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Palo Verde Elementary · Tulare

Palo Verde Elementary: No single number tells this school's story. Here's the honest picture.

Palo Verde posts 31% meeting the standard and 11.6% exceeding it, against 43% and 21.3% statewide. The gaps and the bright spots below are the real read.

9637 Avenue 196, 93274 (opens in new tab)·Palo Verde Union Elementary·Tulare·Grades TK-8·511 students·88% low-income·2024–25 CAASPP·(559) 688-0648
2019–2025 trend · CDE CAASPP
This schoolCA avg
Scope3545
% Exceeded12%21%
% Met+31%43%
Growth+13.8-2.9
Absence10.2%17.9%
Suspension1.2%1.6%
Scope Score
35
📈 On the Rise · Developing
ranked #4,024 statewide

Palo Verde Elementary scores 35 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 30th 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 →

📈 On the Rise — Ask how many years the improvement has held, not just the latest one — one strong cohort and a real turnaround can look identical in a single year of data.

CDE CAASPP 2025

Most rating sites would stop at “31% proficient” and call it done. Palo Verde deserves a closer read. The school sits in Tulare, where four in five students qualify for free or reduced lunch — and reading the numbers without that context misreads the school.

The seven-year arc

Percentile among 5,744 elementary schools statewide

Climbed from the 8th to the 30th percentile since 2019 — past roughly 1000 elementary schools.

CA Dashboard
ELAOrange(Declined Significantly)MathOrange(Declined Significantly)

This school hasn't fully recovered from the pandemic: 31% meet the standard today, versus 36% in 2019 — a gap worth asking about on a visit.

ELA — % met or exceeded, by grade
Grade20192022202320242025
Grade 341%41%41%36%16%
Grade 437%31%38%37%36%
Grade 526%29%48%66%33%
Grade 634%31%41%46%58%
Grade 757%47%52%59%49%
Grade 834%26%55%44%51%
Math — % met or exceeded, by grade
Grade20192022202320242025
Grade 356%49%43%40%21%
Grade 437%36%34%40%46%
Grade 519%16%39%47%32%
Grade 624%26%41%41%40%
Grade 751%33%38%30%35%
Grade 832%21%45%41%33%

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.

11%
84%
Grade 3 · 16% proficient
21%
15%
64%
Grade 4 · 36% proficient
26%
67%
Grade 5 · 33% proficient

The honest read: the share exceeding holds steady across grades; the floor rises 16.8pp. 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 6 things our score weighs

Exceeded standard
11.6%
State 21.3%
9.7pp below state avg
Growth (G3→G5)
+13.8pp
State -2.9pp
Scores improve across grades
Met or exceeded
30.6%
State 42.7%
12.1pp below state avg
Chronic absenteeism
10.2%
State 17.9%
7.7pp below state avg
Suspension rate
1.2%
State 1.6%
0.5pp below state avg
EL proficiency (ELPAC)
12.6%
State 18.0%
5.4pp below 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.

  • 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 Palo Verde Elementary in Tulare, 40.4% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 40.4% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Palo Verde Elementary outperforms its district average for low-income students by 0.0 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (33.9% Math proficient); Hispanic students (39.9% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 31.7 percentage points for english learner students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 280 students tested.

All students at this school: 38% met or exceeded
All StudentsAll Students: this school 38%, district —, state 43%38%
Hispanic/LatinoHispanic/Latino: this school 36%, district 36%, state 32%36% · −1 vs school
Socioeconomically DisadvantagedSocioeconomically Disadvantaged: this school 37%, district 37%, state 32%37% · −1 vs school
FemaleFemale: this school 36%, district 36%, state 44%36% · −2 vs school
MaleMale: this school 39%, district 39%, state 42%39% · +2 vs school
English LearnersEnglish Learners: this school 10%, district 10%, state 11%10% · −28 vs school

6 of 12 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.

Low-income student ELA proficiency rises by 19.3pp from grade 3 to grade 5 at this school. District average: +19.3pp.

Showing up, and staying in class

Chronic absenteeismChronic absenteeism: this school 10.2%, district 10.2%, state 17.9%10.2% · −7.7pp vs state
Suspension rateSuspension rate: this school 1.2%, district —, state 1.6%1.2% · −0.5pp vs state

TK/K students miss school at roughly three times the rate of Grades 4–6 students (18.9% vs 4.5%). Chronic absence here concentrates in the earliest grades — worth asking how the school works with new families on attendance.

Chronic absenteeism by grade band
Grades 4–64.5%
Grades 7–88.7%
TK/K18.9%

The people teaching here

Context — never part of the Scope Score
Student : teacherStudent to teacher ratio: this school 22:1, district 22:122:1
Teaching staff23 teachers
Avg. experience11.3 years
Fully credentialed83%
First-year teachers17%
Intern / emergency permit8.7%
Salary Schedule
Teacher salary schedule$65,035 – $119,950
Principal salary$0 – $0
Superintendent salary$155,301

Pay is set by the district, not the school.

What gets spent here

Per-pupil spendingPer-pupil spending: $20,441, CA average $14,815$20,441 · spent at this school
Federal share$419 per student

$419 per student arrives as federal Title funding — a measure of concentrated need, not school quality.

