Summary:
This analysis examines six elementary schools in zip code 95965, serving Oroville, California, which collectively educate students from kindergarten through 6th grade in a community with high economic need.
Among these schools, STREAM Charter stands out as the top academic performer, with the highest test scores in English, math, and science, and it does this with the lowest per-student spending. Plumas Avenue Elementary has shown the most improvement recently and has an exceptionally low rate of chronic student absenteeism. In contrast, Siskiyou Avenue Elementary, a kindergarten-only school, and the small Spring Valley Elementary face significant challenges with very high per-student costs and, in Siskiyou's case, a severe chronic absenteeism rate of 36.5%.
Overall, schools in the Thermalito Union Elementary district tend to score below state averages, though performance varies widely between schools with similar demographics. A key finding is that higher spending does not guarantee better results, as seen with STREAM Charter's strong outcomes. For parents, factors like a school's specific grade-level performance, its success in maintaining student attendance, and its science program may be as important to consider as overall test scores when evaluating options in this area.
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