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School Profile · Hamilton City

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

Hamilton posts low test scores — and attendance holds near the state average — families haven't checked out. If this is your zoned school, the numbers below are where to start a conversation, not where to end one.

277 Capay Avenue, 95951 (opens in new tab)·Hamilton Unified·Hamilton City·Grades TK-8·393 students·91% low-income·2024–25 CAASPP·(530) 826-3474·Website
Scope Score
25
🌱 Building Momentum · Needs Support
ranked #5,270 statewide

Hamilton Elementary scores 25 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 8th 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 “15% proficient” and call it done. Hamilton deserves a closer read. The school sits in Hamilton City, where four in five students qualify for free or reduced lunch — and reading the numbers without that context misreads the school.

The headline number: 7.9% chronic absenteeism — versus 17.9% statewide. Attendance is the quietest strong signal a school can post.

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.

8%
90%
Grade 3 · 10% proficient
92%
Grade 4 · 8% proficient
18%
78%
Grade 5 · 22% proficient

The 6 things our score weighs

Exceeded standard
4.1%
State 21.3%
17.2pp below state avg
Growth (G3→G5)
-1.8pp
State -2.9pp
Scores decline across grades
Met or exceeded
14.9%
State 42.7%
27.8pp below state avg
Chronic absenteeism
7.9%
State 17.9%
10.0pp below state avg
Suspension rate
4.0%
State 1.6%
2.3pp above state avg
EL proficiency (ELPAC)
10.1%
State 18.0%
7.8pp 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
Hamilton Elementary
25/100
This school
High School

Feeder patterns derived from NCES attendance boundary data. Boundaries are approximate and may have changed — verify with your school district for current assignments.

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

Hispanic92.6%
White2.5%
Asian2.0%
Other2.8%
Low IncomeFree/reduced lunch eligible 91.3% (28pp above CA avg)
Resources & Access
Enrollment
393
227 below CA avg (~620)
Transitional Kindergarten
26 TK students
7% of a 391-student campus · CDE Census Day 2025-26
Student-Teacher Ratio
19:1
2 fewer students per teacher than CA avg
Per-Pupil Spending
$15,803
District avg: $12,092 · CA avg: $14,815 · School-level · CDE ESSA
EL Proficiency (ELPAC)
10.1% Level 4
Share of English Learners reaching full proficiency
Teacher Salary Range
$50,236 – $110,855
District schedule · CA median ~$98K
At Hamilton Elementary in Hamilton City, 17.0% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 22.4% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Hamilton Elementary trails its district average for low-income students by 5.4 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (16.5% Math proficient); Hispanic students (18.1% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 15.3 percentage points for english learner students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 253 students tested.
Equity Gaps
Suspension · Homeless+3.0pp
7.0% vs 4.0% overall · n=43
ELA · English Learner−15.3pp
4.5% vs 19.7% overall · n=84
2 more gaps by subject
ELA Exceeded · English Learner−4.4pp
0.0% vs 4.4% overall · n=84
Math · English Learner−7.8pp
10.3% vs 18.1% overall · n=100

Subgroups with fewer than 15 students are excluded for privacy. Gaps of less than 3 percentage points are not shown.

Subgroup Proficiency
Low-Income255 tested
ELA 17.0%·Math 16.5%· -5.4pp vs district
Hispanic261 tested
ELA 18.1%·Math 17.2%· -4.6pp vs district
English Learner111 tested
ELA 4.6%·Math 10.8%· -0.4pp 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.

Low-income student ELA proficiency rises by 5.7pp from grade 3 to grade 5 at this school. District average: +5.7pp.

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

Funding Breakdown
Instruction 59%Support 36%Other 5%

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

Neighborhood Context
Median Income
$70K
$15K below CA median
Median Home Value
$330K
$329K below CA median
Bachelor's+
11%
24pp 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
14.8 years avg experience
22 teachers · 5% first-year · 9% second-year
Teacher Credentials
94% 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 →

Frequently asked questions

Is Hamilton Elementary a good elementary school?
Hamilton Elementary has a Scope Score of 25 out of 100, placing it in the 8th percentile of California elementary schools and ranked #5,270 statewide. 4.1% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is 17.2 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 Hamilton Elementary's CAASPP test scores?
On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 14.9% of students at Hamilton Elementary met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 4.1% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 10.8% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 4.1% 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. 291 student-subject combinations were assessed.
How does Hamilton Elementary rank in California?
Hamilton Elementary ranks #5,270 among California elementary schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 8th 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 Hamilton Elementary getting better or worse?
Based on 2025 CAASPP data, proficiency at Hamilton Elementary decreases by 1.8 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 Hamilton Elementary?
7.9% of students at Hamilton Elementary are chronically absent (missing 10% or more of school days), which is better than the California average of 17.9%. The suspension rate is 4.0%. 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 Hamilton Elementary compare to other schools in Hamilton City?
Hamilton Elementary scores 25/100 (8th 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 393 students. Use the schools in Hamilton City page or the map view to compare all elementary schools nearby.
How does Hamilton Elementary serve low-income and underrepresented students?
At Hamilton Elementary in Hamilton City, 17.0% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 22.4% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Hamilton Elementary trails its district average for low-income students by 5.4 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (16.5% Math proficient); Hispanic students (18.1% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 15.3 percentage points for english learner students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 253 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%
4.1%
↓ vs CA 21.3% · 33th pctile
Growth (G3→G5) · 27%
-1.8pp
↑ vs CA -2.9pp · 39th pctile
Met or exceeded · 20%
14.9%
↓ vs CA 42.7% · 29th pctile
Chronic absenteeism · 5%
7.9%
↑ vs CA 17.9% · 66th pctile
Suspension rate · 5%
4.0%
↓ vs CA 1.6% · 31th pctile
EL proficiency (ELPAC) · 5%
10.1%
↓ vs CA 18.0% · 40th pctile
02By grade & subgroupCAASPP 2024–25 · % of tested students
ELATestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 3492%8%37%53%10%−33
Grade 4512%6%37%55%8%−37
Grade 5454%18%27%51%22%−26
Grade 64611%22%33%35%33%−14
Grade 7435%28%28%40%33%−15
Grade 8452%11%38%49%13%−33
MathTestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 34912%14%22%51%27%−19
Grade 4512%10%29%59%12%−30
Grade 5462%9%22%67%11%−24
Grade 6467%26%20%48%33%−2
Grade 7430%12%26%63%12%−22
Grade 8462%13%7%78%15%−17
Science (CAST)TestedEXCMETNEARNOT
Grade 5/8/11932%13%65%20%

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 Disadvantaged25317.0%−5−21
Hispanic/Latino25918.1%−5−21
English Learners1094.6%−0−6
03Peer comparison · nearest elementary schoolssorted by Scope Score
SchoolDistScopeEXCMET+GrowthSusp
Hamilton Elementary ←254.1%14.9%−1.84.0%
California average4521.3%42.7%−2.91.6%
04More measurescontext · not all part of the Scope Score
Scope Score history
35%25%'19'22'23'24'25
2019 · 2022 · 2023 · 2024 · 2025 · no testing 2020–21 (COVID) · rank #3786 → #4822 → #5313 → #4898 → #5270
What we can't show
  • — Scored here as an elementary school — other grade spans appear in the data appendix.
  • — Low-income students here trail the state average for their group by 21 points in ELA — worth asking how the school is closing that gap.
Source: CA Dept. of Education · CAASPP 2024–25 · n=5,744 elementary schools · Data updated 2026-07-03methodology · data updates · CSV · report issue