Lowell Joint runs schools through 8th grade. Its 5 public elementary schools run from the 54th to the 85th percentile among the 5,726 California elementary schools we score (spring 2026 tests). High school is run by another district; confirm the school for your address with the district.
K5Elementary
68Middle
912High
Lowell Joint · grades K–8
Another district · grades 9–12
Elementary · 5 schools
from 54th to 85th · among 5,726 California elementary schools we score · spring 2026 tests
Meadow Green Elementary: 85th percentile, Strong
Macy Elementary: 79th percentile, Strong
Jordan Elementary: 70th percentile, Solid
El Portal Elementary: 59th percentile, Solid
Olita Elementary: 54th percentile, Solid
0Needs Support
0Developing
3Solid
2Strong
Middle · 1 school
at 76th · among 2,529 California middle schools we score · spring 2026 tests
The average elementary school in Lowell Joint had 12 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
Where does the middle school we score in Lowell Joint stand?
Rancho-Starbuck Intermediate is at the 76th percentile.
That’s higher than 76 in 100 of the 2,529 California middle schools we score (spring 2026 tests). It’s the only public middle school we score in Lowell Joint.
Each percentile compares a school with California schools at its own level.
Where does Lowell Joint’s money go, and what does it plan?
Lowell Joint spent $16,102 per student in the 2024–25 school year.
The typical California district spent $20,491. About 62 cents of every Lowell Joint 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
Instruction62%
Instruction support9%
Student services8%
Administration8%
Buildings & maintenance13%
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
$43.8 million
planned in its 2026–27 plan for 41 funded actions in 6 goals. That’s 88% of its $50.0 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, 150 pages), as posted to the California School Dashboard.
Where the money goes
Three actions take 58% of the money. The plan itself puts 96% of it toward staff.
Certificated Staffing - Teachers $18.0 million
Classified Staff-Administration and other Support $4.1 million
Certificated Staffing-Administration and other Support Staff $3.4 million
38 other actions
Reading, math and catch-up help
8 of the plan’s 41 funded actions name reading, math, catch-up help or English learners in their titles.
Actions whose titles name reading, math, catch-up help or English learners
Reading $91,887
Math $53,769
Catch-up help $699,227
English learners $317,345
An action naming two of these appears under both.
Largest of these
MTSS Coordination and Monitoring of UPPs$480,189
Progress Monitoring and Support of English Learners$233,927
ELD, Reading Intervention, Spanish Elective, and AP Spanish Language at Rancho$74,818
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 $7.5 million in extra services for English learners, low-income students and foster youth. For 2025–26, it planned $5.8 million and estimates it spent $9.8 million, $4.0 million (70%) more than planned (our arithmetic).
$9.8 million spent (estimated)$5.8 million planned
What changed
The total is $2.1 million (5%) higher than in the 2025–26 plan. The biggest change in dollars is Certificated Staffing - Teachers, which went from $19.3 million to $18.0 million.
Largest cuts
Certificated Staffing - Teachers−$1.3 million
Instructional Supplies-Per Pupil Site Allocation−$162,101
Assessment System−$129,000
Largest increases
Dual Immersion Program+$1.1 million
Classified Staff-Administration and other Support+$837,463
Classified Staff Instructional Assistants & Special Ed Support Aides+$809,998
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
Chronically absentCounted across all the district’s students, not averaged by schoolGoals 4 and 6
11 in 100
11 in 100
no change
Suspended at least onceGoal 4
1.7%
1.8%
up 0.1 pts
Goals 1, 2, 3 and 5 aren’t shown because they track other measures.
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
Certificated Staffing - Teachers · $18,022,702
Classified Staff-Administration and other Support · $4,100,742
Certificated Staffing-Administration and other Support Staff · $3,378,144
The full plan6 goals, 51 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 ($43.8 million).
Where does the money go?
