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Bijou Community · South Lake Tahoe

Bijou Community: No single number tells this school's story. Here's the honest picture.

Bijou Community posts 36% meeting the standard and 13.6% exceeding it, against 43% and 21.3% statewide. The gaps and the bright spots below are the real read.

3501 Spruce Avenue, 96150 (opens in new tab)·Lake Tahoe Unified·South Lake Tahoe·Grades TK-5·422 students·59% low-income·2024–25 CAASPP·(530) 543-2337
2019–2025 trend · CDE CAASPP
This schoolCA avg
Scope4745
% Exceeded14%21%
% Met+36%43%
Growth-0.0-2.9
Absence12.4%17.9%
Suspension1.0%1.6%
Scope Score
47
🤝 Culture First · Developing
ranked #2,167 statewide · #2 of 4 in Lake Tahoe Unified

Bijou Community scores 47 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 62nd 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 →

🤝 Culture First — Ask whether the low absenteeism and suspension numbers come from what the school does or from the community it serves — both can produce the same numbers, and only a visit tells you which.

Most rating sites would stop at “36% proficient” and call it done. Bijou Community deserves a closer read. The school sits in South Lake Tahoe, where more than half of students qualify for free or reduced lunch — and reading the numbers without that context misreads the school.

The seven-year arc

Percentile among 5,744 elementary schools statewide

Climbed from the 44th to the 62nd percentile since 2019 — past roughly 900 elementary schools.

CA Dashboard
ELAGreen(Increased Significantly)MathGreen(Maintained)

The pandemic drop is behind this school: 36% of students meet the standard today, above the 29% who did in 2019.

ELA — % met or exceeded, by grade
Grade20192022202320242025
Grade 332%33%25%36%39%
Grade 425%32%48%48%47%
Grade 540%36%47%59%48%
Math — % met or exceeded, by grade
Grade20192022202320242025
Grade 332%25%24%17%35%
Grade 419%28%29%26%19%
Grade 525%11%20%29%26%

The story this school is actually telling

The school, grade by grade

ELA · CAASPP 2024–25

Different students, same year — each bar is one grade's proficiency mix.

18%
21%
61%
Grade 3 · 39% proficient
14%
33%
53%
Grade 4 · 47% proficient
24%
24%
52%
Grade 5 · 48% proficient

The honest read: the share exceeding rises 6.0pp across grades; the floor rises 9.0pp. The state average rises 4.5pp over the same span. Kids here gain ground the longer they stay — the pattern you want to see. A school visit and conversation with teachers will tell you more than this number.

The 6 things our score weighs

Exceeded standard
13.6%
State 21.3%
7.8pp below state avg
Growth (G3→G5)
-0.0pp
State -2.9pp
Scores decline across grades
Met or exceeded
35.7%
State 42.7%
7.0pp below state avg
Chronic absenteeism
12.4%
State 17.9%
5.5pp below state avg
Suspension rate
1.0%
State 1.6%
0.7pp below state avg
EL proficiency (ELPAC)
14.7%
State 18.0%
3.3pp 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 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 Bijou Community in South Lake Tahoe, 28.7% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 34.1% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Bijou Community trails its district average for low-income students by 5.4 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (20.4% Math proficient); Hispanic students (29.3% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 35.0 percentage points for english learner students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 108 students tested.

All students at this school: 36% met or exceeded
All StudentsAll Students: this school 36%, district —, state 43%36%
Hispanic/LatinoHispanic/Latino: this school 22%, district 24%, state 32%22% · −13 vs school
Socioeconomically DisadvantagedSocioeconomically Disadvantaged: this school 25%, district 29%, state 32%25% · −11 vs school
FemaleFemale: this school 29%, district 40%, state 44%29% · −6 vs school
MaleMale: this school 44%, district 41%, state 42%44% · +8 vs school
WhiteWhite: this school 61%, district 56%, state 56%61% · +25 vs school
English LearnersEnglish Learners: this school 9%, district 7%, state 11%9% · −27 vs school
Students with DisabilitiesStudents with Disabilities: this school 42%, district 22%, state 15%42% · +6 vs school
AsianAsian: too few students to report‹11
Two or More RacesTwo or More Races: too few students to report‹11
HomelessHomeless: too few students to report‹11
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.

Low-income student ELA proficiency rises by 8.8pp from grade 3 to grade 5 at this school. District average: -4.8pp.

Showing up, and staying in class

Chronic absenteeismChronic absenteeism: this school 12.4%, district 32.4%, state 17.9%12.4% · −5.5pp vs state
Suspension rateSuspension rate: this school 1.0%, district —, state 1.6%1.0% · −0.7pp vs state
Chronic absenteeism by grade band
Grades 4–614.9%
TK/K11.8%

Where the path goes

The path below follows attendance boundaries — scores shown for each next step.

K-12 Feeder Path

Feeder patterns derived from NCES attendance boundary data. Boundaries are approximate and may have changed — verify with your school district for current assignments.

The people teaching here

Context — never part of the Scope Score
Student : teacherStudent to teacher ratio: this school 23:1, district 21:123:1
Teaching staff18 teachers
Avg. experience10.1 years
Fully credentialed86%
First-year teachers11%
Salary Schedule
Teacher salary schedule$60,469 – $128,797
Principal salary$147,633 – $151,809
Superintendent salary$250,521

Pay is set by the district, not the school.

