Summary:
Elementary schools in zip code 95521 include six schools serving 40 to 534 students across K–5 or K–8 grades. In 2024–25, the schools’ equal-school averages were above state results in all three subjects: 54% in ELA, 45% in math, and 51% in science. The most important finding is the wide divide between Union Street Charter, the top reported performer, and Arcata Elementary, which had the lowest ELA and math results.
Union Street Charter led in 2024–25 with 85% proficiency in both ELA and math and 100% in science—37, 48, and 67 points above state results, respectively. Arcata Elementary scored 32% in ELA and 25% in math, 16 and 12 points below the state; its 35% science result was 2 points above. Other schools also exceeded the state in both reported ELA and math: Coastal Grove Charter scored 53% and 44%, while Trillium Charter scored 63% and 42%. Trillium had no reported science result.
Newer results show different directions for the two schools reported in both years: Pacific Union Elementary improved 3 points in math and 5 in science, while its ELA slipped by less than 1 point; Arcata Elementary fell 9 points in ELA, 10 in math, and 14 in science. In 2025–26, the two schools’ averages were below state results in all subjects, with science closest to the state. SchoolDigger’s 2024–25 statewide rankings were 97 for Union Street Charter and 11 for Arcata Elementary; Arcata’s ranking had fallen from 37 in 2023–24. All six schools reported free/reduced lunch eligible figures for 2024–25: 44% to 88%. For example, Trillium Charter reported 88% and Union Street Charter 44%, despite both having above-state ELA and math results. These comparisons describe the available results, which cover different school groups and years.
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