School district · Stanislaus County

Ceres Unified schools

Ceres Unified’s 15 public elementary schools run from the 3rd to the 69th percentile among the 5,726 California elementary schools we score (spring 2026 tests).

Elementary · 15 schools

from 3rd to 69th · among 5,726 California elementary schools we score · spring 2026 tests

  • La Rosa Elementary: 69th percentile, Solid
  • M. Robert Adkison Elementary: 45th percentile, Developing
  • Patricia Kay Beaver Elementary: 44th percentile, Developing
  • Joel J. Hidahl Elementary: 44th percentile, Developing
  • Samuel Vaughn Elementary: 43rd percentile, Developing
  • Whitmore Charter School of Art & Technology: 38th percentile, Developing
  • Virginia Parks Elementary: 37th percentile, Developing
  • Sinclear Elementary: 30th percentile, Developing
  • Lucas Elementary: 29th percentile, Developing
  • Walter White Elementary: 19th percentile, Needs Support
  • Westport Elementary: 9th percentile, Needs Support
  • Carroll Fowler Elementary: 8th percentile, Needs Support
  • Caswell Elementary: 7th percentile, Needs Support
  • Aspire Summit Charter Academy: 5th percentile, Needs Support
  • Don Pedro Elementary: 3rd percentile, Needs Support
6Needs Support
8Developing
1Solid
0Strong

One dot per school.

Middle and high school pictures

Middle · 5 schools

from 36th to 54th · among 2,529 California middle schools we score · spring 2026 tests

  • Patricia Kay Beaver Elementary: 54th percentile, Solid
  • Blaker-Kinser Junior High: 46th percentile, Developing
  • Whitmore Charter School of Art & Technology: 41st percentile, Developing
  • Mae Hensley Junior High: 40th percentile, Developing
  • Cesar Chavez Junior High: 36th percentile, Developing
0Needs Support
4Developing
1Solid
0Strong

High · 3 schools

from 6th to 38th · among 1,498 California high schools we score · spring 2025 tests

  • Central Valley High: 38th percentile, Developing
  • Ceres High: 38th percentile, Developing
  • Endeavor Alternative: 6th percentile, Needs Support
1Needs Support
2Developing
0Solid
0Strong

One dot per school. Each stage is placed only among California schools at its own level. 2 of the 21 ranked schools teach two levels, so they appear in more than one picture.

  • 21 ranked schools
  • 3 schools not ranked statewide

Schools around Ceres Unified

24 listed public schools with mapped locations.

Open full map →

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Percentile among California schools at the same level

  • Strong75th+
  • Solid50–74th
  • Developing25–49th
  • Needs Supportbelow 25th
  • Not scored

The school lists on this page are also available without the map.

Elementary schools

Which elementary schools in Ceres Unified score highest?

La Rosa Elementary is highest, at the 69th percentile.

That’s higher than 69 in 100 of the 5,726 California elementary schools we score (spring 2026 tests).

Highest in Ceres Unified

Each percentile compares a school with California schools at its own level.

Show the other 12 elementary schools
Context

The average elementary school in Ceres Unified had 14 in 100 students chronically absent (missed 10% or more of school days) in 2025–26; the average California elementary school we score had 17 in 100. Both are averages of school rates, each school counted once.

Middle schools

Which middle schools in Ceres Unified score highest?

Patricia Kay Beaver Elementary is highest, at the 54th percentile.

That’s higher than 54 in 100 of the 2,529 California middle schools we score (spring 2026 tests).

Highest in Ceres Unified

Each percentile compares a school with California schools at its own level.

Show the other 2 middle schools
Context

The average middle school in Ceres Unified had 13 in 100 students chronically absent in 2025–26; the average California middle school we score had 18 in 100.

High schools

Which high schools in Ceres Unified score highest?

Central Valley High and Ceres High are highest, both at the 38th percentile.

That’s higher than 38 in 100 of the 1,498 California high schools we score (spring 2025 tests).

Highest in Ceres Unified

Each percentile compares a school with California schools at its own level.

Context

The average high school in Ceres Unified had 20 in 100 students chronically absent in 2025–26; the average California high school we score had 22 in 100.

3 high schools not ranked statewide

Continuation schools and special education centers enroll students differently from a regular school, so each is compared only with its own kind or not ranked. The others have no statewide percentile this year.

The district

Where does Ceres Unified’s money go, and what does it plan?

