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Public elementary school

McKinley Elementary

Petaluma, CA · Grades TK-6 · 368 students · Petaluma City Elementary

No single number tells this school's story. Here's the honest picture.

39% of tested students are Proficient or Advanced in English and 36% in math. Explore the evidence alongside the opportunities your child would use.

SchoolScope archetype

Building Momentum

What this means for your family

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.

How archetypes are assigned →

Math

36%

Grades 3 & 5 · Proficient or Advanced

English

39%

Grades 3 & 5 · Proficient or Advanced

Students

368

Total enrollment

Chronic absence

16%

Students absent 10% or more of school days

What are you trying to decide?

The overall score is a starting point.

Look at subject results, trends and student groups, then consider the opportunities your child would use.

View school performance →

Academic performance

What do the results tell us?

2025 results · Grades 3 & 5 · weighted by students tested within each subject.

Proficient or Advanced combines Levels 3 and 4, formerly Standard Met and Standard Exceeded. California changed the names for 2025–26; the cut scores did not. About the labels →

Share at Proficient or Advanced

0%25%50%75%100%2019: 74%2022: 48%2023: 37%2024: 39%2025: 36%2019: 70%2022: 48%2023: 43%2024: 41%2025: 39%201920222023202420250%25%50%75%100%2019: 74%2022: 48%2023: 37%2024: 39%2025: 36%2019: 70%2022: 48%2023: 43%2024: 41%2025: 39%20192022202320242025
● Math┄ English

Gaps in the lines mark years without annual results.

Exact annual results
YearMathEnglish
201974%70%
202248%48%
202337%43%
202439%41%
202536%39%

Each year describes that year’s tested students. Changes between years do not follow the same children over time. Cohort-growth evidence, when available, is labeled separately below.

Annual results and the full academic record
Is it getting better · CAASPP 2019 to 2025

Slipped from the 88th to the 40th percentile since 2019.

Most rating sites would stop at “37% proficient” and call it done. McKinley deserves a closer read. More than half of its students qualify for free or reduced lunch (California: 64%) — and reading the numbers without that context misreads the school.

221 tested · 3 of 3 grades published · cohort of 51 tracked

McKinley Elementary scores 32 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 40th percentile of 5,721 California elementary schools (CDE CAASPP 2025).

This school hasn't fully recovered from the pandemic: 37% meet the standard today, versus 71% in 2019 — a gap worth asking about on a visit.

Percentile among 5,721 elementary schools statewide
Year detailsYear2019 · 88th percentile · Scope Score 65 of 1002022 · 71st percentile · Scope Score 45 of 1002023 · 61st percentile · Scope Score 39 of 1002024 · 58th percentile · Scope Score 40 of 1002025 · 40th percentile · Scope Score 32 of 100
ShowHide the by-grade tables, year by year
ELA — % met or exceeded, by grade
Grade20192022202320242025
Grade 364%45%40%25%42%
Grade 472%43%44%38%33%
Grade 575%52%45%53%37%
Grade 672%75%53%55%48%
Math — % met or exceeded, by grade
Grade20192022202320242025
Grade 375%39%35%31%42%
Grade 467%50%43%42%38%
Grade 573%56%39%45%32%
Grade 659%62%52%60%44%
Where students land · CAASPP 2024–25

One in three of students here meet the standard. One in ten clear it by a lot.

ELA41% met or exceeded
Exceeded 19%Met 22%Nearly Met 25%Not Met 34%
Math39% met or exceeded
Exceeded 19%Met 20%Nearly Met 22%Not Met 39%
Exceeded Met Nearly Met Not Met
California elementary schools · average21% exceeded · 43% met or exceeded
This school against the California average
2019–2025 trend · CDE CAASPP
Scope% Exceeded% Met+Growth (2023 G3 → 2025 G5)AbsenceSuspension
This school3217%37%Below avg · p4015.9%1.3%
CA average · Elementary School3921%43%Average · p5017.9%1.6%
This schoolCA avg
Scope3239
% Exceeded17%21%
% Met+37%43%
Growth (2023 G3 → 2025 G5)Below avg · p40Average · p50
Absence15.9%17.9%
Suspension1.3%1.6%

Students & opportunity

Who shares in the school’s results?

