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La Tercera Elementary

Q: Is La Tercera Elementary a good school?

La Tercera Elementary ranks 1962 nd of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-6

1962^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,857 California Elementary Schools

Better than 67% of California elementary schools

Summary

La Tercera Elementary is a K-6 public school serving 295 students in the Old Adobe Union School District in Petaluma, and it stands out as a school on a remarkable upward trajectory, having significantly improved its academic standing in recent years.

The school's greatest strength is its English Language Arts program, where student proficiency notably exceeds both state and district averages, with sixth graders performing particularly well. This success is part of a broader story of impressive improvement, as the school has climbed from a lower to a much higher statewide ranking in just a few years. Furthermore, La Tercera has made outstanding progress in reducing chronic student absenteeism, which is now lower than many neighboring schools like McDowell Elementary. It achieves these results while serving a more economically diverse population than some higher-performing schools in the area, such as Sonoma Mountain Elementary.

An area for growth is mathematics, where proficiency, while improving, lags behind the school's strong ELA performance, with a noticeable dip in fifth grade. Compared to local charter options like River Montessori Elementary Charter and Live Oak Charter, La Tercera offers a competitively strong education. Overall, it represents a compelling "middle ground" in the district, delivering solid and improving academic results for its community.

295

Students ?

23.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$17,696

Per pupil spending ?

37.3%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1600 Albin Way
Petaluma, CA 94954-4599

(707) 765-4303

District: Old Adobe Union

Students who attend La Tercera Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Kenilworth Junior High
High:	Casa Grande High

Racial breakdown:

White:

53.2%

Hispanic:

36.3%

Two or more races:

4.1%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare La Tercera Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 31st percentile in 2013 → 67th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the California average (47% vs 41% meeting standards)

✓Ranking is trending up — up 36 percentile points since 2013

✓Above the California median (67th percentile)

Worth a look

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

!Large classes — about 24 students per teacher

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school47%

District avg47%

California avg41%

1,962^nd of 5,857

California public elementary schools ?

Top 33%▲ up 38 pts since 2015

From bottom 28% (2015) to top 33% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 5Elementary Schools in the Old Adobe Union

618^th of 1,543Old Adobe Union 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	62.0	1962 of 5857	66.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	43.4	2968 of 5869	49.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	33.7	3595 of 5859	38.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	36.0	3372 of 5883	42.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	48.4	2683 of 5789	53.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	42.7	2987 of 5662	47.2%	★★☆☆☆
2017	35.3	3419 of 5692	39.9%	★★☆☆☆
2016	30.2	3755 of 5614	33.1%	★★☆☆☆
2015	26.1	4026 of 5611	28.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	32.7	3833 of 5530	30.7%	★★☆☆☆
2012	33.8	3679 of 5390	31.7%	★★☆☆☆
2011	33.7	3704 of 5377	31.1%	★★☆☆☆
2010	47.0	2748 of 5314	48.3%	★★☆☆☆
2009	46.1	2701 of 5193	48.0%	★★☆☆☆
2008	60.3	1839 of 5113	64.0%	★★★☆☆
2007	62.9	1690 of 5113	66.9%	★★★☆☆
2006	59.6	1755 of 4818	63.6%	★★★☆☆
2005	59.8	1750 of 4822	63.7%	★★★☆☆
2004	58.4	1784 of 4809	62.9%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2023	22.6	3013 of 3245	7.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	20.9	3156 of 3311	4.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	40.7	1728 of 3246	46.8%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	54.1	2242 of 5597	59.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	38.3	3190 of 5612	43.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	30.7	3691 of 5609	34.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	35.2	3312 of 5635	41.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	47.9	2611 of 5492	52.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	46.2	2707 of 5413	50.0%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	55.1	1971 of 5107	61.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	39.5	3001 of 5107	41.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	30.7	3646 of 5087	28.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	28.5	3836 of 5084	24.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	45.1	2606 of 4963	47.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	32.3	3396 of 4830	29.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	48.1	2580 of 5460	52.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	41.1	3056 of 5517	44.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	28.3	4047 of 5363	24.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	24.6	4275 of 5264	18.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	42.7	2919 of 5173	43.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	44.7	2695 of 5084	47.0%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	67.5	1631 of 5628	71.0%	★★★★☆
2024	48.4	2554 of 5643	54.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	37.4	3238 of 5638	42.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	37.7	3154 of 5663	44.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	47.7	2572 of 5510	53.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	40.6	3003 of 5431	44.7%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	53.2	1317 of 2598	49.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	30.2	1955 of 2651	26.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	18.7	2258 of 2661	15.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	21.5	2233 of 2726	18.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	31.7	2100 of 2834	25.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	37.8	1874 of 2737	31.5%	★★☆☆☆

