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Arete Charter Academy

Q: Is Arete Charter Academy a good school?

Arete Charter Academy ranks 2623 rd of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public, Charter, Virtual Grades K-8

2623^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,857 California Elementary Schools

Better than 55% of California elementary schools

Summary

Arete Charter Academy is a K-8 public charter school serving 207 students in Grass Valley, part of the Pleasant Ridge Union Elementary district, and it stands out for its exceptionally strong school culture and consistent improvement.

The school's most remarkable achievement is its near-perfect attendance, with a chronic absenteeism rate of just 1.2%, which is dramatically lower than the district and state averages and the best among all nearby schools, including Alta Sierra Elementary and Cottage Hill Elementary. Academically, Arete excels in science, outperforming both its district and the state, and has shown steady growth, moving its statewide ranking from the 37th to the 55th percentile in recent years. It achieves these results while spending less per student than most comparable schools in the area.

When compared to other local charter options like Bowman Charter or Clear Creek Elementary, Arete's overall test scores in English and Math are currently a bit lower, but its unique strengths in attendance, science, and efficient resource use present a compelling profile. The school is on a clear upward trajectory, though it faces the common challenge of ensuring consistent performance across all grade levels.

207

Students ?

22.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$12,996

Per pupil spending ?

32.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

16229 Duggans Rd.
Grass Valley, CA 95949-7706

(530) 268-2805

District: Pleasant Ridge Union Elementary

Racial breakdown:

White:

76.3%

Hispanic:

13.0%

Two or more races:

9.7%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Arete Charter Academy to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 49th percentile in 2021 → 55th in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 6 percentile points since 2021

✓Above the California median (55th percentile)

Worth a look

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

!Large classes — about 22 students per teacher

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school41%

District avg44%

California avg41%

Elementary school

2,623^rd of 5,857

California public elementary schools ?

Top 45%▲ up 6 pts since 2021

From bottom 49% (2021) to top 45% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

Middle school

946^th of 2,761

California public middle schools ?

Top 34%▲ up 55 pts since 2019

From bottom 10% (2019) to top 34% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 3Elementary Schools in the Pleasant Ridge Union Elementary

508^th of 1,543Pleasant Ridge Union Elementary 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)

Elementary school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	49.5	2623 of 5857	55.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	38.5	3268 of 5869	44.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	32.6	3674 of 5859	37.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	34.3	3511 of 5883	40.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	44.1	723 of 1417	49.0%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	47.7	2596 of 5597	53.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	25.2	4227 of 5612	24.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	28.7	3888 of 5609	30.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	20.5	4676 of 5635	17.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	56.0	504 of 1267	60.2%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	43.8	2887 of 5628	48.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	32.5	3609 of 5643	36.0%	★★☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2023	3.8	652 of 669	2.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	25.1	2056 of 2598	20.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	8.7	2488 of 2651	6.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	58.1	946 of 2761	65.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	61.1	861 of 2783	69.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	38.0	1524 of 2781	45.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	42.1	1397 of 2740	49.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	64.9	270 of 894	69.8%	★★★★☆
2019	13.7	2432 of 2715	10.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	61.8	792 of 2551	69.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	34.1	1504 of 2531	40.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	31.9	1594 of 2509	36.5%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	89.2	187 of 2542	92.6%	★★★★★
2024	59.9	757 of 2579	70.6%	★★★★☆
2023	33.0	1626 of 2531	35.8%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	74.6	531 of 2534	79.0%	★★★★☆
2024	46.6	1172 of 2552	54.1%	★★★☆☆
2021	66.9	217 of 763	71.6%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	29.8	1082 of 1520	28.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	32.3	1026 of 1537	33.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	8.7	1451 of 1543	6.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

Elementary school

Female (2025)54th percentile~ school

Male (2025)49th percentile-7 vs school

White (2025)21st percentile-34 vs school

Multi-racial (2023)3rd percentile-35 vs school

Middle school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)93rd percentile+27 vs school

Male (2025)79th percentile+13 vs school

Female (2024)69th percentile~ school

White (2025)29th percentile-37 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

Science47%+14 vs state

English Language Arts/Literacy46%-3 vs state

Mathematics35%-3 vs state

★

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Schools Near Arete Charter Academy

