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Murdock Elementary

Public Grades K-4

4744^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,817 California Elementary Schools

Better than 18% of California elementary schools

Summary

Murdock Elementary is a 488-student K–4 school in Willows, part of Willows Unified. Its latest results show a sharp difference by subject: math is closer to state performance, while English language arts (ELA) trails both the state and district. The most important concern is that ELA proficiency remains low, including in both tested grades.

Math is Murdock’s strongest subject compared with the state and district: 30% of students were proficient in 2025–2026, versus 38% statewide and 20% in Willows Unified. That puts Murdock 12 percentage points below the state and 10 above the district. ELA proficiency was 23%, 27 points below the state’s 49% and 7 below the district’s 29%. Among nearby schools with same-year results, Murdock had the second-lowest ELA score; only Elk Creek Elementary was lower. Its math score ranked in the middle of those schools. The grade-level results reinforce the ELA concern: Murdock had the lowest reported third-grade ELA result among nearby schools, while fourth-grade ELA was below most nearby results.

Results have improved over time, especially in math: from 2022–2023 to 2025–2026, proficiency rose 6 percentage points in ELA and 12 in math. Over those years, the gap with the state narrowed by 3 points in ELA and 9 in math. SchoolDigger’s overall ranking rose to the 18th percentile and 1 star in 2025–2026, from the 8th percentile and 0 stars the year before, though the statewide standing remains low. In 2024–2025, Murdock’s student-teacher ratio was 20:1, compared with a nearby-school average of 17.9:1, and 74% of students were free/reduced lunch eligible. One historical subgroup result stood out: SchoolDigger placed English Language Learner Students at the 27th percentile in 2022–2023, compared with the school’s overall 10th percentile; the group was at the 19th percentile in 2023–2024, versus 7th overall, with no current-year subgroup result supplied.

488

Students ?

20.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$23,225

Per pupil spending ?

74.0%

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)

655 West French St.
Willows, CA 95988-2305

(530) 934-6640

District: Willows Unified

Students who attend Murdock Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Willows Intermediate
High:	Willows High

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

49.6%

White:

38.7%

American Indian:

5.9%

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At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 20th percentile in 2016 → 18th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (26% vs 44% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (18th percentile)

!English Language Arts/Literacy scores 27 pts below the California average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school26%

District avg25%

California avg44%

4,744^th of 5,817

California public elementary schools ?

Bottom 18%▼ down 1 pts since 2016

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1201^st of 1,530Willows 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

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	20.8	4744 of 5817	18.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	13.7	5370 of 5857	8.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	13.0	5482 of 5869	6.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	15.3	5283 of 5859	9.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	17.6	5093 of 5883	13.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	22.1	1111 of 1417	21.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	19.0	4899 of 5789	15.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	19.7	4708 of 5662	16.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	16.7	4976 of 5692	12.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	21.1	4513 of 5614	19.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	18.5	4789 of 5611	14.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	13.6	5134 of 5530	7.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	12.5	5104 of 5390	5.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	7.9	5278 of 5377	1.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	24.9	4231 of 5314	20.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	34.2	3424 of 5193	34.1%	★★☆☆☆
2008	41.7	2841 of 5113	44.4%	★★☆☆☆
2007	39.8	2917 of 5113	42.9%	★★☆☆☆
2006	39.1	2760 of 4818	42.7%	★★☆☆☆
2005	45.5	2420 of 4822	49.8%	★★☆☆☆
2004	28.5	3331 of 4809	30.7%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	29.9	2564 of 3162	18.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	32.5	2357 of 3245	27.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	29.6	2638 of 3311	20.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	22.6	588 of 602	2.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	31.1	2406 of 3275	26.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	20.1	3039 of 3246	6.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	18.0	4841 of 5581	13.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	13.2	5244 of 5597	6.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	12.4	5335 of 5612	4.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	16.9	4966 of 5609	11.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	22.8	4425 of 5635	21.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	30.5	842 of 1267	33.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	16.3	4924 of 5492	10.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	20.2	4518 of 5413	16.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	19.6	4439 of 5094	12.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	12.4	4885 of 5107	4.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	14.4	4802 of 5107	6.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	12.0	4944 of 5087	2.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	14.6	4822 of 5084	5.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	19.6	4394 of 4963	11.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	18.5	4340 of 4830	10.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	17.2	4889 of 5423	9.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	14.4	5098 of 5460	6.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	16.1	5079 of 5517	7.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	17.6	4853 of 5363	9.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	23.8	4343 of 5264	17.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	32.0	783 of 1110	29.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	20.8	4518 of 5173	12.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	18.9	4549 of 5084	10.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	25.0	4299 of 5603	23.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	16.0	5035 of 5628	10.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	15.5	5126 of 5643	9.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	14.8	5178 of 5638	8.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	14.7	5234 of 5663	7.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	18.7	1070 of 1272	15.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	22.7	4403 of 5510	20.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	20.9	4489 of 5431	17.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	15.4	2613 of 2635	0.8%	☆☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	18.9	2150 of 2536	15.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	8.5	2435 of 2598	6.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	5.7	2565 of 2651	3.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	9.3	2491 of 2661	6.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	11.6	2489 of 2726	8.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	10.2	2621 of 2834	7.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	12.6	2495 of 2737	8.8%	☆☆☆☆☆

