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Alturas Elementary

Q: Is Alturas Elementary a good school?

Alturas Elementary ranks 3967 th of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-5

3967^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,857 California Elementary Schools

Better than 32% of California elementary schools

Summary

Alturas Elementary is a public K-5 school serving 333 students in the rural Modoc Joint Unified school district in Alturas, CA, where a high percentage of families face economic challenges.

Academically, the school's test scores in English and Math are below state averages, and its statewide ranking has varied over the years. However, it shows a relative strength in mathematics compared to its district and has made a truly impressive turnaround in student attendance, slashing chronic absenteeism from over 36% to just 10.5% in three years—now better than both the district and state. A notable finding is a performance gap between female and male students, with girls ranking significantly higher statewide than boys.

When compared to the nearby Surprise Valley Elementary in the Surprise Valley Joint Unified district, Alturas operates with significantly fewer resources per student and a higher student-to-teacher ratio, yet it maintains comparable math performance. While Surprise Valley has historically had higher academic rankings, Alturas' recent success in improving attendance is a major strength that creates a strong foundation for learning.

333

Students ?

16.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$15,595

Per pupil spending ?

73%

Free/discounted lunch ?

809 West Eighth St.
Alturas, CA 96101-3116

(530) 233-7201

District: Modoc Joint Unified

Students who attend Alturas Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Modoc Middle
High:	Modoc High

Racial breakdown:

White:

61.6%

Hispanic:

22.8%

Two or more races:

8.7%

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Compare Alturas Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 48th percentile in 2015 → 32nd in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (30% vs 41% meeting standards)

!Ranking has slipped — down 16 percentile points since 2015

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school30%

District avg29%

California avg41%

3,967^th of 5,857

California public elementary schools ?

Bottom 32%▼ down 16 pts since 2015

From bottom 48% (2015) to bottom 32% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary 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)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	29.9	3967 of 5857	32.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	30.9	3866 of 5869	34.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	20.1	4837 of 5859	17.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	28.9	3957 of 5883	32.7%	★★☆☆☆
2021	35.5	857 of 1417	39.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	19.4	4857 of 5789	16.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	14.7	5125 of 5662	9.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	19.8	4714 of 5692	17.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	35.4	3382 of 5614	39.8%	★★☆☆☆
2015	42.4	2892 of 5611	48.5%	★★☆☆☆
2013	26.6	4305 of 5530	22.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	42.3	3122 of 5390	42.1%	★★☆☆☆
2011	40.7	3196 of 5377	40.6%	★★☆☆☆
2010	40.7	3128 of 5314	41.1%	★★☆☆☆
2009	54.7	2208 of 5193	57.5%	★★★☆☆
2008	49.5	2394 of 5113	53.2%	★★★☆☆
2007	51.8	2217 of 5113	56.6%	★★★☆☆
2006	59.4	1765 of 4818	63.4%	★★★☆☆
2005	47.7	2314 of 4822	52.0%	★★★☆☆
2004	38.1	2739 of 4809	43.0%	★★☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	18.7	2063 of 2227	7.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	40.6	3046 of 5597	45.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	34.9	3418 of 5612	39.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	22.3	4488 of 5609	20.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	32.7	3517 of 5635	37.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	40.4	691 of 1267	45.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	21.7	4491 of 5492	18.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	20.3	4506 of 5413	16.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	16.8	4654 of 5107	8.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	25.8	4047 of 5107	20.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	34.5	3349 of 5087	34.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	35.0	3315 of 4963	33.2%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	32.8	3766 of 5460	31.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	25.4	4340 of 5517	21.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	18.0	4831 of 5363	9.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	30.6	3783 of 5264	28.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	47.9	507 of 1110	54.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	24.7	4247 of 5173	17.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	15.4	4730 of 5084	7.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	21.6	4588 of 5628	18.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	27.9	4012 of 5643	28.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	18.9	4815 of 5638	14.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	26.5	4091 of 5663	27.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	30.8	824 of 1272	35.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	18.3	4799 of 5510	12.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	11.8	5171 of 5431	4.8%	☆☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	13.4	2322 of 2598	10.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	14.0	2355 of 2651	11.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	5.9	2560 of 2661	3.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	10.0	2528 of 2726	7.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	5.3	2749 of 2834	3.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	2.9	2713 of 2737	0.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

Female (2025)46th percentile+13 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)31st percentile~ school

Male (2025)18th percentile-14 vs school

White (2025)11th percentile-22 vs school

Hispanic (2025)9th percentile-23 vs school

Disabled (2022)7th percentile-25 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy31%-17 vs state

Mathematics30%-7 vs state

Science25%-8 vs state

★

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Schools Near Alturas 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)	% Polio (2022)	% DTP (2022)	% MMR (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 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 All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 3rd Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 4th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 5th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics All Grades	% Completely Immunized KG	% Polio KG	% DTP KG	% MMR KG	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Alturas Elementary	Public	K-5	809 West Eighth St.	Alturas	96101	Modoc County	Modoc Joint Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(530) 233-7201	333	20	16.6	73.0%	205 (61.6%)	1 (0.3%)	76 (22.8%)	1 (0.3%)	20 (6.0%)	1 (0.3%)	29 (8.7%)	29.9	3967^th of 5857 public elementary schools	32.3%		30.9	3866^th of 5869 public elementary schools	34.1%	101	25.0	25.0	28.3	32.9	32.1	31.4	26.1	33.3	30.4	30.4	89.8	96.6	89.8	96.6	$15,595	$2,764	$12,831
Surprise Valley Elementary	Public	K-7	470 Lincoln St.	Cedarville	96104	Modoc County	Surprise Valley Joint Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(530) 279-6141	51	4	12.0	68.6%	27 (52.9%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (23.5%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (13.7%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (9.8%)								(n/a)						45.7				37.1					$22,354	$1,888	$20,466

Frequently Asked Questions about Alturas Elementary

What schools do graduates of Alturas Elementary attend?

Students who attend Alturas Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Modoc Middle
High : Modoc High

Is Alturas Elementary a good school?

Alturas Elementary ranks 3967^th of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Alturas Elementary?

Students at Alturas Elementary are 62% White, 23% Hispanic, 9% Two or more races, 6% American Indian.

How many students attend Alturas Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 333 students attended Alturas Elementary.

What district is Alturas Elementary in?

Modoc Joint Unified

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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.