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Melrose Elementary

Public Grades K-5
4091st
SchoolDigger Rank ?
of 5,817 California Elementary Schools
Better than 30% of California elementary schools
Summary

Melrose Elementary serves 354 students in grades K–5 in Placentia, California. In 2025–26, proficiency was 32% in English language arts (ELA), 24% in math and 30% in science. Those results were below both state and district averages in every subject, with the widest gap in ELA—the school’s most important academic challenge.

Fifth-grade ELA is a notable bright spot: 56% of students were proficient, 7 points above the state rate, and the result exceeded that of seven of 10 nearby schools. By contrast, third-grade ELA proficiency was 16%, 28 points below the state rate and the lowest among Melrose and the 10 nearby schools. Science was stronger than at nearby K–5 Rio Vista Elementary (30% versus 20%), though still below state and district levels. Chronic absenteeism was also comparatively low at 12%, versus 14% in the Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified district and 18% statewide. Most nearby elementary schools serve K–6, so their all-grade results are not directly comparable.

Scores have risen since 2022–23, gaining 3 points in ELA, 4 in math and 3 in science, but substantial gaps remain; science’s gap with the state widened over that period. Melrose ranked at the 30th percentile and earned 1 star in SchoolDigger’s 2025–26 rankings, up from the 19th percentile in 2023–24. SchoolDigger’s statewide ranking for Homeless Students was at the 68th percentile, compared with 30th overall, a notably stronger relative standing for how the school serves that group. The 2024–25 student–teacher ratio was 23.6, higher than at eight of 10 nearby schools, and 94% of students were free/reduced lunch eligible in 2024–25.

354
Students ?
23.6
Student/teacher ratio ?
$20,751
Per pupil spending ?
94.1%
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)
 974 South Melrose St.
       Placentia, CA  92870-7117

(714) 986-7220

District: Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified


Students who attend Melrose Elementary usually attend:

Middle:    Valadez Middle School Academy
High:    Valencia High
Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:
96.3%
White:
1.4%
Asian:
1.4%
more
 See top rated California elementary schools

 Compare Melrose Elementary to nearby elementary schools!
At a glance
▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 50th percentile in 2015 → 30th in 2026
Worth a look
!Test scores below the California average (28% vs 42% meeting standards)
!Ranking has slipped — down 20 percentile points since 2015
!English Language Arts/Literacy scores 17 pts below the California average
Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?
This school28%
District avg60%
California avg42%
4,091st of 5,817
California public elementary schools ?
Bottom 30%▼ down 31 pts since 2016
From top 39% (2016) to bottom 30% (2026)
See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →
★★★★★
SchoolDigger rating ?
20th of 21Elementary Schools in the Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified
285th of 1,530Placentia-Yorba Linda 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
202628.94091 of 581729.7%★☆☆☆☆
202526.44290 of 585726.8%★☆☆☆☆
202421.04775 of 586918.6%★☆☆☆☆
202326.84189 of 585928.5%★☆☆☆☆
202221.54688 of 588320.3%★☆☆☆☆
201930.03937 of 578932.0%★★☆☆☆
201830.13810 of 566232.7%★★☆☆☆
201744.22854 of 569249.9%★★☆☆☆
201655.42212 of 561460.6%★★★☆☆
201543.72807 of 561150.0%★★☆☆☆
201355.02401 of 553056.6%★★★☆☆
201243.83023 of 539043.9%★★☆☆☆
201136.73487 of 537735.1%★★☆☆☆
201029.23911 of 531426.4%★☆☆☆☆
200922.34262 of 519317.9%★☆☆☆☆
200811.44852 of 51135.1%☆☆☆☆☆
20075.75077 of 51130.7%☆☆☆☆☆

Disabled

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202230.31473 of 222733.9%★★☆☆☆
201921.72255 of 258512.8%★☆☆☆☆
201818.72026 of 21284.8%☆☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202431.42466 of 316222.0%★☆☆☆☆
202343.21602 of 324550.6%★★★☆☆
202229.62639 of 331120.3%★☆☆☆☆
201939.71803 of 327544.9%★★☆☆☆
201851.31188 of 324663.4%★★★☆☆

Female

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202621.64541 of 558118.6%★☆☆☆☆
202524.34321 of 559722.8%★☆☆☆☆
202425.14236 of 561224.5%★☆☆☆☆
202326.74066 of 560927.5%★☆☆☆☆
202222.74441 of 563521.2%★☆☆☆☆
201927.04078 of 549225.7%★☆☆☆☆
201825.14164 of 541323.1%★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202640.03004 of 509441.0%★★☆☆☆
202536.43287 of 510735.6%★★☆☆☆
202430.23727 of 510727.0%★☆☆☆☆
202336.43186 of 508737.4%★★☆☆☆
202229.53750 of 508426.2%★☆☆☆☆
201942.42797 of 496343.6%★★☆☆☆
201842.32713 of 483043.8%★★☆☆☆

Homeless

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202658.9116 of 36668.3%★★★☆☆
202555.7149 of 42965.3%★★★☆☆
202452.7147 of 36459.6%★★★☆☆
202251.7137 of 35661.5%★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202639.93199 of 542341.0%★★☆☆☆
202537.03429 of 546037.2%★★☆☆☆
202428.34122 of 551725.3%★☆☆☆☆
202337.53269 of 536339.0%★★☆☆☆
202231.13747 of 526428.8%★☆☆☆☆
201943.82844 of 517345.0%★★☆☆☆
201842.32865 of 508443.6%★★☆☆☆

Male

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202639.23188 of 560343.1%★★☆☆☆
202533.33610 of 562835.9%★★☆☆☆
202420.64655 of 564317.5%★☆☆☆☆
202327.63980 of 563829.4%★☆☆☆☆
202221.74541 of 566319.8%★☆☆☆☆
201933.83478 of 551036.9%★★☆☆☆
201835.33326 of 543138.8%★★☆☆☆

Special Education

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202634.61810 of 292738.2%★★☆☆☆
202533.51802 of 284736.7%★★☆☆☆
202424.02165 of 263517.8%★☆☆☆☆
202317.22351 of 24202.9%☆☆☆☆☆
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)
Homeless (2026)68th percentile+39 vs school
Male (2026)43rd percentile+13 vs school
Hispanic (2026)41st percentile+11 vs school
Low Socio Economic Status (2026)41st percentile+11 vs school
Special Education (2026)38th percentile+8 vs school
Disabled (2022)34th percentile+14 vs school
English Language Learner (2024)22nd percentile+3 vs school
Female (2026)19th percentile-11 vs school
By subject vs California (2025-2026) ?
English Language Arts/Literacy32%-17 vs state
Science30%-6 vs state
Mathematics24%-15 vs state

★
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Schools Near Melrose Elementary

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Frequently Asked Questions about Melrose Elementary

Students at Melrose Elementary are 96% Hispanic, 1% White, 1% Asian.

Melrose Elementary ranks 4091st of 5817 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

In the 2024-25 school year, 354 students attended Melrose Elementary.

Students who attend Melrose Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Valadez Middle School Academy
High : Valencia High

Rate Melrose 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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