Novato Unified’s 9 public elementary schools run from the 18th to the 75th percentile among the 5,726 California elementary schools we score (spring 2026 tests). They sit in all four bands, from Strong to Needs Support.
Elementary · 9 schools
from 18th to 75th · among 5,726 California elementary schools we score · spring 2026 tests
San Ramon Elementary: 75th percentile, Strong
Pleasant Valley Elementary: 70th percentile, Solid
Rancho Elementary: 67th percentile, Solid
Novato Charter: 65th percentile, Solid
Lynwood Elementary: 65th percentile, Solid
Loma Verde Elementary: 62nd percentile, Solid
Lu Sutton Elementary: 50th percentile, Solid
Olive Elementary: 43rd percentile, Developing
Hamilton TK-8: 18th percentile, Needs Support
1Needs Support
1Developing
6Solid
1Strong
← lower percentilehigher →
One dot per school.
Middle and high school pictures
Middle · 4 schools
from 18th to 84th · among 2,529 California middle schools we score · spring 2026 tests
Novato Charter: 84th percentile, Strong
Sinaloa Middle: 73rd percentile, Solid
San Jose Middle: 44th percentile, Developing
Hamilton TK-8: 18th percentile, Needs Support
1Needs Support
1Developing
1Solid
1Strong
High · 3 schools
from 42nd to 78th · among 1,498 California high schools we score · spring 2025 tests
San Marin High: 78th percentile, Strong
Novato High: 49th percentile, Developing
Nova Education Center: 42nd percentile, Developing
0Needs Support
2Developing
0Solid
1Strong
← lower percentilehigher →
One dot per school. Each stage is placed only among California schools at its own level. 2 of the 14 ranked schools teach two levels, so they appear in more than one picture.
The average elementary school in Novato Unified had 7 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 Novato Unified score highest?
Novato Charter is highest, at the 84th percentile.
That’s higher than 84 in 100 of the 2,529 California middle schools we score (spring 2026 tests).
Highest in Novato Unified
Each percentile compares a school with California schools at its own level.
Novato CharterCharter school. Check how it admits students.
The average middle school in Novato Unified had 10 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 Novato Unified score highest?
San Marin High is highest, at the 78th percentile.
That’s higher than 78 in 100 of the 1,498 California high schools we score (spring 2025 tests).
Highest in Novato Unified
Each percentile compares a school with California schools at its own level.
The average high school in Novato 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
Marin Oaks HighContinuation high school: compared only with other continuation schools
The district
Where does Novato Unified’s money go, and what does it plan?
Novato Unified spent $18,474 per student in the 2024–25 school year.
That’s close to the typical California district, which spent $20,491. About 63 cents of every Novato 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
Instruction63%
Instruction support11%
Student services9%
Administration7%
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
$133.7 million
planned in its 2026–27 plan for 21 funded actions in 4 goals. That’s all of its 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, 132 pages), as posted to the California School Dashboard.
Where the money goes
Three actions take 97% of the money; their titles are below. The plan itself puts 78% of it toward staff.
Action 1 $125.1 million
Action 2 $2.9 million
Action 3 $1.7 million
18 other actions
Reading, math and catch-up help
7 of the plan’s 21 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 $0.3 million
English learners $2.8 million
An action naming two of these appears under both.
Largest of these
Provide an additional two Dual Language Immersion Teachers to support the Dual Language Immersion programs at San Jose Middle School and Lynwood Elementary School$1.7 million
Maintain English Learner Specialists to support English language development and instruction for English Language Learners$390,779
Provide expanded English Language Development (ELD) Sections to maintain smaller class sizes to support language development and instruction for English Language Learners$332,986
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 $8.0 million in extra services for English learners, low-income students and foster youth. For 2025–26, it planned $7.2 million and estimates it spent $7.3 million, $0.1 million (1%) more than planned (our arithmetic).
$7.3 million spent (estimated)$7.2 million planned
What changed
The total is $10.3 million (8%) higher than in the 2025–26 plan. The biggest change in dollars is To address the Dashboard Local Indicator of the Basic Conditions of Learning, the District will maintain the necessary resources for student instruction including textbooks, appropriately credentialed teachers and well-maintained facilities, which went from $115.6 million to $125.1 million.
