Each level is scored on its own scale — elementary, middle, and high are never ranked against each other.
The elementary years
27 points separate Joe Nightingale Elementary (55) from Olga L. Reed Elementary (28) — at this level, which school matters more than which district.
7 elementary schools span 27 points around an average of 38.4.
Joe Nightingale Elementary (55/100) holds the Strong band — 32.4% of its students exceed the state standard, against a level average of 18.7%. 3 schools here meet the stronger cohort-gains threshold. These aggregate comparisons do not track individual children.
The suspension rate averages 4.3% against 1.6% statewide — worth a direct question on a visit.
The middle years
One middle school: Orcutt School for Independent Study at 21/100 — the whole story at this level is one campus.
One dot, one school — there is no spread to read at this level.
Orcutt School for Independent Study is the strongest option at 21/100 — 3.6% of its students exceed the state standard.
29.5% of students are chronically absent (state: 18.1%) — chronic means missing 10% or more of the school year. Whatever the scores say, ask each school what it is doing about attendance.
What it means for your family
Compare schools at your child’s level before deciding on an address. The strongest attendance-zone candidate is Joe Nightingale Elementary at 55/100 — confirm the exact boundary with the district before the house.
1 of the 8 ranked schools is a charter — enrollment paths that don't depend on your address. If your zoned school sits low in the appendix below, those lotteries and applications are the levers worth the paperwork.
A band is a position, not a prophecy — 4 campuses here rank as Growth Engine (3) or On the Rise (1), their aggregate cohort-change indices above the published threshold. Ask your school two questions: what happens for a kid who arrives behind, and what the classroom looks like for one who arrives ahead.
The strongest-scoring run through the district:
Joe Nightingale Elementary 82nd percentile · StrongScope Score 55/100Orcutt School for Independent Study 13th percentile · Needs SupportScope Score 21/100
Top scorers at each level — not necessarily one zoned sequence. Confirm feeder patterns and enrollment zones with the district, and visit before you decide.
What this page can't see: whether a campus feels safe and glad at 8 a.m. If a path above looks workable, the next step is a visit.