How does Pacific Union Elementary compare to other elementary schools in Arcata?

Pacific Union Elementary has a SchoolScope composite score of 43.7/100, placing it at the 50th percentile statewide. 15% of students exceed standard, with a total of 1,296 students tested across grades and subjects.

What percentage of students exceed standards at Pacific Union Elementary?

15.5% of students at Pacific Union Elementary exceed the state standard on CAASPP assessments, while 43.3% meet or exceed it. The gap between these two numbers reveals whether the school pushes students beyond basic proficiency.

Is Pacific Union Elementary improving or declining?

Pacific Union Elementary's proficiency rate decreases by 0.5 percentage points from grade 3 to grade 5, suggesting the school is not sustaining early academic gains.

What is the chronic absenteeism rate at Pacific Union Elementary?

23.6% of students at Pacific Union Elementary are chronically absent (missing 10% or more of school days). This metric reflects school culture and family engagement, and is weighted at 15% in our composite score.

Pacific Union Elementary

Pacific Union Elementary Arcata Humboldt County 95521

Composite Score

out of 100

State Percentile

of elementary schools

State Rank

1,296 students tested

School overview

Enrollment

529 students

Student-Teacher Ratio

18:1

Free/Reduced Lunch

57%

Teachers

29 full-time

Student demographics

Hispanic 27.2%

White 50.9%

Asian 1.1%

Black 2.5%

Other 18.3%

Performance breakdown

Performance breakdown for Pacific Union Elementary
Category	Percentage
Exceeded Standard	15.5%
Met Standard	27.8%
Below Standard	56.7%

Exceeded

15.5%

Met

27.8%

Below

56.7%

What other rankings don't show you

Most rating sites report "43% proficient" for Pacific Union Elementary and stop there. Here's what that number hides:

15.5% of students exceeded standard while 27.8% merely met it. That exceeded rate is 5.5 points below the state average of 21.0%. That's near the Pacific Union Elementary district average of 13.9%. Compared to the 1 nearby schools within ~3 miles, this exceeded rate is 7.0 points higher (vs 8.5% average). The gap between "met" and "exceeded" is the difference between a school that clears the bar and one that raises it.

Proficiency drops by 0.5 percentage points from grade 3 to grade 5 — a signal that the school may not be sustaining early gains.

Chronic absenteeism is 23.6%, above the state average of 18.7%.

Key metrics

% Exceeded Standard

15.5%

Students scoring above proficient

% Met or Above

43.3%

Students meeting standard

Growth (G3→G5)

-0.5pp

Change in proficiency rate

Chronic Absenteeism

23.6%

Students missing 10%+ of days

Suspension Rate

2.0%

Students suspended at least once

Total Tested

1,296

Across all grades & subjects

ELA scores by grade

Grade	Tested	Exceeded	Met	Nearly Met	Not Met	Met+Above
3rd	45	8.9%	22.2%	35.6%	33.3%	31.1%
4th	51	21.6%	19.6%	19.6%	39.2%	41.2%
5th	47	21.3%	23.4%	31.9%	23.4%	44.7%
6th	62	17.7%	40.3%	22.6%	19.4%	58.1%
7th	66	18.2%	39.4%	28.8%	13.6%	57.6%
8th	53	13.2%	41.5%	32.1%	13.2%	54.7%

Math scores by grade

Grade	Tested	Exceeded	Met	Nearly Met	Not Met	Met+Above
3rd	45	11.1%	31.1%	31.1%	26.7%	42.2%
4th	51	17.6%	11.8%	35.3%	35.3%	29.4%
5th	47	6.4%	21.3%	29.8%	42.5%	27.7%
6th	62	25.8%	33.9%	16.1%	24.2%	59.7%
7th	66	12.1%	27.3%	37.9%	22.7%	39.4%
8th	53	11.3%	20.8%	35.9%	32.1%	32.1%

Nearby schools

1 schools within ~3 miles · avg composite 40.0

Arcata Elementary

Arcata Elementary · 1 mi

40.0

All schools in Arcata →

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