Calistoga Joint Unified, CA

Original Research by School Decision on Calistoga Joint Unified

Calistoga Joint Unified serves a small district across the wine country foothills of Napa County, enrolling students from kindergarten through grade twelve. The student body is predominantly Hispanic, with white and multiracial students making up smaller shares. Chronic absenteeism sits in the top quartile among the county's districts, meaning the district is managing attendance better than most peers in the region.

Academic performance across the district is below the midpoint when proficiency rates are averaged across tested subjects and grade levels. In English language arts, the pattern is uneven: third through sixth graders show lower proficiency, but seventh and eighth graders jump notably higher. Math proficiency is consistently weaker, starting below and declining as grade levels advance, with seventh and eighth graders showing the steepest drops. Science proficiency is markedly low at both tested grades. These patterns suggest students may encounter particular difficulty in math and science instruction, or that the curriculum transition into the middle grades in these subjects needs examination. A parent might want to ask the district directly about interventions in place for math, especially as students move from elementary into the middle grades where proficiency dips sharply.

The district operates three schools: an elementary building, a combined junior and senior high school, and Palisades High, a continuation school serving students with nontraditional pathways. The district has undergone significant facilities changes in recent years. A bond measure approved by voters funds modernized classrooms, expanded career-technical education facilities, and technology infrastructure, with renewed property tax obligation over several decades. After a long pause in construction activity between roughly the mid-2010s and 2022, the district hired a construction management firm and restarted projects, delivering a renovated building to students in 2024. This represents a reset in both the physical learning environment and district oversight accountability.

Housing in the Calistoga area is notably expensive relative to national benchmarks, with median home values substantially above the state average. Rental costs are also high but lower relative to the purchase price. Monthly mortgage estimates exceed monthly rents by a significant margin, reflecting the regional real estate market typical of wine country. This affordability profile shapes the families the district serves and their economic stability.

State testing data for the current school year is available, but the district has only one year of proficiency results reported, so trend analysis is not yet possible. Graduation rate information was not available in the data provided, so a parent seeking college-going data or completion rates should request that directly from the district. Special education enrollment rates and English learner counts were also not reported, limiting a full picture of specialized support populations.

The district's per-pupil spending sits in the upper-middle range among county peers, suggesting reasonable resource allocation, though specific spending breakdowns by program were not available. Facilities investment and CTE expansion are active priorities, reflecting a district making intentional choices about workforce preparation and campus quality, even as core academic proficiency remains an area where students are struggling, particularly in quantitative and science reasoning.

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District Context

Officially reported figures, 2024-25.

Enrollment

790

Grades

KG–12

Schools

Student body

Hispanic 88%

Black 0%

White 9%

Asian 1%

Two+ 2%

By economic status

Percent proficient by grade, as reported

Economically disadvantaged

Not disadvantaged

ELA

Gr ALL

40%

—

Gr 3

30%

—

Gr 4

29%

—

Gr 5

46%

—

Gr 6

38%

—

Gr 7

41%

—

Gr 8

52%

—

Gr 11

44%

—

Math

Gr ALL

29%

—

Gr 3

39%

—

Gr 4

43%

—

Gr 5

31%

—

Gr 6

37%

—

Gr 7

18%

—

Gr 8

21%

—

Gr 11

15%

—

Science

Gr ALL

18%

—

Gr 5

19%

—

Gr 8

17%

—

Gr 11

23%

—

Gr HS

20%

—

Gr UG_SEC

25%

—

Schools in this District

3 schools are officially reported under this district.

Calistoga Elementary

Calistoga Junior/Senior High

Palisades High (Continuation)

Academic Performance

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

Mathematics

6 grades reported

39%

Grade 3

46%

Grade 4

33%

Grade 5

39%

Grade 6

21%

Grade 7

24%

Grade 8

English Language Arts

6 grades reported

32%

Grade 3

36%

Grade 4

49%

Grade 5

40%

Grade 6

44%

Grade 7

55%

Grade 8

Science

2 grades reported

19%

Grade 5

17%

Grade 8

Social Studies

1 grade reported

34%

Grade 8

Housing & Real Estate

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

Home Values

Typical home value$1.05M

Year-over-year change-4.8%

Range across 6 ZIP codes$320K to $1.7M

vs. state typical1.35x

vs. national typical2.84x

Home value trend (12 months)

ZIP code home values (6 ZIP codes)

ZIP	City	Value	YoY	Weight
94515	Calistoga	$1.1M	-4.7%	93.6%
94567	Pope Valley	$441K	-6.5%	4.3%
95404	Santa Rosa	$822K	-1.7%	1.6%
94508	Angwin	$918K	-0.6%	0.3%
95461	Middletown	$320K	-5.2%	0.1%
94574	Saint Helena	$1.7M	-2.8%	0.0%

Rental Market

Typical monthly rent$2,500/mo

Year-over-year change+0.1%

Range across 2 ZIP codes$2,494 to $2,500/mo

Rent trend (12 months)

ZIP code rents (2 ZIP codes)

ZIP	City	Rent/mo	YoY	Weight
94515	Calistoga	$2,500	—	93.6%
95404	Santa Rosa	$2,494	+0.1%	1.6%

Affordability

Est. monthly mortgage (20% down at 6.48%)$5,282/mo

Home price / national median income12.5x

Annual rent / national median income35.8%

Est. mortgage exceeds rent by$2,782/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.