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Freedom Elementary · Freedom

Freedom Elementary: The scores are below where anyone wants them. Here's what they don't tell you.

Freedom 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.

25 Holly Drive, 95019 (opens in new tab)·Pajaro Valley Unified·Freedom·Grades TK-5·479 students·91% low-income·2024–25 CAASPP·(831) 728-6260
2019–2025 trend · CDE CAASPP
This schoolCA avg
Scope1745
% Exceeded2%21%
% Met+14%43%
Growth-7.8-2.9
Absence25.4%17.9%
Suspension6.4%1.6%
Scope Score
17
🌱 Building Momentum · Needs Support
ranked #5,676 statewide · #19 of 19 in Pajaro Valley Unified

Freedom Elementary scores 17 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 1st 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.

Most rating sites would stop at “14% proficient” and call it done. Freedom deserves a closer read. The school sits in Freedom, where four in five 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 seven-year arc

Percentile among 5,744 elementary schools statewide

Slipped from the 17th to the 1st percentile since 2019.

CA Dashboard
ELAYellow(Declined Significantly)MathOrange(Declined Significantly)

This school hasn't fully recovered from the pandemic: 14% meet the standard today, versus 32% in 2019 — a gap worth asking about on a visit.

ELA — % met or exceeded, by grade
Grade20192022202320242025
Grade 338%13%19%6%11%
Grade 439%15%12%11%19%
Grade 533%23%22%21%10%
Math — % met or exceeded, by grade
Grade20192022202320242025
Grade 336%22%13%28%21%
Grade 427%29%22%13%19%
Grade 517%17%17%16%6%

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.

9%
90%
Grade 3 · 10% proficient
18%
81%
Grade 4 · 19% proficient
9%
90%
Grade 5 · 10% proficient

The 6 things our score weighs

Exceeded standard
2.0%
State 21.3%
19.3pp below state avg
Growth (G3→G5)
-7.8pp
State -2.9pp
Scores decline across grades
Met or exceeded
14.5%
State 42.7%
28.2pp below state avg
Chronic absenteeism
25.4%
State 17.9%
7.5pp above state avg
Suspension rate
6.4%
State 1.6%
4.8pp above state avg
EL proficiency (ELPAC)
6.3%
State 18.0%
11.7pp 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.

  • Ask how the school follows up when a student starts missing days — chronic absence often starts outside the classroom, not inside it.
  • Ask what typically leads to a suspension, and what happens before it gets there.
  • Ask what changes between grade 3 and grade 5 here, and who teaches the older kids.
  • 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.

How every group of students does here

At Freedom Elementary in Freedom, 12.6% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 19.9% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Freedom Elementary trails its district average for low-income students by 7.3 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (13.9% Math proficient); Hispanic students (13.0% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 8.8 percentage points for english learner students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 238 students tested.

All students at this school: 14% met or exceeded
All StudentsAll Students: this school 14%, district —, state 43%14%
Hispanic/LatinoHispanic/Latino: this school 14%, district 17%, state 32%14% · −0 vs school
Socioeconomically DisadvantagedSocioeconomically Disadvantaged: this school 13%, district 16%, state 32%13% · −1 vs school
English LearnersEnglish Learners: this school 7%, district 5%, state 11%7% · −7 vs school
MaleMale: this school 13%, district 21%, state 42%13% · −1 vs school
FemaleFemale: this school 15%, district 23%, state 44%15% · +1 vs school
Students with DisabilitiesStudents with Disabilities: this school 3%, district 7%, state 15%3% · −11 vs school
HomelessHomeless: this school 0%, district 10%, state 22%0% · −14 vs school
WhiteWhite: too few students to report‹11
AsianAsian: too few students to report‹11
Black/African AmericanBlack/African American: too few students to report‹11
American Indian/Alaska NativeAmerican Indian/Alaska Native: 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 falls by 3.9pp from grade 3 to grade 5 at this school. District average: +6.2pp.

Showing up, and staying in class

Chronic absenteeismChronic absenteeism: this school 25.4%, district 25.6%, state 17.9%25.4% · +7.5pp vs state
Suspension rateSuspension rate: this school 6.4%, district —, state 1.6%6.4% · +4.8pp vs state

TK/K students miss school at roughly twice the rate of Grades 4–6 students (44.9% vs 18.0%). Chronic absence here concentrates in the earliest grades — worth asking how the school works with new families on attendance.

Chronic absenteeism by grade band
Grades 4–618.0%
TK/K44.9%

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 25:1, district 22:125:1
Teaching staff20 teachers
Avg. experience10.4 years
Fully credentialed82%
First-year teachers10%
Salary Schedule
Teacher salary schedule$58,520 – $109,309
Principal salary$122,944 – $142,021
Superintendent salary$268,536

Pay is set by the district, not the school.

What gets spent here

Per-pupil spendingPer-pupil spending: $22,243, CA average $14,815$22,243 · spent at this school
Federal share$885 per student

$885 per student arrives as federal Title funding — a measure of concentrated need, not school quality.

