Riverside Unified: Riverside Unified schools score 2.6 points below the state average. The trajectory from grade 3 to 5 falls 3.7 points.
Riverside Unified has 39 ranked schools across elementary and high levels with an average Scope Score of 42.2/100 — 2.6 points below the state average of 44.8. The highest-scoring school is Riverside STEM Academy at 74/100, where 41.9% of students exceed the state standard. The district spends $13,951 per student (below the state average of $14,815). 4 schools show positive growth trajectories. Chronic absenteeism averages 20.6%, above the state average. Data source: CDE CAASPP 2025 and NCES fiscal data, analyzed by SchoolScope.
| Level | Avg Score | Schools | Exceeded | Absent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elementary | Developing 41.8/100 | 32 | 18.0% | 17.8% |
| High | Developing 44.4/100 | 7 | 12.4% | 33.6% |
Riverside Unified's high schools average 44.4/100 — within 0.7 points of the state average.
K–12 pipeline
The typical school path in Riverside Unified, top-scoring shown first.
District Analysis
Riverside Unified has 39 ranked schools with an average Scope Score of 42.2/100 — 2.6 points below the state average of 44.8 (CDE CAASPP 2025).
Strongest level: Riverside Unified's high schools lead the district with an average Scope Score of 44.4.
District-wide elementary growth averages -3.7pp (state avg: -2.9pp) — a declining trend worth examining school by school.
Score range of 51.3 points — showing significant variation between schools.
District chronic absenteeism averages 20.6%, 2.7pp above the state average of 17.9%.
District suspension rate averages 3.2%, near the state average of 1.6%.
Riverside STEM Academy leads the district at 74 with 41.9% exceeding standard.
How we score · Scope Score methodology
School archetypes in Riverside Unified
Hidden gems: 8 schools in Riverside Unified are classified as Growth Engine (4) or On the Rise (4) — showing positive growth trajectories that raw proficiency scores alone don't capture. These are schools where students leave with more than they arrived with.
Archetypes are data-driven labels based on Scope Score dimensions. Learn more
Student demographics
District averages · California Department of Education enrollment data
District Funding
Riverside Unified spends $13,951 per student in current expenditures — $863 below the state average of $14,815.
Data source: NCES Common Core of Data, Fiscal Survey (F-33) · 2019–2020
Teacher compensation
CDE Form J-90 salary schedule · 2024–25
Every school in Riverside Unified
ranked by Scope Score · 2024–25 CAASPP
Elementary Schools (32)
Riverside Unified has 32 ranked elementary schools averaging a Scope Score of 41.8 — 3.1 points below the state average of 44.8. 1 of 32 elementary schools score above 70.
Growth averages -3.7pp district-wide — a declining trend worth examining.
The highest-scoring elementary school is Riverside STEM Academy with a Scope Score of 74 and 41.9% exceeding standard.