Who it works for · CAASPP 2024–25

Low-income students here meet the ELA standard behind the same group statewide.

At McKinley Elementary in Petaluma, 16.0% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 25.4% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. McKinley Elementary trails its district average for low-income students by 9.4 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (17.6% Math proficient); Hispanic students (17.5% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 40.3 percentage points for english learner students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 106 students tested.

Low-income students here trail the state average for their group by 22 points in ELA — worth asking how the school is closing that gap.

Met or exceeded · reading and math combined
All students at this school: 40% met or exceeded
All StudentsAll Students: this school 40%, district —, state 43%40%
FemaleFemale: this school 39%, district 47%, state 44%39% · −0 vs school
MaleMale: this school 40%, district 43%, state 42%40% · +0 vs school
Socioeconomically DisadvantagedSocioeconomically Disadvantaged: this school 17%, district 25%, state 32%17% · −23 vs school
Hispanic/LatinoHispanic/Latino: this school 17%, district 21%, state 32%17% · −23 vs school
WhiteWhite: this school 61%, district 59%, state 56%61% · +21 vs school
English LearnersEnglish Learners: this school 0%, district 4%, state 11%0% · −40 vs school
Students with DisabilitiesStudents with Disabilities: this school 15%, district 18%, state 15%15% · −24 vs school

7 of 15 student groups here are too small to report — a privacy protection, not a gap.

this school district, same group California, same group
ShowHide Student-group results by grade
Student-group results by grade

Results compare different grade groups in the same year, relative to the lowest tested grade. They do not track the same children over time. Groups with fewer than 10 tested students per grade are not shown.

Low-income student ELA proficiency falls by 8.8pp from grade 3 to grade 5 at this school. District average: +8.4pp.

ShowHide California's growth model by student group

No student-group growth record is available for this school in this data release.

The daily experience

What is it like to be a student here?

Students per teacher

Student–teacher ratio is a schoolwide staffing measure, not an average class size.

The people teaching · CDE staffing 2024–25

About 25 students for every teacher here.

Context — never part of the Scope Score

Students per teacher25 · district 24
Teaching staff18 teachers
Avg. experience8.9 years
Fully credentialed97%
First-year teachers6%
PrincipalLatricia Donahue
Attendance & discipline · 2024–25

Kids here show up more, and get suspended less, than the state average.

TK/K students miss school at roughly one and a half times the rate of Grades 4–6 students (23.8% vs 14.7%). Chronic absence here concentrates in the earliest grades — worth asking how the school works with new families on attendance.

Chronic absenteeismChronic absenteeism: this school 15.9%, district 16.5%, state 17.9%15.9% · −2.0pp vs state
Suspension rateSuspension rate: this school 1.3%, district —, state 1.6%1.3% · −0.3pp vs state
This schoolDistrictCalifornia
ShowHide attendance by student group and by grade
Chronic absenteeism by grade band
Grades 4–614.7%
TK/K23.8%

Resources & neighborhood

What sits behind the school experience?

Explore school spending and the district budget
What gets spent

It spends $17,301 per student, more than the California average.

Context — never part of the Scope Score

$475 per student arrives as federal Title funding — a measure of concentrated need, not school quality.

Per-pupil spendingPer-pupil spending: $17,301, CA average $14,491$17,301 · spent at this school
Federal share$475 per student
This schoolCalifornia

Source: NCES F-33 · Full district breakdown →

The neighborhood · ACS 2024

More than half of students here qualify for free or reduced lunch, versus three in five statewide.

