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Cantua Elementary

Public Grades K-8

5265^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,857 California Elementary Schools

Better than 10% of California elementary schools

Summary

Cantua Elementary is a K-8 public school serving 184 students in the rural community of Cantua Creek, operating within the Golden Plains Unified school district.

Academically, the school faces significant challenges, with test scores in English, math, and science well below state averages, which is a trend across its low-performing district. However, when compared to other schools in Golden Plains Unified, such as Helm Elementary, Tranquillity Elementary, and San Joaquin Elementary, Cantua is often a middle or higher performer, notably leading the district in science scores. A major standout is the school's success with attendance; its chronic absenteeism rate is the best in the district and better than the California average, a significant achievement given the economic challenges faced by most students.

The school's performance varies dramatically between grades and student groups. For instance, 7th graders perform relatively well in English, while 5th graders struggle profoundly in math. There is also a stark and growing gender gap, with female students showing dramatic improvement while male students have fallen far behind. Compared to schools in neighboring districts like Mendota Unified, such as Mendota Elementary, Cantua's academic results are lower, highlighting the impact of broader district performance. In summary, Cantua Elementary operates in a difficult context but demonstrates a key strength in ensuring students come to school regularly, with pockets of relative academic success within its district.

184

Students ?

17.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$25,767

Per pupil spending ?

98.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

29288 West Clarkson
Cantua Creek, CA 93608

(559) 829-3331

District: Golden Plains Unified

Students who attend Cantua Elementary usually attend:

High:

Tranquillity High

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

96.7%

African American:

1.6%

American Indian:

1.1%

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Compare Cantua Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 22nd percentile in 2015 → 10th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (21% vs 41% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (10th percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 12 percentile points since 2015

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school21%

District avg19%

California avg41%

Elementary school

5,265^th of 5,857

California public elementary schools ?

Bottom 10%▼ down 12 pts since 2015

From bottom 22% (2015) to bottom 10% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

Middle school

1,872^nd of 2,761

California public middle schools ?

Bottom 32%▲ up 3 pts since 2015

From bottom 29% (2015) to bottom 32% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 3Elementary Schools in the Golden Plains Unified

1400^th of 1,543Golden Plains 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)

Elementary school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	14.9	5265 of 5857	10.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	20.9	4779 of 5869	18.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	21.1	4735 of 5859	19.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	21.7	4671 of 5883	20.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	22.2	1107 of 1417	21.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	22.5	4588 of 5789	20.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	23.1	4415 of 5662	22.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	19.5	4737 of 5692	16.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	18.7	4734 of 5614	15.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	22.3	4396 of 5611	21.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	8.6	5356 of 5530	3.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	13.1	5068 of 5390	6.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	30.6	3934 of 5377	26.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	24.2	4293 of 5314	19.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	35.8	3322 of 5193	36.0%	★★☆☆☆
2008	51.8	2269 of 5113	55.6%	★★★☆☆
2007	32.5	3402 of 5113	33.5%	★★☆☆☆
2006	29.4	3356 of 4818	30.3%	★★☆☆☆
2005	19.7	3990 of 4822	17.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	10.4	4652 of 4809	3.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	33.5	2323 of 3311	29.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	54.3	162 of 602	73.1%	★★★★☆
2019	57.2	921 of 3275	71.9%	★★★★☆
2018	44.5	1534 of 3246	52.7%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	44.6	2800 of 5597	50.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	6.7	5440 of 5492	0.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	22.1	4315 of 5107	15.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	26.9	3966 of 5107	22.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	28.0	3864 of 5087	24.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	29.1	3777 of 5084	25.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	30.2	3684 of 4963	25.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	29.6	3581 of 4830	25.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	20.0	4731 of 5460	13.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	25.9	4307 of 5517	21.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	29.0	3974 of 5363	25.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	29.2	3909 of 5264	25.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	39.6	655 of 1110	41.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	26.1	4152 of 5173	19.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	29.5	3812 of 5084	25.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	7.5	5556 of 5628	1.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	19.8	4746 of 5643	15.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	25.0	4256 of 5638	24.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	21.4	4582 of 5663	19.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	12.3	5134 of 5431	5.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	28.7	1872 of 2761	32.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	25.1	2029 of 2783	27.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	26.7	1956 of 2781	29.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	10.5	2622 of 2740	4.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	14.4	824 of 894	7.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	18.1	2271 of 2715	16.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	18.4	2063 of 2480	16.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	23.5	1914 of 2508	23.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	22.1	1943 of 2497	22.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	26.8	1762 of 2477	28.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	6.9	2290 of 2379	3.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	5.4	2189 of 2259	3.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	38.8	1393 of 2236	37.7%	★★☆☆☆
2010	39.6	1318 of 2179	39.5%	★★☆☆☆
2009	42.6	1142 of 2063	44.6%	★★☆☆☆
2008	43.5	1075 of 2005	46.4%	★★☆☆☆
2007	38.1	1165 of 1999	41.7%	★★☆☆☆
2006	29.1	1270 of 1804	29.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	20.4	1437 of 1777	19.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	19.4	1460 of 1769	17.5%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	24.4	1486 of 1540	3.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	36.4	238 of 363	34.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	47.6	480 of 1442	66.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	30.3	986 of 1364	27.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	34.5	1525 of 2551	40.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	9.4	2450 of 2509	2.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	38.1	1391 of 2395	41.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	35.4	1447 of 2388	39.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	37.0	1365 of 2374	42.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	13.4	2224 of 2359	5.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	24.0	1757 of 2213	20.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	25.4	1608 of 2072	22.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	36.0	1548 of 2542	39.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	31.1	1727 of 2579	33.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	36.2	1486 of 2531	41.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	14.2	2291 of 2458	6.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	25.2	590 of 721	18.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	27.9	1765 of 2369	25.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	29.1	1620 of 2230	27.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	32.1	1616 of 2534	36.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	11.7	728 of 763	4.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	11.5	2265 of 2407	5.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

