ExploreMapCompareBlogSign in
School Profile · Orangevale

Golden Valley Orchard: The scores are below where anyone wants them. Here's what they don't tell you.

Golden Valley Orchard posts low test scores — and grade 5 tests above grade 3 here this year, by 15.9pp. If this is your zoned school, the numbers below are where to start a conversation, not where to end one.

6550 Filbert Avenue, 95662 (opens in new tab)·San Juan Unified·Orangevale·Grades TK-8·292 students·32% low-income·Charter·2024–25 CAASPP·(916) 987-1490·Website
Charter school — publicly funded, independently operated, open enrollment via lottery. Learn more
Scope Score
30
📈 On the Rise · Developing
ranked #4,751 statewide · #32 of 47 in San Juan Unified

Golden Valley Orchard scores 30 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 17th 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 “26% proficient” and call it done. Golden Valley Orchard deserves a closer read. The school sits in Orangevale, where one in four 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.

As a charter, Golden Valley Orchard 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 2024–25

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

16%
16%
68%
Grade 3 · 32% proficient
19%
74%
Grade 4 · 26% proficient
24%
28%
48%
Grade 5 · 52% proficient

The 5 things our score weighs

Exceeded standard
9.1%
State 21.3%
12.2pp below state avg
Growth (G3→G5)
+15.9pp
State -2.9pp
Scores improve across grades
Met or exceeded
26.2%
State 42.7%
16.4pp below state avg
Chronic absenteeism
20.7%
State 17.9%
2.8pp above state avg
Suspension rate
4.1%
State 1.6%
2.5pp above 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.

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.

The community around it

Community Profile
Context — not part of the Scope Score

Student demographics

Hispanic17.5%
White68.5%
Asian0.7%
Black0.7%
Other12.7%
Low IncomeFree/reduced lunch eligible 31.5% (32pp below CA avg)
Resources & Access
Enrollment
292
328 below CA avg (~620)
Transitional Kindergarten
30 TK students
10% of a 312-student campus · CDE Census Day 2025-26
Student-Teacher Ratio
22:1
1 more students per teacher than CA avg
Per-Pupil Spending
$12,962
CA avg: $14,815 · District avg · NCES F-33
Teacher Salary Range
$60,000 – $118,000
District schedule · CA median ~$98K
At Golden Valley Orchard in Orangevale, 43.9% of white students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 47.4% district-wide and 61.8% statewide. Golden Valley Orchard trails its district average for white students by 3.4 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: White students (23.6% Math proficient). Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 107 students tested.
Subgroup Proficiency
White107 tested
ELA 43.9%·Math 23.6%· -3.4pp 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.

Subgroups with fewer than 10 tested students per grade are not shown.

Funding Breakdown
Instruction 60%Support 38%Other 2%

Source: NCES F-33 (2019–2020) · Full district breakdown →

Neighborhood Context
Median Income
$97K
$12K above CA median
Median Home Value
$558K
$101K below CA median
Bachelor's+
31%
4pp 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
10.7 years avg experience
16 teachers · 6% first-year · 6% second-year
Teacher Credentials
82% fully credentialed
7.3% on intern/emergency permit

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 →

Frequently asked questions

Is Golden Valley Orchard a good elementary school?
Golden Valley Orchard has a Scope Score of 30 out of 100, placing it in the 17th percentile of California elementary schools and ranked #4,751 statewide. 9.1% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is 12.2 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 Orchard's CAASPP test scores?
On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 26.2% of students at Golden Valley Orchard met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 9.1% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 17.1% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 9.1% 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. 161 student-subject combinations were assessed.
How does Golden Valley Orchard rank in California?
Golden Valley Orchard ranks #4,751 among California elementary schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 17th 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 Orchard getting better or worse?
Based on 2025 CAASPP data, proficiency at Golden Valley Orchard increases by 15.9 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 Orchard?
20.7% of students at Golden Valley Orchard are chronically absent (missing 10% or more of school days), compared to the California average of 17.9%. The suspension rate is 4.1%. 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 Orchard compare to other schools in Orangevale?
Golden Valley Orchard scores 30/100 (17th 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 292 students. Use the schools in Orangevale page or the map view to compare all elementary schools nearby.
How does Golden Valley Orchard serve low-income and underrepresented students?
At Golden Valley Orchard in Orangevale, 43.9% of white students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 47.4% district-wide and 61.8% statewide. Golden Valley Orchard trails its district average for white students by 3.4 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: White students (23.6% Math proficient). Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 107 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.

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%
9.1%
↓ vs CA 21.3% · 38th pctile
Growth (G3→G5) · 27%
+15.9pp
↑ vs CA -2.9pp · 43th pctile
Met or exceeded · 20%
26.2%
↓ vs CA 42.7% · 37th pctile
Chronic absenteeism · 5%
20.7%
↓ vs CA 17.9% · 45th pctile
Suspension rate · 5%
4.1%
↓ vs CA 1.6% · 29th pctile
02By grade & subgroupCAASPP 2024–25 · % of tested students
ELATestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 32516%16%32%36%32%−11
Grade 4277%19%19%56%26%−19
Grade 52924%28%24%24%52%+4
Grade 62811%32%43%14%43%−4
Grade 72119%57%10%14%76%+29
Grade 82015%45%15%25%60%+14
MathTestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 3250%12%40%48%12%−34
Grade 4260%12%19%69%12%−30
Grade 5297%17%21%55%24%−11
Grade 62818%25%25%32%43%+8
Grade 7215%24%52%19%29%−5
Grade 8205%15%35%45%20%−12
Science (CAST)TestedEXCMETNEARNOT
Grade 5/8/114918%18%57%6%

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
White10743.9%−3−18
03Peer comparison · nearest elementary schoolssorted by Scope Score
SchoolDistScopeEXCMET+GrowthSusp
Golden Valley Orchard ←309.1%26.2%+15.94.1%
Oakview Community Elementary1.2 mi6326.1%53.0%+16.95.2%
Natoma Station Elementary3.2 mi6239.7%69.1%−6.60.8%
Pershing Elementary1.1 mi6038.9%61.4%+8.41.5%
California average4521.3%42.7%−2.91.6%
04More measurescontext · not all part of the Scope Score
Scope Score history
45%30%'19'22'23'24'25
2019 · 2022 · 2023 · 2024 · 2025 · no testing 2020–21 (COVID) · rank #2449 → #3714 → #3542 → #3881 → #4751
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