ExploreMapCompareBlogSign in
Waukena Joint Union Elementary · Tulare

Waukena Joint Union Elementary: No single number tells this school's story. Here's the honest picture.

Waukena Joint Union posts 33% meeting the standard and 9.2% exceeding it, against 43% and 21.3% statewide. The gaps and the bright spots below are the real read.

19113 Road 28, 93274 (opens in new tab)·Waukena Joint Union Elementary·Tulare·Grades TK-8·220 students·84% low-income·2024–25 CAASPP·(559) 686-3328·Website
2019–2025 trend · CDE CAASPP
This schoolCA avg
Scope4045
% Exceeded9%21%
% Met+33%43%
Growth+27.7-2.9
Absence20.0%17.9%
Suspension0.6%1.6%
Scope Score
40
📈 On the Rise · Developing
ranked #3,230 statewide

Waukena Joint Union Elementary scores 40 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 44th 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 “33% proficient” and call it done. Waukena Joint Union 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

Slipped from the 82nd to the 44th percentile since 2019.

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

This school hasn't fully recovered from the pandemic: 33% meet the standard today, versus 43% in 2019 — a gap worth asking about on a visit.

ELA — % met or exceeded, by grade
Grade20192022202320242025
Grade 39%14%48%13%32%
Grade 458%39%7%38%35%
Grade 557%41%44%8%59%
Grade 641%14%33%43%19%
Grade 729%64%13%43%26%
Grade 845%52%57%22%44%
Math — % met or exceeded, by grade
Grade20192022202320242025
Grade 318%0%48%17%9%
Grade 474%29%7%58%26%
Grade 539%21%38%20%37%
Grade 644%17%21%35%12%
Grade 723%55%32%31%50%
Grade 850%43%58%29%40%

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.

32%
68%
Grade 3 · 32% proficient
17%
17%
66%
Grade 4 · 34% proficient
19%
41%
40%
Grade 5 · 60% proficient

The honest read: the share exceeding rises 18.5pp across grades; the floor rises 27.4pp. 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 6 things our score weighs

Exceeded standard
9.2%
State 21.3%
12.1pp below state avg
Growth (G3→G5)
+27.7pp
State -2.9pp
Scores improve across grades
Met or exceeded
33.0%
State 42.7%
9.6pp below state avg
Chronic absenteeism
20.0%
State 17.9%
2.1pp above state avg
Suspension rate
0.6%
State 1.6%
1.0pp below state avg
EL proficiency (ELPAC)
14.6%
State 18.0%
3.3pp 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 Waukena Joint Union Elementary in Tulare, 33.6% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 33.6% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Waukena Joint Union Elementary outperforms its district average for low-income students by 0.0 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (24.6% Math proficient); Hispanic students (36.6% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 3.7 percentage points for low-income students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 122 students tested.

All students at this school: 33% met or exceeded
All StudentsAll Students: this school 33%, district —, state 43%33%
Hispanic/LatinoHispanic/Latino: this school 32%, district 32%, state 32%32% · −0 vs school
Socioeconomically DisadvantagedSocioeconomically Disadvantaged: this school 29%, district 29%, state 32%29% · −3 vs school
MaleMale: this school 26%, district 26%, state 42%26% · −7 vs school
FemaleFemale: this school 34%, district 34%, state 44%34% · +1 vs school
English LearnersEnglish Learners: this school 9%, district 9%, state 11%9% · −23 vs school
Students with DisabilitiesStudents with Disabilities: too few students to report‹11
WhiteWhite: too few students to report‹11
HomelessHomeless: too few students to report‹11
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 28.3pp from grade 3 to grade 5 at this school. District average: +28.3pp.

Showing up, and staying in class

Chronic absenteeismChronic absenteeism: this school 20.0%, district 20.0%, state 17.9%20.0% · +2.1pp vs state
Suspension rateSuspension rate: this school 0.6%, district —, state 1.6%0.6% · −1.0pp vs state

TK/K students miss school at roughly three times the rate of Grades 7–8 students (44.8% vs 8.3%). 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 4–619.0%
Grades 7–88.3%
TK/K44.8%

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 staff10 teachers
Avg. experience4.0 years
Fully credentialed59%
First-year teachers60%
Intern / emergency permit20.5%
Salary Schedule
Teacher salary schedule$59,953 – $109,438
Principal salary$0 – $0
Superintendent salary$122,400

Pay is set by the district, not the school.

What gets spent here

Per-pupil spendingPer-pupil spending: $21,570, CA average $14,815$21,570 · spent at this school
Federal share$1,193 per student

$1,193 per student arrives as federal Title funding — a measure of concentrated need, not school quality.

