In Natomas Unified, 5 of 6 public high schools sit at or above the 50th percentile among California high schools we score; 4 of 13 public elementary schools do (spring 2026 tests; high schools, spring 2025).
Elementary · 13 schools
from bottom 1% to 87th · among 5,726 California elementary schools we score · spring 2026 tests
One dot per school. Each stage is placed only among California schools at its own level. 9 of the 19 ranked schools teach more than one level, 2 of them all three, so they appear in more than one picture.
The average elementary school in Natomas Unified had 25 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 Natomas Unified score highest?
Natomas Pacific Pathways Prep Middle is highest, at the 86th percentile.
That’s higher than 86 in 100 California middle schools we score (spring 2026 tests).
Highest in Natomas Unified
Each percentile compares a school with California schools at its own level.
The average middle school in Natomas Unified had 23 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 Natomas Unified score highest?
Natomas Pacific Pathways Prep is highest, at the 89th percentile.
That’s higher than 89 in 100 California high schools we score (spring 2025 tests).
Highest in Natomas Unified
Each percentile compares a school with California schools at its own level.
The average high school in Natomas Unified had 17 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
Discovery HighContinuation high school: compared only with other continuation schools
The district
Where does Natomas Unified’s money go, and what does it plan?
Natomas Unified spent $19,021 per student in the 2024–25 school year.
That’s close to the typical California district, which spent $20,491. About 62 cents of every Natomas 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
Instruction62%
Instruction support12%
Student services8%
Administration8%
Buildings & maintenance9%
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
$54.4 million
planned in its 2026–27 plan for 80 funded actions in 7 goals. That’s 24% of its $228.9 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, 221 pages), as posted to the California School Dashboard.
Where the money goes
Three actions take 54% of the money. The plan itself puts 74% of it toward staff.
Increased Salaries and Instructional Minutes $17.8 million
School Facility Conditions $6.9 million
Transportation Services $4.6 million
77 other actions
Reading, math and catch-up help
11 of the plan’s 80 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 $1.4 million
Math $1.8 million
Catch-up help $1.0 million
English learners $0.5 million
An action naming two of these appears under both.
Largest of these
Professional Development that Supports ELA and Math Instruction$1.3 million
Secondary Summer School$745,000
English Learner Supports$449,838
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 $30.3 million in extra services for English learners, low-income students and foster youth. For 2025–26, it planned $28.3 million and estimates it spent $28.1 million, within 1% of the plan.
$28.1 million spent (estimated)$28.3 million planned
What changed
The total is $2.0 million (4%) higher than in the 2025–26 plan. The biggest change in dollars is Increased Salaries and Instructional Minutes, which went from $16.5 million to $17.8 million.
Largest cuts
Career Technical Education (CTE) Pathways−$882,375
PK-12 International Baccalaureate (IB) Programs−$300,746
Math and Literacy Interventions−$283,588
Largest increases
Increased Salaries and Instructional Minutes+$1.3 million
School Facility Conditions+$731,164
Transportation Services+$611,757
New in the 2026–27 plan
Math Framework Implementation$375,000
Academic Coaching$150,029
Ask: What did Career Technical Education (CTE) Pathways pay for, and what changes now that the 2026–27 plan gives it $882,375 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 2024–25Goal 1
34%
35%
up 1 pt
Math, every tested grade: Proficient or Advanced in 2025–26, met or exceeded in 2024–25Goal 1
24%
25%
up 1 pt
Chronically absentCounted across all the district’s students, not averaged by schoolGoal 2 · Cultivate the Social Emotional Well-Being of Each Student
23 in 100
31 in 100
8 more in 100
Suspended at least onceGoal 2 · Cultivate the Social Emotional Well-Being of Each Student
7.2%
6.9%
down 0.3 pts
Goals 6 and 7 track named schools and Goals 3, 4 and 5 track 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
Increased Salaries and Instructional Minutes · $17,791,057
School Facility Conditions · $6,942,764
Transportation Services · $4,637,820
The full plan7 goals, 74 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 ($54.4 million).
Where does the money go?
