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Mountain Elementary · Soquel

Mountain Elementary: Most kids here clear the bar, year after year. The question is what happens after that.

Mountain posts 65% meeting the standard, and 31.2% going well past it. Most kids here keep up. Fewer get pushed further. Ask the school what it does for a child who already finds the work easy.

3042 Old San Jose Road, 95073 (opens in new tab)·Mountain Elementary·Soquel·Grades TK-6·143 students·15% low-income·2024–25 CAASPP·(831) 475-6812·Website
2019–2025 trend · CDE CAASPP
This schoolCA avg
Scope6445
% Exceeded31%21%
% Met+65%43%
Growth-12.3-2.9
Absence11.9%17.9%
Suspension0.3%1.6%
Scope Score
64
🏫 Solid Base · Solid
ranked #781 statewide

Mountain Elementary scores 64 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 86th 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 →

🏫 Solid Base — Ask what the school does for a kid who's already meeting the standard with room to spare — steady proficiency across the board doesn't tell you whether the strongest kids are being pushed further.

CDE CAASPP 2025

Most rating sites would stop at “65% proficient” and call it done. Mountain deserves a closer read. It sits at the 86th percentile of 5,744 California elementary schools — but the ranking is the least interesting thing on this page.

The seven-year arc

Percentile among 5,744 elementary schools statewide

Climbed from the 73rd to the 86th percentile since 2019 — past roughly 700 elementary schools.

CA Dashboard
ELABlue(Increased Significantly)MathYellow(Declined Significantly)

Proficiency here is back to its pre-pandemic level — 65% meet the standard, about where the school stood in 2019.

ELA — % met or exceeded, by grade
Grade20192022202320242025
Grade 365%48%63%61%79%
Grade 481%56%44%59%57%
Grade 556%59%55%35%72%
Grade 656%86%88%77%—
Math — % met or exceeded, by grade
Grade20192022202320242025
Grade 374%57%47%63%79%
Grade 475%61%52%41%43%
Grade 544%59%60%71%61%
Grade 656%71%69%85%—

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.

37%
42%
21%
Grade 3 · 79% proficient
33%
24%
43%
Grade 4 · 57% proficient
33%
39%
28%
Grade 5 · 72% proficient

The honest read: the share exceeding falls 3.5pp across grades; the floor slips 6.7pp. The state average rises 4.5pp over the same span. A school visit and conversation with teachers will tell you more than this number.

The 5 things our score weighs

Exceeded standard
31.2%
State 21.3%
9.9pp above state avg
Growth (G3→G5)
-12.3pp
State -2.9pp
Scores decline across grades
Met or exceeded
65.2%
State 42.7%
22.6pp above state avg
Chronic absenteeism
11.9%
State 17.9%
6.0pp below state avg
Suspension rate
0.3%
State 1.6%
1.3pp 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.

  • 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.

How every group of students does here

At Mountain Elementary in Soquel, 77.8% of white students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 77.8% district-wide and 61.8% statewide. Mountain Elementary outperforms its district average for white students by 0.0 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: White students (66.7% Math proficient). Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 36 students tested.

All students at this school: 65% met or exceeded
All StudentsAll Students: this school 65%, district —, state 43%65%
WhiteWhite: this school 72%, district 72%, state 56%72% · +8 vs school
MaleMale: this school 82%, district 82%, state 42%82% · +17 vs school
FemaleFemale: this school 42%, district 42%, state 44%42% · −23 vs school

7 of 11 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 11.9%, district 11.9%, state 17.9%11.9% · −6.0pp vs state
Suspension rateSuspension rate: this school 0.3%, district —, state 1.6%0.3% · −1.3pp vs state

Grades 4–6 students miss school at roughly three times the rate of TK/K students (16.7% vs 5.6%). Chronic absence here concentrates in the upper grades.

Chronic absenteeism by grade band
Grades 4–616.7%
TK/K5.6%

The people teaching here

Context — never part of the Scope Score
Student : teacherStudent to teacher ratio: this school 18:1, district 18:118:1
Teaching staff13 teachers
Avg. experience10.1 years
Fully credentialed95%
First-year teachers23%
Salary Schedule
Teacher salary schedule$49,952 – $114,288
Principal salary$0 – $0
Superintendent salary$160,385

Pay is set by the district, not the school.

What gets spent here

Per-pupil spendingPer-pupil spending: $38,274, CA average $14,815$38,274 · spent at this school
Federal share$878 per student

$878 per student arrives as federal Title funding — a measure of concentrated need, not school quality.

