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Donaldson Way Elementary

Public Grades K-5
2413th
SchoolDigger Rank ?
of 5,817 California Elementary Schools
Better than 59% of California elementary schools
Summary

Donaldson Way Elementary is a 528-student K–5 school in American Canyon, part of Napa Valley Unified. Its results vary by subject: English Language Arts (ELA) is slightly below the state, and science is farther below, while math stands out as a clear strength. The most important finding for families is that Donaldson’s math proficiency is well above both the state and district results.

Math was Donaldson’s strongest subject compared with nearby schools, the district and the state: 45% of students were proficient in 2025–2026, compared with 38% statewide and 32% in the district. It ranked second among six nearby K–5 schools with results that year, just behind Canyon Oaks Elementary and ahead of Napa Junction Elementary. ELA was more mixed: Donaldson reached 46%, below the state’s 49% but above the district’s 44%; both Canyon Oaks and Napa Junction scored higher. Science is the clearest concern: Donaldson’s 31% was below the state’s 36%, though above the district’s 29%, and it ranked third among five nearby K–5 schools with results.

Over four reported years, math proficiency rose 10 percentage points, while ELA increased 4 points. Science improved by just 1 point overall and fell 7 points in the latest year, from 38% to 31%. SchoolDigger placed Donaldson at the 59th percentile with 3 stars in 2025–2026, tied with Napa Junction and below Canyon Oaks at the 67th percentile. Chronic absenteeism also improved, falling from 34% in 2022–2023 to 17% in 2025–2026. In 2024–2025, the student-teacher ratio was 26.4, and 66% of students were free/reduced lunch eligible. SchoolDigger’s statewide rankings also show lower relative standing for Multi-racial Students, at the 12th percentile compared with 59th overall, and for Special Education Students, whose ranking fell from the 75th percentile in 2023–2024 to the 47th in 2025–2026.

528
Students ?
26.4
Student/teacher ratio ?
$16,207
Per pupil spending ?
65.5%
Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?
All students in California receive free school meals.
97%
Kindergartners with all required immunizations (2024-25)
Exemptions: 0% (any vaccine)
 430 Donaldson Way
       American Canyon, CA  94589-1130

(707) 644-4486

District: Napa Valley Unified


Students who attend Donaldson Way Elementary usually attend:

Middle:    American Canyon Middle
High:    American Canyon High
Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:
44.7%
White:
19.5%
Asian:
19.1%
more
 See top rated California elementary schools

 Compare Donaldson Way Elementary to nearby elementary schools!
At a glance
▲ Ranking trend: Rebounding — 54th percentile in 2023 → 59th in 2026
Strengths
✓Ranking is rebounding — up to 59th (2026) from a 54th-percentile low (2023)
✓Above the California median (59th percentile)
Worth a look
!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing
!Large classes — about 26 students per teacher
Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?
This school43%
District avg36%
California avg42%
2,413th of 5,817
California public elementary schools ?
Top 41%▼ down 12 pts since 2016
From top 30% (2016) to top 41% (2026)
See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →
★★★★★
SchoolDigger rating ?
7th of 16Elementary Schools in the Napa Valley Unified
900th of 1,530Napa 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

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202653.42413 of 581758.5%★★★☆☆
202554.52336 of 585760.1%★★★☆☆
202452.72419 of 586958.8%★★★☆☆
202346.62723 of 585953.5%★★★☆☆
202259.72039 of 588365.3%★★★☆☆
201958.82135 of 578963.1%★★★☆☆
201856.12234 of 566260.5%★★★☆☆
201767.31684 of 569270.4%★★★★☆
201666.81676 of 561470.1%★★★★☆
201565.21705 of 561169.6%★★★☆☆
201366.91724 of 553068.8%★★★☆☆
201261.01986 of 539063.2%★★★☆☆
201164.81761 of 537767.2%★★★☆☆
201072.71337 of 531474.8%★★★★☆
200971.21388 of 519373.3%★★★★☆
200870.91362 of 511373.4%★★★★☆
200774.11204 of 511376.5%★★★★☆
200670.51311 of 481872.8%★★★★☆
200564.11573 of 482267.4%★★★☆☆
200452.52035 of 480957.7%★★★☆☆

