School Profile · East Nicolaus
Marcum-Illinois Union Elementary: Most kids here clear the bar, year after year. The question is what happens after that.
Marcum-Illinois Union posts 65% meeting the standard; 34.5% push past it. Steady is worth something — and the gap between those two numbers is the thing to ask about.
2452 El Centro Boulevard, 95659 (opens in new tab)·Marcum-Illinois Union Elementary·East Nicolaus·Grades TK-8·179 students·30% low-income·2024–25 CAASPP·(530) 656-2407·Website
Scope Score
58
🏫 Solid Base · Solid
ranked #1,100 statewide
Marcum-Illinois Union Elementary scores 58 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 79th percentile of 5,230 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 “65% proficient” and call it done. Marcum-Illinois Union deserves a closer read. The school sits in East Nicolaus, where one in four students qualify for free or reduced lunch — and reading the numbers without that context misreads the school.
The headline number: 7.2% chronic absenteeism — versus 18.1% statewide. Attendance is the quietest strong signal a school can post.
The 6 things our score weighs
Exceeded standard
34.5%
State 21.6%
12.9pp above state avg
Met or exceeded
65.5%
State 42.9%
22.5pp above state avg
Growth (G3→G5)
-22.1pp
State -3.0pp
Scores decline across grades
Chronic absenteeism
7.2%
State 18.1%
10.9pp below state avg
Suspension rate
1.2%
State 1.7%
0.4pp below state avg
EL proficiency (ELPAC)
9.1%
State 18.0%
8.9pp below state avg
Worth a school visit
Ask how the school challenges kids who clear the standard early. The gap between meeting and exceeding is where pacing shows.
Where the path goes
The path below follows attendance boundaries — scores shown for each next step.
Your other options
The community around it
Community Profile
Context — not part of the Scope ScoreStudent demographics
Hispanic27.4%
White63.1%
Asian1.7%
Other7.8%
GenderFemale 59.8%Male 40.2%
Resources & Access
Enrollment
179
441 below CA avg (~620)
Transitional Kindergarten
19 TK students
10% of a 193-student campus · CDE Census Day 2025-26
Free/Reduced Lunch
30%
34pp below CA avg (64%)
Student-Teacher Ratio
18:1
3 fewer students per teacher than CA avg
Per-Pupil Spending
$18,379
District avg: $14,210 · CA avg: $14,815 · School-level · CDE ESSA
EL Proficiency (ELPAC)
9.1% Level 4
Share of English Learners reaching full proficiency
Teacher Salary Range
$51,145 – $83,860
District schedule · CA median ~$98K
At Marcum-Illinois Union Elementary in East Nicolaus, 65.4% of white students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 65.4% district-wide and 61.8% statewide. Marcum-Illinois Union Elementary outperforms its district average for white students by 0.0 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: White students (61.5% Math proficient). Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 52 students tested.
Equity Gaps
Suspension · Disabilities+5.1pp
6.3% vs 1.2% overall · n=32
Subgroups with fewer than 15 students are excluded for privacy. Gaps of less than 3 percentage points are not shown.
Subgroup Proficiency
White52 tested
ELA 65.4%·Math 61.5%· +0.0pp 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.
Subgroups with fewer than 10 tested students per grade are not shown.
Funding Breakdown
Neighborhood Context
Median Income
$69K
$16K below CA median
Median Home Value
$537K
$122K below CA median
Bachelor's+
23%
12pp 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
11.0 years avg experience
10 teachers · 20% second-year
Teacher Credentials
90% 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 →
For the data nerdsEvery number on this page
Score factors, grade-level breakdowns, subgroup proficiency, and peer comparisons.
