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School Profile · Cool

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

Northside posts 24.5% exceeding the standard — versus 21.6% 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.

860 Cave Valley Road, 95614 (opens in new tab)·Black Oak Mine Unified·Cool·Grades TK-6·283 students·29% low-income·2024–25 CAASPP·(530) 333-8355·Website
Scope Score
56
🌱 Building Momentum · Solid
ranked #1,233 statewide · #1 of 3 in Black Oak Mine Unified

Northside Elementary scores 56 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 76th 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 “53% proficient” and call it done. Northside deserves a closer read. The school sits in Cool, where one in four students qualify for free or reduced lunch — and reading the numbers without that context misreads the school.

Northside's low-income kids hit 50.0% proficiency in ELA — a number the same group reaches at 38.2% statewide. If you're trying to read past zip-code-driven test scores, that's the signal worth weighing.

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.

20%
27%
53%
Grade 3 · 47% proficient
22%
22%
56%
Grade 4 · 44% proficient
30%
38%
32%
Grade 5 · 68% proficient

The honest read: the share exceeding rises 9.7pp across grades; the floor rises 20.9pp. 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 5 things our score weighs

Exceeded standard
24.5%
State 21.6%
2.9pp above state avg
Met or exceeded
52.8%
State 42.9%
9.8pp above state avg
Growth (G3→G5)
+3.4pp
State -3.0pp
Scores improve across grades
Chronic absenteeism
9.9%
State 18.1%
8.2pp below state avg
Suspension rate
3.1%
State 1.7%
1.4pp 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.

Where the path goes

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

Estimated K-12 Path
Elementary
Northside Elementary
56
This school

Estimated K-12 path based on district and proximity. Actual attendance zones may differ. Contact your school district for official feeder information.

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.

The community around it

Community Profile
Context — not part of the Scope Score

Student demographics

Hispanic16.3%
White65.0%
Asian0.7%
Black0.3%
Other17.7%
GenderFemale 48.1%Male 51.9%
Resources & Access
Enrollment
283
197 below CA avg (~480)
Transitional Kindergarten
24 TK students
8% of a 311-student campus · CDE Census Day 2025-26
Free/Reduced Lunch
29%
35pp below CA avg (64%)
Student-Teacher Ratio
22:1
1 more students per teacher than CA avg
Per-Pupil Spending
$17,268
District avg: $12,062 · CA avg: $14,815 · School-level · CDE ESSA
Teacher Salary Range
$52,561 – $96,285
District schedule · CA median ~$98K
At Northside Elementary in Cool, 50.0% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 37.4% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Northside Elementary outperforms its district average for low-income students by 12.6 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (51.5% Math proficient); White students (54.7% ELA proficient). Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 22 students tested.
Equity Gaps
Absenteeism · Disabilities+5.2pp
15.1% vs 9.9% overall · n=53

Subgroups with fewer than 15 students are excluded for privacy. Gaps of less than 3 percentage points are not shown.

Subgroup Proficiency
Low-Income33 tested
ELA 50.0%·Math 51.5%· +12.6pp vs district
White96 tested
ELA 54.7%·Math 50.0%· +11.4pp 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.

Low-income student ELA proficiency falls by 9.1pp from grade 3 to grade 5 at this school. District average: +4.2pp.

Subgroups with fewer than 10 tested students per grade are not shown.

Funding Breakdown
Instruction 57%Support 39%Other 4%

Source: NCES F-33 (2019–2020) · Full district breakdown →

Neighborhood Context
Median Income
$133K
$48K above CA median
Median Home Value
$585K
$74K below CA median
Bachelor's+
36%
1pp above 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
9.6 years avg experience
14 teachers · 7% first-year · 7% second-year
Teacher Credentials
94% 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 nerds

Every number on this page

Score factors, grade-level breakdowns, subgroup proficiency, and peer comparisons.

01Score factorsWeighted composite · 2024–25
Exceeded standard · 43%
24.5%
↑ vs CA 21.6% · 53th pctile
Met or exceeded · 22%
52.8%
↑ vs CA 42.9% · 57th pctile
Growth (G3→G5) · 15%
+3.4pp
↑ vs CA -3.0pp · 79th pctile
Chronic absenteeism · 10%
9.9%
↑ vs CA 18.1% · 63th pctile
Suspension rate · 5%
3.1%
↓ vs CA 1.7% · 38th pctile
02By grade & subgroupCAASPP 2024–25 · % of tested students
ELATestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 33020%27%17%37%47%+3
Grade 44122%22%32%24%44%−1
Grade 53730%38%19%14%68%+20
Grade 62825%32%25%18%57%+11
MathTestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 33027%33%27%13%60%+14
Grade 44219%33%31%17%52%+11
Grade 53730%16%43%11%46%+11
Grade 62825%25%39%11%50%+15
Science (CAST)TestedEXCMETNEARNOT
Grade 5/8/113711%35%46%8%

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
Socioeconomically Disadvantaged2250.0%+13+12
White9554.7%+11−7
03Peer comparison · nearest elementary schoolssorted by Scope Score
SchoolDistScopeEXCMET+GrowthSusp
Northside Elementary ←5624.5%52.8%+3.43.1%
California average4421.6%42.9%−3.01.7%
04More measurescontext · not all part of the Scope Score
Scope Score history
50%56%'19'22'23'24'25
2019 · 2022 · 2023 · 2024 · 2025 · no testing 2020–21 (COVID) · rank #2411 → #1232 → #2033 → #2178 → #1233
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 Northside Elementary a good elementary school?
Northside Elementary has a Scope Score of 56 out of 100, placing it in the 76th percentile of California elementary schools and ranked #1,233 statewide. 24.5% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is 2.9 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 Northside Elementary's CAASPP test scores?
On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 52.8% of students at Northside Elementary met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 24.5% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 28.2% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 24.5% 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. 217 student-subject combinations were assessed.
How does Northside Elementary rank in California?
Northside Elementary ranks #1,233 among California elementary schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 76th 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 Northside Elementary getting better or worse?
Based on 2025 CAASPP data, proficiency at Northside Elementary increases by 3.4 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 Northside Elementary?
9.9% of students at Northside 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 3.1%. 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 Northside Elementary compare to other schools in Cool?
Northside Elementary scores 56/100 (76th 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 283 students. Use the schools in Cool page or the map view to compare all elementary schools nearby.
How does Northside Elementary serve low-income and underrepresented students?
At Northside Elementary in Cool, 50.0% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 37.4% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Northside Elementary outperforms its district average for low-income students by 12.6 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (51.5% Math proficient); White students (54.7% ELA proficient). Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 22 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.