Elementary school

Female (2025)50th percentile+40 vs school

English Language Learner (2022)30th percentile+9 vs school

Hispanic (2025)16th percentile+5 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)13th percentile+3 vs school

Male (2025)1st percentile-9 vs school

Middle school

Hispanic (2025)42nd percentile+10 vs school

Female (2024)40th percentile+13 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)39th percentile+7 vs school

Male (2025)36th percentile+4 vs school

English Language Learner (2022)4th percentile~ school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy29%-20 vs state

Mathematics18%-19 vs state

Science7%-25 vs state

★

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Schools Near Cantua 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 Immunizations Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				CSA Spanish Overall (2025)					CSA Spanish Listening (2025)					CSA Spanish Writing (2025)					CSA Spanish Reading (2025)					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 (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/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	CSA Spanish Overall 3rd Grade	CSA Spanish Overall 4th Grade	CSA Spanish Overall 5th Grade	CSA Spanish Overall 6th 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 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 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 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	% 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
Cantua Elementary	Public	K-8	29288 West Clarkson	Cantua Creek	93608	Fresno County	Golden Plains Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(559) 829-3331	184	10	17.9	98.9%	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.6%)	178 (96.7%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.5%)	14.9	5265^th of 5857 public elementary schools	10.1%		20.9	4779^th of 5869 public elementary schools	18.6%	486																					4.8	10.0	7.3	30.4	30.0	4.8	22.2	53.9	40.0	28.7	26.1	28.6	0.0	5.6	7.7	35.0	18.1							$25,767	$22,772	$2,995
San Joaquin Elementary	Public	K-8	8535 South Ninth	San Joaquin	93660	Fresno County	Golden Plains Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(559) 693-4321	518	24	21.2	96.1%	1 (0.2%)	10 (1.9%)	502 (96.9%)	4 (0.8%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10.4	5612^th of 5857 public elementary schools	4.2%		18	5024^th of 5869 public elementary schools	14.4%	588																					7.0	5.5	6.3	17.9	6.7	19.3	10.7	33.3	22.2	18.5	17.7	9.8	14.0	19.6	19.1	12.7	15.6	92.8	95.7	95.7		94.2		$19,009	$15,682	$3,327
Tranquillity Elementary	Public	K-8	6116 South Daniels	Tranquillity	93668	Fresno County	Golden Plains Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(559) 698-5517	209	13	16.3	88.0%	4 (1.9%)	3 (1.4%)	201 (96.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	16.2	5167^th of 5857 public elementary schools	11.8%		13.8	5408^th of 5869 public elementary schools	7.9%	241																					0.0	0.0	0.0	34.6	36.4	32.0	4.4	18.2	31.6	26.3	19.2	22.7	4.0	8.7	22.7	21.1	16.1	85.2	88.9		92.6	88.9	88.9	$23,256	$18,994	$4,262
Westside Elementary	Public	K-8	19191 West Excelsior Ave.	Five Points	93624	Fresno County	Westside Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(559) 884-2492	135	8	16.8	64.4%	2 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	132 (97.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.7%)	36.7	3424^th of 5857 public elementary schools	41.5%		21.6	4712^th of 5869 public elementary schools	19.7%	1288																					41.7	6.7	22.2	33.3	42.9	75.0	50.0	28.6	13.3	37.9	4.8	14.3	16.7	25.0	23.8	13.3	15.8							$79,961	$76,228	$3,733
