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School Profile · Edwards

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

Irving L. Branch 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.

1577 Payne Avenue, 93523 (opens in new tab)·Muroc Joint Unified·Edwards·Grades 3-6·388 students·17% low-income·2024–25 CAASPP·(760) 306-4966·Website
Scope Score
29
🌱 Building Momentum · Needs Support
ranked #4,828 statewide

Irving L. Branch Elementary scores 29 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 16th 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 “34% proficient” and call it done. Irving L. Branch deserves a closer read. It sits at the 16th percentile of 5,744 California elementary schools — but the ranking is the least interesting thing on this page.

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 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.

14%
18%
68%
Grade 3 · 32% proficient
23%
27%
50%
Grade 4 · 50% proficient
26%
68%
Grade 5 · 32% proficient

The 6 things our score weighs

Exceeded standard
12.0%
State 21.3%
9.3pp below state avg
Growth (G3→G5)
-6.9pp
State -2.9pp
Scores decline across grades
Met or exceeded
33.7%
State 42.7%
9.0pp below state avg
Chronic absenteeism
21.2%
State 17.9%
3.3pp above state avg
Suspension rate
7.5%
State 1.6%
5.9pp above state avg
EL proficiency (ELPAC)
63.6%
State 18.0%
45.7pp 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.

K-12 Feeder Path
Elementary
Irving L. Branch Elementary
29/100
This 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

The community around it

Community Profile
Context — not part of the Scope Score

Student demographics

Hispanic35.8%
White29.6%
Asian1.0%
Black2.6%
Other30.9%
Low IncomeFree/reduced lunch eligible 17.3% (47pp below CA avg)
Resources & Access
Enrollment
388
92 below CA avg (~480)
Transitional Kindergarten
No TK reported, 2025-26
California requires the district to offer TK, but not every site has a room — ask the district which campuses do.
Student-Teacher Ratio
24:1
3 more students per teacher than CA avg
Per-Pupil Spending
$8,469
District avg: $12,801 · CA avg: $14,815 · School-level · CDE ESSA
EL Proficiency (ELPAC)
63.6% Level 4
Share of English Learners reaching full proficiency
Teacher Salary Range
$52,283 – $108,519
District schedule · CA median ~$98K
At Irving L. Branch Elementary in Edwards, 18.3% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 20.5% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Irving L. Branch Elementary trails its district average for low-income students by 2.2 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (13.3% Math proficient); Hispanic students (30.1% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 25.9 percentage points for disabilities students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 60 students tested.
Equity Gaps
Absenteeism · Low-Income+14.2pp
35.4% vs 21.2% overall · n=82
Suspension · Black+4.3pp
11.8% vs 7.5% overall · n=17
ELA · Disabilities−25.9pp
13.5% vs 39.3% overall · n=54
3 more gaps by subject
ELA Exceeded · Disabilities−11.7pp
2.0% vs 13.6% overall · n=54
Math · Disabilities−23.6pp
6.1% vs 29.8% overall · n=54
Math Exceeded · Low-Income−10.8pp
0.0% vs 10.8% overall · n=34

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

Subgroup Proficiency
Low-Income60 tested
ELA 18.3%·Math 13.3%· -2.2pp vs district
Hispanic133 tested
ELA 30.1%·Math 22.6%· +0.2pp vs district
White112 tested
ELA 45.5%·Math 38.4%· +6.9pp 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 19.0pp from grade 3 to grade 5 at this school. District average: -25.5pp.

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

Funding Breakdown
Instruction 60%Support 39%Other 1%

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

Neighborhood Context
Median Income
$70K
$15K below CA median
Median Home Value
$199K
$460K below CA median
Bachelor's+
38%
3pp 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
8.7 years avg experience
19 teachers · 21% first-year · 5% second-year
Teacher Credentials
81% 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 Irving L. Branch Elementary a good elementary school?
Irving L. Branch Elementary has a Scope Score of 29 out of 100, placing it in the 16th percentile of California elementary schools and ranked #4,828 statewide. 12.0% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is 9.3 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 Irving L. Branch Elementary's CAASPP test scores?
On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 33.7% of students at Irving L. Branch Elementary met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 12.0% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 21.7% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 12.0% 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. 558 student-subject combinations were assessed.
How does Irving L. Branch Elementary rank in California?
Irving L. Branch Elementary ranks #4,828 among California elementary schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 16th 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 Irving L. Branch Elementary getting better or worse?
Based on 2025 CAASPP data, proficiency at Irving L. Branch Elementary decreases by 6.9 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 Irving L. Branch Elementary?
21.2% of students at Irving L. Branch Elementary are chronically absent (missing 10% or more of school days), compared to the California average of 17.9%. The suspension rate is 7.5%. 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 Irving L. Branch Elementary compare to other schools in Edwards?
Irving L. Branch Elementary scores 29/100 (16th 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 388 students. Use the schools in Edwards page or the map view to compare all elementary schools nearby.
How does Irving L. Branch Elementary serve low-income and underrepresented students?
At Irving L. Branch Elementary in Edwards, 18.3% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 20.5% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Irving L. Branch Elementary trails its district average for low-income students by 2.2 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (13.3% Math proficient); Hispanic students (30.1% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 25.9 percentage points for disabilities students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 60 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%
12.0%
↓ vs CA 21.3% · 41th pctile
Growth (G3→G5) · 27%
-6.9pp
↓ vs CA -2.9pp · 27th pctile
Met or exceeded · 20%
33.7%
↓ vs CA 42.7% · 43th pctile
Chronic absenteeism · 5%
21.2%
↓ vs CA 17.9% · 45th pctile
Suspension rate · 5%
7.5%
↓ vs CA 1.6% · 1th pctile
EL proficiency (ELPAC) · 5%
63.6%
↑ vs CA 18.0% · 100th pctile
02By grade & subgroupCAASPP 2024–25 · % of tested students
ELATestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 39614%18%40%29%31%−12
Grade 49923%27%16%33%51%+6
Grade 5846%26%24%44%32%−16
Grade 69512%32%24%33%43%−3
MathTestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 3969%21%31%39%30%−15
Grade 49916%26%24%33%42%+1
Grade 5844%12%26%58%15%−20
Grade 69514%17%25%44%31%−4
Science (CAST)TestedEXCMETNEARNOT
Grade 5/8/11846%14%57%23%

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 Disadvantaged6018.3%−2−20
Hispanic/Latino13330.1%+0−9
White11245.5%+7−16
03Peer comparison · nearest elementary schoolssorted by Scope Score
SchoolDistScopeEXCMET+GrowthSusp
Irving L. Branch Elementary ←2912.0%33.7%−6.97.5%
California average4521.3%42.7%−2.91.6%
04More measurescontext · not all part of the Scope Score
Scope Score history
39%29%'19'23'24'25
2019 · 2023 · 2024 · 2025 · rank #3144 → #3958 → #4356 → #4828
What we can't show
  • — Low-income students here trail the state average for their group by 20 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