El Rancho Unified’s 8 public elementary schools run from the 11th to the 65th percentile among the 5,726 California elementary schools we score (spring 2026 tests). They sit in three of the four bands: Solid, Developing and Needs Support.
Elementary · 8 schools
from 11th to 65th · among 5,726 California elementary schools we score · spring 2026 tests
Magee Academy of Arts & Sciences: 65th percentile, Solid
Valencia Academy of the Arts: 64th percentile, Solid
Rio Vista Elementary: 58th percentile, Solid
Birney Tech Academy: 48th percentile, Developing
North Ranchito Elementary: 43rd percentile, Developing
Durfee Elementary: 42nd percentile, Developing
Rivera Elementary: 39th percentile, Developing
South Ranchito Dual Language Academy: 11th percentile, Needs Support
1Needs Support
4Developing
3Solid
0Strong
← lower percentilehigher →
One dot per school.
Middle and high school pictures
Middle · 3 schools
from 14th to 66th · among 2,529 California middle schools we score · spring 2026 tests
STEAM Academy @ Burke: 66th percentile, Solid
Rivera Middle: 34th percentile, Developing
North Park Academy of the Arts: 14th percentile, Needs Support
1Needs Support
1Developing
1Solid
0Strong
High · 1 school
at 50th · among 1,498 California high schools we score · spring 2025 tests
El Rancho High: 50th percentile, Solid
0Needs Support
0Developing
1Solid
0Strong
← lower percentilehigher →
One dot per school. Each stage is placed only among California schools at its own level.
The average elementary school in El Rancho Unified had 19 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 El Rancho Unified score highest?
STEAM Academy @ Burke is highest, at the 66th percentile.
That’s higher than 66 in 100 of the 2,529 California middle schools we score (spring 2026 tests).
Highest in El Rancho Unified
Each percentile compares a school with California schools at its own level.
The average middle school in El Rancho Unified had 16 in 100 students chronically absent in 2025–26; the average California middle school we score had 18 in 100.
High schools
Where does the high school we score in El Rancho Unified stand?
El Rancho High is at the 50th percentile.
That’s higher than 50 in 100 of the 1,498 California high schools we score (spring 2025 tests). It’s the only public high school we score in El Rancho Unified.
Each percentile compares a school with California schools at its own level.
Where does El Rancho Unified’s money go, and what does it plan?
El Rancho Unified spent $22,837 per student in the 2024–25 school year.
The typical California district spent $20,491. About 57 cents of every El Rancho 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
Instruction57%
Instruction support12%
Student services10%
Administration8%
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.
What the district plans
$83.8 million
planned in its 2026–27 plan for 45 funded actions in 5 goals. That’s 61% of its $138.4 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, 159 pages), as posted to the California School Dashboard.
Where the money goes
Three actions take 58% of the money. The plan itself puts 86% of it toward staff.
Highly Qualified Staff $39.9 million
Class size reduction $5.6 million
Maintaining Safe Facilities $3.4 million
42 other actions
Reading, math and catch-up help
7 of the plan’s 45 funded actions name reading, math, catch-up help or English learners in their titles.
Actions whose titles name math, catch-up help or English learners
Math $0.1 million
Catch-up help $0.8 million
English learners $1.1 million
An action naming two of these appears under both.
Largest of these
Credit Recovery$518,000
Professional Development to Support English Learners for Classified Staff Working Directly with Students$350,000
Dual Language Immersion Support/Professional Development$300,000
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 $37.6 million in extra services for English learners, low-income students and foster youth. For 2025–26, it planned $44.1 million and estimates it spent $33.9 million, $10.2 million (23%) less than planned (our arithmetic).
$33.9 million spent (estimated)$44.1 million planned
Ask: Why did estimated spending on these services come in $10.2 million under the 2025–26 plan, and where does that money go in 2026–27?
What changed
The total is $12.6 million (13%) lower than in the 2025–26 plan. The biggest change in dollars is Maintaining Safe Facilities, which went from $7.5 million to $3.4 million.
