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Magnolia Union Elementary · Brawley

Magnolia Union Elementary: No single number tells this school's story. Here's the honest picture.

Magnolia Union posts 37% meeting the standard and 14.2% exceeding it, against 43% and 21.3% statewide. The gaps and the bright spots below are the real read.

4502 Casey Road, 92227 (opens in new tab)·Magnolia Union Elementary·Brawley·Grades TK-8·128 students·13% low-income·2024–25 CAASPP·(760) 344-2494·Website
2019–2025 trend · CDE CAASPP
This schoolCA avg
Scope3545
% Exceeded14%21%
% Met+37%43%
Growth-5.6-2.9
Absence6.4%17.9%
Suspension2.1%1.6%
Scope Score
35
🌱 Building Momentum · Developing
ranked #3,979 statewide

Magnolia Union Elementary scores 35 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 31st 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 “37% proficient” and call it done. Magnolia Union deserves a closer read. It sits at the 31st percentile of 5,744 California elementary schools — but the ranking is the least interesting thing on this page.

The headline number: 6.4% chronic absenteeism — versus 17.9% statewide. Attendance is the quietest strong signal a school can post.

The seven-year arc

Percentile among 5,744 elementary schools statewide

Slipped from the 73rd to the 31st percentile since 2019.

CA Dashboard
ELABlue(Increased Significantly)MathGreen(Increased Significantly)

This school hasn't fully recovered from the pandemic: 37% meet the standard today, versus 51% in 2019 — a gap worth asking about on a visit.

ELA — % met or exceeded, by grade
Grade20192022202320242025
Grade 360%73%44%25%46%
Grade 438%36%44%40%
Grade 563%36%50%40%
Grade 660%36%47%
Grade 787%38%53%
Math — % met or exceeded, by grade
Grade20192022202320242025
Grade 347%55%61%18%38%
Grade 446%64%47%27%
Grade 550%45%25%33%
Grade 657%18%47%
Grade 780%31%20%

The 6 things our score weighs

Exceeded standard
14.2%
State 21.3%
7.1pp below state avg
Growth (G3→G5)
-5.6pp
State -2.9pp
Scores decline across grades
Met or exceeded
37.4%
State 42.7%
5.2pp below state avg
Chronic absenteeism
6.4%
State 17.9%
11.6pp below state avg
Suspension rate
2.1%
State 1.6%
0.5pp above state avg
EL proficiency (ELPAC)
0.0%
State 18.0%
18.0pp below 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 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.

Showing up, and staying in class

Chronic absenteeismChronic absenteeism: this school 6.4%, district 6.4%, state 17.9%6.4% · −11.6pp vs state
Suspension rateSuspension rate: this school 2.1%, district —, state 1.6%2.1% · +0.5pp vs state
Chronic absenteeism by grade band
Grades 4–67.1%
Grades 7–80.0%
TK/K0.0%

The people teaching here

Context — never part of the Scope Score
Student : teacherStudent to teacher ratio: this school 21:1, district 21:121:1
Teaching staff7 teachers
Avg. experience16.9 years
Fully credentialed76%
First-year teachers14%
Salary Schedule
Teacher salary schedule$48,348 – $122,963
Principal salary$0 – $0
Superintendent salary$155,000

Pay is set by the district, not the school.

What gets spent here

Per-pupil spendingPer-pupil spending: $14,165, CA average $14,815$14,165 · spent at this school
Federal share$707 per student

$707 per student arrives as federal Title funding — a measure of concentrated need, not school quality.

District current expense · FY 2024–25$15,607 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
Instruction64%
Instruction support7%
Student services6%
Administration15%
Buildings & maintenance8%

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$11,440 per pupil
2019$11,038 per pupil
2018$10,262 per pupil
2017$10,789 per pupil
2016$9,904 per pupil

Source: NCES F-33 · Full district breakdown →

The neighborhood it serves

Hispanic56.3%
District 56.3% · CA 56.1%
White43.8%
District 43.8% · CA 19.9%
Low IncomeFree/reduced lunch eligible 13.3% (51pp below CA avg)
Neighborhood — American Community Survey
Median income$59K · CA $85K
Median home value$292K · CA $659K
Bachelor's degree+16% · CA 35%
ZIP population28,315
Median age31 years

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

Worth Knowing

At 128 students, this school is much smaller than the typical California elementary school (≈480).