Context — never part of the Scope Score

Worth knowing

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

On the state's science test (CAST), 20% met or exceeded the standard — science is tested in grades 5 and 8 and once in high school, and it never enters the Scope Score.

Hispanic or Latino46.7% · district 35.4% · CA 56.1%
White34.2% · district 50.6% · CA 19.9%
Asian5.4% · district 3.0% · CA 10.2%
Black1.6% · district 0.9% · CA 4.8%
Other12.0% · district 10.1% · CA 9.0%
GenderFemale 48.6% · Male 50.8% · Non-binary 0.5%
Free or reduced lunch50.8% · CA 64%
Median income$117K · CA $85K
Median home value$1.04M · CA $659K
Bachelor's degree+47% · CA 35%
ZIP population33,785
Median age44 years

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

Culture & philosophy

What is the school’s approach?

School-stated approach · questions for your visit

Look beyond the brochure

A source-reviewed culture summary is not available for this profile yet. Ask how teaching, student support and family communication work day to day.

Read the school’s own website ↗

Family voices

What would you want another family to know about the daily experience here?

Ask a current family: “When your child needs help, how does the school respond?”

Educator voices

What should families understand about teaching, support and the school community?

Ask an educator: “How do you adapt a typical day for children with different needs?”

Bring these questions on a visit →

Compare nearby schools

What are the alternatives?

Compare schools serving the same grade stage. Private schools have no comparable state-test score.

2025 · elementary schools · combined reading and math measures. Percentiles compare schools within their enrollment group.

Private options →
SchoolTypePerformance bandAdvancedProficient or AdvancedDistanceSelect
McKinley ElementaryPublicDeveloping17%37%School being viewed
Sonoma Mountain ElementaryCharterStrong51%79%1.5 mi
Meadow ElementaryPublicStrong50%77%1.6 mi
Grant ElementaryPublicStrong43%72%1.6 mi
Open the comparison tool →
More nearby public and private options
Your other options

Your other options

Nearby public schools across grade levels, plus private options within 10 miles.

All schools in Petaluma →

Private schools do not receive a Scope Score or statewide ranking on SchoolScope.

6 private schools within 10 miles
Not scored
What should I check before applying?
District public
Confirm the attendance boundary and any permit options.
Charter
Check applications, priorities and deadlines with each school.
Private
Confirm admission requirements, tuition and financial aid.

Moving & enrollment

Which schools could serve my child?

Check your address with the district

School location and nearby schools do not establish attendance eligibility. Confirm boundaries and permit requirements with Petaluma City Elementary.

District information →School website →

Schools across the K–12 journey

Schools are grouped by grade stage. Nearby schools are not confirmed feeder links or address assignments. Verify the current path and eligibility with the district.

Plan your next step

What should I do next?