36% to Goal 5, Hire, Train, and Retain High-Quality Staff. 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 1Maximize academic growth, responsibility and achievement for each student$12.7 million23% of action budgets
26 funded actions · 2025–26 plan: $14.0 million (−$1.3 million) · p. 29 ↗
Largest funded actions
Career Technical Education (CTE) Pathways$1.7 millionaction 1.25 · p. 156 ↗
PK-12 International Baccalaureate (IB) Programs$1.6 millionaction 1.22 · p. 156 ↗
Technology Refresh$1.5 millionaction 1.4 · p. 154 ↗
School site supplemental programs and services$1.4 millionaction 1.8 · p. 155 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services
Professional Development that Supports ELA and Math Instruction$1.3 millionaction 1.12 · p. 155 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services · of which $741,180 is state funding counted toward those services
21 more funded actions in this goal
College and Career Supports · action 1.17 · p. 155 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services$0.9 million
Secondary Summer School · action 1.18 · p. 155 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services · of which $265,000 is state funding counted toward those services$0.7 million
Williams Act Compliance · action 1.7 · p. 154 ↗$0.7 million
Adult Education Program · action 1.26 · p. 156 ↗$0.5 million
English Learner Supports · action 1.5 · p. 154 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services · of which $89,840 is state funding counted toward those services$0.4 million
System of Assessments · action 1.15 · p. 155 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services · of which $193,750 is state funding counted toward those services$0.4 million
Math Framework Implementation · action 1.20 · p. 156 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services$0.4 million
AP Capstone Program · action 1.19 · p. 156 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services$0.2 million
AP/IB Exam Fees · action 1.2 · p. 154 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services$0.2 million
High School Graduation Supports (Credit Recovery) · action 1.21 · p. 156 ↗$0.1 million
Elementary AVID Support · action 1.16 · p. 155 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services · of which $47,975 is state funding counted toward those services$0.1 million
Math and Literacy Interventions · action 1.27 · p. 156 ↗$0.1 million
Layered Academic and Social Emotional Support · action 1.9 · p. 155 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services$0.1 million
Dual Language Immersion · action 1.28 · p. 156 ↗$0.1 million
College Access Supports · action 1.13 · p. 155 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services$0.1 million
Culturally Responsive Curriculum · action 1.11 · p. 155 ↗under $0.1 million
AP/IB Supports · action 1.1 · p. 154 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need servicesunder $0.1 million
GATE Programs · action 1.23 · p. 156 ↗under $0.1 million
English Learner Extended Learning and Summer School Supports · action 1.6 · p. 154 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need servicesunder $0.1 million
State Seal of Civic Engagement · action 1.10 · p. 155 ↗under $0.1 million
State Seal of Biliteracy · action 1.24 · p. 156 ↗under $0.1 million
Changes from last year’s plan, same title
Career Technical Education (CTE) Pathways−$0.9 million$2.6 million → $1.7 million · p. 156 ↗
Professional Development that Supports ELA and Math Instruction+$0.3 million$1.0 million → $1.3 million · p. 155 ↗
PK-12 International Baccalaureate (IB) Programs−$0.3 million$1.9 million → $1.6 million · p. 156 ↗
Every other line in this goal, against last year’s plan
Technology Refresh · $1.5 million → $1.5 million · p. 154 ↗unchanged
School site supplemental programs and services · $1.5 million → $1.4 million · p. 155 ↗−$36,989
College and Career Supports · $940,000 → $940,000 · p. 155 ↗unchanged
Secondary Summer School · $680,000 → $745,000 · p. 155 ↗+$65,000
Williams Act Compliance · $700,000 → $700,000 · p. 154 ↗unchanged
Adult Education Program · $487,937 → $468,786 · p. 156 ↗−$19,151
English Learner Supports · $484,482 → $449,838 · p. 154 ↗−$34,644
System of Assessments · $450,609 → $399,750 · p. 155 ↗−$50,859
Math Framework Implementation · $375,000 · p. 156 ↗new or renamed
AP Capstone Program · $179,660 → $197,430 · p. 156 ↗+$17,770
11th Grade A-G Completion: Percentage of 12th grade class with 11 or more A-G courses completep. 31 ↗
Baseline
77% (Class of 2024)
Target for year 3
Maintain at 75% or above
A-G Completion Rate: Percentage of 12th graders who graduate with UC/CSU a-g requirements completedp. 31 ↗
Baseline
58% (2022-23)
Target for year 3
65%
26 more measures in the plan’s table.
