School Profile · East Nicolaus
South Sutter Charter: The score is middle of the pack. The trajectory isn't.
South Sutter Charter sits mid-pack on raw proficiency — and it's climbing faster than most schools anywhere near it — and that holds when you follow the same students across grades.
2044 Nicolaus Avenue, 95659 (opens in new tab)·Marcum-Illinois Union Elementary·East Nicolaus·Grades K-12·2,653 students·38% low-income·Charter·2024–25 CAASPP·(800) 979-4436·Website
Charter school — publicly funded, independently operated, open enrollment via lottery. Learn more
Scope Score
47
📈 On the Rise · Developing
ranked #2,016 statewide
South Sutter Charter scores 47 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 65th 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 →
Most rating sites would stop at “40% proficient” and call it done. South Sutter Charter deserves a closer read. The school sits in East Nicolaus, where one in three students qualify for free or reduced lunch — and reading the numbers without that context misreads the school.
The headline number: 2.6% chronic absenteeism — versus 17.9% statewide. Attendance is the quietest strong signal a school can post.
As a charter, South Sutter Charter enrolls by application, not address — the score reads the same, the enrollment path doesn't.
The story this school is actually telling
The school, grade by grade
ELA · CAASPP 2024–25Different students, same year — each bar is one grade's proficiency mix.
23%
19%
58%
Grade 3 · 42% proficient
18%
23%
59%
Grade 4 · 41% proficient
22%
30%
48%
Grade 5 · 52% proficient
The honest read: the share exceeding holds steady across grades; the floor rises 9.8pp. 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 5 things our score weighs
Exceeded standard
17.6%
State 21.3%
3.7pp below state avg
Met or exceeded
40.0%
State 42.7%
2.7pp below state avg
Growth (G3→G5)
+3.5pp
State -2.9pp
Scores improve across grades
Chronic absenteeism
2.6%
State 17.9%
15.3pp below state avg
Suspension rate
0.0%
State 1.6%
1.6pp below state avg
Worth a school visit
Ask what changed — new curriculum, new principal, new program. Momentum has a cause, and a visit will find it.
Where the path goes
The path below follows attendance boundaries — scores shown for each next step.
Estimated K-12 Path
Elementary
South Sutter Charter
47
This school
→
Estimated K-12 path based on district and proximity. Actual attendance zones may differ. Contact your school district for official feeder information.
Planning ahead? 1 licensed preschools near this school →
Your other options
The community around it
Community Profile
Context — not part of the Scope ScoreStudent demographics
Hispanic17.2%
White56.8%
Asian2.2%
Black1.8%
Other22.0%
GenderFemale 49.8%Male 50.2%Non-binary 0.1%
Low IncomeFree/reduced lunch eligible 38.4% (25pp below CA avg)
Resources & Access
Enrollment
2,653
1,453 above CA avg (~1,200)
Transitional Kindergarten
TK status unconfirmed
No TK enrollment is on file with the state for this school — that isn't the same as “no TK.” Confirm directly with the district.
Student-Teacher Ratio
24:1
3 more students per teacher than CA avg
Per-Pupil Spending
$14,210
CA avg: $14,815 · District avg · NCES F-33
Teacher Salary Range
$51,145 – $83,860
District schedule · CA median ~$98K
At South Sutter Charter in East Nicolaus, 44.1% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025 and 38.2% statewide. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (29.9% Math proficient); White students (52.7% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 28.6 percentage points for english learner students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 524 students tested.
Equity Gaps
ELA · English Learner−28.6pp
25.0% vs 53.6% overall · n=16
3 more gaps by subject
ELA Exceeded · English Learner−15.1pp
6.3% vs 21.4% overall · n=16
Math · Disabilities−24.2pp
12.2% vs 36.3% overall · n=149
Math Exceeded · Disabilities−11.0pp
4.8% vs 15.8% overall · n=149
Subgroups with fewer than 15 students are excluded for privacy. Gaps of less than 3 percentage points are not shown.
Subgroup Proficiency
Low-Income524 tested
ELA 44.1%·Math 29.9%
White785 tested
ELA 52.7%·Math 39.2%· -12.7pp vs district
Two or More Races272 tested
ELA 53.8%·Math 34.3%
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 rises by 4.1pp from grade 3 to grade 5 at this school.
Subgroups with fewer than 10 tested students per grade are not shown.
Funding Breakdown
Neighborhood Context
Median Income
$69K
$16K below CA median
Median Home Value
$537K
$122K below CA median
Bachelor's+
23%
12pp below 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
9.4 years avg experience
161 teachers · 11% first-year · 11% second-year
Teacher Credentials
25% 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 nerdsEvery number on this page
Score factors, grade-level breakdowns, subgroup proficiency, and peer comparisons.
