School district · San Bernardino County

Colton Joint Unified schools

Colton Joint Unified’s 18 public elementary schools run from the 3rd to the 59th percentile among the 5,726 California elementary schools we score (spring 2026 tests).

Elementary · 18 schools

from 3rd to 59th · among 5,726 California elementary schools we score · spring 2026 tests

  • Gerald A. Smith Elementary: 59th percentile, Solid
  • Mary B. Lewis Elementary: 52nd percentile, Solid
  • Crestmore Elementary: 50th percentile, Solid
  • Ruth Grimes Elementary: 50th percentile, Solid
  • Sycamore Hills Elementary: 44th percentile, Developing
  • Michael D'Arcy Elementary: 44th percentile, Developing
  • Ulysses Grant Elementary: 38th percentile, Developing
  • Terrace View Elementary: 36th percentile, Developing
  • Grand Terrace Elementary: 34th percentile, Developing
  • Paul Rogers Elementary: 28th percentile, Developing
  • William McKinley Elementary: 25th percentile, Developing
  • Jurupa Vista Elementary: 24th percentile, Needs Support
  • Woodrow Wilson Elementary: 24th percentile, Needs Support
  • Walter Zimmerman Elementary: 23rd percentile, Needs Support
  • Cooley Ranch Elementary: 7th percentile, Needs Support
  • Reche Canyon Elementary: 7th percentile, Needs Support
  • Alice Birney Elementary: 6th percentile, Needs Support
  • Abraham Lincoln Elementary: 3rd percentile, Needs Support
7Needs Support
7Developing
4Solid
0Strong

One dot per school.

Middle and high school pictures

Middle · 5 schools

from 1st to 14th · among 2,529 California middle schools we score · spring 2026 tests

  • Ruth O. Harris Middle: 14th percentile, Needs Support
  • Terrace Hills Middle: 13th percentile, Needs Support
  • Joe Baca: 11th percentile, Needs Support
  • Colton Middle: 9th percentile, Needs Support
  • Washington High: 1st percentile, Needs Support
5Needs Support
0Developing
0Solid
0Strong

High · 3 schools

from 24th to 42nd · among 1,498 California high schools we score · spring 2025 tests

  • Grand Terrace High School at the Ray Abril Jr. Educational Complex: 42nd percentile, Developing
  • Colton High: 30th percentile, Developing
  • Bloomington High: 24th percentile, Needs Support
1Needs Support
2Developing
0Solid
0Strong

One dot per school. Each stage is placed only among California schools at its own level.

  • 1 school not ranked statewide

Schools around Colton Joint Unified

27 listed public schools with mapped locations.

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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 Colton Joint Unified score highest?

Gerald A. Smith Elementary is highest, at the 59th percentile.

That’s higher than 59 in 100 of the 5,726 California elementary schools we score (spring 2026 tests).

Highest in Colton Joint Unified

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

Show the other 15 elementary schools
Context

The average elementary school in Colton Joint Unified had 20 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 Colton Joint Unified score highest?

Ruth O. Harris Middle is highest, at the 14th percentile.

That’s higher than 14 in 100 of the 2,529 California middle schools we score (spring 2026 tests).

Highest in Colton Joint 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 Colton Joint Unified had 26 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 Colton Joint Unified score highest?

Grand Terrace High School at the Ray Abril Jr. Educational Complex is highest, at the 42nd percentile.

That’s higher than 42 in 100 of the 1,498 California high schools we score (spring 2025 tests).

Highest in Colton Joint Unified

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

Context

The average high school in Colton Joint Unified had 19 in 100 students chronically absent in 2025–26; the average California high school we score had 22 in 100.

1 high school not ranked statewide

The district

Where does Colton Joint Unified’s money go?

Colton Joint Unified spent $23,072 per student in the 2024–25 school year.

The typical California district spent $20,491. About 59 cents of every Colton Joint 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

  • Instruction59%
  • Instruction support10%
  • Student services11%
  • Administration7%
  • Buildings & maintenance12%
  • Other1%

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.

The district’s plan

Every California district publishes a yearly plan, the LCAP: its goals and what it will spend to reach them. Search it for a program, grade or student group you care about.

Sources: Plans (California School Dashboard) ↗

Who goes to the district’s schools
Who attends

Student mix

2024–25 · October enrollment count, 18,414 students
1. Hispanic or Latino: 88%2. Black or African American: 5%3. White: 4%4. Asian: 1%5. Two or more races: <1%6. Filipino: <1%7. Pacific Islander: <1%8. American Indian or Alaska Native: <1%9. Not reported: <1%Student mix2024–25
  1. Hispanic or Latino88%
  2. Black or African American5%
  3. White4%
  4. Asian1%
  5. Two or more races<1%
  6. Filipino<1%
  7. Pacific Islander<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.

Free or reduced-price meals

85%

Across California, 63% of students qualify.

2024–25 · 15,626 of 18,397 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?

The state is giving Colton Joint Unified extra help in 2026, the second year after it qualified on the 2025 Dashboard.

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

From spring 2025 to spring 2026, 49% of the district’s English learners moved up at least one level on the state’s English test (ELPAC), or stayed at the top (1,271 of 2,585 students). California: 47%. It counts students moving up the test’s levels, so a student can count here before becoming fluent.

2 schools getting state support, 2025–26

Mary B. Lewis Elementary (Targeted support) · Reche Canyon Elementary (Extra 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 (7)

Districts nearby

Common questions

Which public schools in Colton Joint Unified rank highest?

Elementary: Gerald A. Smith Elementary, 59th percentile (Solid). Middle: Ruth O. Harris Middle, 14th percentile (Needs Support). High: Grand Terrace High School at the Ray Abril Jr. Educational Complex, 42nd percentile (Developing). 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 Colton Joint 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 (4)

Are the public schools in Colton Joint Unified good?

Colton Joint Unified’s 18 public elementary schools run from the 3rd to the 59th percentile among the 5,726 California elementary schools we score (spring 2026 tests). By band: 4 Solid, 7 Developing and 7 Needs Support. Colton Joint Unified’s 5 public middle schools run from the 1st to the 14th percentile among the 2,529 California middle schools we score (spring 2026 tests). By band: 5 Needs Support. Colton Joint Unified’s 3 public high schools run from the 24th to the 42nd 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 Colton Joint Unified compare with California?

The average elementary school in Colton Joint Unified had 20 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 Colton Joint Unified had 26 in 100 students chronically absent in 2025–26; the average California middle school we score had 18 in 100. The average high school in Colton Joint Unified had 19 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 Colton Joint Unified spend per student?

Colton Joint Unified spent $23,072 per student in the 2024–25 school year. The typical California district spent $20,491. About 59 cents of every Colton Joint 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.

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 Colton Joint 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.