| # | School | Exceeded | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Riverside STEM Academy Riverside Unified Growth Engine | 41.9% | Strong 74/100 |
| 2 | Riverside Virtual Riverside Unified Growth Engine | 21.0% | Solid 61/100 |
| 3 | Benjamin Franklin Elementary Riverside Unified Strong All-Around | 34.8% | Solid 60/100 |
| 4 | Magnolia Elementary Riverside Unified Building Momentum | 21.8% | Solid 55/100 |
| 5 | Tomas Rivera Elementary Riverside Unified Growth Engine | 30.3% | Solid 54/100 |
| 6 | Mark Twain Elementary Riverside Unified Building Momentum | 26.6% | Solid 51/100 |
| 7 | Castle View Elementary Riverside Unified Culture First | 20.0% | Developing 49/100 |
| 8 | John F. Kennedy Elementary Riverside Unified Building Momentum | 32.8% | Developing 49/100 |
| 9 | Victoria Elementary Riverside Unified Growth Engine | 13.6% | Developing 47/100 |
| 10 | Pachappa Elementary Riverside Unified Building Momentum | 24.2% | Developing 46/100 |
| 11 | Lake Mathews Elementary Riverside Unified Building Momentum | 31.7% | Developing 46/100 |
| 12 | William Howard Taft Elementary Riverside Unified Building Momentum | 21.4% | Developing 45/100 |
| 13 | Mountain View Elementary Riverside Unified Culture First | 15.9% | Developing 45/100 |
| 14 | Patricia Beatty Elementary Riverside Unified Building Momentum | 18.2% | Developing 43/100 |
| 15 | Woodcrest Elementary Riverside Unified On the Rise | 15.1% | Developing 42/100 |
| 16 | REACH Leadership STEAM Academy Riverside Unified Building Momentum | 20.4% | Developing 42/100 |
| 17 | Hawthorne Elementary Riverside Unified Building Momentum | 17.5% | Developing 40/100 |
| 18 | Monroe Elementary Riverside Unified Building Momentum | 17.6% | Developing 40/100 |
| 19 | Adams Elementary Riverside Unified Building Momentum | 13.8% | Developing 38/100 |
| 20 | Bryant Elementary Riverside Unified Building Momentum | 11.3% | Developing 38/100 |
| 21 | Fremont Elementary Riverside Unified On the Rise | 10.1% | Developing 37/100 |
| 22 | Jefferson Elementary Riverside Unified Building Momentum | 11.2% | Developing 36/100 |
| 23 | Emerson Elementary Riverside Unified On the Rise | 8.0% | Developing 34/100 |
| 24 | Alcott Elementary Riverside Unified Building Momentum | 12.2% | Developing 33/100 |
| 25 | Madison Elementary Riverside Unified Building Momentum | 12.8% | Developing 32/100 |
| 26 | Highgrove Elementary Riverside Unified Building Momentum | 11.8% | Developing 32/100 |
| 27 | Jackson Elementary Riverside Unified Building Momentum | 10.6% | Developing 32/100 |
| 28 | Washington Elementary Riverside Unified Building Momentum | 11.2% | Developing 31/100 |
| 29 | Harrison Elementary Riverside Unified Building Momentum | 15.5% | Developing 30/100 |
| 30 | Harada Elementary Riverside Unified On the Rise | 5.7% | Needs Support 29/100 |
| 31 | Liberty Elementary Riverside Unified Building Momentum | 8.2% | Needs Support 23/100 |
| 32 | Longfellow Elementary Riverside Unified Building Momentum | 8.0% | Needs Support 23/100 |
High Schools (7)
Riverside Unified has 7 ranked high schools averaging a Scope Score of 44.4 — within 0.7 points of the state average of 43.7.
The highest-scoring high school is Martin Luther King Jr. High with a Scope Score of 57 and 22.9% exceeding standard.
| # | School | Exceeded | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Martin Luther King Jr. High Riverside Unified Building Momentum | 22.9% | Solid 57/100 |
| 2 | Polytechnic High Riverside Unified Building Momentum | 22.0% | Solid 54/100 |
| 3 | Arlington High Riverside Unified Building Momentum | 15.0% | Developing 50/100 |
| 4 | Ramona High Riverside Unified Building Momentum | 10.0% | Developing 48/100 |
| 5 | John W. North High Riverside Unified Building Momentum | 13.2% | Developing 45/100 |
| 6 | Raincross High (Continuation) Riverside Unified Building Momentum | 1.7% | Developing 31/100 |
| 7 | Abraham Lincoln Continuation Riverside Unified Building Momentum | 2.2% | Needs Support 25/100 |
Data source: California Department of Education · CAASPP 2024-25 · Methodology
Scores are SchoolScope's analysis of public data, not official CDE ratings. They represent one way of interpreting test results and should not be the sole basis for school decisions.
Numbers tell you whether students are clearing the bar. A school visit tells you whether they're happy doing it. These metrics are intentionally missing from the Scope Score: class sizes and student-teacher interaction quality; arts, music, athletics, and enrichment programs; teacher experience and turnover; campus safety and social-emotional support; parent and community engagement; quality of special education and gifted programs; how resources are distributed across schools within the district. Full methodology