Transitional kindergarten is offered here — confirmed by actual Census Day enrollment, not just the listed grade span.

On the state's science test (CAST), 24% met or exceeded the standard — science is tested in grades 5 and 8 but never enters the Scope Score.

Frequently asked questions

Is Magnolia Union Elementary a good elementary school?

Magnolia Union Elementary has a Scope Score of 35 out of 100, placing it in the 31st percentile of California elementary schools and ranked #3,979 statewide. 14.2% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is 7.1 percentage points below 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 Magnolia Union Elementary's CAASPP test scores?

On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 37.4% of students at Magnolia Union Elementary met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 14.2% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 23.3% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 14.2% 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. 86 student-subject combinations were assessed.

How does Magnolia Union Elementary rank in California?

Magnolia Union Elementary ranks #3,979 among California elementary schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 31st 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 Magnolia Union Elementary getting better or worse?

Based on 2025 CAASPP data, proficiency at Magnolia Union Elementary decreases by 5.6 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 Magnolia Union Elementary?

6.4% of students at Magnolia Union 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 2.1%. 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 Magnolia Union Elementary compare to other schools in Brawley?

Magnolia Union Elementary scores 35/100 (31st 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 128 students. Use the schools in Brawley page or the map view to compare all elementary schools nearby.

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%
14.2%
↓ vs CA 21.3% · 43th pctile
Growth (G3→G5) · 27%
-5.6pp
↓ vs CA -2.9pp · 38th pctile
Met or exceeded · 20%
37.4%
↓ vs CA 42.7% · 46th pctile
Chronic absenteeism · 5%
6.4%
↑ vs CA 17.9% · 69th pctile
Suspension rate · 5%
2.1%
↓ vs CA 1.6% · 46th pctile
EL proficiency (ELPAC) · 5%
0.0%
↓ vs CA 18.0% · 31th pctile
02By grade & subgroupCAASPP 2024–25 · % of tested students
ELATestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 31331%15%31%23%46%+3
Grade 4157%33%13%47%40%−5
Grade 51527%13%27%33%40%−8
Grade 610
Grade 71513%40%33%13%53%+6
Grade 810
MathTestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 3138%31%38%23%38%−7
Grade 4157%20%40%33%27%−15
Grade 5157%27%47%20%33%−2
Grade 610
Grade 7157%13%40%40%20%−14
Grade 810
Science (CAST)TestedEXCMETNEARNOT
Grade 5/8/11258%16%64%12%

CAST is tested in grades 5, 8, and once in high school — not annually. Not part of the Scope Score.

03Peer comparison · nearest elementary schoolssorted by Scope Score
SchoolDistScopeEXCMET+GrowthSusp
Magnolia Union Elementary ←3514.2%37.4%−5.62.1%
California average4521.3%42.7%−2.91.6%
04More measurescontext · not all part of the Scope Score
YearScopePctileRankExcMet+AbsentSuspGrowth
20195473#148525.1%50.6%1.9%0.1%+2.9pp
20224366#194322.7%52.3%9.9%0.1%-22.7pp
20233950#287319.6%46.8%0.1%-15.3pp
20243533#385910.0%33.4%10.9%1.7%
20253531#397914.2%37.4%6.4%2.1%-5.6pp
NO STATEWIDE TESTING 2020–21 (COVID) · SCORE AND PERCENTILE ARE RELATIVE TO EACH YEAR'S FIELD
What we can't show
  • — Subgroup results are suppressed for small student counts (fewer than 15 tested), following CDE privacy rules.
  • — 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
Female0.0%2.7%+2.7pp
Male2.5%1.7%-0.8pp
Hispanic/Latino1.7%1.3%-0.4pp
Students with Disabilities0.0%0.0%+0.0pp
Socioeconomically Disadvantaged0.0%4.5%+4.5pp
All Students1.4%2.3%+0.9pp
English Learners5.6%
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