School Profile · Ventura
Golden Valley Charter: Kids show up here — absenteeism is half the state rate. Test scores are still catching up.
Golden Valley Charter's strongest numbers are the quiet ones: attendance and discipline. The academic picture is still developing — and culture is usually where that starts.
3585 Maple Street, Suite 101, 93003 (opens in new tab)·Mesa Union Elementary·Ventura·Grades K-12·574 students·36% low-income·Charter·2024–25 CAASPP·(805) 642-3435·Website
Charter school — publicly funded, independently operated, open enrollment via lottery. Learn more
Scope Score
41
🤝 Culture First · Developing
ranked #2,735 statewide
Golden Valley Charter scores 41 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 52nd 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 →
Most rating sites would stop at “40% proficient” and call it done. Golden Valley Charter deserves a closer read. The school sits in Ventura, where one in three students qualify for free or reduced lunch — and reading the numbers without that context misreads the school.
The headline number: 3.4% chronic absenteeism — versus 17.9% statewide. Attendance is the quietest strong signal a school can post.
As a charter, Golden Valley Charter enrolls by application, not address — the score reads the same, the enrollment path doesn't.
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.
21%
21%
58%
Grade 3 · 42% proficient
11%
34%
55%
Grade 4 · 45% proficient
10%
33%
57%
Grade 5 · 43% proficient
The honest read: the share exceeding falls 11.8pp across grades; the proficiency floor barely moves. The state average rises 4.5pp over the same span. A school visit and conversation with teachers will tell you more than this number.
The 5 things our score weighs
Exceeded standard
14.2%
State 21.3%
7.1pp below state avg
Met or exceeded
40.0%
State 42.7%
2.6pp below state avg
Growth (G3→G5)
+0.4pp
State -2.9pp
Scores improve across grades
Chronic absenteeism
3.4%
State 17.9%
14.5pp below state avg
Suspension rate
0.2%
State 1.6%
1.5pp below state avg
Worth a school visit
Ask how the school built its attendance culture — and what the academic plan looks like from here.
Where the path goes
The path below follows attendance boundaries — scores shown for each next step.
Estimated K-12 Path
Elementary
Golden Valley Charter
41
This school
→
Middle
Mesa Elementary
43
Estimated K-12 path based on district and proximity. Actual attendance zones may differ. Contact your school district for official feeder information.
Planning ahead? 9 licensed preschools near this school →
Your other options
Nearby Elementary Schools
3 within ~3 mi · avg 59
Pierpont Elementary
Ventura Unified · 1.6 mi
Solid
62/100
Mound Elementary
Ventura Unified · 2.2 mi
Solid
61/100
Poinsettia Elementary
Ventura Unified · 2 mi
Solid
55/100
Private alternatives nearby
Private schools within ~10 miles. These schools do not participate in state testing and cannot be scored or ranked.
The community around it
Community Profile
Context — not part of the Scope ScoreStudent demographics
Hispanic33.5%
White49.6%
Asian4.2%
Black0.9%
Other11.8%
GenderFemale 51.0%Male 49.0%
Low IncomeFree/reduced lunch eligible 35.5% (28pp below CA avg)
Resources & Access
Enrollment
574
626 below CA avg (~1,200)
Transitional Kindergarten
TK status unconfirmed
No TK enrollment is on file with the state for this school — that isn't the same as “no TK.” Confirm directly with the district.
Student-Teacher Ratio
32:1
11 more students per teacher than CA avg
Per-Pupil Spending
$10,962
CA avg: $14,815 · District avg · NCES F-33
Teacher Salary Range
$58,938 – $122,059
District schedule · CA median ~$98K
At Golden Valley Charter in Ventura, 34.9% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 41.3% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Golden Valley Charter trails its district average for low-income students by 6.3 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (22.9% Math proficient); White students (55.2% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 23.0 percentage points for hispanic students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 83 students tested.
Equity Gaps
ELA · Hispanic−23.0pp
27.8% vs 50.8% overall · n=18
3 more gaps by subject
ELA Exceeded · Hispanic−15.3pp
5.6% vs 20.9% overall · n=18
Math · Hispanic−19.2pp
16.7% vs 35.9% overall · n=18
Math Exceeded · Hispanic−10.9pp
5.6% vs 16.5% overall · n=18
Subgroups with fewer than 15 students are excluded for privacy. Gaps of less than 3 percentage points are not shown.
Subgroup Proficiency
Low-Income83 tested
ELA 34.9%·Math 22.9%· -6.3pp vs district
White143 tested
ELA 55.2%·Math 44.1%· +9.8pp vs district
Hispanic66 tested
ELA 25.8%·Math 22.7%· -25.7pp 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 falls by 26.3pp from grade 3 to grade 5 at this school. District average: -11.9pp.
Subgroups with fewer than 10 tested students per grade are not shown.