Largest increases
To address the Dashboard Local Indicator of the Basic Conditions of Learning, the District will maintain the necessary resources for student instruction including textbooks, appropriately credentialed teachers and well-maintained facilities+$9.5 million
Provide an additional two Dual Language Immersion Teachers to support the Dual Language Immersion programs at San Jose Middle School and Lynwood Elementary School+$1.5 million
Increase school counselors to provide additional academic and social emotional supports to unduplicated students+$1.4 million
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
53%
51%
down 2 pts
Math, every tested grade: Proficient or Advanced in 2025–26, met or exceeded in 2024–25Goal 1
42%
41%
down 1 pt
Chronically absentCounted across all the district’s students, not averaged by schoolGoal 2
13 in 100
13 in 100
no change
Suspended at least onceGoal 2
1.7%
2.2%
up 0.5 pts
Goal 4 tracks named schools and Goal 3 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
To address the Dashboard Local Indicator of the Basic Conditions of Learning, the District will maintain the necessary resources for student instruction including textbooks, appropriately credentialed teachers and well-maintained facilities · $125,104,548
Increase school counselors to provide additional academic and social emotional supports to unduplicated students · $2,909,195
Provide an additional two Dual Language Immersion Teachers to support the Dual Language Immersion programs at San Jose Middle School and Lynwood Elementary School · $1,726,427
The full plan4 goals, 29 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 ($133.7 million).
Where does the money go?
94% to Goal 3. Each segment is one action, sized by its planned dollars and coloured by its change since last year’s plan. Tap a segment to open its goal.
To address the Dashboard Local Indicator of the Basic Conditions of Learning, the District will maintain the necessary resources for student instruction including textbooks, appropriately credentialed teachers and well-maintained facilities · $125.1 million · +$9.5 million
To address the Dashboard Local Indicator of the Basic Conditions of Learning, the District will maintain the necessary resources for student instruction including textbooks, appropriately credentialed teachers and well-maintained facilities is 94% of the plan.
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
small actions drawn together
Every goal, in the plan’s order
Goal 1NUSD is committed to promoting equitable academic achievement for all students by reducing disparities among…$4.0 million3% of action budgets
“NUSD is committed to promoting equitable academic achievement for all students by reducing disparities among student groups. To achieve this, NUSD will focus on increasing the number of underrepresented students who meet A-G eligibility requirements, attain college and/or career readiness, and reach grade-level proficiency with targeted support” p. 18 ↗
12 funded actions · 2025–26 plan: $4.5 million (−$518,596)
Largest funded actions
Provide an additional two Dual Language Immersion Teachers to support the Dual Language Immersion programs at San Jose Middle School and Lynwood Elementary School$1.7 millionaction 1.10 · p. 87 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services
Maintain AVID contract and sections to support first generation and underrepresented students in accessing and completing the A-G requirements$0.4 millionaction 1.4 · p. 85 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services
Maintain English Learner Specialists to support English language development and instruction for English Language Learners$0.4 millionaction 1.2 · p. 85 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services
Provide expanded English Language Development (ELD) Sections to maintain smaller class sizes to support language development and instruction for English Language Learners$0.3 millionaction 1.3 · p. 85 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services
Utilize the IXL learning platform in grades TK-12 to determine student progress toward grade level standards$0.3 millionaction 1.12 · p. 87 ↗
7 more funded actions in this goal
Provide credit recovery options, staffing, and summer school for high school students through an online platform · action 1.7 · p. 86 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services$0.3 million
Provide an English Learner Specialist to support with ELPAC testing, monitoring of student data platforms for English Language Learners, and support for the English Language Development courses. In addition, provide additional hourly duty pay to fund extra support and monitoring for ELPAC testing · action 1.9 · p. 86 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services$0.2 million
Provide instructional paraeducators at 3 elementary sites (Rancho Elementary School, Pleasant Valley Elementary School, and San Ramon Elementary School) to support Tier 1 instruction and assist teachers with academic interventions · action 1.11 · p. 87 ↗$0.1 million
Provide a districtwide College and Career Specialist to support Novato High School, San Marin High School, and consult with Hill Education counseling staff · action 1.8 · p. 86 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services$0.1 million
Utilize the JumpRope platform to implement Standards-Based Grading at the middle school levels · action 1.13 · p. 87 ↗under $0.1 million