Largest cuts
Maintaining Safe Facilities−$4.1 million
Extended Learning Opportunities and Enhanced Materials−$1.3 million
Professional Development for Teachers−$1.0 million
Largest increases
Class size reduction+$381,920
New in the 2026–27 plan
School Community Liaisons$750,000
Credit Recovery$518,000
Ask: What did Maintaining Safe Facilities pay for, and what changes now that the 2026–27 plan gives it $4.1 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
Measure
2024–25
2025–26
Change
English, every tested grade: Proficient or Advanced in 2025–26, met or exceeded in 2024–25Goals 3 and 4
40%
43%
up 3 pts
Math, every tested grade: Proficient or Advanced in 2025–26, met or exceeded in 2024–25Goals 3 and 4
29%
30%
up 1 pt
Chronically absentCounted across all the district’s students, not averaged by schoolGoal 2
20 in 100
19 in 100
1 fewer in 100
Suspended at least onceGoal 2
4.4%
2.9%
down 1.5 pts
Goal 5 tracks named schools and Goal 1 tracks other measures, so they aren’t shown here.
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
Highly Qualified Staff · $39,851,366
Class size reduction · $5,554,257
Maintaining Safe Facilities · $3,400,000
The full plan5 goals, 65 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 ($83.8 million).
Where does the money go?
56% 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.
not compared: unconfirmed, or repeated across goals
Every goal, in the plan’s order
Goal 1All students will receive standards-aligned instruction and access to a broad course of study from highly…$46.8 million56% of action budgets
“All students will receive standards-aligned instruction and access to a broad course of study from highly qualified teachers in safe, clean, sustainable, resilient and welcoming facilities” p. 14 ↗
6 funded actions · reworded since the 2025–26 plan
Largest funded actions
Highly Qualified Staff$39.9 millionaction 1.1 · p. 109 ↗
Maintaining Safe Facilities$3.4 millionaction 1.3 · p. 109 ↗
Librarian and Library Media Technician Support$1.4 millionaction 1.2 · p. 109 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services
Instructional Materials$1.0 millionaction 1.4 · p. 109 ↗
Student Health and Wellbeing$1.0 millionaction 1.6 · p. 109 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services
1 more funded action in this goal
Teacher Induction Program · action 1.5 · p. 109 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services$0.3 million
Changes from last year’s plan, same title
Maintaining Safe Facilities−$4.1 million$7.5 million → $3.4 million · p. 109 ↗
Instructional Materials−$0.7 million$1.7 million → $1.0 million · p. 109 ↗
Teacher Induction Program−$77,000$352,000 → $275,000 · p. 109 ↗
Every other line in this goal, against last year’s plan
Highly Qualified Staff · $39.9 million → $39.9 million · p. 109 ↗unchanged
Librarian and Library Media Technician Support · $1.4 million → $1.4 million · p. 109 ↗+$5,743
Student Health and Wellbeing · $993,067 → $950,000 · p. 109 ↗−$43,067
How the plan measures it · 8 measures
None of these has an all-students line we can quote; the plan’s table lists them from p. 14 ↗.
Goal 2El Rancho USD will create an inclusive environment that fosters a feeling of safety and belonging among all…$12.2 million15% of action budgets
“El Rancho USD will create an inclusive environment that fosters a feeling of safety and belonging among all students, parents, and staff” p. 21 ↗
17 funded actions · 2025–26 plan: $14.8 million (−$2.6 million)
Largest funded actions
Mental Health Counselors$3.0 millionaction 2.3 · p. 109 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services
Student Services$2.6 millionaction 2.13 · p. 111 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services
Student Engagement Beyond the School Day$2.0 millionaction 2.14 · p. 111 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services
School Security Officers(SSO)/Noon Aides/School Peace Officer (SPO)/School Resource Officer (SRO)$1.2 millionaction 2.2 · p. 109 ↗
School Community Liaisons$0.8 millionaction 2.6 · p. 110 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services
12 more funded actions in this goal
Wellness Centers · action 2.10 · p. 110 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services$0.5 million
Parent Workshops · action 2.4 · p. 109 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services$0.4 million
School Community Liaison for Foster/Homeless Student Case Management · action 2.5 · p. 109 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services$0.4 million
Character Development/Behavior Intervention Programs · action 2.8 · p. 110 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services$0.4 million
Behavior Technicians · action 2.7 · p. 110 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services$0.2 million
Tutoring Support · action 2.9 · p. 110 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services$0.2 million
Board Certified Behavior Analysts · action 2.16 · p. 111 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services$0.2 million
School Social Worker · action 2.17 · p. 111 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services$0.1 million
Provide ParentSquare access/Aeries Parent Portal/Seesaw/Edlio Web and Access Plus · action 2.15 · p. 111 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services$0.1 million
Attention 2 Attendance · action 2.12 · p. 111 ↗$0.1 million
