Is Arcata Elementary a good school?

Arcata Elementary ranks 3720 th of 5862 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Arcata Elementary?

In the 2022-23 school year, 262 students attended Arcata Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Arcata Elementary?

Students at Arcata Elementary are 48% White, 25% Hispanic, 17% Two or more races, 6% American Indian, 3% Asian, 1% African American.

What schools do graduates of Arcata Elementary attend?

Students who attend Arcata Elementary usually go on to attend: Middle : Sunny Brae Middle High : Arcata High

Arcata Elementary

Summary:

Arcata Elementary is a public elementary school serving 262 students in grades K-5 in Arcata, California. The school has consistently ranked in the middle to lower range of California elementary schools over the past 10 years, with a current ranking of 3720 out of 5862 schools and a 2 out of 5 star rating from SchoolDigger.

Arcata Elementary faces significant challenges, with high chronic absenteeism rates that have risen from 0% in 2018-2019 to 39% in 2022-2023, notably higher than the state average and nearby schools like Jacoby Creek (11.2%) and Union Street Charter (17%). The school's test scores on the Smarter Balanced Assessments and CAST Science exams are consistently below the state averages across all grade levels and subject areas, with only 31.97% of Arcata Elementary students scoring proficient or better in ELA and Math, compared to the state averages of 47.04% and 35.54% respectively. Additionally, Arcata Elementary has a high percentage of students from low socioeconomic backgrounds, with 76.34% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch in 2022-2023, significantly higher than the state average and most nearby schools.

When comparing Arcata Elementary to nearby schools, there are stark differences in performance. For example, Jacoby Creek Elementary, located just 2.62 miles away, consistently outperforms Arcata Elementary across all test subjects and grade levels, with over 75% of students scoring proficient or better in ELA and Math. Similarly, Union Street Charter, a public charter school 1.42 miles away, has exceptional test scores, with over 90% of students scoring proficient or better. However, Arcata Elementary's special education students perform relatively well, ranking in the top 37% of California schools for this subgroup in 2023-2024, suggesting that the school may be providing effective support for its students with disabilities.

Detail:

Public K-5

2400 Baldwin St.
Arcata, CA 95521-5168

(707) 822-4858

District: Arcata Elementary

SchoolDigger Rank:
3720^th of 5,862 California Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $12,056

Students who attend Arcata Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Sunny Brae Middle
High:	Arcata High

Student/teacher ratio: 16.9

Number of students: 262

Racial breakdown:

White:

47.7%

Hispanic:

25.2%

Two or more races:

16.8%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 76.3%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Arcata Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Arcata Elementary ranks worse than 63.5% of elementary schools in California. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 32.62. (See more...)

Chronic absenteeism in a school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.

Student Body

Compare Details Student population at Arcata Elementary is diverse. Racial makeup is: White (47.7%), Hispanic (25.2%), two or more races (16.8%). (See more...)

Compare Details 76.3% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Arcata Elementary is 16.9. (See more...)

Compare Arcata Elementary employs 15.5 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Arcata Elementary is $12,056.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Arcata Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Arcata Elementary 3720^th of 5862 California public elementary schools. (See Arcata Elementary in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Special Education students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

White students:

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Your rating for Arcata Elementary?

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Rank History for Arcata Elementary

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Rank History for all students at Arcata Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2004	78.96	943^rd	4809	80.4%
2005	68.61	1395^th	4822	71.1%
2006	69.87	1346^th	4818	72.1%
2007	67.54	1484^th	5113	71.0%
2008	57.71	1956^th	5113	61.7%
2009	59.11	1965^th	5193	62.2%
2010	57.44	2140^th	5314	59.7%
2011	59.54	2061^st	5377	61.7%
2012	57.34	2188^th	5390	59.4%
2013	38.09	3451^st	5530	37.6%
2015	39.50	3044^th	5611	45.7%
2016	47.58	2627^th	5614	53.2%
2017	57.40	2157^th	5692	62.1%
2018	56.67	2201^st	5662	61.1%
2019	58.46	2155^th	5789	62.8%
2021	50.28	642^nd	1417	54.7%
2022	51.78	2464^th	5883	58.1%
2023	46.64	2722^nd	5874	53.7%
2024	32.62	3720^th	5862	36.5%

See the entire list of California Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for Special Education students at Arcata Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	24.25	1941^st	2420	19.8%
2024	49.41	980^th	2634	62.8%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Arcata Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	68.40	1273^rd	5084	75.0%
2019	61.35	1684^th	5173	67.4%
2021	68.01	260^th	1110	76.6%
2022	62.07	1566^th	5264	70.3%
2023	46.59	2588^th	5374	51.8%
2024	25.03	4375^th	5511	20.6%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Arcata Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	50.65	2453^rd	5413	54.7%
2019	57.32	2097^th	5492	61.8%
2021	49.09	581^st	1267	54.1%
2022	42.83	2819^th	5635	50.0%
2023	37.43	3182^nd	5617	43.4%
2024	31.76	3652^nd	5605	34.8%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Disabled students at Arcata Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2018	96.04	75^th	2128	96.5%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Disabled Students!