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 · 43%
34.5%
↑ vs CA 21.6% · 62th pctile
Met or exceeded · 22%
65.5%
↑ vs CA 42.9% · 67th pctile
Growth (G3→G5) · 15%
-22.1pp
↓ vs CA -3.0pp · 47th pctile
Chronic absenteeism · 10%
7.2%
↑ vs CA 18.1% · 68th pctile
Suspension rate · 5%
1.2%
↑ vs CA 1.7% · 53th pctile
EL proficiency (ELPAC) · 5%
9.1%
↓ vs CA 18.0% · 41th pctile
02By grade & subgroupCAASPP 2024–25 · % of tested students
| ELA | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT | MET+ | +/CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 3 | 14 | 50% | 29% | 14% | 7% | 79% | +35 |
| Grade 4 | 19 | 21% | 42% | 16% | 21% | 63% | +18 |
| Grade 5 | 17 | 41% | 12% | 18% | 29% | 53% | +5 |
| Grade 6 | 18 | 6% | 56% | 28% | 11% | 61% | +15 |
| Grade 7 | 19 | 32% | 42% | 11% | 16% | 74% | +26 |
| Grade 8 | 23 | 17% | 43% | 9% | 30% | 61% | +15 |
| Math | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT | MET+ | +/CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 3 | 14 | 29% | 43% | 14% | 14% | 71% | +26 |
| Grade 4 | 19 | 37% | 37% | 16% | 11% | 74% | +32 |
| Grade 5 | 17 | 29% | 24% | 24% | 24% | 53% | +18 |
| Grade 6 | 18 | 17% | 50% | 28% | 6% | 67% | +32 |
| Grade 7 | 19 | 42% | 16% | 37% | 5% | 58% | +24 |
| Grade 8 | 23 | 26% | 26% | 22% | 26% | 52% | +20 |
| Science (CAST) | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 5/8/11 | 40 | 20% | 25% | 45% | 10% |
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 | 52 | 65.4% | +0 | +4 |
03Peer comparison · nearest elementary schoolssorted by Scope Score
| School | Dist | Scope | EXC | MET+ | Growth | Susp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marcum-Illinois Union Elementary ← | — | 58 | 34.5% | 65.5% | −22.1 | 1.2% |
| Pleasant Grove | 1.6 mi | 47 | 20.9% | 43.4% | +43.9 | 4.4% |
| California average | — | 44 | 21.6% | 42.9% | −3.0 | 1.7% |
04More measurescontext · not all part of the Scope Score
Scope Score history
2019 · 2022 · 2023 · 2024 · 2025 · no testing 2020–21 (COVID) · rank #535 → #1789 → #1447 → #1425 → #1100
What we can't show
- — Scored here as an elementary school — other grade spans appear in the data appendix.
Source: CA Dept. of Education · CAASPP 2024–25 · n=5,230 elementary schools · Data updated 2026-07-03methodology · data updates · CSV · report issue
Frequently asked questions
Is Marcum-Illinois Union Elementary a good elementary school?
Marcum-Illinois Union Elementary has a Scope Score of 58 out of 100, placing it in the 79th percentile of California elementary schools and ranked #1,100 statewide. 34.5% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is 12.9 percentage points above the California average of 21.6%. 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 Marcum-Illinois Union Elementary's CAASPP test scores?
On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 65.5% of students at Marcum-Illinois Union Elementary met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 34.5% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 30.9% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 34.5% 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. 100 student-subject combinations were assessed.
How does Marcum-Illinois Union Elementary rank in California?
Marcum-Illinois Union Elementary ranks #1,100 among California elementary schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 79th 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 Marcum-Illinois Union Elementary getting better or worse?
Based on 2025 CAASPP data, proficiency at Marcum-Illinois Union Elementary decreases by 22.1 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 Marcum-Illinois Union Elementary?
7.2% of students at Marcum-Illinois Union Elementary are chronically absent (missing 10% or more of school days), which is better than the California average of 18.1%. The suspension rate is 1.2%, 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 Marcum-Illinois Union Elementary compare to other schools in East Nicolaus?
Marcum-Illinois Union Elementary scores 58/100 (79th 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 179 students. Use the schools in East Nicolaus page or the map view to compare all elementary schools nearby.
How does Marcum-Illinois Union Elementary serve low-income and underrepresented students?
At Marcum-Illinois Union Elementary in East Nicolaus, 65.4% of white students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 65.4% district-wide and 61.8% statewide. Marcum-Illinois Union Elementary outperforms its district average for white students by 0.0 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: White students (61.5% Math proficient). Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 52 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.