Best Public Schools in Zip Code 93609

ZIP code 93609 has four schools: two K–8 schools and two high schools serving grades 9–12. MARC High has no reported test scores, so the school averages below cover the other three schools. In 2025–26, those schools averaged 53% proficiency in English language arts (ELA), compared with 49% statewide; their math average was 32% versus 38% statewide, and their science average was 26% versus 36%. The clearest area-wide takeaway is that ELA is the relative strength, while science is the biggest shared challenge.

Caruthers High stands out in ELA, with 64% proficient—14 percentage points above the state and 18 points above Alvina Elementary Charter, the lowest at 46%. Caruthers Elementary leads math at 42%, compared with 34% at Alvina and 20% at Caruthers High. Caruthers High also leads science at 36.1%, just 0.1 point above the state; Alvina is lowest at 19%. No school leads across every subject: Caruthers High’s strong ELA results accompany the group’s lowest math score. SchoolDigger ranks Caruthers High at the 59th percentile, Alvina at the 52nd and Caruthers Elementary at the 50th.

Average results improved from 2024–25 to 2025–26 by 2 points in ELA, 2 in math and 3 in science, though science proficiency across the schools still trails the state by 10 points. Changes varied: Caruthers Elementary gained 10 points in science, and Caruthers High gained 8, while Alvina fell 8 points in science and 3 in math. The two K–8 schools also trade leads by grade, so their overall scores do not tell the whole story: for example, Caruthers Elementary leads ELA in grades 4, 7 and 8, while Alvina leads in grades 5 and 6. In 2024–25, their student–teacher ratios were similar—18.2 at Caruthers Elementary and 18.7 at Alvina—and their free/reduced lunch eligible measures were 89% and 82%, respectively; these are context, not explanations for results.