Calpella Elementary

Calpella Elementary is a public K-4 school serving 475 students in the Ukiah Unified district, a school that faces significant academic challenges while serving a community with high economic need.

Academically, the school performs well below state averages, with only about 22% of students proficient in English and 21% in math, placing it in the bottom 10% of California elementary schools. While chronic absenteeism has improved, it remains higher than the state average. The school's performance has been volatile in recent years, though it shows a relative strength in serving its Special Education students. Interestingly, the school spends more per student than many nearby schools, including higher-performing charters like River Oak Charter and Tree of Life Charter, suggesting factors beyond funding are at play.

Notably, there is wide variation within the Ukiah Unified district itself. Frank Zeek Elementary, just five miles away with a similar student population, achieves proficiency rates more than double those of Calpella. This contrast, along with the better performance of several local charter schools, indicates that improvement is possible. For parents, the key takeaways are the school's serious academic struggles, its high per-student spending that hasn't yet translated to high achievement, and the existence of notably more successful schools with similar demographics nearby.