District current expense · FY 2024–25$21,549 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
Instruction49%
Instruction support13%
Student services8%
Administration8%
Buildings & maintenance13%
Other9%

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$13,085 per pupil
2019$13,056 per pupil
2018$12,725 per pupil
2017$12,447 per pupil
2016$11,771 per pupil

Source: NCES F-33 · Full district breakdown →

The neighborhood it serves

Hispanic92.3%
District 92.3% · CA 56.1%
White7.7%
District 7.7% · CA 19.9%
Low IncomeFree/reduced lunch eligible 84.1% (20pp 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

At 220 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), 37% met or exceeded the standard — science is tested in grades 5 and 8 but never enters the Scope Score.

Frequently asked questions

Is Waukena Joint Union Elementary a good elementary school?

Waukena Joint Union Elementary has a Scope Score of 40 out of 100, placing it in the 44th percentile of California elementary schools and ranked #3,230 statewide. 9.2% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is 12.1 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 Waukena Joint Union Elementary's CAASPP test scores?

On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 33.0% of students at Waukena Joint Union Elementary met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 9.2% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 23.8% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 9.2% 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. 144 student-subject combinations were assessed.

How does Waukena Joint Union Elementary rank in California?

Waukena Joint Union Elementary ranks #3,230 among California elementary schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 44th 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 Waukena Joint Union Elementary getting better or worse?

Based on 2025 CAASPP data, proficiency at Waukena Joint Union Elementary increases by 27.7 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 Waukena Joint Union Elementary?

20.0% of students at Waukena Joint Union Elementary are chronically absent (missing 10% or more of school days), compared to the California average of 17.9%. The suspension rate is 0.6%, 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 Waukena Joint Union Elementary compare to other schools in Tulare?

Waukena Joint Union Elementary scores 40/100 (44th 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 220 students. Use the schools in Tulare page or the map view to compare all elementary schools nearby.

How does Waukena Joint Union Elementary serve low-income and underrepresented students?

At Waukena Joint Union Elementary in Tulare, 33.6% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 33.6% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Waukena Joint Union Elementary outperforms its district average for low-income students by 0.0 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (24.6% Math proficient); Hispanic students (36.6% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 3.7 percentage points for low-income students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 122 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

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%
9.2%
↓ vs CA 21.3% · 38th pctile
Growth (G3→G5) · 27%
+27.7pp
↑ vs CA -2.9pp · 59th pctile
Met or exceeded · 20%
33.0%
↓ vs CA 42.7% · 43th pctile
Chronic absenteeism · 5%
20.0%
↓ vs CA 17.9% · 47th pctile
Suspension rate · 5%
0.6%
↑ vs CA 1.6% · 58th pctile
EL proficiency (ELPAC) · 5%
14.6%
↓ vs CA 18.0% · 47th pctile
02By grade & subgroupCAASPP 2024–25 · % of tested students
ELATestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 3220%32%27%41%32%−12
Grade 42317%17%30%35%35%−10
Grade 52719%41%22%19%59%+11
Grade 6270%19%19%63%19%−28
Grade 7195%21%37%37%26%−21
Grade 8277%37%30%26%44%−2
MathTestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 3220%9%27%64%9%−37
Grade 4234%22%48%26%26%−16
Grade 52715%22%33%30%37%+2
Grade 6264%8%15%73%12%−23
Grade 71817%33%22%28%50%+16
Grade 8258%32%20%40%40%+8
Science (CAST)TestedEXCMETNEARNOT
Grade 5/8/11547%30%48%15%

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 Disadvantaged12233.6%+0−5
Hispanic/Latino13436.6%+0−2
03Peer comparison · nearest elementary schoolssorted by Scope Score
SchoolDistScopeEXCMET+GrowthSusp
Waukena Joint Union Elementary ←—409.2%33.0%+27.70.6%
California average—4521.3%42.7%−2.91.6%
04More measurescontext · not all part of the Scope Score
YearScopePctileRankExcMet+AbsentSuspGrowth
20196182#100416.2%42.5%10.5%1.4%+34.6pp
20224670#17249.1%24.1%18.5%1.3%+24.5pp
20232924#43619.4%32.0%13.3%5.9%-7.2pp
20243633#382810.4%25.6%20.6%2.0%-0.6pp
20254044#32309.2%33.0%20.0%0.6%+27.7pp
NO STATEWIDE TESTING 2020–21 (COVID) · SCORE AND PERCENTILE ARE RELATIVE TO EACH YEAR'S FIELD
What we can't show
  • — Scored here as an elementary school — other grade spans appear in the data appendix.
05Climate by student groupchronic absenteeism · 2019 vs 2025 — the two years CDE publishes at subgroup level
Group20192025Δ
Female15.0%20.5%+5.5pp
Male6.7%20.2%+13.5pp
Hispanic/Latino10.3%21.5%+11.2pp
Students with Disabilities7.1%28.6%+21.5pp
English Learners7.6%18.5%+10.9pp
Socioeconomically Disadvantaged10.4%20.9%+10.5pp
All Students10.5%20.4%+9.9pp
Homeless—25.0%—
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

← Browse all schools