Summary:
This analysis examines six elementary schools serving grades K-5 through K-8 in the 95521 zip code of Arcata, California, revealing significant variation in performance, resources, and student outcomes among the local options.
Union Street Charter stands out as the top-performing school, ranking in the 97th percentile statewide with exceptional test scores, including 100% proficiency in science, and the lowest chronic absenteeism rate; notably, it achieves these results with the lowest per-student spending in the area. In contrast, Arcata Elementary shows concerning trends, including the highest per-student spending coupled with the lowest academic performance and the highest chronic absenteeism rate, while Pacific Union Elementary, the largest school, demonstrates strong improvement in its middle school grades.
Other charter schools like Coastal Grove Charter and Fuente Nueva Charter deliver mid-range performance, and the very small Trillium Charter has limited available data. For families, the data highlights that school size and funding levels do not directly predict success, and factors like consistent attendance strongly correlate with better academic outcomes across all schools in the area.
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