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Lucille M. Nixon Elementary · Stanford

Lucille M. Nixon Elementary: High scores, real growth, strong attendance. We looked for a catch — we didn't find one.

Lucille M. Nixon posts 69.1% 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.

1711 Stanford Avenue, 94305 (opens in new tab)·Palo Alto Unified·Stanford·Grades K-5·350 students·6% low-income·2024–25 CAASPP·(650) 856-1622
2019–2025 trend · CDE CAASPP
This schoolCA avg
Scope7745
% Exceeded69%21%
% Met+84%43%
Growth+10.4-2.9
Absence8.3%17.9%
Suspension0.6%1.6%
Scope Score
77
⭐ High Ceiling · Strong
ranked #216 statewide · #8 of 12 in Palo Alto Unified

Lucille M. Nixon Elementary scores 77 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 96th 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 →

⭐ High Ceiling — Ask what happens for a kid who shows up behind — a high ceiling for the top can sit right next to thin support at the bottom, and the score alone won't show you which.

Most rating sites would stop at “84% proficient” and call it done. Lucille M. Nixon deserves a closer read. It sits at the 96th percentile of 5,744 California elementary schools — but the ranking is the least interesting thing on this page.

The headline number: 69.1% of students scored in the top band on the state test. The California average is 21.3%.

The seven-year arc

Percentile among 5,744 elementary schools statewide

Has held the 96th-percentile line every tested year since 2019.

CA Dashboard
ELAYellow(Declined Significantly)MathOrange(Declined Significantly)

Proficiency here is back to its pre-pandemic level — 84% meet the standard, about where the school stood in 2019.

ELA — % met or exceeded, by grade
Grade20192022202320242025
Grade 383%90%97%84%75%
Grade 495%91%96%95%92%
Grade 583%85%91%87%91%
Math — % met or exceeded, by grade
Grade20192022202320242025
Grade 387%95%100%87%78%
Grade 494%91%92%93%88%
Grade 573%80%79%83%83%

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.

62%
14%
24%
Grade 3 · 76% proficient
81%
10%
9%
Grade 4 · 91% proficient
64%
27%
9%
Grade 5 · 91% proficient

The honest read: the share exceeding rises 2.8pp across grades; the floor rises 15.7pp. 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 6 things our score weighs

Exceeded standard
69.1%
State 21.3%
47.8pp above state avg
Growth (G3→G5)
+10.4pp
State -2.9pp
Scores improve across grades
Met or exceeded
84.4%
State 42.7%
41.8pp above state avg
Chronic absenteeism
8.3%
State 17.9%
9.6pp below state avg
Suspension rate
0.6%
State 1.6%
1.0pp below state avg
EL proficiency (ELPAC)
35.3%
State 18.0%
17.3pp above state avg
Worth a school visit

Ask what the school is working on next. Strong numbers tell you where a school is, not where it's going.

  • 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 Lucille M. Nixon Elementary in Stanford, 90.6% of white students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 85.0% district-wide and 61.8% statewide. Lucille M. Nixon Elementary outperforms its district average for white students by 5.7 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: White students (84.4% Math proficient); Asian students (91.8% ELA proficient). Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 64 students tested.

All students at this school: 84% met or exceeded
All StudentsAll Students: this school 84%, district —, state 43%84%
FemaleFemale: this school 88%, district 82%, state 44%88% · +4 vs school
MaleMale: this school 79%, district 80%, state 42%79% · −5 vs school
WhiteWhite: this school 87%, district 83%, state 56%87% · +3 vs school
AsianAsian: this school 92%, district 92%, state 72%92% · +8 vs school
Hispanic/LatinoHispanic/Latino: this school 56%, district 46%, state 32%56% · −28 vs school

7 of 13 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.

Showing up, and staying in class

Chronic absenteeismChronic absenteeism: this school 8.3%, district 10.2%, state 17.9%8.3% · −9.6pp vs state
Suspension rateSuspension rate: this school 0.6%, district —, state 1.6%0.6% · −1.0pp vs state

TK/K students miss school at roughly twice the rate of Grades 4–6 students (11.7% vs 4.6%). Chronic absence here concentrates in the earliest grades — worth asking how the school works with new families on attendance.

Chronic absenteeism by grade band
Grades 4–64.6%
TK/K11.7%

Where the path goes

The path below follows attendance boundaries — scores shown for each next step.

K-12 Feeder Path
Elementary
Lucille M. Nixon Elementary
77/100
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.

The people teaching here

Context — never part of the Scope Score
Student : teacherStudent to teacher ratio: this school 19:1, district 18:119:1
Teaching staff35 teachers
Avg. experience18.7 years
Fully credentialed96%
Salary Schedule
Teacher salary schedule$91,546 – $168,598
Principal salary$210,710 – $225,110
Superintendent salary$415,045

Pay is set by the district, not the school.

