Each level is scored on its own scale — elementary, middle, and high are never ranked against each other.
The elementary years
31 points separate Walnut Elementary Education Center (46) from Cunningham Elementary (15) — at this level, which school matters more than which district.
31 points separate the strongest and weakest of these 9 elementary schools — the average hides more than it tells.
Walnut Elementary Education Center is the strongest option at 46/100 — 31.8% of its students exceed the state standard.
5 of 9 elementary schools sit in the Needs Support band — which campus you're zoned for carries real weight here.
The middle years
The narrowest gate on the path: Marvin A. Dutcher Middle at 45, then a 29-point drop to the next of 2 middle schools.
2 middle schools span 29 points around an average of 30.8.
1 of the 1 middle schools with measurable cohort evidence rank as Growth Engines — returning cohorts gaining more, grade to grade, than at most schools statewide.
1 of 2 middle schools sits in the Needs Support band — which campus you're zoned for carries real weight here.
The high school years
The high schools average 40.8/100 — 13.2 points below the state average. Here is what that number does and doesn't say.
31 points separate the strongest and weakest of these 4 high schools — the average hides more than it tells.
2 continuation/alternative schools not plotted — they rank within their own class, not on this statewide axis.
Turlock High is the strongest option at 55/100 — 15.7% of its students exceed the state standard.
44.1% 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 Walnut Elementary Education Center at 46/100 — confirm the exact boundary with the district before the house.
2 of the 15 ranked schools are charters — 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 — 3 campuses here rank as On the Rise (2) or Growth Engine (1), their 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:
Walnut Elementary Education Center 71st percentile · SolidScope Score 46/100Marvin A. Dutcher Middle 70th percentile · SolidScope Score 45/100Turlock High 55th percentile · SolidScope Score 55/100
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.