Goal 2Cultivate the Social Emotional Well-Being of Each Student$3.9 million7% of action budgets
12 funded actions · 2025–26 plan: $3.7 million (+$193,916) · p. 57 ↗
Largest funded actions
Social Workers for SES$2.0 millionaction 2.9 · p. 157 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services
Increased Psychologists$0.6 millionaction 2.7 · p. 157 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services
Additional Mental Health Supports$0.3 millionaction 2.13 · p. 157 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services
Increased Health Assistants$0.3 millionaction 2.6 · p. 157 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services
Chronic Absenteeism System and Supports$0.2 millionaction 2.10 · p. 157 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services · of which $95,502 is state funding counted toward those services
7 more funded actions in this goal
Continue Expanded Health and Wellness Supports · action 2.12 · p. 157 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services$0.2 million
Promise Program/Community Day School · action 2.3 · p. 157 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services$0.1 million
Foster Youth Supports (Staffing) · action 2.1 · p. 156 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services$0.1 million
Chronic Absenteeism Interventions · action 2.2 · p. 156 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services$0.1 million
Restorative Justice / Restorative Practices · action 2.4 · p. 157 ↗$0.1 million
Foster Youth Supports (Resources) · action 2.5 · p. 157 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need servicesunder $0.1 million
Homelessness Tutoring and Supports · action 2.11 · p. 157 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need servicesunder $0.1 million
Changes from last year’s plan, same title
Social Workers for SES+$0.1 million$1.9 million → $2.0 million · p. 157 ↗
Chronic Absenteeism System and Supports+$57,137$146,869 → $204,006 · p. 157 ↗
Increased Psychologists+$40,231$516,900 → $557,131 · p. 157 ↗
Every other line in this goal, against last year’s plan
Additional Mental Health Supports · $320,809 → $342,421 · p. 157 ↗+$21,612
Increased Health Assistants · $290,224 → $298,745 · p. 157 ↗+$8,521
Continue Expanded Health and Wellness Supports · $150,000 → $150,000 · p. 157 ↗unchanged
Promise Program/Community Day School · $100,000 → $100,000 · p. 157 ↗unchanged
Goal 3Create a Safe, Engaging Environment where Students Connect to School$14.3 million26% of action budgets
9 funded actions · 2025–26 plan: $12.8 million (+$1.5 million) · p. 69 ↗
Largest funded actions
School Facility Conditions$6.9 millionaction 3.3 · p. 158 ↗
Transportation Services$4.6 millionaction 3.4 · p. 158 ↗
Safety and Safe Schools Department to support Safety and Connectedness$0.9 millionaction 3.9 · p. 158 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services
Elementary and Middle School Sports$0.7 millionaction 3.2 · p. 158 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services · of which $250,221 is state funding counted toward those services
Implement the Improve Your Tomorrow (IYT) Program$0.6 millionaction 3.7 · p. 158 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services · of which $33,075 is state funding counted toward those services
4 more funded actions in this goal
Music Education Supports · action 3.10 · p. 158 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services$0.3 million
Elementary Campus Safety Staff · action 3.8 · p. 158 ↗$0.2 million
Mentoring Programs for female students · action 3.6 · p. 158 ↗$0.1 million
Student Voices · action 3.1 · p. 158 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need servicesunder $0.1 million
Changes from last year’s plan, same title
School Facility Conditions+$0.7 million$6.2 million → $6.9 million · p. 158 ↗
Transportation Services+$0.6 million$4.0 million → $4.6 million · p. 158 ↗
Elementary and Middle School Sports+$63,253$613,343 → $676,596 · p. 158 ↗
Every other line in this goal, against last year’s plan
Safety and Safe Schools Department to support Safety and Connectedness · $863,663 → $903,362 · p. 158 ↗+$39,699
Implement the Improve Your Tomorrow (IYT) Program · $493,080 → $550,809 · p. 158 ↗+$57,729
Music Education Supports · $318,200 → $347,908 · p. 158 ↗+$29,708
Peer Assistance Review (PAR) Program · $20,000 → $20,000 · p. 160 ↗unchanged
Instructional Aide Training to Support Students with Disabilities · $10,000 → $10,000 · p. 160 ↗unchanged
How the plan measures it · 6 measures · 2 quoted
Percentage of teachers fully credentialed and appropriately assignedp. 93 ↗
Baseline
85.7% (2021-22)
Target for year 3
90% or above
Percentage of NUSD teaching staff from a diverse backgroundp. 94 ↗
Baseline
33.3% (Spring 2024)
Target for year 3
36%
4 more measures in the plan’s table.