Rank History for Male students at Arcata Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	61.33	1872^nd	5431	65.5%
2019	58.36	2019^th	5510	63.4%
2021	50.50	564^th	1272	55.7%
2022	58.92	2012^th	5663	64.5%
2023	55.53	2155^th	5650	61.9%
2024	35.80	3359^th	5636	40.4%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Arcata Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	68.25	1270^th	5098	75.1%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for White students at Arcata Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	34.40	1972^nd	2737	28.0%
2019	48.74	1590^th	2834	43.9%
2022	29.87	2020^th	2726	25.9%
2023	33.51	1897^th	2662	28.7%
2024	21.02	2185^th	2647	17.5%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: California Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Data source: California Department of Education

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Enrollment information for Arcata Elementary

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	391	2	20	11	29	n/a	n/a	0	453
1989	345	2	22	7	16	n/a	n/a	0	392
1990	337	0	31	4	16	n/a	n/a	0	388
1991	304	0	13	3	16	n/a	n/a	0	336
1992	398	6	8	4	9	n/a	n/a	0	425
1993	394	12	12	4	18	n/a	n/a	0	440
1994	382	8	14	7	35	n/a	n/a	0	446
1995	376	8	5	25	16	n/a	n/a	0	430
1996	376	8	5	25	16	n/a	n/a	0	430
1997	305	8	9	27	19	n/a	n/a	0	368
1998	293	11	3	32	8	n/a	n/a	0	347
1999	293	3	2	23	9	n/a	n/a	0	330
2000	255	6	2	21	22	n/a	n/a	1	307
2001	248	15	8	26	22	n/a	n/a	2	321
2002	198	5	8	25	15	n/a	n/a	0	251
2003	198	5	8	25	15	n/a	n/a	0	251
2004	190	4	12	28	15	n/a	n/a	14	263
2005	147	5	4	23	15	n/a	n/a	25	219
2006	121	3	7	23	14	n/a	n/a	30	198
2007	240	12	9	40	19	n/a	n/a	22	342
2008	241	12	13	32	27	n/a	n/a	0	325
2009	221	12	7	27	18	3	24	0	312
2010	202	11	4	29	18	2	26	0	292
2011	193	11	7	45	19	1	26	0	302
2012	182	4	8	37	12	2	32	0	277
2013	190	3	10	50	18	2	31	0	304
2014	191	8	6	48	19	3	36	0	311
2015	165	11	6	55	21	1	32	0	291
2016	190	6	3	52	17	1	35	0	304
2017	177	7	8	60	15	1	38	0	306
2018	170	7	7	59	8	1	45	0	297
2019	174	4	4	58	13	1	45	0	299
2020	176	8	5	58	19	0	43	0	309
2021	157	7	6	45	16	0	42	0	273
2022	136	7	8	55	16	0	37	0	259
2023	125	3	8	66	16	0	44	0	262

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Arcata Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	453	20.0	22.6	n/a
1989	392	16.8	23.3	n/a
1990	388	17.8	21.7	n/a
1991	336	14.8	22.7	n/a
1992	425	15.0	28.3	44
1993	440	19.0	23.2	42.7
1994	446	19.0	23.5	43
1995	430	18.2	23.6	49.3
1996	430	18.2	23.6	49.3
1997	368	19.5	18.9	49.5
1998	347	19.8	17.5	51
1999	330	16.8	19.6	43
2000	307	16.0	19.2	56.9
2001	321	16.8	19.1	59.9
2002	251	13.1	19.2	55
2003	251	13.1	19.2	55
2004	263	13.1	20.1	61.8
2005	219	12.0	18.3	74.2
2006	198	10.0	19.8	75.6
2007	342	19.0	18.0	66.9
2008	325	19.0	17.1	58.5
2009	312	16.0	16.4	60.9
2010	292	18.7	15.6	61.6
2011	302	n/a	n/a	61.9
2012	277	17.2	16.0	n/a
2013	304	14.1	21.4	64.1
2014	311	14.0	22.2	69.5
2015	291	17.0	17.1	68.7
2016	304	15.0	20.2	72.4
2017	306	15.0	20.4	68.6
2018	297	15.0	19.8	70
2019	299	14.0	21.3	68.6
2020	309	n/a	n/a	68
2021	273	14.5	18.8	68.9
2022	259	16.5	15.6	71.4
2023	262	15.5	16.9	76.3

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Arcata Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	453	20.0	22.6	n/a
1989	392	16.8	23.3	n/a
1990	388	17.8	21.7	n/a
1991	336	14.8	22.7	n/a
1992	425	15.0	28.3	44
1993	440	19.0	23.2	42.7
1994	446	19.0	23.5	43
1995	430	18.2	23.6	49.3
1996	430	18.2	23.6	49.3
1997	368	19.5	18.9	49.5
1998	347	19.8	17.5	51
1999	330	16.8	19.6	43
2000	307	16.0	19.2	56.9
2001	321	16.8	19.1	59.9
2002	251	13.1	19.2	55
2003	251	13.1	19.2	55
2004	263	13.1	20.1	61.8
2005	219	12.0	18.3	74.2
2006	198	10.0	19.8	75.6
2007	342	19.0	18.0	66.9
2008	325	19.0	17.1	58.5
2009	312	16.0	16.4	60.9
2010	292	18.7	15.6	61.6
2011	302	n/a	n/a	61.9
2012	277	17.2	16.0	n/a
2013	304	14.1	21.4	64.1
2014	311	14.0	22.2	69.5
2015	291	17.0	17.1	68.7
2016	304	15.0	20.2	72.4
2017	306	15.0	20.4	68.6
2018	297	15.0	19.8	70
2019	299	14.0	21.3	68.6
2020	309	n/a	n/a	68
2021	273	14.5	18.8	68.9
2022	259	16.5	15.6	71.4
2023	262	15.5	16.9	76.3

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.

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