Ceres Unified spent $20,592 per student in the 2024–25 school year.

That’s close to the typical California district, which spent $20,491. About 60 cents of every Ceres Unified dollar went to classroom instruction.

Spending by function

Day-to-day spending per student in average daily attendance, from the district’s annual financial report (SACS) to the California Department of Education. District-wide: it includes central administration and costs never assigned to one campus.

Share by function, 2024–25

  • Instruction60%
  • Instruction support16%
  • Student services10%
  • Administration6%
  • Buildings & maintenance8%

Shares of the same spending total, by the report’s spending categories, rounded so they add up to 100. Names are simplified from the report’s own categories.

What the district plans

$101.0 million

planned in its 2026–27 plan for 18 funded actions in 4 goals. That’s 35% of its $285.3 million general fund budget. These are planned amounts; the district reports what it spent in a later plan.

The plan in short

Source: the district’s yearly spending plan (Local Control and Accountability Plan, or LCAP, 95 pages), as posted to the California School Dashboard.

Where the money goes

Three actions take 53% of the money. The plan itself puts 65% of it toward staff.

  • Graduation Rate $23.1 million
  • High Quality Staff $16.2 million
  • MTSS (Multi-Tiered System of Support) $14.3 million
  • 15 other actions
Reading, math and catch-up help

2 of the plan’s 18 funded actions name reading, math, catch-up help or English learners in their titles.

Actions whose titles name catch-up help or English learners
  • Catch-up help $14.3 million
  • English learners $0.9 million

Largest of these

  • MTSS (Multi-Tiered System of Support)$14.3 million
  • English Learner support$948,969
For high-need students (English learners, low-income students and foster youth), what changed and what its goals measure
For high-need students

It plans $62.5 million in extra services for English learners, low-income students and foster youth. For 2025–26, it planned $68.4 million and estimates it spent $60.9 million, $7.5 million (11%) less than planned (our arithmetic).

Ask: Why did estimated spending on these services come in $7.5 million under the 2025–26 plan, and where does that money go in 2026–27?

What changed

The total is $10.1 million (9%) lower than in the 2025–26 plan. The biggest change in dollars is School Health & Safety, which went from $17.2 million to $12.3 million.

Largest cuts

  • School Health & Safety−⁠$5.0 million
  • High Quality Staff - LREBG−⁠$3.7 million
  • School Connectedness - LREBG−⁠$1.3 million

Largest increases

  • Graduation Rate+⁠$1.5 million

Ask: What did School Health & Safety pay for, and what changes now that the 2026–27 plan gives it $5.0 million less?

What its goals measure

Read these state results for the district’s own schools as context for the goals they measure; results alone can’t show what the plan caused.

What its goals measure: state results, 2024–25 and 2025–26
Measure2024–252025–26Change
English, every tested grade: Proficient or Advanced in 2025–26, met or exceeded in 2024–25Goals 1 and 239%38%down 1 pt
Math, every tested grade: Proficient or Advanced in 2025–26, met or exceeded in 2024–25Goals 1 and 223%25%up 2 pts
Chronically absentCounted across all the district’s students, not averaged by schoolGoal 316 in 10015 in 1001 fewer in 100
Suspended at least onceGoal 33.9%3.1%down 0.8 pts

Goal 4 isn’t shown because it tracks named schools.

Figures from CDE’s state test, chronic absence and suspension files. Test figures cover every grade the district tests (California tests grades 3–8 and 11), so they differ from a profile’s rated grades. We combined the district’s schools ourselves, weighted by students and leaving out charter schools. Chronically absent means a student missed 10% or more of school days.

The plan’s own titles and amounts
  • Graduation Rate · $23,074,909
  • High Quality Staff · $16,166,175
  • MTSS (Multi-Tiered System of Support) · $14,342,813
The full plan4 goals, 45 measures and where the money goes

We calculate each action’s share of the plan by dividing its planned amount by the total of the plan’s funded actions ($101.0 million).

Where does the money go?

57% to Goal 1. Each box is one action, sized by its planned dollars and coloured by its change since last year’s plan. Tap a box to open its goal.

