School Profile · Portola
C. Roy Carmichael Elementary: The scores are below where anyone wants them. Here's what they don't tell you.
C. Roy Carmichael posts low test scores — and test scores are one lens among several. If this is your zoned school, the numbers below are where to start a conversation, not where to end one.
895 West Street, 96122·Plumas Unified·Portola·Grades K-6·344 students·71% low-income·2024–25 CAASPP·(530) 832-0211·Website
Scope Score
22
🌱 Building Momentum · Needs Support
ranked #4,906 statewide · #4 of 4 in Plumas Unified
C. Roy Carmichael Elementary scores 22 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 6th percentile of 5,230 California elementary schools (CDE CAASPP 2025).
Measures test performance, attendance, and climate — not arts, community, or your kid. How we score →
Most rating sites would stop at “26% proficient” and call it done. C. Roy Carmichael deserves a closer read. The school sits in Portola, where two-thirds of students qualify for free or reduced lunch — and reading the numbers without that context misreads the school.
Test scores are one lens, and at this school they're a rough one right now. The sections below show the fuller picture — including the parts that are working.
The story this school is actually telling
The school, grade by grade
ELA · CAASPP 2024–25Different students, same year — each bar is one grade's proficiency mix.
11%
21%
68%
Grade 3 · 32% proficient
16%
9%
75%
Grade 4 · 25% proficient
9%
12%
79%
Grade 5 · 21% proficient
The 6 things our score weighs
Exceeded standard
11.1%
State 21.6%
10.5pp below state avg
Met or exceeded
26.3%
State 42.9%
16.6pp below state avg
Growth (G3→G5)
-12.8pp
State -3.0pp
Scores decline across grades
Chronic absenteeism
30.0%
State 18.1%
11.9pp above state avg
Suspension rate
4.6%
State 1.7%
2.9pp above state avg
EL proficiency (ELPAC)
6.7%
State 17.7%
11.0pp below state avg
Worth a school visit
Ask what changed in the last two years, and what the school is asking families for. Growth shows up in these numbers a year or two after it shows up in classrooms.
Where the path goes
The path below follows attendance boundaries — scores shown for each next step.
K-12 Feeder Path
Elementary
C. Roy Carmichael Elementary
22/100
This school
Feeder patterns derived from NCES attendance boundary data. Boundaries are approximate and may have changed — verify with your school district for current assignments.
Planning ahead? 2 licensed preschools near this school →
Your other options
The community around it
Community Profile
Context — not part of the Scope ScoreStudent demographics
Hispanic32.3%
White54.9%
Asian0.3%
Black0.3%
Other12.2%
GenderFemale 51.7%Male 48.3%
Resources & Access
Enrollment
344
136 below CA avg (~480)
Free/Reduced Lunch
71%
7pp above CA avg (64%)
Student-Teacher Ratio
20:1
1 fewer students per teacher than CA avg
Per-Pupil Spending
$16,625
District avg: $16,243 · CA avg: $14,815 · School-level · CDE ESSA
EL Proficiency (ELPAC)
6.7% Level 4
Share of English Learners reaching full proficiency
Teacher Salary Range
$47,167 – $105,455
District schedule · CA median ~$98K
At C. Roy Carmichael Elementary in Portola, 21.9% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 30.6% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. C. Roy Carmichael Elementary trails its district average for low-income students by 8.7 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (16.3% Math proficient); White students (31.3% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 5.3 percentage points for low-income students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 128 students tested.
Equity Gaps
Absenteeism · Homeless+12.3pp
42.3% vs 30.0% overall · n=26
Suspension · Disabilities+9.3pp
13.9% vs 4.6% overall · n=72
Math · Low-Income−7.4pp
15.9% vs 23.3% overall · n=129
3 more gaps by subject
ELA · Low-Income−5.3pp
21.8% vs 27.1% overall · n=128
ELA Exceeded · Low-Income−4.9pp
7.7% vs 12.6% overall · n=128
Math Exceeded · Low-Income−3.4pp
5.3% vs 8.6% overall · n=129
Subgroups with fewer than 15 students are excluded for privacy. Gaps of less than 3 percentage points are not shown.
Subgroup Proficiency
Low-Income129 tested
ELA 21.9%·Math 16.3%· -8.7pp vs district
White114 tested
ELA 31.3%·Math 23.7%· -6.2pp vs district
Hispanic40 tested
ELA 20.0%·Math 20.5%· -7.1pp vs district
Weighted average across tested grades. Subgroups with fewer than 15 students excluded. Data: CDE CAASPP 2024-25.
Subgroup Growth by Grade
Change in proficiency from lowest tested grade. Shows which groups are gaining ground.
Low-income student ELA proficiency rises by 0.5pp from grade 3 to grade 5 at this school. District average: -3.4pp.
Subgroups with fewer than 10 tested students per grade are not shown.
Funding Breakdown
Neighborhood Context
Median Income
$54K
$31K below CA median
Median Home Value
$274K
$385K below CA median
Bachelor's+
16%
19pp below CA avg
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2024) · ZIP-level
Whole Child
Teacher experience, college/career readiness, and more. Context only — never part of the Scope Score.
