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Arete Charter Academy · Grass Valley

Arete Charter Academy: High scores, real growth, strong attendance. We looked for a catch — we didn't find one.

Arete Charter Academy posts 41.0% meeting the standard — versus 42.7% statewide — with climate numbers better than most. That doesn't make it perfect. It makes it worth a visit to find what numbers can't measure.

16229 Duggans Road, 95949 (opens in new tab)·Pleasant Ridge Union Elementary·Grass Valley·Grades TK-12·207 students·32% low-income·Charter·2024–25 CAASPP·(530) 268-2805·Website
Charter school — publicly funded, independently operated, open enrollment via lottery. Learn more
2022–2025 trend · CDE CAASPP
This schoolCA avg
Scope5945
% Exceeded16%21%
% Met+41%43%
Growth+2.6-2.9
Absence3.9%17.9%
Suspension0.6%1.6%
Scope Score
59
🌱 Building Momentum · Solid
ranked #1,070 statewide · #1 of 3 in Pleasant Ridge Union Elementary

Arete Charter Academy scores 59 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 81st percentile of 5,744 California elementary schools (CDE CAASPP 2025).

Measures test performance, attendance, and climate — not arts, community, or your kid. How we score →

🌱 Building Momentum — This label means the data doesn't clearly sort the school one way or the other — ask what the school is proud of, and what it's working on.

CDE CAASPP 2025

Most rating sites would stop at “41% proficient” and call it done. Arete Charter Academy deserves a closer read. The school sits in Grass Valley, where one in four students qualify for free or reduced lunch — and reading the numbers without that context misreads the school.

The headline number: +2.6pp separates this year's grade 3 from its grade 5. The state average rises 4.5pp over the same span. Following the same students from 2023 G3 → 2025 G5 points the same way.

As a charter, Arete Charter Academy enrolls by application rather than address. That changes how you get in, but it doesn't change the score.

The seven-year arc

Percentile among 5,744 elementary schools statewide

Climbed from the 67th to the 81st percentile since 2022 — past roughly 800 elementary schools.

CA Dashboard
ELABlue(Increased Significantly)MathGreen(Maintained)
ELA — % met or exceeded, by grade
Grade20192022202320242025
Grade 3—26%17%32%35%
Grade 4—33%35%18%54%
Grade 5—40%38%35%47%
Grade 6—32%54%60%53%
Grade 733%37%40%59%24%
Grade 820%50%29%52%67%
Math — % met or exceeded, by grade
Grade20192022202320242025
Grade 3—37%20%18%39%
Grade 4—28%31%29%38%
Grade 5—15%31%45%32%
Grade 6—21%25%53%32%
Grade 720%26%23%28%33%
Grade 80%25%13%27%33%

The 5 things our score weighs

Exceeded standard
16.1%
State 21.3%
5.2pp below state avg
Growth (G3→G5)
+2.6pp
State -2.9pp
Scores improve across grades
Met or exceeded
41.0%
State 42.7%
1.7pp below state avg
Chronic absenteeism
3.9%
State 17.9%
14.0pp below state avg
Suspension rate
0.6%
State 1.6%
1.0pp below state avg
Worth a school visit

Ask what the school is working on next. Strong numbers tell you where a school is, not where it's going.

  • Ask how teachers track each child's growth over the year, not just where the class lands on test day.
  • Ask whether the tour can step into a working classroom — watch how the teacher handles a student who's stuck.
  • Ask to tour while school's in session, and notice how hallways and transitions feel — culture shows up between classes, not just in them.
  • Ask how the school communicates with families when a child starts to struggle.
  • Ask what a typical day looks like for a new student in the first few weeks.

How every group of students does here

At Arete Charter Academy in Grass Valley, 46.6% of white students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 50.8% district-wide and 61.8% statewide. Arete Charter Academy trails its district average for white students by 4.2 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: White students (34.0% Math proficient). Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 103 students tested.

All students at this school: 40% met or exceeded
All StudentsAll Students: this school 40%, district —, state 43%40%
WhiteWhite: this school 40%, district 46%, state 56%40% · +0 vs school
FemaleFemale: this school 40%, district 45%, state 44%40% · +0 vs school
MaleMale: this school 43%, district 46%, state 42%43% · +3 vs school
Socioeconomically DisadvantagedSocioeconomically Disadvantaged: this school 54%, district 37%, state 32%54% · +14 vs school

5 of 10 student groups here are too small to report — a privacy protection, not a gap.

this school district, same group California, same group
Subgroup growth by grade

Change in proficiency from the lowest tested grade — which groups gain ground the longer they stay. Groups with fewer than 10 tested students per grade are not shown.