G1
G2
G3

Change since the 2025–26 plan, same title

  • fell 25% or more
  • fell 10–25%
  • fell 2–10%
  • within 2%
  • grew 2–10%
  • grew 10–25%
  • grew 25% or more
  • new or renamed title
  • not compared: unconfirmed, or repeated across goals

Every goal, in the plan’s order

Goal 1Ceres USD will ensure all students demonstrate high levels of academic achievement and college/​career…$57.5 million57% of action budgets

“Ceres USD will ensure all students demonstrate high levels of academic achievement and college/​career readiness by providing a high quality educational system” p. 10 ↗

6 funded actions · 2025–26 plan: $59.8 million (−⁠$2.2 million)

Largest funded actions

  1. Graduation Rate$23.1 millionaction 1.4 · p. 52 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services · of which $205,476 is state funding counted toward those services
  2. High Quality Staff$16.2 millionaction 1.1 · p. 52 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services · of which $14.4 million is state funding counted toward those services
  3. High Quality Instruction$12.7 millionaction 1.2 · p. 52 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services · of which $12.0 million is state funding counted toward those services
  4. College/​Career Readiness$3.1 millionaction 1.3 · p. 52 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services
  5. High Quality Instruction - LREBG$1.4 millionaction 1.6 · p. 52 ↗

1 more funded action in this goal

  • High Quality Staff - LREBG · action 1.5 · p. 52 ↗$1.1 million

Changes from last year’s plan, same title

  1. High Quality Staff - LREBG−⁠$3.7 million$4.7 million → $1.1 million · p. 52 ↗
  2. Graduation Rate+⁠$1.5 million$21.6 million → $23.1 million · p. 52 ↗
  3. High Quality Instruction−⁠$0.2 million$12.9 million → $12.7 million · p. 52 ↗

Every other line in this goal, against last year’s plan

  • High Quality Staff · $16.2 million → $16.2 million · p. 52 ↗−⁠$33,511
  • College/​Career Readiness · $3.0 million → $3.1 million · p. 52 ↗+⁠$0.1 million
  • High Quality Instruction - LREBG · $1.4 million → $1.4 million · p. 52 ↗+⁠$0.1 million

How the plan measures it · 15 measures · 1 quoted

  • Access to standards- aligned instructional materials (Local Indicator) p. 10 ↗
    Baseline
    2023-24: 100% of curriculum is aligned to standards.
    Target for year 3
    100% of curriculum is aligned to standards.

14 more measures in the plan’s table.

Goal 2Ceres USD will ensure all student groups demonstrate high levels of academic achievement and college/​career…$22.7 million22% of action budgets

“Ceres USD will ensure all student groups demonstrate high levels of academic achievement and college/​career readiness by providing a high quality educational system within a Multi-Tiered System of Support” p. 20 ↗

5 funded actions · 2025–26 plan: $23.7 million (−⁠$991,406)

Largest funded actions

  1. MTSS (Multi-Tiered System of Support)$14.3 millionaction 2.1 · p. 52 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services · of which $12.0 million is state funding counted toward those services
  2. Unduplicated student funding$6.6 millionaction 2.2 · p. 52 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services
  3. English Learner support$0.9 millionaction 2.3 · p. 52 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services
  4. Students with Disabilities support$0.6 millionaction 2.5 · p. 53 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services · of which $496,540 is state funding counted toward those services
  5. Homeless Youth Support$0.2 millionaction 2.4 · p. 53 ↗

Changes from last year’s plan, same title

  1. MTSS (Multi-Tiered System of Support)−⁠$0.7 million$15.1 million → $14.3 million · p. 52 ↗
  2. Unduplicated student funding−⁠$0.3 million$7.0 million → $6.6 million · p. 52 ↗
  3. Students with Disabilities support+⁠$153,681$428,787 → $582,468 · p. 53 ↗

Every other line in this goal, against last year’s plan

  • English Learner support · $1.0 million → $0.9 million · p. 52 ↗−⁠$0.1 million
  • Homeless Youth Support · $212,066 → $209,077 · p. 53 ↗−⁠$2,989

How the plan measures it · 9 measures · 2 quoted

  • Academic Indicator/Student groups: ELA (Dashboard) p. 20 ↗
    Baseline
    2022-23: All students: 48.4 pts below standard …
    Target for year 3
    All students: Improve by at least 9 pts …
  • Academic Indicator/Student groups: Math (Dashboard) p. 22 ↗
    Baseline
    2022-23: All students: 86.6 pts below standard …
    Target for year 3
    All students: Improve by at least 9 pts …

7 more measures in the plan’s table.

