Ballard Elementary: Most kids here clear the bar, year after year. The question is what happens after that.

Ballard Elementary has a Scope Score of 55 out of 100, placing it in the 75th percentile of California elementary schools and ranked #1,424 statewide. 33.4% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is 12.1 percentage points above 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.

On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 68.0% of students at Ballard Elementary met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 33.4% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 34.6% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 33.4% 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. 112 student-subject combinations were assessed.

Ballard Elementary ranks #1,424 among California elementary schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 75th 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.

Based on 2025 CAASPP data, proficiency at Ballard Elementary increases by 1.8 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.

16.0% of students at Ballard Elementary are chronically absent (missing 10% or more of school days), which is better than the California average of 17.9%. The suspension rate is 1.0%, 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.

Ballard Elementary scores 55/100 (75th 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 113 students. Use the schools in Solvang page or the map view to compare all elementary schools nearby.

At Ballard Elementary in Solvang, 78.7% of white students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 78.7% district-wide and 61.8% statewide. Ballard Elementary outperforms its district average for white students by 0.0 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: White students (72.3% Math proficient). Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 47 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.