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Grass Valley Charter · Grass Valley

Grass Valley Charter: This school runs ahead of the state average. The bar itself is the harder conversation.

Grass Valley Charter posts 44% meeting the standard against 43% statewide — ahead of most, with real headroom above the bar.

225 South Auburn Street, 95945 (opens in new tab)·Grass Valley Elementary·Grass Valley·Grades TK-8·546 students·33% low-income·Charter·2024–25 CAASPP·(530) 273-8723·Website
Charter school — publicly funded, independently operated, open enrollment via lottery. Learn more
2019–2025 trend · CDE CAASPP
This schoolCA avg
Scope4045
% Exceeded24%21%
% Met+44%43%
Growth-25.4-2.9
Absence15.2%17.9%
Suspension1.2%1.6%
Scope Score
40
🌱 Building Momentum · Developing
ranked #3,303 statewide

Grass Valley Charter scores 40 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 43rd 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 “44% proficient” and call it done. Grass Valley Charter deserves a closer read. The school sits in Grass Valley, where one in three students qualify for free or reduced lunch — and reading the numbers without that context misreads the school.

As a charter, Grass Valley Charter enrolls by application rather than address. That changes how you get in, but it doesn't change the score.

The seven-year arc

Percentile among 5,744 elementary schools statewide

Slipped from the 73rd to the 43rd percentile since 2019.

CA Dashboard
ELAYellow(Declined)MathYellow(Declined Significantly)

This school hasn't fully recovered from the pandemic: 44% meet the standard today, versus 53% in 2019 — a gap worth asking about on a visit.

ELA — % met or exceeded, by grade
Grade20192022202320242025
Grade 348%42%47%45%61%
Grade 455%44%42%40%34%
Grade 563%53%42%47%40%
Grade 656%55%44%58%45%
Grade 763%60%58%58%67%
Grade 850%59%65%46%56%
Math — % met or exceeded, by grade
Grade20192022202320242025
Grade 357%49%53%49%64%
Grade 442%44%48%43%33%
Grade 550%37%40%39%34%
Grade 621%35%43%46%39%
Grade 738%38%38%53%43%
Grade 825%40%39%33%40%

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.

45%
16%
39%
Grade 3 · 61% proficient
18%
16%
66%
Grade 4 · 34% proficient
16%
24%
60%
Grade 5 · 40% proficient

The honest read: the share exceeding falls 28.5pp across grades; the floor slips 20.4pp. 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
24.5%
State 21.3%
3.2pp above state avg
Growth (G3→G5)
-25.4pp
State -2.9pp
Scores decline across grades
Met or exceeded
44.3%
State 42.7%
1.7pp above state avg
Chronic absenteeism
15.2%
State 17.9%
2.7pp below state avg
Suspension rate
1.2%
State 1.6%
0.4pp below state avg
Worth a school visit

Ask how the school challenges kids who clear the standard early. The gap between meeting and exceeding is where pacing shows.

  • 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.
  • Ask what a typical day looks like for a new student in the first few weeks.

How every group of students does here

At Grass Valley Charter in Grass Valley, 39.6% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 31.7% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Grass Valley Charter outperforms its district average for low-income students by 7.9 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (35.8% Math proficient); White students (49.8% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 14.8 percentage points for low-income students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 111 students tested.

All students at this school: 46% met or exceeded
All StudentsAll Students: this school 46%, district —, state 43%46%
WhiteWhite: this school 46%, district 41%, state 56%46% · −0 vs school
MaleMale: this school 53%, district 40%, state 42%53% · +7 vs school
FemaleFemale: this school 38%, district 37%, state 44%38% · −8 vs school
Socioeconomically DisadvantagedSocioeconomically Disadvantaged: this school 38%, district 29%, state 32%38% · −8 vs school

10 of 15 student groups here are too small to report — a privacy protection, not a gap.

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 28.7pp from grade 3 to grade 5 at this school. District average: -1.9pp.

Showing up, and staying in class

Chronic absenteeismChronic absenteeism: this school 15.2%, district 20.8%, state 17.9%15.2% · −2.7pp vs state
Suspension rateSuspension rate: this school 1.2%, district —, state 1.6%1.2% · −0.4pp vs state
Chronic absenteeism by grade band
Grades 4–614.0%
Grades 7–813.8%
TK/K20.0%

Where the path goes

The path below is estimated from nearby schools in the same district — scores shown for each next step.

Estimated K-12 Path
Elementary
Grass Valley Charter
40
This school

Estimated K-12 path based on district and proximity. Actual attendance zones may differ. Contact your school district for official feeder information.

The people teaching here

Context — never part of the Scope Score
Student : teacherStudent to teacher ratio: this school 24:1, district 21:124:1
Teaching staff25 teachers
Avg. experience12.6 years
Fully credentialed96%
First-year teachers20%
Salary Schedule
Teacher salary schedule$60,259 – $103,179
Principal salary$131,785 – $0
Superintendent salary$186,360

Pay is set by the district, not the school.

