Liberty Elementary: High scores, real growth, strong attendance. We looked for a catch — we didn't find one.
Liberty posts 41.6% exceeding the standard — versus 21.3% statewide — with climate numbers better than most. That doesn't make it perfect. It makes it worth a visit to find what numbers can't measure.
| Scope | % Exceeded | % Met+ | Growth | Absence | Suspension | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 75 | 42% | 78% | +4.8 | 6.0% | 0.3% |
| CA average · Elementary School | 45 | 21% | 43% | -2.9 | 17.9% | 1.6% |
Liberty Elementary scores 75 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 95th 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 →
💪 Strong All-Around — Ask about what we don't score — class size, electives, the feel of a classroom — strong numbers everywhere on paper don't mean every classroom feels the same.
Most rating sites would stop at “78% proficient” and call it done. Liberty deserves a closer read. It sits at the 95th percentile of 5,744 California elementary schools — but the ranking is the least interesting thing on this page.
The headline number: +4.8pp separates this year's grade 3 from its grade 5. The state average rises 4.5pp over the same span. Following the same students from 2023 G3 → 2025 G5 points the same way.
As a charter, Liberty enrolls by application rather than address. That changes how you get in, but it doesn't change the score.
The seven-year arc
Has held the 95th-percentile line every tested year since 2019.
This school hasn't fully recovered from the pandemic: 78% meet the standard today, versus 82% in 2019 — a gap worth asking about on a visit.
| Grade | 2019 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 3 | 78% | 73% | 76% | 71% | 72% |
| Grade 4 | 78% | 74% | 71% | 74% | 69% |
| Grade 5 | 82% | 72% | 75% | 85% | 81% |
| Grade 6 | 86% | 59% | 88% | 70% | 70% |
| Grade | 2019 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 3 | 63% | 67% | 66% | 79% | 80% |
| Grade 4 | 96% | 78% | 79% | 81% | 86% |
| Grade 5 | 93% | 84% | 71% | 93% | 81% |
| Grade 6 | 86% | 72% | 84% | 74% | 96% |
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.
The honest read: the share exceeding rises 22.0pp across grades; the floor rises 8.8pp. The state average rises 4.5pp over the same span. Kids here gain ground the longer they stay — the pattern you want to see. A school visit and conversation with teachers will tell you more than this number.
The 5 things our score weighs
Ask what the school is working on next. Strong numbers tell you where a school is, not where it's going.
- Ask how teachers track each child's growth over the year, not just where the class lands on test day.
- 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 Liberty Elementary in Petaluma, 69.9% of white students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 69.9% district-wide and 61.8% statewide. Liberty Elementary outperforms its district average for white students by 0.0 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: White students (83.6% Math proficient). Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 73 students tested.
7 of 11 student groups here are too small to report — a privacy protection, not a gap.
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.
Showing up, and staying in class
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 based on district and proximity. Actual attendance zones may differ. Contact your school district for official feeder information.
The people teaching here
Pay is set by the district, not the school.
What gets spent here
The district's current expense of education per student, from CDE's annual SACS filing — the freshest district spending figure the state publishes.
District-level, from the district's own SACS general-ledger filing — school-by-school breakdowns aren't published by the state.
Source: NCES F-33 · Full district breakdown →
The neighborhood it serves
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2024) · ZIP-level
At 162 students, this school is much smaller than the typical California elementary school (≈480).
On the state's science test (CAST), 50% met or exceeded the standard — science is tested in grades 5 and 8 but never enters the Scope Score.
Frequently asked questions
Is Liberty Elementary a good elementary school?
What are Liberty Elementary's CAASPP test scores?
How does Liberty Elementary rank in California?
Is Liberty Elementary getting better or worse?
What is the attendance and school culture like at Liberty Elementary?
How does Liberty Elementary compare to other schools in Petaluma?
How does Liberty Elementary serve low-income and underrepresented students?
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.
Every number on this page
Score factors, grade-level breakdowns, subgroup proficiency, and peer comparisons.
| ELA | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT | MET+ | +/CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 3 | 25 | 28% | 44% | 28% | 0% | 72% | +29 |
| Grade 4 | 29 | 55% | 14% | 21% | 10% | 69% | +24 |
| Grade 5 | 26 | 50% | 31% | 19% | 0% | 81% | +33 |
| Grade 6 | 27 | 26% | 44% | 30% | 0% | 70% | +24 |
| Math | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT | MET+ | +/CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 3 | 25 | 28% | 52% | 16% | 4% | 80% | +34 |
| Grade 4 | 29 | 34% | 52% | 14% | 0% | 86% | +45 |
| Grade 5 | 26 | 54% | 27% | 15% | 4% | 81% | +45 |
| Grade 6 | 27 | 59% | 37% | 4% | 0% | 96% | +61 |
| Science (CAST) | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 5/8/11 | 26 | 19% | 31% | 50% | 0% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| White | 73 | 69.9% | +0 | +8 |
| School | Dist | Scope | EXC | MET+ | Growth | Susp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberty Elementary ← | — | 75 | 41.6% | 78.1% | +4.8 | 0.3% |
| Heartwood Charter | 0.2 mi | 52 | 23.0% | 44.4% | +11.0 | 0.5% |
| Penngrove Elementary | 2.5 mi | 48 | 19.6% | 49.1% | −10.9 | 2.1% |
| Wilson Elementary | 2.8 mi | 43 | 22.5% | 54.3% | −2.5 | 0.2% |
| California average | — | 45 | 21.3% | 42.7% | −2.9 | 1.6% |
| Year | Scope | Pctile | Rank | Exc | Met+ | Absent | Susp | Growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 86 | 99 | #61 | 47.7% | 81.6% | 0.5% | 0.1% | +17.2pp |
| 2022 | 69 | 94 | #356 | 40.6% | 74.6% | 3.2% | 0.1% | +8.0pp |
| 2023 | 72 | 94 | #365 | 41.3% | 73.0% | 1.7% | 0.1% | +2.5pp |
| 2024 | 79 | 97 | #153 | 45.2% | 80.6% | 3.5% | 0.8% | +13.9pp |
| 2025 | 75 | 95 | #312 | 41.6% | 78.1% | 6.0% | 0.3% | +4.8pp |
| Group | 2019 | 2025 | Δ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Female | 0.0% | 3.7% | +3.7pp |
| Male | 0.0% | 3.7% | +3.7pp |
| Hispanic/Latino | 0.0% | 2.4% | +2.4pp |
| Students with Disabilities | 0.0% | 9.1% | +9.1pp |
| English Learners | 0.0% | — | — |
| Socioeconomically Disadvantaged | 0.0% | 2.7% | +2.7pp |
| All Students | 0.0% | 3.7% | +3.7pp |
| Two or More Races | — | 15.4% | — |
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