Each level is scored on its own scale — elementary, middle, and high are never ranked against each other.
The elementary years
One school defines the top: Donner Trail Elementary sits 16 points clear of the field — the other 5 elementary schools are a different conversation.
40 points separate the strongest and weakest of these 6 elementary schools — the average hides more than it tells.
Donner Trail Elementary (79/100) holds the Strong band — 59.7% of its students exceed the state standard, against a level average of 37.2%. 2 schools here meet the stronger cohort-gains threshold. These aggregate comparisons do not track individual children.
40 points separate the top and bottom elementary schools — the district average won't predict the school in front of you.
The middle years
The middle schools average 48.8/100 — 10.3 points above the state average, with 1 of 2 in the Strong band.
2 middle schools span 15 points around an average of 48.8.
Alder Creek Middle (56/100) holds the Strong band — 29.4% of its students exceed the state standard, against a level average of 27.1%. 1 school here meet the stronger cohort-gains threshold. These aggregate comparisons do not track individual children.
The suspension rate averages 5.7% against 3.6% statewide — worth a direct question on a visit.
The high school years
The high schools sit at the state line (54.2 vs 54.0) — the 36-point school-to-school spread is where the choice lives.
36 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.
North Tahoe High (67/100) holds the Strong band — 21.3% of its students exceed the state standard, against a level average of 20.2%.
26.1% 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. The strongest attendance-zone candidate is Donner Trail Elementary at 79/100 — confirm the exact boundary with the district before the house.
1 of the 11 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:
Donner Trail Elementary 98th percentile · StrongScope Score 79/100Alder Creek Middle 86th percentile · StrongScope Score 56/100North Tahoe High 83rd percentile · StrongScope Score 67/100
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.