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 52.3/100 — 13.4 points above the state average, with 2 of 4 in the Strong band.
4 elementary schools span 19 points around an average of 52.3.
Matthew Turner Elementary (64/100) holds the Strong band — 42.9% of its students exceed the state standard, against a level average of 31.3%. 1 school here ranks as a Growth Engine — returning cohorts gaining more than most schools statewide.
What these numbers can't see: class sizes, arts, teacher turnover, how a hallway feels at 8 a.m. Strong scores are the start of the question, not the answer.
The middle years
One middle school: Benicia Middle at 56/100 — the whole story at this level is one campus.
One dot, one school — there is no spread to read at this level.
Benicia Middle (56/100) holds the Strong band — 21.7% of its students exceed the state standard, against a level average of 21.7%. 1 school here ranks as a Growth Engine — returning cohorts gaining more than most schools statewide.
One campus is the whole sample — a single year's cohort moves every number in this chapter.
The high school years
One school defines the top: Benicia High sits 37 points clear of the field — the other 1 high schools are a different conversation.
37 points separate the strongest and weakest of these 2 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.
Benicia High (65/100) holds the Strong band — 21.4% of its students exceed the state standard, against a level average of 11.6%.
36.0% 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 Matthew Turner Elementary at 64/100 — confirm the exact boundary with the district before the house.
No charters or magnets among the ranked schools here, so the main lever is an intra-district transfer — California districts run them on their own windows and criteria. If your zoned school sits low in the appendix below, ask the district office for this year's dates.
A band is a position, not a prophecy — 2 campuses here rank as Growth Engine, their returning cohorts gaining more than most schools statewide. 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:
Matthew Turner Elementary 90th percentile · StrongScope Score 64/100Benicia Middle 85th percentile · StrongScope Score 56/100Benicia High 81st percentile · StrongScope Score 65/100
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.