Implement the AERIES Attendance Plus Program to decrease chronic absenteeism and increase positive attendance · action 1.14 · p. 87 ↗under $0.1 million
Provide professional development for Lynwood Elementary School, San Jose Middle School, and district administrators to increase and promote English language proficiency development for English Learners and academic support for the Dual Language Instruction program · action 1.6 · p. 86 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need servicesunder $0.1 million
Changes from last year’s plan, same title
Provide an additional two Dual Language Immersion Teachers to support the Dual Language Immersion programs at San Jose Middle School and Lynwood Elementary School+$1.5 million$0.3 million → $1.7 million · p. 87 ↗
Provide credit recovery options, staffing, and summer school for high school students through an online platform−$95,326$355,000 → $259,674 · p. 86 ↗
Provide expanded English Language Development (ELD) Sections to maintain smaller class sizes to support language development and instruction for English Language Learners−$56,473$389,459 → $332,986 · p. 85 ↗
Every other line in this goal, against last year’s plan
Maintain AVID contract and sections to support first generation and underrepresented students in accessing and completing the A-G requirements · $442,000 → $415,728 · p. 85 ↗−$26,272
Maintain English Learner Specialists to support English language development and instruction for English Language Learners · $384,749 → $390,779 · p. 85 ↗+$6,030
Utilize the IXL learning platform in grades TK-12 to determine student progress toward grade level standards · $291,200 → $291,200 · p. 87 ↗unchanged
Provide an English Learner Specialist to support with ELPAC testing, monitoring of student data platforms for English Language Learners, and support for the English Language Development courses. In addition, provide additional hourly duty pay to fund extra support and monitoring for ELPAC testing · $215,141 · p. 86 ↗new or renamed
Provide instructional paraeducators at 3 elementary sites (Rancho Elementary School, Pleasant Valley Elementary School, and San Ramon Elementary School) to support Tier 1 instruction and assist teachers with academic interventions · $141,507 → $141,507 · p. 87 ↗unchanged
Provide a districtwide College and Career Specialist to support Novato High School, San Marin High School, and consult with Hill Education counseling staff · $80,000 → $103,242 · p. 86 ↗+$23,242
Utilize the JumpRope platform to implement Standards-Based Grading at the middle school levels · $50,000 · p. 87 ↗new or renamed
Implement the AERIES Attendance Plus Program to decrease chronic absenteeism and increase positive attendance · $25,000 · p. 87 ↗new or renamed
Provide professional development for Lynwood Elementary School, San Jose Middle School, and district administrators to increase and promote English language proficiency development for English Learners and academic support for the Dual Language Instruction program · $22,000 → $15,000 · p. 86 ↗−$7,000
A reworded title counts as new.
How the plan measures it · 14 measures
None of these has an all-students line we can quote; the plan’s table lists them from p. 18 ↗.
Goal 2NUSD will cultivate nurturing and inclusive learning environments that prioritize student social- emotional…$3.4 million3% of action budgets
“NUSD will cultivate nurturing and inclusive learning environments that prioritize student social- emotional well-being and mental health. Through targeted initiatives and supports, NUSD aims to ensure that all students feel safe, supported, and included within their school community, thereby enabling equitable access to the curriculum” p. 38 ↗
4 funded actions · 2025–26 plan: $2.0 million (+$1.5 million)
Largest funded actions
Increase school counselors to provide additional academic and social emotional supports to unduplicated students$2.9 millionaction 2.1 · p. 87 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services
Behavioral Health Coordinator$0.2 millionaction 2.5 · p. 88 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services
Partner with the North Bay Security Group to provide services to increase school safety, reduce chronic absenteeism and suspensions, and administer restorative practices$0.2 millionaction 2.3 · p. 87 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services
Contract with Project "The Turn" to provide additional supports to ensure students are making informed decisions related to attendance, peer conflict, and academic engagement$0.1 millionaction 2.4 · p. 88 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services
Changes from last year’s plan, same title
Increase school counselors to provide additional academic and social emotional supports to unduplicated students+$1.4 million$1.5 million → $2.9 million · p. 87 ↗
Partner with the North Bay Security Group to provide services to increase school safety, reduce chronic absenteeism and suspensions, and administer restorative practices+$185,630$50,000 → $235,630 · p. 87 ↗
Every other line in this goal, against last year’s plan
Behavioral Health Coordinator · $240,207 · p. 88 ↗new or renamed
Contract with Project "The Turn" to provide additional supports to ensure students are making informed decisions related to attendance, peer conflict, and academic engagement · $60,000 → $60,000 · p. 88 ↗unchanged
A reworded title counts as new.
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. 38 ↗.