Teacher Experience
6.3 years avg experience
17 teachers · 6% first-year · 12% second-year
Teacher Credentials
87% fully credentialed
Source: CDE SARC, 2024-25
Community Profile provides context about who attends this school and the resources available. These factors are never part of the Scope Score. Learn why →
For the data nerdsEvery number on this page
Score factors, grade-level breakdowns, subgroup proficiency, and peer comparisons.
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 · 43%
11.1%
↓ vs CA 21.6% · 40th pctile
Met or exceeded · 22%
26.3%
↓ vs CA 42.9% · 37th pctile
Growth (G3→G5) · 15%
-12.8pp
↓ vs CA -3.0pp · 17th pctile
Chronic absenteeism · 10%
30.0%
↓ vs CA 18.1% · 30th pctile
Suspension rate · 5%
4.6%
↓ vs CA 1.7% · 26th pctile
EL proficiency (ELPAC) · 5%
6.7%
↓ vs CA 17.7% · 41th pctile
02By grade & subgroupCAASPP 2024–25 · % of tested students
| ELA | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT | MET+ | +/CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 3 | 53 | 11% | 21% | 25% | 43% | 32% | −11 |
| Grade 4 | 43 | 16% | 9% | 30% | 44% | 26% | −19 |
| Grade 5 | 43 | 9% | 12% | 33% | 47% | 21% | −27 |
| Grade 6 | 44 | 14% | 16% | 27% | 43% | 30% | −17 |
| Math | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT | MET+ | +/CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 3 | 53 | 11% | 17% | 23% | 49% | 28% | −17 |
| Grade 4 | 43 | 12% | 26% | 44% | 19% | 37% | −4 |
| Grade 5 | 43 | 7% | 7% | 42% | 44% | 14% | −21 |
| Grade 6 | 44 | 5% | 9% | 27% | 59% | 14% | −21 |
| Science (CAST) | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 5/8/11 | 44 | 2% | 16% | 43% | 39% |
CAST is tested in grades 5, 8, and once in high school — not annually. Not part of the Scope Score.
| Subgroup · ELA | Tested | MET+ | vs district | vs CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Socioeconomically Disadvantaged | 128 | 21.9% | −9 | −16 |
| White | 112 | 31.3% | −6 | −31 |
| Hispanic/Latino | 40 | 20.0% | −7 | −19 |
03Peer comparison · nearest elementary schoolssorted by Scope Score
| School | Dist | Scope | EXC | MET+ | Growth | Susp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C. Roy Carmichael Elementary ← | — | 22 | 11.1% | 26.3% | −12.8 | 4.6% |
| California average | — | 44 | 21.6% | 42.9% | −3.0 | 1.7% |
04More measurescontext · not all part of the Scope Score
Scope Score history
2019 · 2022 · 2023 · 2024 · 2025 · no testing 2020–21 (COVID) · rank #4484 → #3850 → #3948 → #3775 → #4906
What we can't show
- — Low-income students here trail the state average for their group by 16 points in ELA — worth asking how the school is closing that gap.
Source: CA Dept. of Education · CAASPP 2024–25 · n=5,230 elementary schools · Data updated 2026-07-03methodology · data updates · CSV · report issue
A low score doesn't tell the whole story. Read: Your School Scored Low — Here's What That Actually Means
Frequently asked questions
Is C. Roy Carmichael Elementary a good elementary school?
C. Roy Carmichael Elementary has a Scope Score of 22 out of 100, placing it in the 6th percentile of California elementary schools and ranked #4,906 statewide. 11.1% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is 10.5 percentage points below the California average of 21.6%. The Scope Score weights six dimensions for elementary schools: exceeded standard (43%), met or exceeded (22%), grade 3-to-5 growth (15%), chronic absenteeism (10%), ELPAC English Learner proficiency (5%), and suspension rate (5%). Data source: California Department of Education CAASPP 2025, analyzed by SchoolScope.
What are C. Roy Carmichael Elementary's CAASPP test scores?
On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 26.3% of students at C. Roy Carmichael Elementary met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 11.1% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 15.2% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 11.1% 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. 278 student-subject combinations were assessed.
How does C. Roy Carmichael Elementary rank in California?
C. Roy Carmichael Elementary ranks #4,906 among California elementary schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 6th 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 C. Roy Carmichael Elementary getting better or worse?
Based on 2025 CAASPP data, proficiency at C. Roy Carmichael Elementary decreases by 12.8 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 C. Roy Carmichael Elementary?
30.0% of students at C. Roy Carmichael Elementary are chronically absent (missing 10% or more of school days), compared to the California average of 18.1%. The suspension rate is 4.6%. 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 C. Roy Carmichael Elementary compare to other schools in Portola?
C. Roy Carmichael Elementary scores 22/100 (6th 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 344 students. Use the schools in Portola page or the map view to compare all elementary schools nearby.
How does C. Roy Carmichael Elementary serve low-income and underrepresented students?
At C. Roy Carmichael Elementary in Portola, 21.9% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 30.6% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. C. Roy Carmichael Elementary trails its district average for low-income students by 8.7 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (16.3% Math proficient); White students (31.3% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 5.3 percentage points for low-income students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 128 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.