Goal 3Ceres USD will provide a safe, healthy, inclusive environment for all students focusing on school…$19.5 million19% of action budgets

“Ceres USD will provide a safe, healthy, inclusive environment for all students focusing on school connectedness and family engagement” p. 29 ↗

4 funded actions · 2025–26 plan: $26.6 million (−⁠$7.1 million)

Largest funded actions

  1. School Health & Safety$12.3 millionaction 3.3 · p. 53 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services · of which $9.5 million is state funding counted toward those services
  2. School Connectedness$4.2 millionaction 3.1 · p. 53 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services · of which $1.5 million is state funding counted toward those services
  3. Family Engagement$3.0 millionaction 3.2 · p. 53 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services · of which $1.7 million is state funding counted toward those services
  4. School Connectedness - LREBGunder $0.1 millionaction 3.4 · p. 53 ↗

Changes from last year’s plan, same title

  1. School Health & Safety−⁠$5.0 million$17.2 million → $12.3 million · p. 53 ↗
  2. School Connectedness - LREBG−⁠$1.3 million$1.3 million → under $0.1 million · p. 53 ↗
  3. Family Engagement−⁠$0.5 million$3.6 million → $3.0 million · p. 53 ↗

Every other line in this goal, against last year’s plan

  • School Connectedness · $4.5 million → $4.2 million · p. 53 ↗−⁠$0.3 million

How the plan measures it · 10 measures · 2 quoted

  • Instances where facilities do not meet the "good repair" standard (Local indicator) p. 29 ↗
    Baseline
    2023-24: 0
    Target for year 3
    Maintain 0 instances
  • Expulsion rate (Dataquest) p. 32 ↗
    Baseline
    2022-23: 0.2%
    Target for year 3
    Maintain a rate below 0.5%

8 more measures in the plan’s table.

Goal 4 · Equity Multiplier Focus GoalDuring the 2026-27 school year, students at Walter White Elementary School, Argus High School and Endeavor…$1.3 million1% of action budgets

“During the 2026-27 school year, students at Walter White Elementary School, Argus High School and Endeavor High School will demonstrate growth toward more equitable student outcomes on the California School Dashboard” p. 37 ↗

3 funded actions · reworded since the 2025–26 plan

Largest funded actions

  1. Walter White Equity Multiplier support$767,924action 4.1 · p. 53 ↗
  2. Argus Equity Multiplier support$321,447action 4.2 · p. 53 ↗
  3. Endeavor Equity Multiplier support$198,429action 4.3 · p. 53 ↗

Changes from last year’s plan, same title

  1. Walter White Equity Multiplier support+⁠$187,147$580,777 → $767,924 · p. 53 ↗
  2. Argus Equity Multiplier support+⁠$43,197$278,250 → $321,447 · p. 53 ↗
  3. Endeavor Equity Multiplier support+⁠$19,154$179,275 → $198,429 · p. 53 ↗

How the plan measures it · 11 measures · 2 quoted

  • Argus Academic Indicator: ELA (Dashboard) p. 39 ↗
    Baseline
    2022-23: All students: 232.7 pts below standard …
    Target for year 3
    All students: Improve by at least 30 pts …
  • Argus Academic Indicator: Math (Dashboard) p. 39 ↗
    Baseline
    2022-23: All students: 294.6 pts below standard …
    Target for year 3
    All students: Improve by at least 30 pts …

9 more measures in the plan’s table.

All amounts are planned. We read them from the PDF and added up each goal’s actions ourselves. Page links open the plan at that page.

Who goes to the district’s schools
Who attends

Student mix

2024–25 · October enrollment count, 14,047 students
1. Hispanic or Latino: 81%2. White: 10%3. Asian: 6%4. Black or African American: 1%5. Two or more races: <1%6. Pacific Islander: <1%7. Filipino: <1%8. American Indian or Alaska Native: <1%9. Not reported: <1%Student mix2024–25
  1. Hispanic or Latino81%
  2. White10%
  3. Asian6%
  4. Black or African American1%
  5. Two or more races<1%
  6. Pacific Islander<1%
  7. Filipino<1%
  8. American Indian or Alaska Native<1%
  9. Not reported<1%
Shares use the district's own October enrollment counts from the CDE, including its charter schools. Rounded labels may not total 100%; segments use the original shares.

Free or reduced-price meals

85%

Across California, 63% of students qualify.