What gets spent here

Per-pupil spendingPer-pupil spending: $32,851, CA average $14,815$32,851 · spent at this school
District current expense · FY 2024–25$33,959 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
Instruction63%
Instruction support10%
Student services9%
Administration7%
Buildings & maintenance9%
Other1%

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$24,917 per pupil
2019$22,497 per pupil
2018$23,038 per pupil
2017$20,962 per pupil
2016$19,648 per pupil

Source: NCES F-33 · Full district breakdown →

The neighborhood it serves

Asian36.6%
District 42.2% · CA 10.2%
White33.7%
District 27.2% · CA 19.9%
Other14.6%
District 12.8% · CA 9.0%
Hispanic12.3%
District 16.1% · CA 56.1%
Black2.9%
District 1.7% · CA 4.8%
Low IncomeFree/reduced lunch eligible 6.0% (58pp below CA avg)
Neighborhood — American Community Survey
Median income$83K · CA $85K
Median home value$2.00M · CA $659K
Bachelor's degree+92% · CA 35%
ZIP population18,509
Median age22 years

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2024) · ZIP-level

Worth Knowing

On the state's science test (CAST), 83% met or exceeded the standard — science is tested in grades 5 and 8 but never enters the Scope Score.

Frequently asked questions

Is Lucille M. Nixon Elementary a good elementary school?

Lucille M. Nixon Elementary has a Scope Score of 77 out of 100, placing it in the 96th percentile of California elementary schools and ranked #216 statewide. 69.1% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is 47.8 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 Lucille M. Nixon Elementary's CAASPP test scores?

On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 84.4% of students at Lucille M. Nixon Elementary met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 69.1% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 15.3% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 69.1% 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. 364 student-subject combinations were assessed.

How does Lucille M. Nixon Elementary rank in California?

Lucille M. Nixon Elementary ranks #216 among California elementary schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 96th 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 Lucille M. Nixon Elementary getting better or worse?

Based on 2025 CAASPP data, proficiency at Lucille M. Nixon Elementary increases by 10.4 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 Lucille M. Nixon Elementary?

8.3% of students at Lucille M. Nixon 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 0.6%, 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 Lucille M. Nixon Elementary compare to other schools in Stanford?

Lucille M. Nixon Elementary scores 77/100 (96th 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 350 students. Use the schools in Stanford page or the map view to compare all elementary schools nearby.

How does Lucille M. Nixon Elementary serve low-income and underrepresented students?

At Lucille M. Nixon Elementary in Stanford, 90.6% of white students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 85.0% district-wide and 61.8% statewide. Lucille M. Nixon Elementary outperforms its district average for white students by 5.7 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: White students (84.4% Math proficient); Asian students (91.8% ELA proficient). Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 64 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%
69.1%
↑ vs CA 21.3% · 96th pctile
Growth (G3→G5) · 27%
+10.4pp
↑ vs CA -2.9pp · 39th pctile
Met or exceeded · 20%
84.4%
↑ vs CA 42.7% · 82th pctile
Chronic absenteeism · 5%
8.3%
↑ vs CA 17.9% · 66th pctile
Suspension rate · 5%
0.6%
↑ vs CA 1.6% · 59th pctile
EL proficiency (ELPAC) · 5%
35.3%
↑ vs CA 18.0% · 74th pctile
02By grade & subgroupCAASPP 2024–25 · % of tested students
ELATestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 36562%14%11%14%75%+32
Grade 45981%10%3%5%92%+47
Grade 55664%27%7%2%91%+43
MathTestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 36755%22%12%10%78%+32
Grade 45980%8%5%7%88%+47
Grade 55872%10%14%3%83%+47
Science (CAST)TestedEXCMETNEARNOT
Grade 5/8/115944%39%15%2%

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
White6490.6%+6+29
Asian6191.8%+0+17
03Peer comparison · nearest elementary schoolssorted by Scope Score
SchoolDistScopeEXCMET+GrowthSusp
Lucille M. Nixon Elementary ←7769.1%84.4%+10.40.6%
Ohlone Elementary2.5 mi9366.4%88.1%+4.80.5%
Juana Briones Elementary1.5 mi8865.5%89.7%+3.00.2%
Gardner Bullis Elementary2.7 mi8763.0%84.5%+2.20.4%
California average4521.3%42.7%−2.91.6%
04More measurescontext · not all part of the Scope Score
YearScopePctileRankExcMet+AbsentSuspGrowth
20197795#26561.6%86.0%4.2%0.0%-6.9pp
20228198#9169.5%88.8%9.1%0.0%-9.9pp
20237897#18275.5%92.6%12.5%0.0%-13.1pp
20248298#9372.2%88.2%7.9%0.4%-0.8pp
20257796#21669.1%84.4%8.3%0.6%+10.4pp
NO STATEWIDE TESTING 2020–21 (COVID) · SCORE AND PERCENTILE ARE RELATIVE TO EACH YEAR'S FIELD
05Climate by student groupchronic absenteeism · 2019 vs 2025 — the two years CDE publishes at subgroup level
Group20192025Δ
Female4.5%8.7%+4.2pp
Male3.6%6.3%+2.7pp
Asian1.2%7.6%+6.4pp
Hispanic/Latino12.5%13.7%+1.2pp
Two or More Races5.2%3.6%-1.6pp
Students with Disabilities8.5%20.5%+12.0pp
English Learners1.1%6.7%+5.6pp
Socioeconomically Disadvantaged18.5%25.7%+7.2pp
All Students4.0%7.5%+3.5pp
Homeless66.7%
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