District current expense · FY 2024–25$24,632 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
Instruction56%
Instruction support17%
Student services13%
Administration4%
Buildings & maintenance8%
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$15,608 per pupil
2019$15,165 per pupil
2018$15,343 per pupil
2017$13,924 per pupil
2016$12,975 per pupil

Source: NCES F-33 · Full district breakdown →

The neighborhood it serves

Hispanic95.2%
District 84.6% · CA 56.1%
White4.0%
District 12.4% · CA 19.9%
Other0.4%
District 2.2% · CA 9.0%
Asian0.2%
District 0.5% · CA 10.2%
Black0.2%
District 0.2% · CA 4.8%
Low IncomeFree/reduced lunch eligible 91.4% (28pp above CA avg)
Neighborhood — American Community Survey
Median income$67K · CA $85K
Median home value$735K · CA $659K
Bachelor's degree+15% · CA 35%
ZIP population5,933
Median age33 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), 6% met or exceeded the standard — science is tested in grades 5 and 8 but never enters the Scope Score.

Frequently asked questions

Is Freedom Elementary a good elementary school?

Freedom Elementary has a Scope Score of 17 out of 100, placing it in the 1st percentile of California elementary schools and ranked #5,676 statewide. 2.0% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is 19.3 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 Freedom Elementary's CAASPP test scores?

On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 14.5% of students at Freedom Elementary met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 2.0% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 12.5% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 2.0% 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. 519 student-subject combinations were assessed.

How does Freedom Elementary rank in California?

Freedom Elementary ranks #5,676 among California elementary schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 1st 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 Freedom Elementary getting better or worse?

Based on 2025 CAASPP data, proficiency at Freedom Elementary decreases by 7.8 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 Freedom Elementary?

25.4% of students at Freedom Elementary are chronically absent (missing 10% or more of school days), compared to the California average of 17.9%. The suspension rate is 6.4%. 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 Freedom Elementary compare to other schools in Freedom?

Freedom Elementary scores 17/100 (1st 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 479 students. Use the schools in Freedom page or the map view to compare all elementary schools nearby.

How does Freedom Elementary serve low-income and underrepresented students?

At Freedom Elementary in Freedom, 12.6% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 19.9% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Freedom Elementary trails its district average for low-income students by 7.3 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (13.9% Math proficient); Hispanic students (13.0% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 8.8 percentage points for english learner students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 238 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.


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%
2.0%
↓ vs CA 21.3% · 31th pctile
Growth (G3→G5) · 27%
-7.8pp
↓ vs CA -2.9pp · 29th pctile
Met or exceeded · 20%
14.5%
↓ vs CA 42.7% · 28th pctile
Chronic absenteeism · 5%
25.4%
↓ vs CA 17.9% · 38th pctile
Suspension rate · 5%
6.4%
↓ vs CA 1.6% · 10th pctile
EL proficiency (ELPAC) · 5%
6.3%
↓ vs CA 18.0% · 35th pctile
02By grade & subgroupCAASPP 2024–25 · % of tested students
ELATestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 3851%9%22%67%11%−33
Grade 4781%18%27%54%19%−26
Grade 5981%9%16%73%10%−38
MathTestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 3842%19%24%55%21%−24
Grade 4785%14%45%36%19%−22
Grade 5961%5%20%74%6%−29
Science (CAST)TestedEXCMETNEARNOT
Grade 5/8/11970%6%53%41%

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 Disadvantaged23812.6%−7−26
Hispanic/Latino24713.0%−8−26
English Learners1543.9%−2−7
03Peer comparison · nearest elementary schoolssorted by Scope Score
SchoolDistScopeEXCMET+GrowthSusp
Freedom Elementary ←172.0%14.5%−7.86.4%
Linscott Charter2.2 mi4011.2%35.3%+7.20.6%
Watsonville Prep1.9 mi3312.6%34.5%−0.91.9%
Landmark Elementary1.3 mi312.6%11.6%+7.63.5%
California average4521.3%42.7%−2.91.6%
04More measurescontext · not all part of the Scope Score
YearScopePctileRankExcMet+AbsentSuspGrowth
20193017#45827.2%31.7%10.0%1.8%-12.1pp
20222417#47895.4%19.9%47.1%0.4%+2.0pp
20233231#39694.7%17.6%38.8%3.3%+3.1pp
2024236#53972.2%16.1%21.6%6.3%+1.3pp
2025171#56762.0%14.5%25.4%6.4%-7.8pp
NO STATEWIDE TESTING 2020–21 (COVID) · SCORE AND PERCENTILE ARE RELATIVE TO EACH YEAR'S FIELD
What we can't show
  • — Low-income students here trail the state average for their group by 26 points in ELA — worth asking how the school is closing that gap.
05Climate by student groupchronic absenteeism · 2019 vs 2025 — the two years CDE publishes at subgroup level
Group20192025Δ
Female9.0%25.5%+16.5pp
Male11.3%26.1%+14.8pp
Hispanic/Latino9.3%26.5%+17.2pp
Students with Disabilities12.2%29.5%+17.3pp
English Learners9.4%23.4%+14.0pp
Homeless8.4%25.3%+16.9pp
Military-Connected4.7%9.1%+4.4pp
Socioeconomically Disadvantaged10.0%26.7%+16.7pp
All Students10.0%25.8%+15.8pp
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