What gets spent here

Per-pupil spendingPer-pupil spending: $17,723, CA average $14,815$17,723 · spent at this school
Federal share$751 per student

$751 per student arrives as federal Title funding — a measure of concentrated need, not school quality.

District current expense · FY 2024–25$19,056 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
Instruction62%
Instruction support9%
Student services9%
Administration7%
Buildings & maintenance12%
Other1%

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$13,413 per pupil
2019$12,480 per pupil
2018$13,165 per pupil
2017$12,236 per pupil
2016$11,567 per pupil

Source: NCES F-33 · Full district breakdown →

The neighborhood it serves

Hispanic64.9%
District 49.7% · CA 56.1%
White29.9%
District 41.4% · CA 19.9%
Other4.5%
District 7.3% · CA 9.0%
Asian0.7%
District 1.2% · CA 10.2%
Low IncomeFree/reduced lunch eligible 59.0% (5pp below CA avg)
Neighborhood — American Community Survey
Median income$93K · CA $85K
Median home value$708K · CA $659K
Bachelor's degree+40% · CA 35%
ZIP population29,646
Median age42 years

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

Worth Knowing

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

On the state's science test (CAST), 35% met or exceeded the standard — science is tested in grades 5 and 8 but never enters the Scope Score.

Frequently asked questions

Is Bijou Community a good elementary school?

Bijou Community has a Scope Score of 47 out of 100, placing it in the 62nd percentile of California elementary schools and ranked #2,167 statewide. 13.6% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is 7.8 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 Bijou Community's CAASPP test scores?

On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 35.7% of students at Bijou Community met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 13.6% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 22.1% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 13.6% 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. 372 student-subject combinations were assessed.

How does Bijou Community rank in California?

Bijou Community ranks #2,167 among California elementary schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 62nd 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 Bijou Community getting better or worse?

Based on 2025 CAASPP data, proficiency at Bijou Community decreases by 0.0 percentage points from Grade 3 to grade 5 growth. This downward pattern doesn't necessarily mean the school is failing — it can reflect cohort differences, demographic shifts, or curriculum changes. A campus visit and conversation with teachers can reveal what the numbers can't. 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 Bijou Community?

12.4% of students at Bijou Community 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.

How does Bijou Community compare to other schools in South Lake Tahoe?

Bijou Community scores 47/100 (62nd 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 422 students. Use the schools in South Lake Tahoe page or the map view to compare all elementary schools nearby.

How does Bijou Community serve low-income and underrepresented students?

At Bijou Community in South Lake Tahoe, 28.7% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 34.1% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Bijou Community trails its district average for low-income students by 5.4 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (20.4% Math proficient); Hispanic students (29.3% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 35.0 percentage points for english learner students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 108 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


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%
13.6%
↓ vs CA 21.3% · 43th pctile
Growth (G3→G5) · 27%
-0.0pp
↑ vs CA -2.9pp · 69th pctile
Met or exceeded · 20%
35.7%
↓ vs CA 42.7% · 45th pctile
Chronic absenteeism · 5%
12.4%
↑ vs CA 17.9% · 59th pctile
Suspension rate · 5%
1.0%
↑ vs CA 1.6% · 56th pctile
EL proficiency (ELPAC) · 5%
14.7%
↓ vs CA 18.0% · 46th pctile
02By grade & subgroupCAASPP 2024–25 · % of tested students
ELATestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 36618%21%44%17%39%−4
Grade 45814%33%24%29%47%+2
Grade 56224%24%31%21%48%+1
MathTestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 36614%21%27%38%35%−11
Grade 4583%16%48%33%19%−23
Grade 5628%18%27%47%26%−9
Science (CAST)TestedEXCMETNEARNOT
Grade 5/8/116211%24%55%10%

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
Socioeconomically Disadvantaged10828.7%−5−10
Hispanic/Latino11629.3%−1−10
White6373.0%+13+11
03Peer comparison · nearest elementary schoolssorted by Scope Score
SchoolDistScopeEXCMET+GrowthSusp
Bijou Community ←4713.6%35.7%−0.01.0%
Sierra House Elementary2.3 mi4121.7%49.1%−8.12.5%
Elevated Digital Learning Academy0.8 mi283.6%21.4%2.4%
California average4521.3%42.7%−2.91.6%
04More measurescontext · not all part of the Scope Score
YearScopePctileRankExcMet+AbsentSuspGrowth
20194044#308513.0%28.9%11.0%1.3%+0.6pp
20223138#355810.3%27.7%23.1%0.5%-5.8pp
20234053#268910.3%32.2%25.6%3.4%+9.4pp
20245068#184912.6%35.8%15.1%1.6%+17.6pp
20254762#216713.6%35.7%12.4%1.0%-0.0pp
NO STATEWIDE TESTING 2020–21 (COVID) · SCORE AND PERCENTILE ARE RELATIVE TO EACH YEAR'S FIELD
05Climate by student groupchronic absenteeism · 2019 vs 2025 — the two years CDE publishes at subgroup level
Group20192025Δ
Female9.3%10.8%+1.5pp
Male12.8%13.2%+0.4pp
Hispanic/Latino13.4%15.8%+2.4pp
Students with Disabilities14.3%13.0%-1.3pp
English Learners13.1%16.1%+3.0pp
Homeless29.4%
Socioeconomically Disadvantaged13.5%17.0%+3.5pp
All Students11.0%12.0%+1.0pp
Two or More Races7.1%
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