71% 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 1 · Maintenance of Progress GoalAll students of the Lowell Joint School District will have appropriate conditions for successful learning outcomes$31.0 million71% of action budgets
11 funded actions · 2025–26 plan: $31.2 million (−$190,435) · p. 16 ↗
Largest funded actions
Certificated Staffing - Teachers$18.0 millionaction 1.1 · p. 103 ↗
Classified Staff-Administration and other Support$4.1 millionaction 1.15 · p. 104 ↗
Certificated Staffing-Administration and other Support Staff$3.4 millionaction 1.2 · p. 103 ↗
Classified Staffing-Custodial, Maintenance, and Grounds$3.0 millionaction 1.4 · p. 103 ↗
Classified Staffing-Technology Department · action 1.3 · p. 103 ↗$0.6 million
Instructional Supplies-Per Pupil Site Allocation · action 1.8 · p. 103 ↗$0.4 million
Instructional Materials-Textbooks and Software · action 1.6 · p. 103 ↗$0.3 million
Classified Staffing-Data Systems Analyst · action 1.10 · p. 103 ↗$0.1 million
Site Technology Allocation · action 1.7 · p. 103 ↗under $0.1 million
Systems to Support UPP · action 1.11 · p. 103 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need servicesunder $0.1 million
Changes from last year’s plan, same title
Certificated Staffing - Teachers−$1.3 million$19.3 million → $18.0 million · p. 103 ↗
Classified Staff-Administration and other Support+$0.8 million$3.3 million → $4.1 million · p. 104 ↗
Classified Staffing-Custodial, Maintenance, and Grounds+$0.4 million$2.6 million → $3.0 million · p. 103 ↗
Every other line in this goal, against last year’s plan
Certificated Staffing-Administration and other Support Staff · $3.4 million → $3.4 million · p. 103 ↗−$41,181
Basic Utilities · $1.0 million → $1.2 million · p. 103 ↗+$0.2 million
Classified Staffing-Technology Department · $477,486 → $558,271 · p. 103 ↗+$80,785
Instructional Supplies-Per Pupil Site Allocation · $554,889 → $392,788 · p. 103 ↗−$162,101
Instructional Materials-Textbooks and Software · $255,333 → $260,233 · p. 103 ↗+$4,900
Classified Staffing-Data Systems Analyst · $167,395 → $60,119 · p. 103 ↗−$107,276
Site Technology Allocation · $45,000 → $45,000 · p. 103 ↗unchanged
Systems to Support UPP · $3,950 → $3,000 · p. 103 ↗−$950
How the plan measures it · 10 measures
None of these has an all-students line we can quote; the plan’s table lists them from p. 16 ↗.
Goal 2Early Learning to support school readiness$2.3 million5% of action budgets
4 funded actions · 2025–26 plan: $2.0 million (+$330,361) · p. 27 ↗
Largest funded actions
Transitional Kindergarten$2.0 millionaction 2.5 · p. 105 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services
Early Learning - Teacher on Special Assignment (TOSA)$0.2 millionaction 2.1 · p. 104 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services · of which $78,170 is state funding counted toward those services
Early Learning-Community Engagement and Learning Link$0.1 millionaction 2.3 · p. 104 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services · of which $68,731 is state funding counted toward those services
Early Literacy-Preschool Programunder $0.1 millionaction 2.4 · p. 104 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services
Changes from last year’s plan, same title
Transitional Kindergarten+$0.3 million$1.7 million → $2.0 million · p. 105 ↗
Early Literacy-Preschool Program−$29,096$46,165 → $17,069 · p. 104 ↗
Early Learning - Teacher on Special Assignment (TOSA)+$20,285$157,970 → $178,255 · p. 104 ↗
Every other line in this goal, against last year’s plan
Early Learning-Community Engagement and Learning Link · $83,954 → $95,271 · p. 104 ↗+$11,317
How the plan measures it · 10 measures
None of these has an all-students line we can quote; the plan’s table lists them from p. 27 ↗.
Goal 3Modernization and Maintenance of Facilities$00% of action budgets
No funded actions in this plan · 2025–26 plan: $0 (unchanged) · p. 37 ↗
How the plan measures it · 3 measures
None of these has an all-students line we can quote; the plan’s table lists them from p. 37 ↗.
