Each level is scored on its own scale — elementary, middle, and high are never ranked against each other.
The elementary years
One elementary school: Mary Collins Charter School at Cherry Valley at 53/100 — the whole story at this level is one campus.
One dot, one school — there is no spread to read at this level.
Mary Collins Charter School at Cherry Valley (53/100) holds the Strong band — 25.3% of its students exceed the state standard, against a level average of 25.3%. 1 school here ranks as a Growth Engine — returning cohorts gaining more than most schools statewide.
One campus is the whole sample — a single year's cohort moves every number in this chapter.
The high school years
37 points separate Petaluma High (59) from San Antonio High (Continuation) (22) — at this level, which school matters more than which district.
37 points separate the strongest and weakest of these 3 high schools — the average hides more than it tells.
1 continuation/alternative school not plotted — it ranks within its own class, not on this statewide axis.
Petaluma High is the strongest option at 59/100 — 23.3% of its students exceed the state standard.
31.9% of students are chronically absent (state: 23.1%) — 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. Every ranked elementary school here is a charter or magnet, so the application matters more than the address — see the next card.
1 of the 4 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 — 1 campus here ranks as Growth Engine, its returning cohorts gaining more than most schools statewide. 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:
Mary Collins Charter School at Cherry Valley 80th percentile · StrongScope Score 53/100Petaluma High 68th percentile · SolidScope Score 59/100
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.