Goal 3NUSD will foster a culturally responsive climate and culture that enhances school connectedness and supports…$126.3 million94% of action budgets
“NUSD will foster a culturally responsive climate and culture that enhances school connectedness and supports academic achievement. Through collaborative efforts with students, families, and community partners, NUSD will prioritize inclusivity, celebrate diversity, and ensure equitable opportunities for all students to thrive academically and socially” p. 51 ↗
4 funded actions · 2025–26 plan: $116.9 million (+$9.4 million)
Largest funded actions
To address the Dashboard Local Indicator of the Basic Conditions of Learning, the District will maintain the necessary resources for student instruction including textbooks, appropriately credentialed teachers and well-maintained facilities$125.1 millionaction 3.1 · p. 88 ↗
Provide Community Liaisons to support unduplicated families to ensure school connectedness and engagement$1.0 millionaction 3.2 · p. 88 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services
Additional ELPAC testing support will be provided to ensure timely assessment administration, minimize instructional disruptions, and support accurate monitoring of English Learner progress$0.1 millionaction 3.5 · p. 88 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services
Provide translation services to support communication and engagement with non or limited English speaking familiesunder $0.1 millionaction 3.3 · p. 88 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services
Changes from last year’s plan, same title
To address the Dashboard Local Indicator of the Basic Conditions of Learning, the District will maintain the necessary resources for student instruction including textbooks, appropriately credentialed teachers and well-maintained facilities+$9.5 million$115.6 million → $125.1 million · p. 88 ↗
Provide Community Liaisons to support unduplicated families to ensure school connectedness and engagement−$0.1 million$1.1 million → $1.0 million · p. 88 ↗
Provide translation services to support communication and engagement with non or limited English speaking families+$3,391$42,000 → $45,391 · p. 88 ↗
Every other line in this goal, against last year’s plan
Additional ELPAC testing support will be provided to ensure timely assessment administration, minimize instructional disruptions, and support accurate monitoring of English Learner progress · $85,141 · p. 88 ↗new or renamed
A reworded title counts as new.
How the plan measures it · 4 measures
None of these has an all-students line we can quote; the plan’s table lists them from p. 51 ↗.
Goal 4 · Equity Multiplier Focus GoalTo better serve the students at Marin Oaks High School and ensure all students earn a high school diploma…$70,000under 1% of action budgets
“To better serve the students at Marin Oaks High School and ensure all students earn a high school diploma, two staff members will be hired including a Teacher on Special Assignment and a Wellness Hub Navigator to support students both academically and socially-emotionally” p. 64 ↗
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, 7,516 students
1Hispanic or Latino44%
2White40%
3Two or more races8%
4Asian5%
5Black or African American2%
6Filipino<1%
7Not reported<1%
8American Indian or Alaska Native<1%
9Pacific Islander<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
47%
Across California, 63% of students qualify.
2024–25 · 3,483 of 7,468 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 Novato Unified extra help in 2026. A student group had the Dashboard’s lowest results (red) on two or more measures three years in a row.
It also qualified the year before.
Which students, on which measures
Students with disabilities
English and math
How English learners moved up on the state’s English test
From spring 2025 to spring 2026, 42% of the district’s English learners moved up at least one level on the state’s English test (ELPAC), or stayed at the top (416 of 992 students). California: 47%. It counts students moving up the test’s levels, so a student can count here before becoming fluent.
Which public schools in Novato Unified rank highest?
Elementary: San Ramon Elementary, 75th percentile (Strong). Middle: Novato Charter, 84th percentile (Strong). High: San Marin High, 78th 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 Novato 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 Novato Unified good?
Novato Unified’s 9 public elementary schools run from the 18th to the 75th percentile among the 5,726 California elementary schools we score (spring 2026 tests). By band: 1 Strong, 6 Solid, 1 Developing and 1 Needs Support. Novato Unified’s 4 public middle schools run from the 18th to the 84th percentile among the 2,529 California middle schools we score (spring 2026 tests). By band: 1 Strong, 1 Solid, 1 Developing and 1 Needs Support. Novato Unified’s 3 public high schools run from the 42nd to the 78th percentile among the 1,498 California high schools we score (spring 2025 tests). By band: 1 Strong and 2 Developing. 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 Novato Unified compare with California?
The average elementary school in Novato Unified had 7 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 Novato Unified had 10 in 100 students chronically absent in 2025–26; the average California middle school we score had 18 in 100. The average high school in Novato 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 Novato Unified spend per student?
Novato Unified spent $18,474 per student in the 2024–25 school year. That’s close to the typical California district, which spent $20,491. About 63 cents of every Novato 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 Novato Unified’s 2026–27 spending plan?
The district’s 2026–27 spending plan puts $133.7 million into 21 funded actions in 4 goals, all of its general fund budget. Its largest goal holds $126.3 million, 94% 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 Novato 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.