Summary:
ZIP code 95065 has three elementary schools serving grades K–5 or K–6, with 801 students altogether. Their 2025–26 results show a wide range in proficiency, especially in math: the gap between the highest- and lowest-scoring schools was 44 points. The most important finding is that Happy Valley Elementary led the group in every subject.
Happy Valley was the clear academic standout, with 84% proficient in ELA, 84% in math and 60% in science. It led the next-highest school by 33 points in ELA, 34 in math and 16 in science. The other two schools were much closer: De Laveaga Elementary was stronger in math and science, at 50% and 44%, than Santa Cruz Gardens Elementary, at 40% and 38%. Gardens was higher in ELA, at 52% versus De Laveaga’s 49%. De Laveaga was just below the state ELA result; the other two schools were above it.
Recent results are mixed rather than uniformly rising or falling: from 2024–25 to 2025–26, the schools’ average math proficiency rose by 3 points, while their science average fell by 2; ELA was essentially unchanged. Science proficiency fell by 5 points at Gardens and 4 at Happy Valley, while De Laveaga’s ELA result dropped by 7 points. SchoolDigger’s 2025–26 rankings also distinguish Happy Valley, at 172 of 5,804 schools and the 97th percentile with five stars, from De Laveaga at 1,916 and Gardens at 2,290, both with three stars. For additional context, 2024–25 free/reduced lunch eligible figures were 8% at Happy Valley, 28% at De Laveaga and 30% at Gardens; student–teacher ratios were 16.5, 23.5 and 24.3, respectively. Happy Valley also had the group’s highest chronic absenteeism rate, 17%, compared with 6% at De Laveaga and 7% at Gardens. Happy Valley serves grade 6 as well as the grades shared by all three schools, where it also led in ELA and math.
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