District current expense · FY 2024–25$20,100 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
Instruction67%
Instruction support17%
Student services3%
Administration7%
Buildings & maintenance6%

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$13,692 per pupil
2019$11,575 per pupil
2018$12,336 per pupil
2017$12,748 per pupil
2016$13,153 per pupil

Source: NCES F-33 · Full district breakdown →

The neighborhood it serves

White67.8%
District 67.8% · CA 19.9%
Hispanic18.2%
District 18.2% · CA 56.1%
Other9.1%
District 9.1% · CA 9.0%
Asian4.2%
District 4.2% · CA 10.2%
Black0.7%
District 0.7% · CA 4.8%
Low IncomeFree/reduced lunch eligible 14.7% (49pp below CA avg)
Neighborhood — American Community Survey
Median income$118K · CA $85K
Median home value$1.06M · CA $659K
Bachelor's degree+48% · CA 35%
ZIP population11,639
Median age43 years

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

Worth Knowing

At 143 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), 61% met or exceeded the standard — science is tested in grades 5 and 8 but never enters the Scope Score.

Frequently asked questions

Is Mountain Elementary a good elementary school?

Mountain Elementary has a Scope Score of 64 out of 100, placing it in the 86th percentile of California elementary schools and ranked #781 statewide. 31.2% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is 9.9 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 Mountain Elementary's CAASPP test scores?

On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 65.2% of students at Mountain Elementary met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 31.2% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 34.0% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 31.2% 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. 116 student-subject combinations were assessed.

How does Mountain Elementary rank in California?

Mountain Elementary ranks #781 among California elementary schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 86th 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 Mountain Elementary getting better or worse?

Based on 2025 CAASPP data, proficiency at Mountain Elementary decreases by 12.3 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 Mountain Elementary?

11.9% of students at Mountain 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 0.3%, 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 Mountain Elementary compare to other schools in Soquel?

Mountain Elementary scores 64/100 (86th 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 143 students. Use the schools in Soquel page or the map view to compare all elementary schools nearby.

How does Mountain Elementary serve low-income and underrepresented students?

At Mountain Elementary in Soquel, 77.8% of white students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 77.8% district-wide and 61.8% statewide. Mountain Elementary outperforms its district average for white students by 0.0 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: White students (66.7% Math proficient). Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 36 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

All schools in Soquel →

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%
31.2%
↑ vs CA 21.3% · 60th pctile
Growth (G3→G5) · 27%
-12.3pp
↓ vs CA -2.9pp · 68th pctile
Met or exceeded · 20%
65.2%
↑ vs CA 42.7% · 67th pctile
Chronic absenteeism · 5%
11.9%
↑ vs CA 17.9% · 60th pctile
Suspension rate · 5%
0.3%
↑ vs CA 1.6% · 61th pctile
02By grade & subgroupCAASPP 2024–25 · % of tested students
ELATestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 31937%42%16%5%79%+36
Grade 42133%24%10%33%57%+12
Grade 51833%39%11%17%72%+24
Grade 66——————
MathTestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 31921%58%16%5%79%+33
Grade 42124%19%48%10%43%+1
Grade 51839%22%17%22%61%+26
Grade 66——————
Science (CAST)TestedEXCMETNEARNOT
Grade 5/8/111828%33%39%0%

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
White3677.8%+0+16
03Peer comparison · nearest elementary schoolssorted by Scope Score
SchoolDistScopeEXCMET+GrowthSusp
Mountain Elementary ←—6431.2%65.2%−12.30.3%
Main Street Elementary2.4 mi5426.3%51.0%+5.40.4%
Santa Cruz Gardens Elementary2.2 mi5220.1%43.1%+2.40.6%
California average—4521.3%42.7%−2.91.6%
04More measurescontext · not all part of the Scope Score
YearScopePctileRankExcMet+AbsentSuspGrowth
20195473#151138.5%65.9%4.4%1.3%-19.6pp
20225077#133226.1%56.5%24.6%0.1%+6.9pp
20235073#156421.0%53.6%—0.1%+2.2pp
20244865#199126.8%54.9%19.8%0.3%-8.8pp
20256486#78131.2%65.2%11.9%0.3%-12.3pp
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
Female2.9%3.3%+0.4pp
Male5.1%15.1%+10.0pp
Hispanic/Latino0.0%11.5%+11.5pp
Students with Disabilities6.7%16.0%+9.3pp
Socioeconomically Disadvantaged4.8%14.3%+9.5pp
All Students4.0%10.3%+6.3pp
Two or More Races—7.1%—
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

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