Placer Hills Union Elementary, CA

Original Research by School Decision on Placer Hills Union Elementary

Placer Hills Union Elementary is a small, rural district serving kindergarten through eighth grade across two schools in the foothills of Placer County, north of Sacramento. The district covers an area of scattered communities including Meadow Vista and Weimar, where housing values are moderate relative to the broader Sacramento region but remain substantial for the local character of the communities.

The district's recent academic results show mixed performance. In English language arts, proficiency across all tested grades sits at about half of students meeting grade-level standards, with some variation. Third and fourth graders perform somewhat better, while performance dips in the middle grades before recovering in eighth grade. Mathematics proficiency is lower overall, around half, with third graders performing above that average but with a sharp decline in the fifth and sixth grades that partially recovers by eighth grade. Science proficiency, where tested, shows fourth and fifth graders below half meeting standards, with eighth graders at roughly one-third. On the whole proficiency measure used for county comparison, Placer Hills falls below the midpoint among Placer County's districts.

Chronic absenteeism is a concern. The district's rate places it in the bottom quartile within the county, meaning attendance challenges are notably pronounced. A parent may want to look into this further with the school to understand what drivers or supports exist around this issue.

The district spends per pupil at a level in the upper half of the county's middle range, suggesting resources are not sparse, though the academic results suggest a meaningful gap between expenditure and proficiency that may warrant district attention to how dollars translate to classroom instruction.

Student composition is largely white, with a small Hispanic population and minimal diversity in other backgrounds represented. Free-or-reduced-price lunch eligibility data were not available, so the extent of economic need within the student body cannot be assessed from the data at hand. The enrollment is small, with about one hundred students at each grade level on average.

The district operates Sierra Hills Elementary serving kindergarten through third grade and Weimar Hills serving grades four through eight. This split structure is longstanding. No recent major bond measures, curriculum shifts, or operational changes of lasting parent relevance were found in publicly available sources.

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District Context

Officially reported figures, 2024-25.

Enrollment

762

Grades

KG–08

Schools

Student body

Hispanic 10%

Black 1%

White 82%

Asian 0%

Two+ 6%

Am. Indian / AK Native 1%

Hawaiian / Pac. Isl. 0%

By economic status

Percent proficient by grade, as reported

Economically disadvantaged

Not disadvantaged

ELA

Gr ALL

37%

—

Gr 3

41%

71%

Gr 4

53%

67%

Gr 5

27%

70%

Gr 6

22%

49%

Gr 7

35%

45%

Gr 8

40%

73%

Math

Gr ALL

34%

—

Gr 3

44%

76%

Gr 4

57%

63%

Gr 5

24%

49%

Gr 6

17%

39%

Gr 7

17%

49%

Gr 8

40%

69%

Science

Gr 5

30%

60%

Gr 8

19%

44%

Gr HS

25%

—

Schools in this District

2 schools are officially reported under this district.

Weimar Hills

Sierra Hills Elementary

Academic Performance

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

Mathematics

6 grades reported

64%

Grade 3

61%

Grade 4

38%

Grade 5

32%

Grade 6

39%

Grade 7

59%

Grade 8

English Language Arts

6 grades reported

60%

Grade 3

62%

Grade 4

50%

Grade 5

40%

Grade 6

41%

Grade 7

61%

Grade 8

Science

2 grades reported

46%

Grade 5

35%

Grade 8

Social Studies

1 grade reported

65%

Grade 8

Housing & Real Estate

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

Home Values

Typical home value$574,242

Year-over-year change+0.7%

Range across 6 ZIP codes$502K to $675K

vs. state typical0.74x

vs. national typical1.56x

Home value trend (12 months)

ZIP code home values (6 ZIP codes)

ZIP	City	Value	YoY	Weight
95713	Colfax	$505K	+1.2%	40.9%
95722	Meadow Vista	$675K	+0.7%	20.3%
95703	Applegate	$545K	+0.7%	17.3%
95602	Auburn	$645K	-0.5%	14.2%
95603	Auburn	$619K	-0.6%	6.8%
95631	Foresthill	$502K	+0.3%	0.0%

Rental Market

Typical monthly rent$1,996/mo

Year-over-year change+1.9%

Range across 2 ZIP codes$1,881 to $2,237/mo

Rent trend (12 months)

ZIP code rents (2 ZIP codes)

ZIP	City	Rent/mo	YoY	Weight
95602	Auburn	$1,881	—	14.2%
95603	Auburn	$2,237	+1.9%	6.8%

Affordability

Est. monthly mortgage (20% down at 6.48%)$2,898/mo

Home price / national median income6.9x

Annual rent / national median income28.6%

Est. mortgage exceeds rent by$902/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.