Lowell Joint

The Lowell Joint school district in California serves students from kindergarten through 8th grade across 6 schools, including 5 elementary schools and 1 middle school. The district's performance varies, with some standout schools like Meadow Green Elementary and El Portal Elementary consistently outperforming the district and state averages on standardized tests, while others like Jordan Elementary and Olita Elementary struggle.

Rancho-Starbuck Intermediate, the lone middle school, stands out for its strong performance, ranking in the top 20% of California middle schools and maintaining a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger. Chronic absenteeism is a concern across the district, ranging from 11.3% at Rancho-Starbuck to over 27% at Macy Elementary. The district serves a relatively high-need population, with free/reduced lunch rates ranging from 44.98% at Macy Elementary to 60.83% at Jordan Elementary.

While some schools like Meadow Green and El Portal excel, the significant variation in performance across the district suggests opportunities to learn from the highest-performing schools and apply best practices more broadly. The correlation between socioeconomic status and academic performance is also a concern, as the schools with the highest free/reduced lunch rates tend to have the lowest test scores. Addressing chronic absenteeism and supporting students from disadvantaged backgrounds could be key focus areas for the Lowell Joint district moving forward.