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Albert A. Michelson Elementary

Public Grades K-5
1325th
SchoolDigger Rank ?
of 5,817 California Elementary Schools
Better than 77% of California elementary schools
Summary

Albert A. Michelson Elementary is a 226-student K–5 school in Murphys, California, and part of the Vallecito Union district. Its 2025–26 results were above district and state averages in English Language Arts (ELA), math, and science. Most notably, among 10 nearby schools with data, Michelson had the highest all-grade results in all three subjects.

Michelson’s strongest relative result was math: 54% were proficient, compared with 38% statewide and a 28% average among nearby schools. Its leads over those benchmarks were 15 and 26 percentage points. ELA was 62%, versus 49% statewide and a 38% nearby-school average, giving Michelson leads of 13 and 24 points. Science was the least strong by comparison, at 48% versus 36% statewide and a 28% nearby average; it still led the state by 12 points and nearby schools by 20. All three results were also above the district’s.

Results have moved in different directions over time: from 2022–23 to 2025–26, math fell 7 percentage points, though it rebounded in the latest year, while ELA rose 4 points, with most of the gain coming in 2025–26. Science was roughly flat overall after a dip and recovery. SchoolDigger placed Michelson at the 77th statewide percentile with four stars; the district was at the 75th percentile with four stars. SchoolDigger’s measure of how well it serves White Students ranked Michelson at the 45th percentile in 2025–26, 32 points below its overall standing, though this was up from the 32nd percentile the prior year. In 2024–25, 47% of students were free/reduced lunch eligible, below the nearby-school average of 57%; the student-teacher ratio was 18.8, below the nearby average of 20.34. Nearby schools include different grade spans, and Michelson’s relatively small enrollment can make grade-level results more sensitive to cohort size.

226
Students ?
18.8
Student/teacher ratio ?
$17,502
Per pupil spending ?
46.5%
Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?
All students in California receive free school meals.
≥ 95%
Kindergartners with all required immunizations (2024-25)
 196 Pennsylvania Gulch Rd.
       Murphys, CA  95224-9521

(209) 728-3441

District: Vallecito Union


Students who attend Albert A. Michelson Elementary usually attend:

Middle:    Avery Middle
High:    Bret Harte Union High
Racial breakdown:

White:
72.1%
Hispanic:
16.4%
Two or more races:
6.2%
more
 See top rated California elementary schools

 Compare Albert A. Michelson Elementary to nearby elementary schools!
At a glance
▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 75th percentile in 2016 → 77th in 2026
Strengths
✓Test scores above the California average (56% vs 42% meeting standards)
✓Ranks in the top 23% of California elementary schools
Worth a look
!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing
Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?
This school56%
District avg51%
California avg42%
1,325th of 5,817
California public elementary schools ?
Top 23%▲ up 3 pts since 2016
See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →
★★★★★
SchoolDigger rating ?
1st of 2Elementary Schools in the Vallecito Union
409th of 1,530Vallecito 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

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202676.01325 of 581777.2%★★★★☆
202570.51583 of 585773.0%★★★★☆
202475.61349 of 586977.0%★★★★☆
202378.81210 of 585979.3%★★★★☆
202268.31678 of 588371.5%★★★★☆
202162.9474 of 141766.5%★★★☆☆
201970.81564 of 578973.0%★★★★☆
201867.81692 of 566270.1%★★★★☆
201775.91298 of 569277.2%★★★★☆
201672.41421 of 561474.7%★★★★☆
201574.01353 of 561175.9%★★★★☆
201375.71281 of 553076.8%★★★★☆
201268.71593 of 539070.4%★★★★☆
201167.41617 of 537769.9%★★★☆☆
201069.51489 of 531472.0%★★★★☆
200975.81171 of 519377.5%★★★★☆
200866.51565 of 511369.4%★★★☆☆
200759.31862 of 511363.6%★★★☆☆
200672.41240 of 481874.3%★★★★☆
200567.41442 of 482270.1%★★★★☆
200470.31291 of 480973.2%★★★★☆

Female

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202670.31482 of 558173.4%★★★★☆
202563.51806 of 559767.7%★★★☆☆
202470.01495 of 561273.4%★★★★☆
202369.21536 of 560972.6%★★★★☆
202276.81255 of 563577.7%★★★★☆
202162.7416 of 126767.2%★★★☆☆
201966.11691 of 549269.2%★★★☆☆
201858.72050 of 541362.1%★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202683.9595 of 542389.0%★★★★☆
202579.0817 of 546085.0%★★★★☆
202480.4810 of 551785.3%★★★★☆
202371.01172 of 536378.1%★★★★☆
202282.3657 of 526487.5%★★★★☆
202141.7614 of 111044.7%★★☆☆☆
201965.91416 of 517372.6%★★★★☆
201862.31615 of 508468.2%★★★☆☆

Male

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202677.51176 of 560379.0%★★★★☆
202572.81395 of 562875.2%★★★★☆
202475.11274 of 564377.4%★★★★☆
202381.01044 of 563881.5%★★★★☆
202256.12141 of 566362.2%★★★☆☆
202150.6563 of 127255.7%★★★☆☆
201973.01385 of 551074.9%★★★★☆
201869.91486 of 543172.6%★★★★☆

White

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202649.41408 of 253644.5%★★☆☆☆
202537.11778 of 259831.6%★★☆☆☆
202448.31458 of 265145.0%★★☆☆☆
202366.2921 of 266165.4%★★★☆☆
202244.81614 of 272640.8%★★☆☆☆
201945.71680 of 283440.7%★★☆☆☆
201841.11789 of 273734.6%★★☆☆☆
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)
Low Socio Economic Status (2026)89th percentile+12 vs school
Male (2026)79th percentile~ school
Female (2026)73rd percentile-4 vs school
White (2026)44th percentile-33 vs school
By subject vs California (2025-2026) ?
English Language Arts/Literacy62%+13 vs state
Mathematics54%+15 vs state
Science48%+12 vs state

★
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Frequently Asked Questions about Albert A. Michelson Elementary

In the 2024-25 school year, 226 students attended Albert A. Michelson Elementary.

Albert A. Michelson Elementary ranks 1325th of 5817 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Students at Albert A. Michelson Elementary are 72% White, 16% Hispanic, 6% Two or more races, 3% American Indian, 2% Asian.

Students who attend Albert A. Michelson Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Avery Middle
High : Bret Harte Union High

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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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