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Wilsona Elementary · Lancaster

Wilsona Elementary: The scores are below where anyone wants them. Here's what they don't tell you.

Wilsona posts low test scores — and test scores are one lens among several. If this is your zoned school, the numbers below are where to start a conversation, not where to end one.

41625 North 170th Street, East, 93535 (opens in new tab)·Wilsona Elementary·Lancaster·Grades 3-5·403 students·87% low-income·2024–25 CAASPP·(661) 264-2118
2025–2025 trend · CDE CAASPP
This schoolCA avg
Scope2545
% Exceeded7%21%
% Met+20%43%
Growth-4.8-2.9
Absence28.3%17.9%
Suspension1.1%1.6%
Scope Score
25
🌱 Building Momentum · Needs Support
ranked #5,259 statewide

Wilsona Elementary scores 25 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 8th 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 →

🌱 Building Momentum — This label means the data doesn't clearly sort the school one way or the other — ask what the school is proud of, and what it's working on.

CDE CAASPP 2025

Most rating sites would stop at “20% proficient” and call it done. Wilsona deserves a closer read. The school sits in Lancaster, where four in five students qualify for free or reduced lunch — and reading the numbers without that context misreads the school.

Test scores are one lens, and at this school they're a rough one right now. The sections below show the fuller picture — including the parts that are working.

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.

9%
84%
Grade 3 · 16% proficient
16%
77%
Grade 4 · 23% proficient
17%
78%
Grade 5 · 22% proficient

The 6 things our score weighs

Exceeded standard
6.6%
State 21.3%
14.7pp below state avg
Growth (G3→G5)
-4.8pp
State -2.9pp
Scores decline across grades
Met or exceeded
20.3%
State 42.7%
22.4pp below state avg
Chronic absenteeism
28.3%
State 17.9%
10.4pp above state avg
Suspension rate
1.1%
State 1.6%
0.5pp below state avg
EL proficiency (ELPAC)
10.4%
State 18.0%
7.6pp below state avg
Worth a school visit

Ask what changed in the last two years, and what the school is asking families for. Growth shows up in these numbers a year or two after it shows up in classrooms.

  • Ask how the school follows up when a student starts missing days — chronic absence often starts outside the classroom, not inside it.
  • Ask what changes between grade 3 and grade 5 here, and who teaches the older kids.
  • 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 Wilsona Elementary in Lancaster, 19.1% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 19.4% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Wilsona Elementary trails its district average for low-income students by 0.3 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (19.4% Math proficient); Hispanic students (20.7% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 13.6 percentage points for english learner students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 371 students tested.

All students at this school: 20% met or exceeded
All StudentsAll Students: this school 20%, district —, state 43%20%
Socioeconomically DisadvantagedSocioeconomically Disadvantaged: this school 19%, district 16%, state 32%19% · −1 vs school
Hispanic/LatinoHispanic/Latino: this school 21%, district 17%, state 32%21% · +1 vs school
MaleMale: this school 26%, district 18%, state 42%26% · +6 vs school
FemaleFemale: this school 14%, district 13%, state 44%14% · −6 vs school
English LearnersEnglish Learners: this school 8%, district 5%, state 11%8% · −12 vs school
HomelessHomeless: this school 18%, district 12%, state 22%18% · −3 vs school
Students with DisabilitiesStudents with Disabilities: this school 11%, district 8%, state 15%11% · −9 vs school
Black/African AmericanBlack/African American: this school 14%, district 14%, state 26%14% · −6 vs school
WhiteWhite: too few students to report‹11
Two or More RacesTwo or More Races: too few students to report‹11
American Indian/Alaska NativeAmerican Indian/Alaska Native: too few students to report‹11
Foster YouthFoster Youth: 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 6.1pp from grade 3 to grade 5 at this school. District average: +6.1pp.

Showing up, and staying in class

Chronic absenteeismChronic absenteeism: this school 28.3%, district 31.4%, state 17.9%28.3% · +10.4pp vs state
Suspension rateSuspension rate: this school 1.1%, district —, state 1.6%1.1% · −0.5pp vs state
Chronic absenteeism by grade band
Grades 4–629.8%

Where the path goes

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

K-12 Feeder Path
Elementary
Wilsona Elementary
25/100
This school
▼
High School
No feeder data available for this level

Estimated path based on proximity within the same district. Contact your school district for official feeder information.

Planning ahead? 10 licensed preschools near this school →

The people teaching here

Context — never part of the Scope Score
Student : teacherStudent to teacher ratio: this school 24:1, district 23:124:1
Teaching staff20 teachers
Avg. experience14.0 years
First-year teachers15%

What gets spent here

Per-pupil spendingPer-pupil spending: $23,835, CA average $14,815$23,835 · spent at this school
Federal share$3,854 per student

$3,854 per student arrives as federal Title funding — a measure of concentrated need, not school quality.