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)

Male (2025)71st percentile+5 vs school

Hispanic (2025)61st percentile-5 vs school

Female (2025)60th percentile-7 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)53rd percentile-14 vs school

White (2025)49th percentile-17 vs school

English Language Learner (2023)7th percentile-31 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy59%+10 vs state

Mathematics40%+3 vs state

Science36%+3 vs state

1.0

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What people are saying

by a parent
Wednesday, March 4, 2020

COMPLETE UNJUST FOR MY CHILD AND MYSELF WHEN I EXPOSED A FITH GRADE TEACHER OF PHYSICALLY ABUSING A STUDENT. PROVIDING VIDEO AND PHOTOGRAPHIC EVIDENCE OF THE INJURY INFLICTED ON THE CHILD. I WAS IGNORED Close Quote

Schools Near La Tercera 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)	% Hepatitis B (2022)	% Varicella (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 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
La Tercera Elementary	Public	K-6	1600 Albin Way	Petaluma	94954	Sonoma County	Old Adobe Union	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(707) 765-4303	295	13	23.6	37.3%	157 (53.2%)	8 (2.7%)	107 (36.3%)	7 (2.4%)	2 (0.7%)	2 (0.7%)	12 (4.1%)	62	1962^nd of 5857 public elementary schools	66.5%		43.4	2968^th of 5869 public elementary schools	49.4%	1006	35.7		35.7	48.3	54.1	58.2	72.1			59.2	45.2	43.2	25.0	52.3			39.9							$17,696	$1,634	$16,062
McDowell Elementary	Public	K-6	421 South McDowell Blvd.	Petaluma	94954	Sonoma County	Petaluma City Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(707) 778-4745	329	14	23.5	86.0%	21 (6.4%)	8 (2.4%)	273 (83.0%)	11 (3.3%)	4 (1.2%)	6 (1.8%)	6 (1.8%)	11.1	5560^th of 5857 public elementary schools	5.1%		20.9	4781^st of 5869 public elementary schools	18.5%	779	3.0		3.0	5.1	14.3	21.2	34.2			18.7	17.1	10.4	12.1	11.6			12.7	92.9	94.6	96.4	94.6	94.6	94.6	$19,320	$2,329	$16,991
Miwok Valley Elementary Charter	Public, Charter	K-6	1010 Saint Francis Dr.	Petaluma	94954	Sonoma County	Old Adobe Union	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(707) 765-4304	288	14	20.5	64.6%	61 (21.2%)	8 (2.8%)	187 (64.9%)	16 (5.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (5.6%)	15.2	5251^st of 5857 public elementary schools	10.3%		19.4	4909^th of 5869 public elementary schools	16.4%	342	4.9		4.9	12.8	24.2	21.1	31.4			22.1	24.3	21.6	9.8	22.2			19.2							$21,628	$1,939	$19,689
Live Oak Charter	Public, Charter	K-8	100 Gnoss Concourse Bldg. 1	Petaluma	94952	Sonoma County	Live Oak Charter District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(707) 762-9020	271	13	21.6	26.6%	197 (72.7%)	5 (1.8%)	27 (10.0%)	8 (3.0%)	1 (0.4%)	1 (0.4%)	30 (11.1%)	59.2	2106^th of 5857 public elementary schools	64.0%		61.4	2008^th of 5869 public elementary schools	65.8%	98	51.6	62.5	56.4	50.0	40.0	58.1	72.4	75.0	75.0	61.8	25.0	32.0	33.3	50.0	44.8	64.0	41.3	81.6	86.8	81.6	86.8	86.8	92.1	$13,818	$41	$13,777
Loma Vista Immersion Academy	Public, Charter	K-6	207 Maria Dr.	Petaluma	94954	Sonoma County	Old Adobe Union	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(707) 765-4302	451	18	24.5	45.9%	101 (22.4%)	4 (0.9%)	329 (72.9%)	3 (0.7%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	12 (2.7%)	43.1	3000^th of 5857 public elementary schools	48.8%		37.8	3317^th of 5869 public elementary schools	43.5%	317	33.3		33.3	32.8	35.2	47.1	31.7			36.6	40.9	46.3	41.2	26.8			39.6							$19,941	$1,532	$18,409