Showing up, and staying in class

Chronic absenteeismChronic absenteeism: this school 3.9%, district 12.7%, state 17.9%3.9% · −14.0pp vs state
Suspension rateSuspension rate: this school 0.6%, district —, state 1.6%0.6% · −1.0pp vs state
Chronic absenteeism by grade band
Grades 4–61.3%
Grades 7–82.0%
TK/K0.0%

Where the path goes

Arete Charter Academy serves grades K-12 — students can complete their entire K-12 education here, with no school-to-school transitions.

The people teaching here

Context — never part of the Scope Score
Student : teacherStudent to teacher ratio: this school 23:1, district 23:123:1
Teaching staff9 teachers
Avg. experience9.2 years
Fully credentialed22%
Salary Schedule
Teacher salary schedule$54,621 – $110,652
Principal salary$130,062 – $0
Superintendent salary$185,298

Pay is set by the district, not the school.

What gets spent here

Per-pupil spendingPer-pupil spending: $15,081, CA average $14,815$15,081 · spent at this school
Federal share$192 per student

$192 per student arrives as federal Title funding — a measure of concentrated need, not school quality.

District current expense · FY 2024–25$14,397 per student

The district's current expense of education per student, from CDE's annual SACS filing — the freshest district spending figure the state publishes.

Where the district's dollars go · FY 2024–25 · CDE SACS
Instruction65%
Instruction support11%
Student services9%
Administration7%
Buildings & maintenance8%

District-level, from the district's own SACS general-ledger filing — school-by-school breakdowns aren't published by the state.

district detail, 2016–2020 — the newest published
2020$10,714 per pupil
2019$10,411 per pupil
2018$11,061 per pupil
2017$10,500 per pupil
2016$10,092 per pupil

Source: NCES F-33 · Full district breakdown →

The neighborhood it serves

White76.3%
District 70.0% · CA 19.9%
Hispanic13.0%
District 16.2% · CA 56.1%
Other9.7%
District 13.2% · CA 9.0%
Asian1.0%
District 0.3% · CA 10.2%
Low IncomeFree/reduced lunch eligible 32.4% (31pp below CA avg)
Neighborhood — American Community Survey
Median income$98K · CA $85K
Median home value$551K · CA $659K
Bachelor's degree+33% · CA 35%
ZIP population20,552
Median age54 years

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2024) · ZIP-level

Worth Knowing

At 207 students, this school is much smaller than the typical California elementary school (≈480).

Transitional kindergarten is offered here — confirmed by actual Census Day enrollment, not just the listed grade span.

On the state's science test (CAST), 47% met or exceeded the standard — science is tested in grades 5 and 8 but never enters the Scope Score.

Frequently asked questions

Is Arete Charter Academy a good elementary school?

Arete Charter Academy has a Scope Score of 59 out of 100, placing it in the 81st percentile of California elementary schools and ranked #1,070 statewide. 16.1% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is 5.2 percentage points below the California average of 21.3%. The Scope Score weights 6 dimensions for elementary schools: exceeded standard (38%), grade 3-to-5 growth (27%), met or exceeded (proficient) (20%), chronic absenteeism (5%), suspension rate (5%), and ELPAC English Learner proficiency (5%). Data source: California Department of Education CAASPP 2025, analyzed by SchoolScope.

What are Arete Charter Academy's CAASPP test scores?

On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 41.0% of students at Arete Charter Academy met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 16.1% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 24.9% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 16.1% pushed past it. Most rating sites report only the combined "proficient" number. SchoolScope surfaces the exceeded-vs-met split because it reveals whether a school's curriculum challenges students beyond minimum proficiency or paces toward it. 156 student-subject combinations were assessed.

How does Arete Charter Academy rank in California?

Arete Charter Academy ranks #1,070 among California elementary schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 81st percentile. This ranking is based on a weighted composite of 2025 CAASPP test performance (exceeded and met rates), grade-level growth (Grade 3 to grade 5 growth), chronic absenteeism, and suspension rate. Unlike single-number ratings, the Scope Score shows what drives the ranking so parents can decide what matters most to their family. See full methodology.

Is Arete Charter Academy getting better or worse?

Based on 2025 CAASPP data, proficiency at Arete Charter Academy increases by 2.6 percentage points from Grade 3 to grade 5 growth. This upward trajectory suggests the school is adding measurable value — students leave with higher proficiency rates than they entered with. Growth trajectory is weighted at 15% in the elementary Scope Score because it measures what the school does, not just who walks in the door.

What is the attendance and school culture like at Arete Charter Academy?