District current expense · FY 2024–25$24,558 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
Instruction55%
Instruction support10%
Student services10%
Administration10%
Buildings & maintenance8%
Other6%

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$15,629 per pupil
2019$14,088 per pupil
2018$13,105 per pupil
2017$13,050 per pupil
2016$12,914 per pupil

Source: NCES F-33 · Full district breakdown →

The neighborhood it serves

Hispanic86.3%
District 83.3% · CA 56.1%
Black7.4%
District 6.6% · CA 4.8%
White4.2%
District 7.9% · CA 19.9%
Other2.0%
District 2.1% · CA 9.0%
Low IncomeFree/reduced lunch eligible 87.3% (24pp above CA avg)
Neighborhood — American Community Survey
Median income$70K · CA $85K
Median home value$381K · CA $659K
Bachelor's degree+15% · CA 35%
ZIP population79,409
Median age32 years

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

Worth Knowing

On the state's science test (CAST), 9% met or exceeded the standard — science is tested in grades 5 and 8 but never enters the Scope Score.

Frequently asked questions

Is Wilsona Elementary a good elementary school?

Wilsona Elementary has a Scope Score of 25 out of 100, placing it in the 8th percentile of California elementary schools and ranked #5,259 statewide. 6.6% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is 14.7 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 Wilsona Elementary's CAASPP test scores?

On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 20.3% of students at Wilsona Elementary met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 6.6% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 13.6% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 6.6% 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. 795 student-subject combinations were assessed.

How does Wilsona Elementary rank in California?

Wilsona Elementary ranks #5,259 among California elementary schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 8th 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 Wilsona Elementary getting better or worse?

Based on 2025 CAASPP data, proficiency at Wilsona Elementary decreases by 4.8 percentage points from Grade 3 to grade 5 growth. This downward pattern doesn't necessarily mean the school is failing — it can reflect cohort differences, demographic shifts, or curriculum changes. A campus visit and conversation with teachers can reveal what the numbers can't. 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 Wilsona Elementary?

28.3% of students at Wilsona Elementary are chronically absent (missing 10% or more of school days), compared to the California average of 17.9%. The suspension rate is 1.1%, 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 Wilsona Elementary compare to other schools in Lancaster?

Wilsona Elementary scores 25/100 (8th 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 403 students. Use the schools in Lancaster page or the map view to compare all elementary schools nearby.

How does Wilsona Elementary serve low-income and underrepresented students?

At Wilsona Elementary in Lancaster, 19.1% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 19.4% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Wilsona Elementary trails its district average for low-income students by 0.3 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (19.4% Math proficient); Hispanic students (20.7% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 13.6 percentage points for english learner students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 371 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

All schools in Lancaster →

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%
6.6%
↓ vs CA 21.3% · 36th pctile
Growth (G3→G5) · 27%
-4.8pp
↓ vs CA -2.9pp · 35th pctile
Met or exceeded · 20%
20.3%
↓ vs CA 42.7% · 33th pctile
Chronic absenteeism · 5%
28.3%
↓ vs CA 17.9% · 33th pctile
Suspension rate · 5%
1.1%
↑ vs CA 1.6% · 54th pctile
EL proficiency (ELPAC) · 5%
10.4%
↓ vs CA 18.0% · 40th pctile
02By grade & subgroupCAASPP 2024–25 · % of tested students
ELATestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 31287%9%23%60%16%−27
Grade 41307%16%25%52%23%−22
Grade 51395%17%14%64%22%−26
MathTestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 31288%16%32%45%23%−22
Grade 413011%18%25%47%28%−13
Grade 51402%6%16%76%9%−27
Science (CAST)TestedEXCMETNEARNOT
Grade 5/8/111402%6%58%34%

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 Disadvantaged37119.1%−0−19
Hispanic/Latino33820.7%−0−18
English Learners1366.6%+2−4
03Peer comparison · nearest elementary schoolssorted by Scope Score
SchoolDistScopeEXCMET+GrowthSusp
Wilsona Elementary ←—256.6%20.3%−4.81.1%
Lake Los Angeles Elementary1.9 mi264.3%17.1%−0.31.7%
California average—4521.3%42.7%−2.91.6%
What we can't show
  • — Low-income students here trail the state average for their group by 19 points in ELA — worth asking how the school is closing that gap.
05Climate by student groupchronic absenteeism · 2019 vs 2025 — the two years CDE publishes at subgroup level
Group20192025Δ
Female—29.4%—
Male—28.0%—
Black/African American—30.6%—
Hispanic/Latino—27.9%—
Students with Disabilities—26.8%—
English Learners—23.8%—
Homeless—20.0%—
Socioeconomically Disadvantaged—28.7%—
All Students—28.7%—
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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