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See the school. Beyond the score.
A school is more than one number. We lay out what’s inside it, straight from the state’s own records, so you can see it clearly before you visit.
The schools we coverCalifornia, one dot per school
We’ve mapped California, one dot per school. We’re adding states one at a time, because each one tests differently.
We’ve mapped California. We’re adding states one at a time, because each one tests differently.
Browse California schoolsWe haven’t mapped yet. We’re adding states one at a time, and each one gets its own method before we score a school there.
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What are you trying to figure out?
Which school should we pick?
Put schools side by side, charters and magnets included, and see how the lotteries work.
Compare schoolsShould I worry about that rating?
See what’s behind the number at your kid’s school, and what to ask at the next conference.
What a low score meansInside the number
What goes into the Scope Score.
Each room is one measure, and bigger rooms count more. Tap a room to see what it measures and where its numbers come from.
The Scope Score, in plan
Beat the standard
Counts for 42%Counts for 22%- Measures
- The share of kids who scored above California’s standard in reading and math, the top of the state’s four levels.
- Source
- CAASPP Smarter Balanced tests, 2024–25.
- Why
- It shows how many kids get well past the bar, not just over it.
Met or beat the standard
Counts for 23%Counts for 18%- Measures
- The share of kids at or above the standard in reading and math.
- Source
- CAASPP Smarter Balanced tests, 2024–25.
- Why
- The broad picture: how many kids are on track.
Growth
Counts for 20%- Measures
- How a school’s results moved as a class went from 3rd to 5th grade (6th to 8th in middle school), compared with other California schools. It’s roughly the same class, not a record of the same children.
- Source
- CAASPP results for 2023 and 2025.
- Why
- Growth follows family income far less than test scores do.
Graduation
Counts for 25%- Measures
- The share of students who graduate within four years.
- Source
- CDE four-year graduation rates.
- Why
- Finishing is the first job of a high school.
College and career ready
Counts for 20%- Measures
- Of students the state already counts as college-ready, the share who got there through AP exams or courses. If a school doesn’t report that, we use A-G completion — the courses UC and CSU require — instead.
- Source
- CDE College/Career Indicator, with CDE graduation data for the A-G fallback.
- Why
- It shows how many students leave ready for college-level work.
Attendance
Counts for 5%Counts for 5%- Measures
- The share of kids missing at least one school day in ten. Fewer is better.
- Source
- CDE chronic absenteeism data, 2024–25.
- Why
- Kids learn when they’re there. It also reflects family circumstances, so it counts for little.
Suspensions
Counts for 5%Counts for 5%- Measures
- The share of kids suspended at least once during the year. Fewer is better.
- Source
- CDE suspension data, 2024–25.
- Why
- A rough signal of school climate.
English learner progress
Counts for 5%Counts for 5%- Measures
- The share of English learners who reach the top level on California’s English language test.
- Source
- State ELPAC results.
- Why
- It shows how many English learners reach the test’s highest proficiency level. With no English learners, this room’s share goes to the others.
Look one layer down
Same headline. Different schools.
At Solana Ranch Elementary in San Diego and Truman Benedict Elementary in San Clemente, about 82% of kids met or beat California’s standard. Each window with blue in it is 1% of kids.
Now count the windows filled to the top. At Solana Ranch, 66% beat the standard. At Truman Benedict, 45%. Both are Strong schools, at the 99th and 93rd percentiles, strong in different ways, and every profile shows you which.
Why 80% “met or exceeded” can mean two different schools
CAASPP 2024–25, grades 3–5, reading and math averaged. Solana Ranch: 99th percentile · Strong. Truman Benedict: 93rd percentile · Strong.
Two schools, 100 windows each
What test scores really measure
Test scores follow family income. Growth mostly doesn’t.
Sort California’s elementary schools into five equal groups, from the fewest kids on free or reduced-price lunch to the most. The share of kids meeting the standard drops from 69% to 28%.
Growth tells a different story. In four of the five groups, about half the schools grow faster than the typical school, which is what you’d expect if income didn’t matter. That’s why growth counts in the Scope Score.
49 public schools that beat the demographic odds
2024–25, the 5,642 comprehensive elementary schools with a Scope Score. “Growing faster” compares each school’s 5th graders with its 3rd graders two years earlier, roughly the same class, against the typical (median) California elementary school.
Scores and growth, by family income
Show your work
Every number has a source and a year.
We build SchoolScope from 26 public datasets and print the source and year beside the numbers they produce, even when the data is older than we’d like.
When we get something wrong, the correction stays on the page it fixes, dated, with what changed.
Get an email when California’s new test results are out. One email once the state publishes new scores. Nothing else.
Check your email to confirm — then you’re set. Sent to .
You’re set. We’ll email your account address when the results land.
Sources · California
| Source | What it tells us | Year |
|---|---|---|
| California | ||
| CAASPP Smarter Balanced tests | Who met and who beat the standard, and how each class grew between tests | 2022–23 to 2024–25 |
| CDE chronic absenteeism | Kids missing at least one school day in ten | 2024–25 |
| CDE suspension rates | Kids suspended at least once | 2024–25 |
| CDE Student Growth Model | How much the same students gained against the state's expectation. Shown on profiles, not scored | 2024–25 |
| Every state | ||
| NCES attendance boundaries | Which schools an address feeds | 2015–16 |
| NCES Private School Survey | Private schools’ size, grades and affiliation | 2021–22 |
Guides
Plain answers to common school questions.
What we stand on
A short list of things we won’t do.
- Sell a better score. No one can pay to change a school’s score, its rank or its place on a list.
- Put demographics in the score. Who a school serves is context, shown beside the score and never counted in it.
- Score private schools on tests they don’t take. We show what they do report, and say what’s missing.
- Rank schools where enrollment is assigned. For 368 court, community and special-education schools, we publish the evidence and withhold the rank.
- Rate individual teachers. Not now, not later.
- Pass off a guess as a fact. Every profile says what its numbers can’t tell you, and ends with a question to ask on a visit.
“As a parent looking at schools, I wanted to understand what drove a score—and what it missed.”
I built SchoolScope because I needed it. The goal is to help families look closer, understand the limits, and ask better questions.
Start with the school you’re wondering about.
California · CAASPP 2024–25 · Data sources · How scores are calculated