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.
Questions

Frequently asked questions

Is McKinley Elementary a good elementary school?
McKinley Elementary has a Scope Score of 32 out of 100, placing it in the 40th percentile of California elementary schools and ranked #3,428 statewide. 16.9% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is 4.5 percentage points below the California average of 21.4%. The Scope Score weights 6 dimensions for elementary schools: exceeded standard (42%), met or exceeded (proficient) (23%), grade 3-to-5 growth (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 McKinley Elementary's CAASPP test scores?
On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 37.3% of students at McKinley Elementary met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 16.9% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 20.4% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 16.9% went beyond it. Most rating sites report only the combined "proficient" number. SchoolScope surfaces the exceeded-vs-met split because it shows how many students go beyond the standard rather than only meeting it. 317 student-subject combinations were assessed.
How does McKinley Elementary rank in California?
McKinley Elementary ranks #3,428 among California elementary schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 40th percentile. This ranking is based on a weighted composite of 2025 CAASPP test performance (exceeded and met rates), same-cohort growth (2023 G3 → 2025 G5), 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 McKinley Elementary getting better or worse?
SchoolScope follows the same cohort of students across grades rather than comparing two different grades in the same year. At McKinley Elementary that cohort is 2023 G3 → 2025 G5, measured in SBAC scale-score points. Its gain ranks below avg among California elementary schools — roughly the 40th percentile, behind the typical school at this level. Read the ranking, not the raw point gain: scale scores rise with age, so nearly every school posts a positive number and only the relative position tells you anything. Growth is weighted at 20% in the elementary Scope Score because it is the least demographically confounded signal available — it tracks change over time rather than the level students arrived at. See full methodology.
What is the attendance and school culture like at McKinley Elementary?
15.9% of students at McKinley 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 1.3%, 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 McKinley Elementary compare to other schools in Petaluma?
McKinley Elementary scores 32/100 (40th 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 368 students. Use the schools in Petaluma page or the map view to compare all elementary schools nearby.
How does McKinley Elementary serve low-income and underrepresented students?
At McKinley Elementary in Petaluma, 16.0% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 25.4% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. McKinley Elementary trails its district average for low-income students by 9.4 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (17.6% Math proficient); Hispanic students (17.5% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 40.3 percentage points for english learner students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 106 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.

Use the published evidence to prepare questions, then verify fit and access with the school.

Behind the evidence

Inspect the full record

Public sources, visible methods and the underlying school record. Source years and limitations stay attached to the evidence.

How the Scope Score is calculated

On a narrow screen, scroll the table sideways to see the state comparison and weights.

What the score weighs · CAASPP 2024–25

The 6 things our score weighs

The school's returning cohort — mostly, not exactly, the same kids two years on — gained 69 scale-score points across the span. Almost every school gains points, so we rank the gain against every other California school in this level.

What the score weighs
What we weighHereStateWeight
Exceeded standard16.9%21.4%42%
Met or exceeded37.3%42.7%23%
Growth (2023 G3 → 2025 G5)Below avgaverage20%
Chronic absenteeism15.9%17.9%5%
Suspension rate1.3%1.6%5%
EL proficiency (ELPAC)11.2%18.0%5%

Source CAASPP 2025 · California Department of Education. Measures test performance, attendance, and climate — not arts, community, or your kid. How the score is built

A closer look at the evidence

McKinley Elementary: reading the evidence

McKinley posts 37% meeting the standard and 16.9% exceeding it, against 43% and 21.4% statewide. The gaps and the bright spots below are the real read.

Subject proficiency describes tested students, while graduation describes a graduating cohort. These figures are not successive stages followed by the same students.

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.

Explore the underlying data →
Every number: score factors, grades, student groups and downloads
Every number · For the data nerds

Every number on this page

Score factors, grade-level breakdowns, subgroup proficiency, and nearest schools.

McKinley Elementary is ranked #3,428 statewide · #4 of 6 in Petaluma City Elementary.

01Score factorsWeighted composite · 2024–25
Score factors
FactorSchoolStateWeight
Exceeded standard16.9%21.4%42%
Met or exceeded37.3%42.7%23%
Growth (2023 G3 → 2025 G5)Below avgaverage20%
Chronic absenteeism15.9%17.9%5%
Suspension rate1.3%1.6%5%
EL proficiency (ELPAC)11.2%18.0%5%
Exceeded standard
↓ vs CA 21.4% · index 46 · 50 = CA elementary-school midpoint
Met or exceeded
↓ vs CA 42.7% · index 46 · 50 = CA elementary-school midpoint
Growth (2023 G3 → 2025 G5)
↓ vs CA average · 40th pctile
Chronic absenteeism
↑ vs CA 17.9% · index 53 · 50 = CA elementary-school midpoint · ▲ 0.2pp higher vs 2024
Suspension rate
↑ vs CA 1.6% · index 52 · 50 = CA elementary-school midpoint · ▲ 0.3pp higher vs 2024
EL proficiency (ELPAC)
↓ vs CA 18.0% · index 42 · 50 = CA elementary-school midpoint
02By grade & subgroupCAASPP 2024–25 · % of tested students
ShowHide table 02 — By grade & subgroup
ELATestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 35325%17%32%26%42%−2
Grade 44518%16%24%42%33%−11
Grade 55914%24%22%41%37%−10
Grade 66419%30%22%30%48%+2
MathTestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 35315%26%32%26%42%−4
Grade 44717%21%32%30%38%−3
Grade 56013%18%8%60%32%−3
Grade 66428%16%19%38%44%+9