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%
17.6%
↓ vs CA 21.3% · 46th pctile
Met or exceeded · 22%
40.0%
↓ vs CA 42.7% · 48th pctile
Growth (G3→G5) · 15%
+3.5pp
↑ vs CA -2.9pp · 60th pctile
Chronic absenteeism · 10%
2.6%
↑ vs CA 17.9% · 75th pctile
Suspension rate · 5%
0.0%
↑ vs CA 1.6% · 63th pctile
02By grade & subgroupCAASPP 2024–25 · % of tested students
| ELA | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT | MET+ | +/CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 3 | 204 | 23% | 19% | 24% | 35% | 42% | −2 |
| Grade 4 | 205 | 18% | 23% | 21% | 38% | 41% | −3 |
| Grade 5 | 212 | 22% | 30% | 25% | 24% | 51% | +4 |
| Grade 6 | 192 | 10% | 39% | 26% | 24% | 49% | +3 |
| Grade 7 | 196 | 19% | 42% | 20% | 18% | 61% | +14 |
| Grade 8 | 172 | 23% | 41% | 22% | 15% | 63% | +17 |
| Grade 11 | 178 | 35% | 31% | 19% | 14% | 67% | +20 |
| Math | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT | MET+ | +/CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 3 | 205 | 16% | 23% | 22% | 39% | 39% | −7 |
| Grade 4 | 204 | 13% | 17% | 28% | 42% | 30% | −12 |
| Grade 5 | 212 | 14% | 22% | 24% | 40% | 36% | +1 |
| Grade 6 | 190 | 11% | 17% | 32% | 40% | 28% | −7 |
| Grade 7 | 195 | 17% | 22% | 29% | 32% | 39% | +6 |
| Grade 8 | 171 | 20% | 19% | 32% | 29% | 39% | +7 |
| Grade 11 | 178 | 19% | 24% | 25% | 33% | 42% | +19 |
| Science (CAST) | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 5/8/11 | 572 | 15% | 31% | 46% | 8% |
CAST is tested in grades 5, 8, and once in high school — not annually. Not part of the Scope Score.
| Subgroup · ELA | Tested | MET+ | vs district | vs CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Socioeconomically Disadvantaged | 524 | 44.1% | — | +6 |
| White | 784 | 52.7% | −13 | −9 |
| Two or More Races | 272 | 53.8% | — | −8 |
03Peer comparison · nearest elementary schoolssorted by Scope Score
| School | Dist | Scope | EXC | MET+ | Growth | Susp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Sutter Charter ← | — | 47 | 17.6% | 40.0% | +3.5 | 0.0% |
| Browns Elementary | 2.3 mi | 39 | 12.7% | 40.0% | −14.3 | 0.4% |
| California average | — | 43 | 21.3% | 42.7% | −2.9 | 1.6% |
04More measurescontext · not all part of the Scope Score
Scope Score history
2019 · 2022 · 2023 · 2024 · 2025 · no testing 2020–21 (COVID) · rank #3460 → #1840 → #1934 → #2607 → #2016
What we can't show
- — Scored here as an elementary school — other grade spans appear in the data appendix.
Source: CA Dept. of Education · CAASPP 2024–25 · n=5,744 elementary schools · Data updated 2026-07-03methodology · data updates · CSV · report issue
Frequently asked questions
Is South Sutter Charter a good elementary school?
South Sutter Charter has a Scope Score of 47 out of 100, placing it in the 65th percentile of California elementary schools and ranked #2,016 statewide. 17.6% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is 3.7 percentage points below the California average of 21.3%. 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 South Sutter Charter's CAASPP test scores?
On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 40.0% of students at South Sutter Charter met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 17.6% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 22.3% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 17.6% 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. 1,242 student-subject combinations were assessed.
How does South Sutter Charter rank in California?
South Sutter Charter ranks #2,016 among California elementary schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 65th 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 South Sutter Charter getting better or worse?
Based on 2025 CAASPP data, proficiency at South Sutter Charter increases by 3.5 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 South Sutter Charter?
2.6% of students at South Sutter Charter are chronically absent (missing 10% or more of school days), which is better than the California average of 17.9%. The suspension rate is 0.0%, 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 South Sutter Charter compare to other schools in East Nicolaus?
South Sutter Charter scores 47/100 (65th 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 2,653 students. Use the schools in East Nicolaus page or the map view to compare all elementary schools nearby.
How does South Sutter Charter serve low-income and underrepresented students?
At South Sutter Charter in East Nicolaus, 44.1% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025 and 38.2% statewide. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (29.9% Math proficient); White students (52.7% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 28.6 percentage points for english learner students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 524 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.