Penn Valley Union Elementary, CA

Original Research by School Decision on Penn Valley Union Elementary

Penn Valley Union Elementary School District serves a small enrollment across kindergarten through twelfth grade in Nevada County, with schools concentrated in the Penn Valley area and nearby communities. The district has recently undergone significant structural and leadership changes that shape its current environment.

The district's academic performance sits below the midpoint among Nevada County's districts in overall proficiency. In English language arts, students show roughly even splits between those who reach proficiency and those who do not, with some variation by grade. Fourth grade performs notably better in ELA, while fifth grade and above show lower rates. Math proficiency is consistently weaker across all tested grades, with elementary students in the fourth and fifth grades posting particularly low proficiency and middle grades showing modest improvement but still falling well short of half. Science proficiency, measured in fifth and eighth grades, hovers around forty percent. Chronic absenteeism in the district runs notably higher than the median rate among its county peers, a pattern worth monitoring as a signal of engagement and access issues.

The student body is predominantly white, with a Hispanic population making up a smaller share and other groups represented in modest numbers. The district does not report counts or rates for free-or-reduced-price lunch, English learners, or students with IEPs, so those demographic and support-need portraits are unavailable.

The district has made two recent, substantial changes. In the most recent school year, the district reorganized its grade structure. Instead of each campus serving a full K-12 range, Williams Ranch School now enrolls all transitional kindergarten through third grade students, and Ready Springs School serves all fourth through eighth grade students. A small number of ninth through twelfth grade students remain in the district but are not assigned to either school in the data. This reconfiguration means every family's school assignment is now determined by grade level, and all students transition between the two campuses as they advance.

Following this grade reorganization, spring 2025 brought a governance conflict. Both the teachers' association and the classified employees' association publicly issued votes of no confidence in district leadership, citing unilateral changes made without consulting families, students, or staff. The associations also reported that site principals at both Ready Springs and Williams Ranch were facing reassignment. This signals instability in district decision-making and administrator tenure that extends beyond the typical curriculum or budget questions. A parent considering this district would want to ask directly about the status and direction of leadership, the outcome of those personnel actions, and how the district is rebuilding trust with staff and families.

The communities the district serves are residential areas in the Nevada County foothills. Home values in the Penn Valley zip code, where much of the district sits, are moderate for the region. Rental housing is scarce in the district's primary area, with only limited data available. The local economy runs at modest unemployment, and median household income for the broader region is solid, though housing costs relative to income are tight for many families.

The district operates one charter school, Vantage Point Charter, alongside its traditional public schools. A special education preschool program also serves the district. State testing data was available through eighth grade; no graduation rate is reported, consistent with the very small ninth through twelfth grade enrollment.

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District Context

Officially reported figures, 2024-25.

Enrollment

558

Grades

KG–12

Schools

Student body

Hispanic 17%

Black 1%

White 71%

Asian 1%

Two+ 9%

Am. Indian / AK Native 1%

By economic status

Percent proficient by grade, as reported

Economically disadvantaged

Not disadvantaged

ELA

Gr ALL

45%

—

Gr 3

47%

70%

Gr 4

69%

67%

Gr 5

36%

58%

Gr 6

31%

58%

Gr 7

52%

33%

Gr 8

35%

46%

Math

Gr ALL

31%

—

Gr 3

50%

60%

Gr 4

35%

48%

Gr 5

12%

42%

Gr 6

17%

35%

Gr 7

50%

62%

Gr 8

35%

58%

Science

Gr 5

33%

58%

Gr 8

41%

42%

Gr HS

33%

—

Schools in this District

4 schools are officially reported under this district.

Williams Ranch Elementary

Vantage Point Charter

Ready Springs Elementary

Penn Valley Union Special Education Preschool

Academic Performance

Percent of students meeting or exceeding state standards, by grade.

Mathematics

6 grades reported

54%

Grade 3

41%

Grade 4

23%

Grade 5

24%

Grade 6

54%

Grade 7

49%

Grade 8

English Language Arts

6 grades reported

56%

Grade 3

68%

Grade 4

44%

Grade 5

41%

Grade 6

47%

Grade 7

42%

Grade 8

Science

2 grades reported

42%

Grade 5

42%

Grade 8

Housing & Real Estate

Data as of April 2026 | District-weighted from constituent ZIP codes

Home Values

Typical home value$513,068

Year-over-year change-1.6%

Range across 7 ZIP codes$354K to $555K

vs. state typical0.66x

vs. national typical1.39x

Home value trend (12 months)

ZIP code home values (7 ZIP codes)

ZIP	City	Value	YoY	Weight
95946	Penn Valley	$521K	-1.1%	53.8%
95977	Smartsville	$452K	-4.0%	17.7%
95949	Grass Valley	$544K	-0.1%	13.8%
95975	Rough and Ready	$522K	-1.3%	11.4%
95959	Nevada City	$555K	-2.6%	2.9%
95945	Grass Valley	$480K	-1.1%	0.4%
95960	Nevada City	$354K	-2.4%	0.0%

Rental Market

Typical monthly rent$1,986/mo

Year-over-year change-0.2%

Range across 2 ZIP codes$1,821 to $2,011/mo

Rent trend (12 months)

ZIP code rents (2 ZIP codes)

ZIP	City	Rent/mo	YoY	Weight
95959	Nevada City	$2,011	—	2.9%
95945	Grass Valley	$1,821	-0.2%	0.4%

Affordability

Est. monthly mortgage (20% down at 6.48%)$2,589/mo

Home price / national median income6.1x

Annual rent / national median income28.5%

Est. mortgage exceeds rent by$603/mo

Comparison

State typical home value$776,233 (-1.1% YoY)

National typical home value$368,198 (+0.6% YoY)

State ZHVI trend (12 months)

National ZHVI trend (12 months)

Economic Context

30-year fixed mortgage rate6.48%

National unemployment rate4.3%

National median household income$83,730

CPI: Rent of shelter (index)447.05

30-year fixed mortgage rate (12 months)

National unemployment rate (12 months)

National median household income (12 months)

CPI: Rent of shelter (index) (12 months)

Sources: Zillow Home Value Index and Zillow Observed Rent Index (Zillow Group), Realtor.com via Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis (FRED)

Data Currently Unavailable

Civil Rights Data (CRDC)

This profile is derived exclusively from publicly available federal and state datasets. It may not reflect the most current information available. We encourage parents and families to supplement this data with information published directly on the school’s website, which may include more recent figures, additional programs, or updated enrollment data.