Helm Elementary	Public	K-8	13883 South Lassen Ave.	Helm	93627	Fresno County	Golden Plains Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(559) 866-5683	60	5	11.7	93.3%	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	60 (100.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)																							5.9							40.5							24.3							$36,910	$34,004	$2,906
Washington Elementary	Public	K-1	1599 Fifth St.	Mendota	93640	Fresno County	Mendota Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(559) 655-4365	423	21	20.6	97.4%	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	420 (99.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.7%)								(n/a)																																						95.5		98.0	97.5			$19,582	$17,482	$2,100
McCabe Elementary	Public	2-6	250 South Derrick St.	Mendota	93640	Fresno County	Mendota Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(559) 655-4262	986	38	25.9	97.7%	9 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	970 (98.4%)	6 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	19.3	4894^th of 5857 public elementary schools	16.4%		23.1	4574^th of 5869 public elementary schools	22.1%	320																					6.5		6.5	27.7	26.2	19.6	27.4			25.2	39.9	23.9	15.0	15.7			23.5							$13,394	$11,282	$2,112
Burrel Elementary	Public	K-8	16704 South Jameson Ave.	Riverdale	93656	Fresno County	Burrel Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(559) 866-5634	94	8	11.7	85.1%	3 (3.2%)	0 (0.0%)	90 (95.7%)	1 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	17.7	5035^th of 5857 public elementary schools	14.0%		15.8	5229^th of 5869 public elementary schools	10.9%	194																							5.6	18.2	13.3	18.2		45.5		21.9	54.6	6.7			45.5		23.8							$27,074	$24,958	$2,116
Mendota Elementary	Public	K-6	605 Bass Ave.	Mendota	93640	Fresno County	Mendota Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(559) 655-2014	857	36	23.8	98.7%	14 (1.6%)	1 (0.1%)	833 (97.2%)	6 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.4%)	35.9	3506^th of 5857 public elementary schools	40.1%		28.2	4094^th of 5869 public elementary schools	30.2%	588	20.0	12.5	0.0	12.0	11.2	44.0	16.7	29.2	32.0	30.6	12.0	25.0	8.7	20.0	16.5	16.0	8.3	0.0	12.0	9.3	14.3		14.3	34.0	28.2	41.4	39.5			35.4	39.0	30.5	47.1	28.6			36.0	97.2				97.9		$15,680	$13,570	$2,110

Frequently Asked Questions about Cantua Elementary

What is the racial makeup of Cantua Elementary?

Students at Cantua Elementary are 97% Hispanic, 2% African American, 1% American Indian.

How many students attend Cantua Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 184 students attended Cantua Elementary.

What schools do graduates of Cantua Elementary attend?

Students who attend Cantua Elementary usually go on to attend:

High : Tranquillity High

Is Cantua Elementary a good school?

Cantua Elementary ranks in the bottom 10.1% of California elementary schools.

What district is Cantua Elementary in?

Golden Plains Unified

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Latest California data All new data »

2024–25 school spending dataJul 1, 2026

2024–25 attendance dataMar 13, 2026

2024–25 CSA Spanish test scoresDec 22, 2025

2024–25 dropout rates & graduation ratesNov 14, 2025

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.