Maxwell Unified, CA - District Data

Original Research by School Decision on Maxwell Unified

Maxwell Unified is a small rural district in Colusa County spanning kindergarten through grade twelve across three schools: an elementary, a middle school, and a high school. The district serves a community in the agricultural region of the northern Sacramento Valley, where the student body is roughly evenly split between Hispanic and white students, with smaller populations of American Indian and Asian students.

Academic performance across the district sits below state expectations. In English language arts, proficiency ranges from the mid-forties in the early elementary grades, falling sharply to the mid-teens by grade six and remaining in the low-to-mid thirties by eighth grade. Mathematics shows a similar pattern: strong in fourth grade at around a midpoint, then dropping significantly in fifth grade and continuing to decline through eighth grade, where fewer than one in five students meet proficiency standards. Science proficiency is particularly low, with fewer than one in twelve students proficient in grade five and roughly one in ten in grade eight. State testing data for social studies is from a prior assessment era and therefore not directly comparable to current results. On the whole, Maxwell Unified's proficiency index places it in the top quartile among Colusa County's districts, though this reflects relative position within a county where overall proficiency is low across the board.

The enrollment of the district is small, with roughly equal numbers of students across most grade levels, and the cohort sizes in individual grades typically in the low-to-mid twenties. Chronic absenteeism in the district is also in the top quartile among county peers, showing better attendance patterns than most comparable neighboring districts. A graduation rate was not available in the data provided. Free-or-reduced-price lunch data and counts of students with individualized education plans or English learner status were also not available.

The housing market in the district's service area is modest. Median home values across the zip codes Maxwell Unified serves are roughly aligned with the state's affordability benchmarks and represent an estimated monthly mortgage obligation in the mid-range relative to regional incomes. The local economic environment shows steady employment and stable household income, with recent mortgage rates in the mid-sixes.

In November 2024, the district placed a general obligation bond on the ballot to fund modernization and renovation of its three aging schools. Should the measure pass, property taxes within district boundaries would be assessed to repay the bond over the term of the bond issuance, a permanent shift in the tax base that any family relocating to the area would inherit. The outcome of that referendum was not confirmed at the time of this writing.

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District Context

Officially reported figures, 2024-25.

Enrollment

350

Grades

KG–12

Schools

Student body

Hispanic 56%

White 41%

Asian 0%

Two+ 0%

Am. Indian / AK Native 2%

By economic status

Percent proficient by grade, as reported

Economically disadvantaged

Not disadvantaged

ELA

Gr ALL

29%

—

Gr 3

47%

—

Gr 4

33%

—

Gr 5

36%

—

Gr 6

24%

—

Gr 7

22%

—

Gr 8

17%

—

Gr 11

31%

—

Math

Gr ALL

20%

—

Gr 3

41%

—

Gr 4

42%

—

Gr 5

18%

—

Gr 6

19%

—

Gr 7

11%

—

Gr 8

14%

—

Gr 11

14%

—

Science

Gr ALL

11%

—

Gr 5

—

Gr 8

—

Gr 10

38%

—

Gr HS

16%

—

Gr UG_SEC

35%

—

Schools in this District

3 schools are officially reported under this district.

Maxwell Elementary

Maxwell Sr High

Maxwell Middle

Academic Performance

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

Mathematics

6 grades reported

38%

Grade 3

50%

Grade 4

29%

Grade 5

12%

Grade 6

24%

Grade 7

17%

Grade 8

English Language Arts

6 grades reported

48%

Grade 3

44%

Grade 4

47%

Grade 5

19%

Grade 6

35%

Grade 7

27%

Grade 8

Science

2 grades reported

Grade 5

10%

Grade 8

Social Studies

1 grade reported

59%

Grade 8

Housing & Real Estate

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

Home Values

Typical home value$290,904

Year-over-year change+2.1%

Range across 4 ZIP codes$279K to $375K

vs. state typical0.37x

vs. national typical0.79x

Home value trend (12 months)

ZIP code home values (4 ZIP codes)

ZIP	City	Value	YoY	Weight
95979	Stonyford	$279K	+5.6%	61.4%
95955	Maxwell	$297K	-4.1%	32.6%
95987	Williams	$375K	+1.1%	5.9%
95932	Colusa	$373K	-0.9%	0.1%

Affordability

Est. monthly mortgage (20% down at 6.48%)$1,468/mo

Home price / national median income3.5x

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.