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 (2026)23rd percentile+5 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)19th percentile+12 vs school

White (2026)15th percentile-3 vs school

Female (2026)13th percentile-5 vs school

Hispanic (2026)13th percentile-6 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)10th percentile-9 vs school

Special Education (2024)1st percentile-6 vs school

By subject vs California (2025-2026) ?

Mathematics30%-8 vs state

English Language Arts/Literacy23%-27 vs state

★

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Schools Near Murdock Elementary

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Vaccination Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				CSA Spanish Overall (2026)							CSA Spanish Listening (2026)							CSA Spanish Writing (2026)							CSA Spanish Reading (2026)							CAST Science (2026)			Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy (2026)							Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2026)							Vaccination (2024-25)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
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/reduced lunch (2024-25)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	CSA Spanish Overall 3rd Grade	CSA Spanish Overall 4th Grade	CSA Spanish Overall 5th Grade	CSA Spanish Overall 6th Grade	CSA Spanish Overall 7th Grade	CSA Spanish Overall 8th Grade	CSA Spanish Overall All Grades	CSA Spanish Listening 3rd Grade	CSA Spanish Listening 4th Grade	CSA Spanish Listening 5th Grade	CSA Spanish Listening 6th Grade	CSA Spanish Listening 7th Grade	CSA Spanish Listening 8th Grade	CSA Spanish Listening All Grades	CSA Spanish Writing 3rd Grade	CSA Spanish Writing 4th Grade	CSA Spanish Writing 5th Grade	CSA Spanish Writing 6th Grade	CSA Spanish Writing 7th Grade	CSA Spanish Writing 8th Grade	CSA Spanish Writing All Grades	CSA Spanish Reading 3rd Grade	CSA Spanish Reading 4th Grade	CSA Spanish Reading 5th Grade	CSA Spanish Reading 6th Grade	CSA Spanish Reading 7th Grade	CSA Spanish Reading 8th Grade	CSA Spanish Reading All Grades	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	Vaccination: Kindergartners with all required immunizations	Vaccination: Exemption rate	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Murdock Elementary	Public	K-4	655 West French St.	Willows	95988	Glenn County	Willows Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(530) 934-6640	488	24	20.0	74.0%	189 (38.7%)	4 (0.8%)	242 (49.6%)	20 (4.1%)	29 (5.9%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.8%)	20.8	4744^th of 5817 public elementary schools	18.4%		13.7	5370^th of 5857 public elementary schools	8.3%	626																																19.4	26.3					22.5	31.2	29.6					30.5	97%	0%	$23,225	$2,294	$20,931
Walden Academy	Public, Charter	K-8	1149 West Wood St.	Willows	95988	Glenn County	Walden Academy District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(530) 361-6480	167	10	16.7	44.3%	67 (40.1%)	0 (0.0%)	64 (38.3%)	3 (1.8%)	4 (2.4%)	0 (0.0%)	29 (17.4%)	30.9	3915^th of 5817 public elementary schools	32.7%		17.6	5049^th of 5857 public elementary schools	13.8%	1134																													25.0		33.3	27.8	43.5	35.0	31.3			36.2	50.0	17.4	30.0	12.5			31.9	≥ 95%
Princeton Elementary	Public	K-8	428 Norman Rd.	Princeton	95970	Colusa County	Princeton Joint Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(530) 439-2501	83	6	14.8	66.3%	23 (27.7%)	0 (0.0%)	51 (61.4%)	1 (1.2%)	5 (6.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (3.6%)	31.7	3847^th of 5817 public elementary schools	33.9%		12.5	5467^th of 5857 public elementary schools	6.7%	1620																															22.2		45.5		40.0			39.3		27.3		13.3			14.3			$25,799	$2,979	$22,820