3.9% of students at Arete Charter Academy are chronically absent (missing 10% or more of school days), which is better than the California average of 17.9%. The suspension rate is 0.6%, indicating a low-discipline-incident environment. SchoolScope includes these culture metrics in the Scope Score because they reflect day-to-day school experience in ways test scores alone cannot.

How does Arete Charter Academy compare to other schools in Grass Valley?

Arete Charter Academy scores 59/100 (81st percentile) among California elementary schools. To compare with nearby schools, SchoolScope shows the same metrics side by side: exceeded rate, proficiency, growth trajectory, and school culture indicators. The school serves 207 students. Use the schools in Grass Valley page or the map view to compare all elementary schools nearby.

How does Arete Charter Academy serve low-income and underrepresented students?

At Arete Charter Academy in Grass Valley, 46.6% of white students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 50.8% district-wide and 61.8% statewide. Arete Charter Academy trails its district average for white students by 4.2 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: White students (34.0% Math proficient). Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 103 students tested. SchoolScope shows disaggregated test scores by demographic subgroup so you can see how a school performs for your child's specific group — not just the school-wide average. Subgroup data is context, not part of the Scope Score: we don't penalize schools for who they serve. See our equity approach.

Your other options

Private alternatives nearby

Private schools within ~10 miles. These schools do not participate in state testing and cannot be scored or ranked.

How to get into a charter school in LA →
For the data nerds

Every number on this page

Score factors, grade-level breakdowns, subgroup proficiency, and peer comparisons.

01Score factorsWeighted composite · 2024–25
Exceeded standard · 38%
16.1%
↓ vs CA 21.3% · 45th pctile
Growth (G3→G5) · 27%
+2.6pp
↑ vs CA -2.9pp · 89th pctile
Met or exceeded · 20%
41.0%
↓ vs CA 42.7% · 49th pctile
Chronic absenteeism · 5%
3.9%
↑ vs CA 17.9% · 73th pctile
Suspension rate · 5%
0.6%
↑ vs CA 1.6% · 58th pctile
02By grade & subgroupCAASPP 2024–25 · % of tested students
ELATestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 33116%19%42%23%35%−8
Grade 41331%23%15%31%54%+9
Grade 53418%29%35%18%47%−1
Grade 61921%32%32%16%53%+6
Grade 7215%19%57%19%24%−24
Grade 82421%46%25%8%67%+21
MathTestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 3313%35%39%23%39%−7
Grade 41323%15%15%46%38%−3
Grade 5346%26%26%41%32%−3
Grade 61921%11%26%42%32%−3
Grade 72119%14%33%33%33%−1
Grade 82425%8%33%33%33%+1
Science (CAST)TestedEXCMETNEARNOT
Grade 5/8/115819%28%48%5%

CAST is tested in grades 5, 8, and once in high school — not annually. Not part of the Scope Score.

Subgroup · ELATestedMET+vs districtvs CA
White10346.6%−4−15
03Peer comparison · nearest elementary schoolssorted by Scope Score
SchoolDistScopeEXCMET+GrowthSusp
Arete Charter Academy ←—5916.1%41.0%+2.60.6%
California average—4521.3%42.7%−2.91.6%
04More measurescontext · not all part of the Scope Score
YearScopePctileRankExcMet+AbsentSuspGrowth
20224467#189412.6%29.9%2.3%0.1%-4.1pp
20234359#23289.7%28.6%4.9%0.1%+15.8pp
20245169#175413.3%29.5%5.7%0.3%+15.0pp
20255981#107016.1%41.0%3.9%0.6%+2.6pp
What we can't show
  • — Scored here as an elementary school — other grade spans appear in the data appendix.
05Climate by student groupchronic absenteeism · 2019 vs 2025 — the two years CDE publishes at subgroup level
Group20192025Δ
Female0.0%2.3%+2.3pp
Male0.0%0.0%+0.0pp
Students with Disabilities0.0%4.3%+4.3pp
Socioeconomically Disadvantaged0.0%3.3%+3.3pp
All Students0.0%1.2%+1.2pp
Hispanic/Latino—0.0%—
Two or More Races—0.0%—
EXC = exceeded standard · MET+ = met or exceeded ("proficient") · Source: CA Dept. of Education · CAASPP 2024–25 · n=5,744 elementary schools · Vintages: climate subgroups 2019+2025 · district finance per its label · ACS 2022 · Data updated 2026-07-03methodology · data updates · CSV · report issue

SchoolScope scores and verdicts are our interpretation of public California Department of Education data — independent analysis, not an official rating. How we analyze · Request a correction

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