Funding Breakdown
Neighborhood Context
Median Income
$104K
$19K above CA median
Median Home Value
$816K
$157K above CA median
Bachelor's+
42%
7pp above 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
20.4 years avg experience
27 teachers · 4% first-year
Teacher Credentials
26% 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%
14.2%
↓ vs CA 21.3% · 43th pctile
Met or exceeded · 22%
40.0%
↓ vs CA 42.7% · 48th pctile
Growth (G3→G5) · 15%
+0.4pp
↑ vs CA -2.9pp · 43th pctile
Chronic absenteeism · 10%
3.4%
↑ vs CA 17.9% · 74th pctile
Suspension rate · 5%
0.2%
↑ vs CA 1.6% · 62th pctile
02By grade & subgroupCAASPP 2024–25 · % of tested students
| ELA | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT | MET+ | +/CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 3 | 61 | 21% | 21% | 21% | 36% | 43% | −1 |
| Grade 4 | 44 | 11% | 34% | 23% | 32% | 45% | +1 |
| Grade 5 | 42 | 10% | 33% | 31% | 26% | 43% | −5 |
| Grade 6 | 35 | 23% | 14% | 34% | 29% | 37% | −9 |
| Grade 7 | 45 | 24% | 31% | 20% | 24% | 56% | +8 |
| Grade 8 | 29 | 28% | 41% | 21% | 10% | 69% | +23 |
| Grade 11 | 20 | 30% | 35% | 10% | 25% | 65% | +18 |
| Math | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT | MET+ | +/CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 3 | 61 | 15% | 18% | 30% | 38% | 33% | −13 |
| Grade 4 | 44 | 7% | 36% | 27% | 30% | 43% | +2 |
| Grade 5 | 42 | 21% | 12% | 14% | 52% | 33% | −2 |
| Grade 6 | 35 | 17% | 20% | 23% | 40% | 37% | +2 |
| Grade 7 | 45 | 18% | 27% | 27% | 29% | 44% | +10 |
| Grade 8 | 29 | 28% | 7% | 28% | 38% | 34% | +2 |
| Grade 11 | 20 | 10% | 15% | 10% | 65% | 25% | +2 |
| Science (CAST) | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 5/8/11 | 91 | 9% | 26% | 55% | 10% |
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 | 83 | 34.9% | −6 | −3 |
| White | 143 | 55.2% | +10 | −7 |
| Hispanic/Latino | 66 | 25.8% | −26 | −13 |
03Peer comparison · nearest elementary schoolssorted by Scope Score
| School | Dist | Scope | EXC | MET+ | Growth | Susp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Golden Valley Charter ← | — | 41 | 14.2% | 40.0% | +0.4 | 0.2% |
| Pierpont Elementary | 1.6 mi | 62 | 34.9% | 60.0% | +10.2 | 0.2% |
| Mound Elementary | 2.2 mi | 61 | 33.6% | 64.5% | +13.7 | 0.5% |
| Poinsettia Elementary | 2 mi | 55 | 27.7% | 56.5% | −17.1 | 1.7% |
| California average | — | 43 | 21.3% | 42.7% | −2.9 | 1.6% |
04More measurescontext · not all part of the Scope Score
Scope Score history
2019 · 2022 · 2023 · 2024 · 2025 · no testing 2020–21 (COVID) · rank #1870 → #1369 → #2314 → #2012 → #2735
What we can't show
- — Scored here as an elementary school — other grade spans appear in the data appendix.
Source: CA Dept. of Education · CAASPP 2024–25 · n=5,744 elementary schools · Data updated 2026-07-03methodology · data updates · CSV · report issue
Frequently asked questions
Is Golden Valley Charter a good elementary school?
Golden Valley Charter has a Scope Score of 41 out of 100, placing it in the 52nd percentile of California elementary schools and ranked #2,735 statewide. 14.2% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is 7.1 percentage points below the California average of 21.3%. 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 Golden Valley Charter's CAASPP test scores?
On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 40.0% of students at Golden Valley Charter met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 14.2% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 25.8% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 14.2% 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. 294 student-subject combinations were assessed.
How does Golden Valley Charter rank in California?
Golden Valley Charter ranks #2,735 among California elementary schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 52nd 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 Golden Valley Charter getting better or worse?
Based on 2025 CAASPP data, proficiency at Golden Valley Charter increases by 0.4 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 Golden Valley Charter?
3.4% of students at Golden Valley Charter are chronically absent (missing 10% or more of school days), which is better than the California average of 17.9%. The suspension rate is 0.2%, 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 Golden Valley Charter compare to other schools in Ventura?
Golden Valley Charter scores 41/100 (52nd 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 574 students. Use the schools in Ventura page or the map view to compare all elementary schools nearby.
How does Golden Valley Charter serve low-income and underrepresented students?
At Golden Valley Charter in Ventura, 34.9% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 41.3% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Golden Valley Charter trails its district average for low-income students by 6.3 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (22.9% Math proficient); White students (55.2% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 23.0 percentage points for hispanic students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 83 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.