District current expense · FY 2024–25$20,743 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
Instruction68%
Instruction support6%
Student services9%
Administration4%
Buildings & maintenance13%

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$13,931 per pupil
2019$11,528 per pupil
2018$11,515 per pupil
2017$10,472 per pupil
2016$10,966 per pupil

Source: NCES F-33 · Full district breakdown →

The neighborhood it serves

Hispanic92.0%
District 92.0% · CA 56.1%
White5.7%
District 5.7% · CA 19.9%
Black1.0%
District 1.0% · CA 4.8%
Other0.8%
District 0.8% · CA 9.0%
Asian0.6%
District 0.6% · CA 10.2%
Low IncomeFree/reduced lunch eligible 87.7% (24pp above CA avg)
Neighborhood — American Community Survey
Median income$73K · CA $85K
Median home value$330K · CA $659K
Bachelor's degree+12% · CA 35%
ZIP population80,026
Median age30 years

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

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 but never enters the Scope Score.

Frequently asked questions

Is Palo Verde Elementary a good elementary school?

Palo Verde Elementary has a Scope Score of 35 out of 100, placing it in the 30th percentile of California elementary schools and ranked #4,024 statewide. 11.6% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is 9.7 percentage points below 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 Palo Verde Elementary's CAASPP test scores?

On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 30.6% of students at Palo Verde Elementary met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 11.6% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 19.0% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 11.6% 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. 287 student-subject combinations were assessed.

How does Palo Verde Elementary rank in California?

Palo Verde Elementary ranks #4,024 among California elementary schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 30th 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 Palo Verde Elementary getting better or worse?

Based on 2025 CAASPP data, proficiency at Palo Verde Elementary increases by 13.8 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 Palo Verde Elementary?

10.2% of students at Palo Verde 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 1.2%, 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 Palo Verde Elementary compare to other schools in Tulare?

Palo Verde Elementary scores 35/100 (30th 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 511 students. Use the schools in Tulare page or the map view to compare all elementary schools nearby.

How does Palo Verde Elementary serve low-income and underrepresented students?

At Palo Verde Elementary in Tulare, 40.4% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 40.4% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Palo Verde Elementary outperforms its district average for low-income students by 0.0 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (33.9% Math proficient); Hispanic students (39.9% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 31.7 percentage points for english learner students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 280 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

Private alternatives nearby

Private schools within ~10 miles. These schools do not participate in state testing and cannot be scored or ranked.

A low score doesn't tell the whole story. Read: Your School Scored Low — Here's What That Actually Means

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%
11.6%
↓ vs CA 21.3% · 41th pctile
Growth (G3→G5) · 27%
+13.8pp
↑ vs CA -2.9pp · 42th pctile
Met or exceeded · 20%
30.6%
↓ vs CA 42.7% · 41th pctile
Chronic absenteeism · 5%
10.2%
↑ vs CA 17.9% · 63th pctile
Suspension rate · 5%
1.2%
↑ vs CA 1.6% · 54th pctile
EL proficiency (ELPAC) · 5%
12.6%
↓ vs CA 18.0% · 43th pctile
02By grade & subgroupCAASPP 2024–25 · % of tested students
ELATestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 3575%11%30%54%16%−28
Grade 43921%15%23%41%36%−9
Grade 5467%26%26%41%33%−15
Grade 66218%40%19%23%58%+12
Grade 75917%32%22%29%49%+1
Grade 85910%41%41%8%51%+5
MathTestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 3577%14%33%46%21%−25
Grade 44122%24%34%20%46%+5
Grade 5479%23%32%36%32%−3
Grade 66322%17%37%24%40%+5
Grade 76313%22%33%32%35%+1
Grade 86115%18%46%21%33%+1
Science (CAST)TestedEXCMETNEARNOT
Grade 5/8/111082%19%67%13%

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 Disadvantaged28040.4%+0+2
Hispanic/Latino29839.9%+0+1
English Learners9410.6%+0+0
03Peer comparison · nearest elementary schoolssorted by Scope Score
SchoolDistScopeEXCMET+GrowthSusp
Palo Verde Elementary ←—3511.6%30.6%+13.81.2%
California average—4521.3%42.7%−2.91.6%
04More measurescontext · not all part of the Scope Score
YearScopePctileRankExcMet+AbsentSuspGrowth
2019258#505013.9%35.8%8.1%3.7%-26.2pp
20222213#49718.4%33.3%35.2%1.7%-22.9pp
20234767#186516.1%40.7%15.4%1.7%+1.4pp
20245678#126819.3%44.3%10.5%1.0%+18.9pp
20253530#402411.6%30.6%10.2%1.2%+13.8pp
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
Female5.3%9.3%+4.0pp
Male10.8%9.6%-1.2pp
Hispanic/Latino7.9%8.8%+0.9pp
Students with Disabilities11.8%7.5%-4.3pp
English Learners7.4%8.1%+0.7pp
Homeless18.2%11.8%-6.4pp
Military-Connected4.5%9.1%+4.6pp
Socioeconomically Disadvantaged8.1%8.3%+0.2pp
All Students8.1%9.4%+1.3pp
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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