What gets spent here

Per-pupil spendingPer-pupil spending: $22,558, CA average $14,815$22,558 · spent at this school
District current expense · FY 2024–25$19,784 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
Instruction58%
Instruction support13%
Student services11%
Administration9%
Buildings & maintenance9%

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$13,326 per pupil
2019$12,639 per pupil
2018$12,863 per pupil
2017$12,542 per pupil
2016$11,900 per pupil

Source: NCES F-33 · Full district breakdown →

The neighborhood it serves

White82.6%
District 70.1% · CA 19.9%
Hispanic9.2%
District 21.0% · CA 56.1%
Other6.0%
District 6.4% · CA 9.0%
Asian1.3%
District 1.5% · CA 10.2%
Black0.9%
District 1.0% · CA 4.8%
Low IncomeFree/reduced lunch eligible 33.1% (31pp below CA avg)
Neighborhood — American Community Survey
Median income$66K · CA $85K
Median home value$540K · CA $659K
Bachelor's degree+35% · CA 35%
ZIP population27,470
Median age50 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), 38% met or exceeded the standard — science is tested in grades 5 and 8 but never enters the Scope Score.

Frequently asked questions

Is Grass Valley Charter a good elementary school?

Grass Valley Charter has a Scope Score of 40 out of 100, placing it in the 43rd percentile of California elementary schools and ranked #3,303 statewide. 24.5% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is 3.2 percentage points above 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 Grass Valley Charter's CAASPP test scores?

On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 44.3% of students at Grass Valley Charter met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 24.5% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 19.8% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 24.5% 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. 347 student-subject combinations were assessed.

How does Grass Valley Charter rank in California?

Grass Valley Charter ranks #3,303 among California elementary schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 43rd 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 Grass Valley Charter getting better or worse?

Based on 2025 CAASPP data, proficiency at Grass Valley Charter decreases by 25.4 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 Grass Valley Charter?

15.2% of students at Grass 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 1.2%, 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 Grass Valley Charter compare to other schools in Grass Valley?

Grass Valley Charter scores 40/100 (43rd 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 546 students. Use the schools in Grass Valley page or the map view to compare all elementary schools nearby.

How does Grass Valley Charter serve low-income and underrepresented students?

At Grass Valley Charter in Grass Valley, 39.6% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 31.7% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Grass Valley Charter outperforms its district average for low-income students by 7.9 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (35.8% Math proficient); White students (49.8% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 14.8 percentage points for low-income students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 111 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%
24.5%
↑ vs CA 21.3% · 53th pctile
Growth (G3→G5) · 27%
-25.4pp
↓ vs CA -2.9pp · 30th pctile
Met or exceeded · 20%
44.3%
↑ vs CA 42.7% · 51th pctile
Chronic absenteeism · 5%
15.2%
↑ vs CA 17.9% · 54th pctile
Suspension rate · 5%
1.2%
↑ vs CA 1.6% · 53th pctile
02By grade & subgroupCAASPP 2024–25 · % of tested students
ELATestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 35645%16%27%13%61%+17
Grade 45618%16%20%46%34%−11
Grade 56216%24%21%39%40%−8
Grade 65114%31%31%24%45%−1
Grade 75422%44%24%9%67%+19
Grade 85219%37%23%21%56%+10
MathTestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 35641%23%20%16%64%+19
Grade 45513%20%35%33%33%−9
Grade 56215%19%32%34%34%−1
Grade 65118%22%41%20%39%+4
Grade 75319%25%38%19%43%+9
Grade 85225%15%33%27%40%+8
Science (CAST)TestedEXCMETNEARNOT
Grade 5/8/1111314%24%50%12%

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 Disadvantaged11139.6%+8+1
White27949.8%+5−12
03Peer comparison · nearest elementary schoolssorted by Scope Score
SchoolDistScopeEXCMET+GrowthSusp
Grass Valley Charter ←4024.5%44.3%−25.41.2%
Yuba River Charter1.4 mi409.1%37.8%+10.00.2%
Union Hill Elementary1.4 mi3715.8%41.6%−22.43.7%
California average4521.3%42.7%−2.91.6%
04More measurescontext · not all part of the Scope Score
YearScopePctileRankExcMet+AbsentSuspGrowth
20195473#149521.2%52.6%9.4%1.3%+3.9pp
20224365#200919.5%44.7%38.8%2.0%-0.6pp
20234156#252020.3%45.1%28.0%2.7%-9.4pp
20244660#231217.9%43.8%16.2%2.2%-3.8pp
20254043#330324.5%44.3%15.2%1.2%-25.4pp
NO STATEWIDE TESTING 2020–21 (COVID) · SCORE AND PERCENTILE ARE RELATIVE TO EACH YEAR'S FIELD
What we can't show
  • — Scored here as an elementary school — other grade spans appear in the data appendix.
05Climate by student groupchronic absenteeism · 2019 vs 2025 — the two years CDE publishes at subgroup level
Group20192025Δ
Female12.0%15.7%+3.7pp
Male7.1%14.4%+7.3pp
Hispanic/Latino15.2%15.4%+0.2pp
Students with Disabilities15.6%22.1%+6.5pp
Socioeconomically Disadvantaged12.6%20.6%+8.0pp
All Students9.4%15.0%+5.6pp
Two or More Races8.0%
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