Goal 6 · Equity Multiplier Focus GoalEquity Multiplier Focus Goal for Bannon Creek School and Larry G. Meeks Academy: Increase stability rates to…$656,7161% of action budgets
“Equity Multiplier Focus Goal for Bannon Creek School and Larry G. Meeks Academy: Increase stability rates to 75% or above by end of 2026-27 and improve student-group specific outcomes” p. 102 ↗
7 funded actions · 2025–26 plan: $1.0 million (−$347,567)
Largest funded actions
Additional District Support for Equity Multiplier Schools$205,540action 6.8 · p. 161 ↗
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion Administrator$107,391action 6.7 · p. 161 ↗
Behavior Support · $85,239 → $88,634 · p. 161 ↗+$3,395
Activities Director · $86,174 · p. 160 ↗new or renamed
Family Engagement Liaison · $88,365 → $78,118 · p. 160 ↗−$10,247
A reworded title counts as new.
How the plan measures it · 7 measures
None of these has an all-students line we can quote; the plan’s table lists them from p. 102 ↗.
Goal 7 · Equity Multiplier Focus GoalEquity Multiplier Focus Goal for Natomas Middle School and Discovery High School: Increase stability rates to…$932,8502% of action budgets
“Equity Multiplier Focus Goal for Natomas Middle School and Discovery High School: Increase stability rates to 75% or above by end of 2026-27 and improve student-group specific outcomes” p. 116 ↗
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, 16,773 students
1Hispanic or Latino33%
2Asian20%
3Black or African American18%
4White13%
5Two or more races11%
6Filipino4%
7Pacific Islander1%
8American Indian or Alaska Native<1%
9Not reported<1%
Shares use the district's own October enrollment counts from the CDE, including its charter schools.
Free or reduced-price meals
57%
Across California, 63% of students qualify.
2024–25 · 9,407 of 16,529 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 Natomas 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, 46% of the district’s English learners moved up at least one level on the state’s English test (ELPAC), or stayed at the top (551 of 1,203 students). California: 47%. It counts students moving up the test’s levels, so a student can count here before becoming fluent.
4 schools getting state support, 2025–26
1 in extra targeted support · 3 in targeted support
Bannon CreekTargeted support: students of two or more races
Natomas 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.
Does living in the Natomas 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 Natomas Unified good?
Natomas Unified’s 13 public elementary schools run from the bottom 1% to the 87th percentile among the 5,726 California elementary schools we score (spring 2026 tests). By band: 2 Strong, 2 Solid, 1 Developing and 8 Needs Support. Natomas Unified’s 11 public middle schools run from the bottom 1% to the 86th percentile among the 2,529 California middle schools we score (spring 2026 tests). By band: 2 Strong, 4 Solid, 2 Developing and 3 Needs Support. Natomas Unified’s 6 public high schools run from the 12th to the 89th percentile among the 1,498 California high schools we score (spring 2025 tests). By band: 3 Strong, 2 Solid 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 Natomas Unified compare with California?
The average elementary school in Natomas Unified had 25 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 Natomas Unified had 23 in 100 students chronically absent in 2025–26; the average California middle school we score had 18 in 100. The average high school in Natomas Unified had 17 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 Natomas Unified spend per student?
Natomas Unified spent $19,021 per student in the 2024–25 school year. That’s close to the typical California district, which spent $20,491. About 62 cents of every Natomas 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 Natomas Unified’s 2026–27 spending plan?
The district’s 2026–27 spending plan puts $54.4 million into 80 funded actions in 7 goals, 24% of its $228.9 million general fund budget. Its largest goal holds $19.5 million, 36% 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 Natomas 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.