Cuyama Elementary, New Cuyama CA

Original Research by School Decision on Cuyama Elementary

Cuyama Elementary serves kindergarten through eighth grade in New Cuyama, a small, isolated agricultural community in the Cuyama Valley near the intersection of Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, Ventura, and Kern counties. The school sits on Highway 166, the main thoroughfare through town, in a setting classified as remote rural.

The enrollment is small, at roughly one-hundred-and-ten students spread across nine grades. The student population is predominantly Hispanic or Latino, with about three-quarters identifying as such. A substantial majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the economic circumstances of the area, where agriculture and seasonal farm work are the principal industries. Data on English learner status and special education enrollment were not available.

Academic results show persistent challenges across tested subjects and grade levels. In math, proficiency is low: eighth graders performed best at around a quarter proficient, while fourth and sixth graders hovered around fourteen percent. Third, fifth, and seventh grade results were suppressed due to small tested groups. In English language arts, the pattern is similar, though eighth grade stands out at around forty-one percent proficient, compared to roughly twenty-one percent in fourth and sixth grades. Science results are limited; eighth grade proficiency was around twenty-three percent. Overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades sits well below the midpoint for districts in Santa Barbara County. The school has only one year of recent state testing data, so trend information is not available.

The school opened housing data for the 93254 zip code shows median home values in the mid-to-upper hundred-thousands, with rental affordability a documented challenge; many residents spend a substantial portion of income on rent. New Cuyama has recently seen development activity aimed at affordable and farmworker housing, which may affect enrollment and community composition in coming years.

The Cuyama Joint Unified School District, of which this school is the elementary and middle component, has experienced notable enrollment growth in 2024-25, a shift that for a very small district can ripple through class sizes, staff allocation, and program resources. The district encompasses one high school as well.

A parent considering this school should recognize low proficiency results as a significant factor and may want to explore further with the school why performance stands well below peers in the county and what instructional supports are in place. The setting is genuinely rural and isolated, with limited walkable infrastructure outside a recently completed Greenway pathway; access depends on car travel along the highway. The student body reflects the agricultural and working-class character of the valley. This is a place where family circumstances are economically stretched and academic performance is a soft spot; a family would be choosing it primarily because they live in or are moving to the immediate area, not because of school offerings or results.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 414%

School 14% · District 14%

▼ 23 pts below state median · ▼ 20 pts below county median

Grade 614%

School 14% · District 14%

▼ 16 pts below state median · ▼ 19 pts below county median

Grade 824%

School 24% · District 24%

▼ 4 pts below state median · ▼ 3 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 421%

School 21% · District 21%

▼ 21 pts below state median · ▼ 20 pts below county median

Grade 621%

School 21% · District 21%

▼ 22 pts below state median · ▼ 26 pts below county median

Grade 841%

School 41% · District 41%

▼ 3 pts below state median · ▲ 4 pts above county median

Science

Grade 824%

School 24% · District 24%

▼ 2 pts below state median · ▼ 1 pts below county median

Social studies

Grade 815%

School 15% · District 15%

▼ 34 pts below state median · ▼ 44 pts below county median

This schoolCuyama Joint Unified, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.