Goal 4In order to meet the unique academic, behavioral, and social emotional needs of all students, a Multi-Tiered…$10.1 million23% of action budgets
“In order to meet the unique academic, behavioral, and social emotional needs of all students, a Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS) will continue to be expanded and refined” p. 41 ↗
20 funded actions · 2025–26 plan: $8.1 million (+$2.0 million)
Largest funded actions
Classified Staff Instructional Assistants & Special Ed Support Aides$2.6 millionaction 4.10 · p. 106 ↗
Counseling and Resource Enhancement (CARE)$2.2 millionaction 4.21 · p. 107 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services · of which $1.6 million is state funding counted toward those services
Dual Immersion Program$1.6 millionaction 4.4 · p. 105 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services
Learning Coaches$1.0 millionaction 4.23 · p. 107 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services · of which $61,115 is state funding counted toward those services
ABA Class and Program Specialist Position$0.5 millionaction 4.15 · p. 106 ↗
15 more funded actions in this goal
MTSS Coordination and Monitoring of UPPs · action 4.17 · p. 106 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services · of which $431,487 is state funding counted toward those services$0.5 million
Nurse and LVNs · action 4.13 · p. 106 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services$0.4 million
Classified Staff Custodial Support · action 4.19 · p. 106 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services$0.3 million
Progress Monitoring and Support of English Learners · action 4.3 · p. 105 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services$0.2 million
Coordination of Services · action 4.14 · p. 106 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services · of which $132,532 is state funding counted toward those services$0.2 million
Learning Hubs - Libraries · action 4.16 · p. 106 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services · of which $74,685 is state funding counted toward those services$0.2 million
Teacher Planning/Choir Teacher · action 4.9 · p. 106 ↗$0.1 million
ELD, Reading Intervention, Spanish Elective, and AP Spanish Language at Rancho · action 4.5 · p. 105 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services$0.1 million
Before and After School Intervention · action 4.6 · p. 105 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services$0.1 million
Math Intervention Rancho Starbuck · action 4.11 · p. 106 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services$0.1 million
Intervention Coordinators · action 4.7 · p. 105 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need servicesunder $0.1 million
Attendance Monitoring · action 4.20 · p. 106 ↗under $0.1 million
Professional Development English Learners · action 4.2 · p. 105 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need servicesunder $0.1 million
Illuminate · action 4.12 · p. 106 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need servicesunder $0.1 million
Assessment System · action 4.18 · p. 106 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need servicesunder $0.1 million
Changes from last year’s plan, same title
Dual Immersion Program+$1.1 million$0.4 million → $1.6 million · p. 105 ↗
Classified Staff Instructional Assistants & Special Ed Support Aides+$0.8 million$1.8 million → $2.6 million · p. 106 ↗
Counseling and Resource Enhancement (CARE)+$0.2 million$2.0 million → $2.2 million · p. 107 ↗
Every other line in this goal, against last year’s plan
Learning Coaches · $1.1 million → $1.0 million · p. 107 ↗−$0.1 million
ABA Class and Program Specialist Position · $364,790 → $501,918 · p. 106 ↗+$137,128
MTSS Coordination and Monitoring of UPPs · $332,189 → $480,189 · p. 106 ↗+$148,000
Nurse and LVNs · $394,133 → $433,000 · p. 106 ↗+$38,867
Classified Staff Custodial Support · $284,979 → $302,979 · p. 106 ↗+$18,000
Progress Monitoring and Support of English Learners · $182,769 → $233,927 · p. 105 ↗+$51,158
Coordination of Services · $298,213 → $183,995 · p. 106 ↗−$114,218
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, 2,980 students
1Hispanic or Latino71%
2White16%
3Asian4%
4Two or more races3%
5Not reported2%
6Filipino2%
7Black or African American1%
8Pacific Islander<1%
9American Indian or Alaska Native<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
58%
Across California, 63% of students qualify.
2024–25 · 1,738 of 2,980 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?
Lowell Joint 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, 65% of the district’s English learners moved up at least one level on the state’s English test (ELPAC), or stayed at the top (71 of 109 students). California: 47%. It counts students moving up the test’s levels, so a student can count here before becoming fluent.
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 Lowell Joint rank highest?
Elementary: Meadow Green Elementary, 85th percentile (Strong). Middle: Rancho-Starbuck Intermediate, 76th percentile (Strong). 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 Lowell Joint 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 Lowell Joint good?
Lowell Joint’s 5 public elementary schools run from the 54th to the 85th percentile among the 5,726 California elementary schools we score (spring 2026 tests). By band: 2 Strong and 3 Solid. Lowell Joint has one public middle school we score, Rancho-Starbuck Intermediate, at the 76th percentile among the 2,529 California middle schools we score (spring 2026 tests). By band: 1 Strong. 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 Lowell Joint compare with California?
The average elementary school in Lowell Joint had 12 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. These are averages of school rates: each school counts once, whatever its size.
How much does Lowell Joint spend per student?
Lowell Joint spent $16,102 per student in the 2024–25 school year. The typical California district spent $20,491. About 62 cents of every Lowell Joint 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 Lowell Joint’s 2026–27 spending plan?
The district’s 2026–27 spending plan puts $43.8 million into 41 funded actions in 6 goals, 88% of its $50.0 million general fund budget. Its largest goal holds $31.0 million, 71% of the action budgets. The 2026–27 plan, goal by goal.
Where do these results come from?
California’s state tests (CAASPP) from spring 2026 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 Lowell Joint, with the district’s spending and state accountability records.
Data source: California Department of Education · CAASPP 2025–26
Percentiles, bands and Scope Scores are SchoolScope’s own calculations from these state files.