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
Arete Charter Academy	Public, Virtual, Charter	K-8	16229 Duggans Rd.	Grass Valley	95949	Nevada County	Pleasant Ridge Union Elementary	Yes	(n/a)	Yes	(n/a)	(530) 268-2805	207	9	22.5	32.4%	158 (76.3%)	0 (0.0%)	27 (13.0%)	2 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (9.7%)	49.5	2623^rd of 5857 public elementary schools	55.2%		38.5	3268^th of 5869 public elementary schools	44.3%	645	41.2	54.2	46.6	35.5	53.9	47.1	52.6	23.8	66.7	45.8	38.7	38.5	32.4	31.6	33.3	33.3	34.5	45.2	52.4	59.5	50.0	52.4	50.0	$12,996	$163	$12,833
Cottage Hill Elementary	Public	K-5	22600 Kingston Ln.	Grass Valley	95949	Nevada County	Pleasant Ridge Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(530) 268-2808	485	21	23.0	34.8%	332 (68.5%)	1 (0.2%)	84 (17.3%)	1 (0.2%)	5 (1.0%)	2 (0.4%)	60 (12.4%)	48.7	2660^th of 5857 public elementary schools	54.6%		57.9	2152^nd of 5869 public elementary schools	63.3%	508	32.5		32.5	32.5	48.0	47.0				42.5	42.9	52.7	30.1				41.5							$13,970	$730	$13,240
Alta Sierra Elementary	Public	K-5	16607 Annie Dr.	Grass Valley	95949	Nevada County	Pleasant Ridge Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(530) 272-2319	338	14	24.1	34.3%	238 (70.4%)	3 (0.9%)	56 (16.6%)	1 (0.3%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	38 (11.2%)	67.6	1708^th of 5857 public elementary schools	70.8%		68.8	1648^th of 5869 public elementary schools	71.9%	60	38.6		38.6	47.9	60.0	45.5				52.5	51.1	58.6	51.2				54.4	90.9	90.9	96.4	90.9	90.9	90.9	$15,238	$743	$14,495
Clear Creek Elementary	Public	K-8	17700 McCourtney Rd.	Grass Valley	95949	Nevada County	Clear Creek Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(530) 273-3664	173	10	17.3	45.1%	113 (65.3%)	1 (0.6%)	24 (13.9%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	33 (19.1%)	75.9	1335^th of 5857 public elementary schools	77.2%		59.7	2079^th of 5869 public elementary schools	64.6%	744	66.7	52.4	58.3	50.0	40.0	80.0	64.3	73.3	52.4	59.2	55.6	53.3	66.7	50.0	46.7	57.1	55.1							$13,830	$1,044	$12,786
Sierra Hills Elementary	Public	K-3	16505 Placer Hills Rd.	Meadow Vista	95722	Placer County	Placer Hills Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(530) 878-9473	367	17	21.5	31.3%	287 (78.2%)	2 (0.5%)	53 (14.4%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.1%)	1 (0.3%)	20 (5.4%)								(n/a)				59.6						59.6	64.0						64.0	95.5	97.3	96.4	97.3	96.4	98.2	$16,237	$1,164	$15,073
Colfax Elementary	Public	K-8	24825 Ben Taylor Rd.	Colfax	95713	Placer County	Colfax Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(530) 346-2202	345	18	19.4	40.6%	271 (78.6%)	0 (0.0%)	43 (12.5%)	3 (0.9%)	3 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (7.2%)	25.9	4323^rd of 5857 public elementary schools	26.2%		26.7	4239^th of 5869 public elementary schools	27.8%	84	12.8	27.5	20.3	27.3	22.2	20.5	39.5	31.0	40.0	30.3	39.4	27.8	12.8	36.8	33.3	25.0	29.0	89.7	89.7					$16,248	$1,660	$14,588
Chicago Park Elementary	Public	K-8	15725 Mt. Olive Rd.	Grass Valley	95945	Nevada County	Chicago Park Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(530) 346-2153	120	8	15.8	44.2%	84 (70.0%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (20.8%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (7.5%)	65.6	1812^th of 5857 public elementary schools	69.1%		45.7	2809^th of 5869 public elementary schools	52.1%	997	37.5		32.0	77.8	69.2	43.8				59.7	61.1	61.5	12.5				41.7							$18,046	$802	$17,244
Chicago Park Community Charter	Public, Charter	K-8	15725 Mount Olive Rd.	Grass Valley	95945	Nevada County	Chicago Park Elementary	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(530) 346-2153	43	3	16.6	41.9%	32 (74.4%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (23.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (2.3%)								(n/a)										75.0							66.7							$18,046	$802	$17,244
Auburn Elementary	Public	K-8	11400 Lariat Ranch Rd.	Auburn	95603	Placer County	Auburn Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(530) 887-1958	501	23	21.7	84.4%	176 (35.1%)	6 (1.2%)	283 (56.5%)	12 (2.4%)	5 (1.0%)	2 (0.4%)	17 (3.4%)	14.7	5286^th of 5857 public elementary schools	9.7%		17.8	5049^th of 5869 public elementary schools	14.0%	237	19.6	15.4	17.5	18.6	21.8	31.4	22.5	29.7	28.6	24.8	18.0	11.5	15.7	14.3	7.9	17.3	14.3	52.4	64.3	85.7	52.4	59.5	59.5	$14,444	$1,090	$13,354
Union Hill Elementary	Public, Charter	K-6	11638 Colfax Hwy.	Grass Valley	95945	Nevada County	Union Hill Elementary	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(530) 273-8456	542	27	20.2	45.8%	429 (79.2%)	0 (0.0%)	49 (9.0%)	3 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	60 (11.1%)	45.3	2866^th of 5857 public elementary schools	51.1%		54.2	2332^nd of 5869 public elementary schools	60.3%	534	24.1		24.1	46.6	52.1	33.8	39.7			42.8	52.1	45.2	20.0	34.6			37.5	96.2	97.2		97.2		98.1	$15,341	$507	$14,834

Frequently Asked Questions about Arete Charter Academy

How many students attend Arete Charter Academy?

In the 2024-25 school year, 207 students attended Arete Charter Academy.

What is the racial makeup of Arete Charter Academy?

Students at Arete Charter Academy are 76% White, 13% Hispanic, 10% Two or more races.

What district is Arete Charter Academy in?

Pleasant Ridge Union Elementary

Is Arete Charter Academy a good school?

Arete Charter Academy ranks 2623^rd of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Rate Arete Charter Academy!

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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.