32.4							$26,328	$25,990	$338
Marigold Elementary	Public	K-5	2446 Marigold Ave.	Chico	95926	Butte County	Chico Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(530) 891-3121	571	27	21.1	51.0%	335 (58.7%)	11 (1.9%)	131 (22.9%)	23 (4.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	70 (12.3%)	58.4	2147^th of 5857 public elementary schools	63.3%		55.8	2246^th of 5869 public elementary schools	61.7%	99	35.1		35.1	45.2	50.6	63.8				53.3	47.3	36.5	41.5				41.9							$23,147	$22,286	$861
Citrus Avenue Elementary	Public	K-5	1350 Citrus Ave.	Chico	95926	Butte County	Chico Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(530) 891-3107	383	20	19.3	82.2%	122 (31.9%)	17 (4.4%)	152 (39.7%)	36 (9.4%)	8 (2.1%)	7 (1.8%)	41 (10.7%)	28	4136^th of 5857 public elementary schools	29.4%		28.7	4051^st of 5869 public elementary schools	31.0%	85	33.3		33.3	25.8	24.6	43.9				30.9	24.2	23.1	26.3				24.5	95.6			95.6			$23,117	$22,102	$1,015
Sherwood Montessori	Public, Charter	K-8	1010 Cleveland Ave.	Chico	95928	Butte County	Sherwood Montessori District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(530) 345-6600	116	7	16.6	44.8%	68 (58.6%)	1 (0.9%)	24 (20.7%)	1 (0.9%)	3 (2.6%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (16.4%)	66.2	1780^th of 5857 public elementary schools	69.6%		51.5	2477^th of 5869 public elementary schools	57.8%	697	53.9		50.0			53.9				43.4			35.7				22.2	76.2	81.0	90.5	81.0	81.0	90.5

Frequently Asked Questions about Neal Dow Elementary

What is the racial makeup of Neal Dow Elementary?

Students at Neal Dow Elementary are 54% White, 27% Hispanic, 13% Two or more races, 3% Asian, 1% African American.

What schools do graduates of Neal Dow Elementary attend?

Students who attend Neal Dow Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Bidwell Junior High
High : Pleasant Valley High

How many students attend Neal Dow Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 364 students attended Neal Dow Elementary.

What district is Neal Dow Elementary in?

Chico Unified

Is Neal Dow Elementary a good school?

Neal Dow Elementary ranks 1814^th of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Rate Neal Dow Elementary!

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Latest California data All new data »

2024–25 school spending dataJul 1, 2026

2024–25 attendance dataMar 13, 2026

2024–25 CSA Spanish test scoresDec 22, 2025

2024–25 dropout rates & graduation ratesNov 14, 2025

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.