2024–25 · 11,869 of 14,020 students qualify, summed from the CDE’s meal counts for every school it lists under the district, charters included. It comes from a different CDE file than the student mix, so the two totals differ.

The district’s state records

Is the state giving the district extra help?

Ceres Unified isn’t getting extra state help in 2026, only the standard support every district gets.

How English learners moved up on the state’s English test

From spring 2025 to spring 2026, 47% of the district’s English learners moved up at least one level on the state’s English test (ELPAC), or stayed at the top (1,382 of 2,926 students). California: 47%. It counts students moving up the test’s levels, so a student can count here before becoming fluent.

3 schools getting state support, 2025–26

Argus High (Continuation) (Most intensive support, graduation rate) · Blaker-Kinser Junior High (Targeted support) · Walter White Elementary (Targeted support)

This list covers the district’s own schools; each charter school’s page shows its record. Federal designation under the Every Student Succeeds Act, 2025–26.

Sources: District help (CDE) ↗ · English learner progress (CDE) ↗ · School support (CDE) ↗. State results from the 2026 California School Dashboard.

Which places nearby can you look at next?

Cities in the district

More places (4)

Districts nearby

Common questions

Which public schools in Ceres Unified rank highest?

Elementary: La Rosa Elementary, 69th percentile (Solid). Middle: Patricia Kay Beaver Elementary, 54th percentile (Solid). High: 2 schools at the 38th percentile (Developing): Central Valley High and Ceres High. Each percentile is among the California schools at the same level we score. A rank doesn’t decide fit or whether a child can enroll.

Does living in the Ceres Unified district decide which school my child attends?

Not by itself. Attendance boundaries, programs, transfers and space all matter. Confirm the school for your address, grade and program with the district.
More questions (5)

Are the public schools in Ceres Unified good?

Ceres Unified’s 15 public elementary schools run from the 3rd to the 69th percentile among the 5,726 California elementary schools we score (spring 2026 tests). By band: 1 Solid, 8 Developing and 6 Needs Support. Ceres Unified’s 5 public middle schools run from the 36th to the 54th percentile among the 2,529 California middle schools we score (spring 2026 tests). By band: 1 Solid and 4 Developing. Ceres Unified’s 3 public high schools run from the 6th to the 38th percentile among the 1,498 California high schools we score (spring 2025 tests). By band: 2 Developing and 1 Needs Support. A percentile compares a school with California public schools at the same level that we score. How we score schools.

How does chronic absence in Ceres Unified compare with California?

The average elementary school in Ceres Unified had 14 in 100 students chronically absent (missed 10% or more of school days) in 2025–26; the average California elementary school we score had 17 in 100. Both are averages of school rates, each school counted once. The average middle school in Ceres Unified had 13 in 100 students chronically absent in 2025–26; the average California middle school we score had 18 in 100. The average high school in Ceres Unified had 20 in 100 students chronically absent in 2025–26; the average California high school we score had 22 in 100. These are averages of school rates: each school counts once, whatever its size.

How much does Ceres Unified spend per student?

Ceres Unified spent $20,592 per student in the 2024–25 school year. That’s close to the typical California district, which spent $20,491. About 60 cents of every Ceres Unified dollar went to classroom instruction. Day-to-day spending per student in average daily attendance, from its annual financial report to the California Department of Education. The district’s spending, by function.

What is in Ceres Unified’s 2026–27 spending plan?

The district’s 2026–27 spending plan puts $101.0 million into 18 funded actions in 4 goals, 35% of its $285.3 million general fund budget. Its largest goal holds $57.5 million, 57% of the action budgets. The 2026–27 plan, goal by goal.

Where do these results come from?

California’s state tests (CAASPP): spring 2026 for elementary and middle schools, spring 2025 for high schools, and chronic-absence rates for 2025–26, published by the California Department of Education. Percentiles, bands and Scope Scores are SchoolScope’s calculations. How we score schools.

Sources and methodology

This page lists the public schools governed and funded by Ceres Unified, with the district’s spending and state accountability records.

Data source: California Department of Education · CAASPP 2025–26 elementary and middle school; 2024–25 high school

Percentiles, bands and Scope Scores are SchoolScope’s own calculations from these state files.

View CDE data ↗ (opens in a new tab)How Scope Scores work →

Download these schools (CSV)Free to use under CC BY 4.0 with attribution.