Asian

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202550.9752 of 120337.5%★★☆☆☆

Disabled

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
201945.71112 of 258557.0%★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202450.21167 of 316263.1%★★★☆☆
202339.61853 of 324542.9%★★☆☆☆
202257.2880 of 331173.4%★★★★☆
201963.3724 of 327577.9%★★★★☆
201838.11863 of 324642.6%★★☆☆☆

Female

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202651.02434 of 558156.4%★★★☆☆
202558.72012 of 559764.1%★★★☆☆
202450.12408 of 561257.1%★★★☆☆
202342.52848 of 560949.2%★★☆☆☆
202257.22055 of 563563.5%★★★☆☆
201956.02175 of 549260.4%★★★☆☆
201858.92032 of 541362.5%★★★☆☆

Hispanic

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202646.52576 of 509449.4%★★☆☆☆
202537.93170 of 510737.9%★★☆☆☆
202445.02615 of 510748.8%★★☆☆☆
202329.73729 of 508726.7%★☆☆☆☆
202247.92333 of 508454.1%★★★☆☆
201935.03312 of 496333.3%★★☆☆☆
201832.93352 of 483030.6%★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202650.72431 of 542355.2%★★★☆☆
202552.92249 of 546058.8%★★★☆☆
202449.82406 of 551756.4%★★★☆☆
202347.02570 of 536352.1%★★★☆☆
202254.42014 of 526461.7%★★★☆☆
201947.32593 of 517349.9%★★☆☆☆
201843.62779 of 508445.3%★★☆☆☆

Male

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202654.22276 of 560359.4%★★★☆☆
202549.32551 of 562854.7%★★★☆☆
202453.92274 of 564359.7%★★★☆☆
202349.72467 of 563856.2%★★★☆☆
202261.11909 of 566366.3%★★★☆☆
201959.61972 of 551064.2%★★★☆☆
201850.62414 of 543155.6%★★★☆☆

Multi-racial

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202615.9663 of 75312.0%★☆☆☆☆
202538.1503 of 71829.9%★★☆☆☆
202235.8430 of 61029.5%★☆☆☆☆
201928.0356 of 44520.0%★☆☆☆☆
201823.9280 of 33917.4%★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202639.31545 of 292747.2%★★☆☆☆
202545.81211 of 284757.5%★★★☆☆
202462.4668 of 263574.6%★★★★☆
202348.2960 of 242060.3%★★★☆☆

White

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202657.01191 of 253653.0%★★★☆☆
202557.91155 of 259855.5%★★★☆☆
202449.81415 of 265146.6%★★☆☆☆
202339.21740 of 266134.6%★★☆☆☆
202229.22030 of 272625.5%★☆☆☆☆
201940.71831 of 283435.4%★★☆☆☆
201849.81533 of 273744.0%★★☆☆☆
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)
English Language Learner (2024)63rd percentile+4 vs school
Male (2026)59th percentile~ school
Disabled (2019)57th percentile-6 vs school
Female (2026)56th percentile~ school
Low Socio Economic Status (2026)55th percentile-3 vs school
White (2026)53rd percentile-5 vs school
Hispanic (2026)49th percentile-9 vs school
Special Education (2026)47th percentile-11 vs school
Asian (2025)37th percentile-23 vs school
Multi-racial (2026)12th percentile-47 vs school
By subject vs California (2025-2026) ?
English Language Arts/Literacy46%-3 vs state
Mathematics45%+7 vs state
Science31%-5 vs state

★
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Frequently Asked Questions about Donaldson Way Elementary

Students at Donaldson Way Elementary are 45% Hispanic, 20% White, 19% Asian, 12% Two or more races, 4% African American.

In the 2024-25 school year, 528 students attended Donaldson Way Elementary.

Students who attend Donaldson Way Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : American Canyon Middle
High : American Canyon High

Donaldson Way Elementary ranks 2413th of 5817 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Rate Donaldson Way Elementary!



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Latest California data All new data »
2024–25 school spending data (updated)NewNov 2, 2026
2013–14 through 2024–25 immunization rates (updated)Oct 19, 2026
2025–26 attendance data, dropout rates & graduation ratesOct 15, 2026
2025–26 CAST, CSA Spanish & Smarter Balanced Assessments scoresOct 15, 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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