We show the grade rows CDE publishes for this school. A missing grade or dash can mean the school does not serve that grade, that we hold no valid result for it, or that the tested group was too small to report. It does not mean zero.

Science (CAST)TestedEXCMETNEARNOT
Schoolwide603%17%48%32%

CAST is tested in grades 5 and 8, then once in grade 10, 11, or 12. This row is the school's all-student aggregate. Not part of the Scope Score.

Subgroup · ELATestedMET+vs districtvs CA
Socioeconomically Disadvantaged10616.0%−9−22
Hispanic/Latino10317.5%−5−21
White7360.3%+1−2
03Nearest elementary schoolssorted by Scope Score · Grade gap = grade 3 vs grade 5, this year, different students; Cohort growth = one school's returning cohort tracked across grades (mostly, not exactly, the same kids), in scale-score points — that's the measurement the Scope Score weights
SchoolDistScopeEXCMET+Grade gapCohort growthSusp
McKinley Elementary ←—3216.9%37.3%−7.0pp+69 pts1.3%
Sonoma Mountain Elementary1.5 mi6650.7%79.5%−14.5pp—0.1%
Meadow Elementary1.6 mi6550.4%76.5%−15.3pp—0.6%
Grant Elementary1.6 mi5542.9%72.2%−10.3pp—1.5%
California average—3921.4%42.7%−2.9pp—1.6%
04More measurescontext · not all part of the Scope Score
ShowHide table 04 — More measures
YearScopePctileRankExcMet+AbsentSuspGrade gap
20196588#67146.1%71.0%6.6%2.2%+4.5pp
20224571#164225.1%47.5%24.0%0.4%+11.9pp
20233961#219820.3%41.2%22.8%1.1%+4.7pp
20244058#237615.6%39.0%15.7%1.1%+21.1pp
20253240#342816.9%37.3%15.9%1.3%-7.0pp
Grade gap = this year's grade 3 vs grade 5 result, two different sets of students, not a trend for any one child — it is not the measurement the Scope Score's growth dimension uses. See §01 above and /methodology#verdicts for the school's actual scored (cohort) growth.
NO STATEWIDE TESTING 2020–21 (COVID) · SCORE AND PERCENTILE ARE RELATIVE TO EACH YEAR'S FIELD
What we can't show
  • — Low-income students here trail the state average for their group by 22 points in ELA — worth asking how the school is closing that gap.
05Climate by student groupchronic absenteeism · 2019 vs 2025 — the two years CDE publishes at subgroup level
ShowHide table 05 — Climate by student group
Group20192025Δ
Female3.4%15.6%+12.2pp
Male8.8%15.4%+6.6pp
Hispanic/Latino7.6%21.8%+14.2pp
White4.2%12.8%+8.6pp
Students with Disabilities16.0%11.1%-4.9pp
English Learners5.8%16.0%+10.2pp
Socioeconomically Disadvantaged8.1%20.0%+11.9pp
All Students6.1%15.7%+9.6pp
Asian—4.8%—
Two or More Races—6.7%—
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EXC = exceeded standard · MET+ = met or exceeded ("proficient") · Source: CA Dept. of Education · CAASPP 2024–25 · n=5,721 elementary schools · Vintages: climate subgroups 2019+2025 · district finance per its label · ACS 2022 · Data updated 2026-09-18

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

McKinley Elementary

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