California Elementary Schools Rankings: Most rankings stop at “proficient.” Statewide, only 21% of kids exceed the standard — that split is the whole story.
Two schools can both post “80% proficient” and be nothing alike. We score 5,721 California elementary schools on the split most rankings skip — exceeded vs. met — plus how far one class of students moves from 3rd to 5th grade, attendance, and suspensions.
Buckeye Union Mandarin Immersion Charter (El Dorado County) is California's top-scoring elementary school in SchoolScope's 2024–25 analysis, with a Scope Score of 97 out of 100 — one school of 5,721 scored. Source: CDE CAASPP, analyzed by SchoolScope. · Jump to the top 25 ↓
What kind of school are you looking for?
A single ranking rewards one kind of school. We classify every scored school into an archetype instead — the character of the school, read from its data. Start with the kind that fits your kid; the full top 25 follows.
A high-ceiling school — students here are pushed to exceed, not just meet, the standard.
A growth engine — its returning cohort gains more, grade to grade, than at most schools in the state.
No weak spot — academics, culture, engagement, and growth where we can measure it.
On the rise — students here gain faster than average, even with overall scores still catching up. Worth a closer look.
A solid, reliable choice — most students meet proficiency standards consistently.
Strong school culture with high family engagement, even if test scores are still developing.
Every school has strengths the data doesn’t fully capture. Visit and see for yourself.
The top 25 rankings
Ranked by Scope Score across 6 dimensions — a reference table, not a verdict. Two schools a point apart are effectively tied.
A rank orders schools on one composite number; it doesn't sit in a classroom. Splitting "exceeded" from "met" recovers real differences a single proficiency rate erases — researcher Andrew Ho called percent-proficient a "funhouse mirror" that distorts what's actually happening at a school (Educational Researcher, 2008). Weighting growth alongside those levels tracks a school's real effect on students better than proficiency-only ratings do, tested against real school-lottery outcomes (Angrist, Hull, Pathak & Walters, American Economic Review: Insights, 2024). Neither study — nor this table — sees class size, teacher turnover, or how a campus actually feels to walk into. Two schools a point apart here are effectively tied. Full methodology and citations →
Is there a single "best" elementary school in California?
By Scope Score, Buckeye Union Mandarin Immersion Charter in El Dorado County ranks highest among 5,721 scored elementary schools for 2024–25 CAASPP (97/100). But one number can't tell you which school is best for your kid: a family chasing AP access and a family prioritizing a calm, low-absenteeism campus could reasonably land on different schools from the table below. Source: CDE 2024–25 CAASPP, analyzed by SchoolScope.
The archetypes above are the more useful starting point than the number one school in the state — they show why a school scores where it does, not just where it lands. Two schools a point apart in the rankings table are effectively tied; the exceeded rate, the growth trajectory, and the climate numbers underneath tell you more than the rank does.
Why we don't publish a "worst schools" list
Scores correlate strongly with poverty and English-learner concentration. A bottom-ranked list built from Scope Score alone would mostly describe neighborhood income, not what a school does for its students — and we'd rather not hand that list to anyone. Lower-scoring elementary schools are still visible on SchoolScope, shown with their growth trajectory and climate data as context, not as a headline.
What to look for in an elementary school
SchoolScope ranks elementary schools with the Scope Score, a 0–100 rating. The six weighted dimensions: exceeded-standard rate (42%), met-or-exceeded rate (23%), grade-to-grade growth (20%), chronic absenteeism (5%), suspension rate (5%), ELPAC English Learner proficiency (5%). Elementary schools are only ever compared to other elementary schools — never to middle or high schools. Source: CDE CAASPP, 2024–25.
Our data across thousands of California elementary schools surfaces three signals that matter most:
- Exceeded rate, not just proficiency. Two schools can both show 80% "met or exceeded standard" — but if one has 60% exceeded and the other has 20% exceeded, they're not the same school. The exceeded rate separates schools that clear the bar from schools that raise it.
- How far one cohort moves from 3rd to 5th grade. The tempting comparison — this year's 5th graders against this year's 3rd graders — is two different sets of children sitting two different tests, and the bar rises with each grade. The Scope Score follows one school's returning cohort instead: its 5th graders this year against its own 3rd graders two years earlier — mostly, not exactly, the same kids — and ranks that gain against every other California elementary school. Nearly every school gains something; the question is how much, relative to the rest of the state.
- Chronic absenteeism under 10%. At the elementary level, absenteeism measures family engagement, school culture, and community stability. Schools with low absenteeism almost always outperform their demographics.
California elementary averages
California's scored elementary schools average a 21.4% exceeded rate on the 2024–25 CAASPP. Schools above that benchmark are doing something right. (CDE CAASPP)
Top districts for elementary
Districts with the highest average elementary Scope Scores (minimum 3 schools).
Search elementary schools near you
Find and compare elementary schools by name, city, or zip code.
Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25
Frequently asked questions about ranking California elementary schools
How are California elementary schools ranked?
SchoolScope ranks elementary schools with the Scope Score, a 0–100 rating built from 6 weighted measures: exceeded-standard rate (42%), met-or-exceeded rate (23%), grade-to-grade growth (20%), chronic absenteeism (5%), suspension rate (5%), ELPAC English Learner proficiency (5%). Schools are compared only to others at the same level — never mixed with a different grade band, and never averaged into a single letter grade. See the full methodology.
How many elementary schools are there in California?
SchoolScope has Scope Scores for 5,721 California elementary schools for the 2024–25 CAASPP school year, built from CDE data. That count includes traditional public and charter schools; private elementary schools aren't scored, since they don't report the same state testing data.
What is the best elementary school in California?
By Scope Score, Buckeye Union Mandarin Immersion Charter in El Dorado County ranks highest among 5,721 scored elementary schools, at 97 out of 100 for 2024–25 CAASPP. "Best" still depends on what a family is optimizing for — academics, growth, or campus culture can point to different answers.
What are the top 25 elementary schools in California?
The top 25 scored elementary schools by Scope Score are ranked in the table on this page, each with county and score band. Browse all 5,721 scored elementary schools on the interactive map, filterable by score, growth, and archetype.
What are the worst elementary schools in California?
We don't publish a "worst schools" list. Scores correlate strongly with poverty and English-learner concentration, so a bottom-ranked list built from Scope Score alone would mostly describe neighborhood income, not what a school does for its students. Lower-scoring elementary schools stay visible on SchoolScope, shown with growth trajectory and climate data as context.
Is the Scope Score the same as a GreatSchools or Niche rating?
No two rating sites use the same inputs. SchoolScope pulls current-year CDE data and separates "exceeded standard" from "met standard" — a split we haven't found surfaced prominently elsewhere. Whether other sites weight growth or absenteeism internally, we can't say; their formulas aren't fully public. Compare what's visible to parents.