Plaza Elementary	Public	K-8	7322 County Road 24	Orland	95963	Glenn County	Plaza Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(530) 865-1250	215	10	21.5	29.8%	123 (57.2%)	0 (0.0%)	80 (37.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (5.6%)	88.9	703^rd of 5817 public elementary schools	87.9%		76.9	1287^th of 5857 public elementary schools	78.0%	584																													60.0	50.0	55.6	66.7	56.5	72.0	77.3	42.9	90.0	67.4	83.3	60.9	64.0	72.7	52.4	85.0	69.6	≥ 95%		$14,718	$2,335	$12,383
Fairview Elementary	Public	3-5	1308 Fairview St.	Orland	95963	Glenn County	Orland Joint Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(530) 865-1235	458	20	22.4	84.9%	112 (24.5%)	2 (0.4%)	318 (69.4%)	10 (2.2%)	6 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (2.0%)	18	4977^th of 5817 public elementary schools	14.4%		12.7	5448^th of 5857 public elementary schools	7.0%	471																													19.2		19.2	29.4	21.6	30.1				27.1	24.2	22.7	11.7				19.6			$17,770	$1,951	$15,819
Mill Street Elementary	Public	K-2	102 Second St.	Orland	95963	Glenn County	Orland Joint Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(530) 865-1240	521	27	19.3	86.9%	121 (23.2%)	3 (0.6%)	374 (71.8%)	7 (1.3%)	6 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (1.9%)								(n/a)																																														96%	0%	$17,764	$2,005	$15,759
Lake Elementary	Public	K-8	4672 County Road N	Orland	95963	Glenn County	Lake Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(530) 865-1255	196	10	20.6	43.4%	124 (63.3%)	1 (0.5%)	66 (33.7%)	1 (0.5%)	2 (1.0%)	1 (0.5%)	1 (0.5%)	76	1328^th of 5817 public elementary schools	77.2%		59.1	2112^th of 5857 public elementary schools	63.9%	784																													68.2	20.0	45.2	72.7	70.0	47.6	70.8	84.2	85.0	71.4	81.8	55.0	36.4	33.3	52.6	50.0	51.2	≥ 95%		$17,053	$1,884	$15,169
Maxwell Elementary	Public	K-5	146 North St.	Maxwell	95955	Colusa County	Maxwell Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(530) 438-2401	124	7	17.7	75.0%	43 (34.7%)	0 (0.0%)	69 (55.6%)	4 (3.2%)	3 (2.4%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (4.0%)	45.1	2905^th of 5817 public elementary schools	50.1%		44.6	2914^th of 5857 public elementary schools	50.2%	9																													27.8		27.8	57.1	60.0	16.7				45.8	33.3	45.0	22.2				33.9	93%	0%	$17,991	$1,800	$16,191
Hamilton Elementary	Public	K-8	277 Capay Ave.	Hamilton City	95951	Glenn County	Hamilton Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(530) 826-3474	393	22	18.1	91.3%	10 (2.5%)	0 (0.0%)	364 (92.6%)	8 (2.0%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (2.3%)	16.1	5132^nd of 5817 public elementary schools	11.8%		16.2	5169^th of 5857 public elementary schools	11.7%	37	7.7	0.0	0.0	0.0	12.5	4.4	3.8	34.6	0.0	40.7	0.0	16.7	4.4	15.9	11.5	10.3	11.1	0.0	16.7	0.0	8.3	3.9	0.0	0.0	0.0	12.5	8.7	3.8	8.0	20.9	14.0	20.6	21.3	26.0	28.6	39.6	32.6	28.4	41.2	18.8	6.0	18.4	12.5	18.6	18.0	≥ 95%		$15,803	$465	$15,338
Elk Creek Elementary	Public	K-8	3430 County Road 309	Elk Creek	95939	Glenn County	Stony Creek Joint Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(530) 968-5288	34	5	6.8	73.5%	8 (23.5%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (23.5%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (50.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (2.9%)								(n/a)																																						5.0							10.0			$47,903	$7,426	$40,477

Frequently Asked Questions about Murdock Elementary

How many students attend Murdock Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 488 students attended Murdock Elementary.

What schools do graduates of Murdock Elementary attend?

Students who attend Murdock Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Willows Intermediate
High : Willows High

Is Murdock Elementary a good school?

Murdock Elementary ranks in the bottom 18.4% of California elementary schools.

What is the racial makeup of Murdock Elementary?

Students at Murdock Elementary are 50% Hispanic, 39% White, 6% American Indian, 4% Asian.

What district is Murdock Elementary in?

Willows Unified

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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.