Each level is scored on its own scale — elementary, middle, and high are never ranked against each other.
The elementary years
The elementary schools average 27.6/100 — 11.2 points below the state average. Here is what that number does and doesn't say.
6 elementary schools span 18 points around an average of 27.6.
1 of the 3 elementary schools with measurable cohort evidence meet the stronger cohort-gains threshold — aggregate cohort-change indices above the published threshold.
3 of 6 elementary schools sit in the Needs Support band — which campus you're zoned for carries real weight here.
The middle years
One middle school: Ione Junior High at 17/100 — the whole story at this level is one campus.
One dot, one school — there is no spread to read at this level.
Ione Junior High is the strongest option at 17/100 — 5.0% of its students exceed the state standard.
29.4% of students are chronically absent (state: 18.1%) — chronic means missing 10% or more of the school year. Whatever the scores say, ask each school what it is doing about attendance.
The high school years
The high schools average 44.4/100 — 9.6 points below the state average. Here is what that number does and doesn't say.
30 points separate the strongest and weakest of these 4 high schools — the average hides more than it tells.
1 continuation/alternative school not plotted — it ranks within its own class, not on this statewide axis.
Argonaut High is the strongest option at 55/100 — 12.6% of its students exceed the state standard.
36.8% of students are chronically absent (state: 23.1%) — chronic means missing 10% or more of the school year. Whatever the scores say, ask each school what it is doing about attendance.
What it means for your family
Compare schools at your child’s level before deciding on an address. The strongest attendance-zone candidate is Sutter Creek Elementary at 38/100 — confirm the exact boundary with the district before the house.
2 run a magnet program — enrollment paths that don't depend on your address. If your zoned school sits low in the appendix below, those lotteries and applications are the levers worth the paperwork.
A band is a position, not a prophecy — 1 campus here ranks as Growth Engine, its aggregate cohort-change indices above the published threshold. Ask your school two questions: what happens for a kid who arrives behind, and what the classroom looks like for one who arrives ahead.
The strongest-scoring run through the district:
Sutter Creek Elementary 55th percentile · SolidScope Score 38/100Ione Junior High 7th percentile · Needs SupportScope Score 17/100Argonaut High 57th percentile · SolidScope Score 55/100
Top scorers at each level — not necessarily one zoned sequence. Confirm feeder patterns and enrollment zones with the district, and visit before you decide.
What this page can't see: whether a campus feels safe and glad at 8 a.m. If a path above looks workable, the next step is a visit.