Valley Oaks Elementary (Alternative)	Public	K-6	540 Vallejo St.	Petaluma	94952	Sonoma County	Petaluma City Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(707) 778-4794	0				0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Old Adobe Elementary Charter	Public, Charter	K-6	2856 Adobe Rd.	Petaluma	94954	Sonoma County	Old Adobe Union	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(707) 765-4301	278	11	25.2	34.5%	192 (69.1%)	1 (0.4%)	68 (24.5%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (5.8%)	61.1	2010^th of 5857 public elementary schools	65.7%		66.2	1766^th of 5869 public elementary schools	69.9%	244	37.2		37.2	57.7	57.1	58.1	47.4			55.1	53.9	44.9	34.9	34.2			41.0							$17,850	$1,274	$16,576
McKinley Elementary	Public	K-6	110 Ellis St.	Petaluma	94952	Sonoma County	Petaluma City Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(707) 778-4750	368	15	24.5	50.8%	125 (34.0%)	6 (1.6%)	172 (46.7%)	26 (7.1%)	6 (1.6%)	2 (0.5%)	29 (7.9%)	43.7	2967^th of 5857 public elementary schools	49.3%		55.8	2245^th of 5869 public elementary schools	61.7%	722	20.0		20.0	41.5	33.3	37.3	48.4			40.7	41.5	38.3	31.7	43.8			38.8	84.4	89.1		90.6	87.5	87.5	$14,783	$799	$13,984
River Montessori Elementary Charter	Public, Charter	K-6	3880 Cypress Dr. Ste. B	Petaluma	94954	Sonoma County	River Montessori Elementary Charter District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(707) 778-6414	144	6	24.0	24.3%	81 (56.3%)	3 (2.1%)	29 (20.1%)	8 (5.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (16.0%)	74.9	1373^rd of 5857 public elementary schools	76.6%		74.1	1403^rd of 5869 public elementary schools	76.1%	30	46.2		46.2	57.1	70.6	46.2				61.1	61.9	52.9	53.9				57.4							$18,507	$433	$18,074
Sonoma Mountain Elementary	Public, Charter	K-6	1900 Rainier Cir.	Petaluma	94954	Sonoma County	Old Adobe Union	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(707) 765-4305	422	17	24.8	15.4%	294 (69.7%)	1 (0.2%)	60 (14.2%)	22 (5.2%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	42 (10.0%)	93.3	451^st of 5857 public elementary schools	92.3%		85.9	912^th of 5869 public elementary schools	84.5%	461	60.7		60.7	87.5	79.6	80.0	66.7			78.5	85.7	79.6	64.3	59.3			72.3							$17,373	$1,153	$16,220

Frequently Asked Questions about La Tercera Elementary

What schools do graduates of La Tercera Elementary attend?

Students who attend La Tercera Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Kenilworth Junior High
High : Casa Grande High

How many students attend La Tercera Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 295 students attended La Tercera Elementary.

What district is La Tercera Elementary in?

Old Adobe Union

What is the racial makeup of La Tercera Elementary?

Students at La Tercera Elementary are 53% White, 36% Hispanic, 4% Two or more races, 3% African American, 2% Asian.

Is La Tercera Elementary a good school?

La Tercera Elementary ranks 1962^nd of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Rate La Tercera Elementary!

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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.