EduClimber Comprehensive Data System · action 2.1 · p. 109 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services$0.1 million
Provide Students with a Go PASS · action 2.11 · p. 111 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need servicesunder $0.1 million
Changes from last year’s plan, same title
Student Services−$0.9 million$3.4 million → $2.6 million · p. 111 ↗
Mental Health Counselors−$0.4 million$3.4 million → $3.0 million · p. 109 ↗
Wellness Centers−$400,000$875,000 → $475,000 · p. 110 ↗
Every other line in this goal, against last year’s plan
Student Engagement Beyond the School Day · $2.4 million → $2.0 million · p. 111 ↗−$0.4 million
School Security Officers(SSO)/Noon Aides/School Peace Officer (SPO)/School Resource Officer (SRO) · $1.0 million → $1.2 million · p. 109 ↗+$0.1 million
School Community Liaisons · $750,000 · p. 110 ↗new or renamed
Parent Workshops · $500,000 → $400,000 · p. 109 ↗−$100,000
School Community Liaison for Foster/Homeless Student Case Management · $280,000 → $400,000 · p. 109 ↗+$120,000
Character Development/Behavior Intervention Programs · $409,412 → $350,000 · p. 110 ↗−$59,412
Behavior Technicians · $320,000 → $250,000 · p. 110 ↗−$70,000
Tutoring Support · $500,000 → $250,000 · p. 110 ↗−$250,000
EduClimber Comprehensive Data System · $58,160 → $58,160 · p. 109 ↗unchanged
Provide Students with a Go PASS · $50,000 → $50,000 · p. 111 ↗unchanged
A reworded title counts as new.
How the plan measures it · 18 measures
None of these has an all-students line we can quote; the plan’s table lists them from p. 21 ↗.
Goal 3ERUSD will provide an effective instructional program to advance independence and establish academic…$21.8 million26% of action budgets
“ERUSD will provide an effective instructional program to advance independence and establish academic preparedness that equips students to graduate college and career-ready” p. 39 ↗
13 funded actions · 2025–26 plan: $27.3 million (−$5.4 million)
Largest funded actions
Class size reduction$5.6 millionaction 3.11 · p. 113 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services
Academic Programs$3.0 millionaction 3.4 · p. 112 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services
School Site Based Teachers on Special Assignment Providing Instructional Support at the Elementary and Secondary Levels$2.5 millionaction 3.3 · p. 112 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services
Access to Technology and Online Instructional Programs$2.5 millionaction 3.6 · p. 112 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services
Professional Development for Teachers$2.0 millionaction 3.1 · p. 111 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services
8 more funded actions in this goal
College and Career Readiness Support Services · action 3.9 · p. 112 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services$1.6 million
Extended Learning Opportunities and Enhanced Materials · action 3.2 · p. 111 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services$1.5 million
Content Experts/Teachers on Special Assignments Providing Support District-Wide · action 3.5 · p. 112 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services$0.9 million
Small Group Instructional Opportunities for Students · action 3.10 · p. 112 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services$0.9 million
Increase Access to Academic Counselors · action 3.7 · p. 112 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services$0.6 million
Professional Development to Support English Learners for Classified Staff Working Directly with Students · action 3.13 · p. 113 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services$0.4 million
Dual Language Immersion Support/Professional Development · action 3.8 · p. 112 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services$0.3 million
Renaissance Products · action 3.12 · p. 113 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services$0.2 million
Changes from last year’s plan, same title
Extended Learning Opportunities and Enhanced Materials−$1.3 million$2.8 million → $1.5 million · p. 111 ↗
Professional Development for Teachers−$1.0 million$3.0 million → $2.0 million · p. 111 ↗
Access to Technology and Online Instructional Programs−$1.0 million$3.5 million → $2.5 million · p. 112 ↗
Every other line in this goal, against last year’s plan
Class size reduction · $5.2 million → $5.6 million · p. 113 ↗+$0.4 million
Academic Programs · $3.8 million → $3.0 million · p. 112 ↗−$0.8 million
School Site Based Teachers on Special Assignment Providing Instructional Support at the Elementary and Secondary Levels · $2.9 million → $2.5 million · p. 112 ↗−$0.4 million
College and Career Readiness Support Services · $1.8 million → $1.6 million · p. 112 ↗−$0.3 million
Content Experts/Teachers on Special Assignments Providing Support District-Wide · $1.0 million → $0.9 million · p. 112 ↗−$0.1 million
Small Group Instructional Opportunities for Students · $1.0 million → $0.9 million · p. 112 ↗−$0.1 million
Increase Access to Academic Counselors · $600,651 → $550,000 · p. 112 ↗−$50,651
Professional Development to Support English Learners for Classified Staff Working Directly with Students · $750,000 → $350,000 · p. 113 ↗−$400,000
Dual Language Immersion Support/Professional Development · $530,000 → $300,000 · p. 112 ↗−$230,000
Renaissance Products · $300,000 → $225,000 · p. 113 ↗−$75,000
How the plan measures it · 19 measures
None of these has an all-students line we can quote; the plan’s table lists them from p. 39 ↗.
