Each level is scored on its own scale — elementary, middle, and high are never ranked against each other.
The elementary years
One school defines the top: Union Street Charter sits 37 points clear of the field — the other 4 elementary schools are a different conversation.
58 points separate the strongest and weakest of these 5 elementary schools — the average hides more than it tells.
Union Street Charter (79/100) holds the Strong band — 56.4% of its students exceed the state standard, against a level average of 22.8%.
58 points separate the top and bottom elementary schools — the district average won't predict the school in front of you.
The middle years
One middle school: Sunny Brae Middle at 33/100 — the whole story at this level is one campus.
One dot, one school — there is no spread to read at this level.
Sunny Brae Middle is the strongest option at 33/100 — 16.5% of its students exceed the state standard.
38.8% 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.
What it means for your family
Compare schools at your child’s level before deciding on an address. The strongest attendance-zone candidate is Arcata Elementary at 21/100 — confirm the exact boundary with the district before the house.
4 of the 6 ranked schools are charters — 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 — a school's number can move without your kid's experience moving with it. 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:
Union Street Charter 98th percentile · StrongScope Score 79/100Sunny Brae Middle 43rd percentile · DevelopingScope Score 33/100
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.