Goal 4ERUSD will improve English Learner student performance by increasing the number of ELs reclassified by the…$2.1 million3% of action budgets
“ERUSD will improve English Learner student performance by increasing the number of ELs reclassified by the end of elementary school and reducing the number of long-term EL students in secondary school” p. 53 ↗
3 funded actions · 2025–26 plan: $2.3 million (−$210,442)
Largest funded actions
Staff Articulation and Collaboration$1.6 millionaction 4.2 · p. 114 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services
Support services for EL monitoring$0.3 millionaction 4.3 · p. 114 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services
EL Resource Teacher$0.2 millionaction 4.1 · p. 113 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services
Changes from last year’s plan, same title
Staff Articulation and Collaboration−$0.1 million$1.8 million → $1.6 million · p. 114 ↗
Support services for EL monitoring−$100,000$400,000 → $300,000 · p. 114 ↗
EL Resource Teacher−$10,442$195,442 → $185,000 · p. 113 ↗
Goal 5 · Equity Multiplier Focus GoalSalazar HS will increase student math and ELA performance and college and career readiness by increasing the…$801,5701% of action budgets
“Salazar HS will increase student math and ELA performance and college and career readiness by increasing the number of students completing a CTE pathway by June 2027, including Hispanic and socio-economically disadvantaged students” p. 60 ↗
6 funded actions · reworded since the 2025–26 plan
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, 6,878 students
1Hispanic or Latino97%
2White1%
3Asian<1%
4Filipino<1%
5Two or more races<1%
6Black or African American<1%
7American Indian or Alaska Native<1%
8Pacific Islander<1%
9Not 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
81%
Across California, 63% of students qualify.
2024–25 · 5,419 of 6,716 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 El Rancho 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, 53% of the district’s English learners moved up at least one level on the state’s English test (ELPAC), or stayed at the top (405 of 764 students). California: 47%. It counts students moving up the test’s levels, so a student can count here before becoming fluent.
1 school getting state support, 2025–26
El Rancho High (Targeted support)
El Rancho HighTargeted support: students with disabilities
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.
Which public schools in El Rancho Unified rank highest?
Elementary: Magee Academy of Arts & Sciences, 65th percentile (Solid). Middle: STEAM Academy @ Burke, 66th percentile (Solid). High: El Rancho High, 50th percentile (Solid). 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 El Rancho 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 El Rancho Unified good?
El Rancho Unified’s 8 public elementary schools run from the 11th to the 65th percentile among the 5,726 California elementary schools we score (spring 2026 tests). By band: 3 Solid, 4 Developing and 1 Needs Support. El Rancho Unified’s 3 public middle schools run from the 14th to the 66th percentile among the 2,529 California middle schools we score (spring 2026 tests). By band: 1 Solid, 1 Developing and 1 Needs Support. El Rancho Unified has one public high school we score, El Rancho High, at the 50th percentile among the 1,498 California high schools we score (spring 2025 tests). By band: 1 Solid. 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 El Rancho Unified compare with California?
The average elementary school in El Rancho Unified had 19 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 El Rancho Unified had 16 in 100 students chronically absent in 2025–26; the average California middle school we score had 18 in 100. These are averages of school rates: each school counts once, whatever its size.
How much does El Rancho Unified spend per student?
El Rancho Unified spent $22,837 per student in the 2024–25 school year. The typical California district spent $20,491. About 57 cents of every El Rancho 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 El Rancho Unified’s 2026–27 spending plan?
The district’s 2026–27 spending plan puts $83.8 million into 45 funded actions in 5 goals, 61% of its $138.4 million general fund budget. Its largest goal holds $46.8 million, 56% 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 El Rancho 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.