Sycamore Elementary, Upland CA - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Sycamore Elementary

Sycamore Elementary is a kindergarten-through-sixth-grade school in Upland serving a community that is substantially lower-income and predominantly Latino. Nearly three-quarters of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. Just over two-thirds of the student body is Hispanic, about one-sixth is white, and the remainder are Black, Asian, or multiracial. The school sits in a residential city in San Bernardino County that has been transitioning from its historic citrus economy into a hub for healthcare, education, and retail. The area's housing market has been relatively stable, with most homes in the mid-range for the county and rental costs that absorb roughly a mid-market share of household income.

Academically, Sycamore's state test results show proficiency in the low to mid range. In English Language Arts, the school's overall rate sits below the midpoint among the county's districts. Reading proficiency climbs modestly through the grades, starting below where many peers begin in third grade and reaching approximately the county median by sixth grade. In mathematics, the pattern is weaker. Proficiency is quite low in fourth grade, recovers somewhat in fifth, and finishes slightly better in sixth, but the overall math rate remains below the midpoint of comparison districts. Science proficiency, measured only in fifth grade, is similarly low. One year of testing data is available; trend information could not be computed, so it is unclear whether these results represent stable performance or movement.

The school has recently been designated a "Leader in Me" academy, part of the district's shift toward themed signature schools. The Leader in Me framework is based on the 7 Habits model and emphasizes student leadership development. This is a lasting pedagogical choice for the school; families selecting Sycamore are also selecting this specific approach to school culture and student development. Because some district schools at specific grade levels are at capacity, enrollment at one's home school is not guaranteed, and families may be placed elsewhere depending on space.

The district provides universal free meals to all students, removing a household cost when families budget for school expenses. The district also has an early-college charter high school opening in the fall with embedded college credit, which may interest families planning forward to secondary options.

Sycamore's student body is diverse and economically challenged. A parent may want to look into further with the school how it addresses proficiency gaps, particularly in math, and what specific literacy and numeracy supports exist for students who enter below grade level. The "Leader in Me" framework is worth understanding directly: whether the school sees student leadership development and academic remediation as aligned, how structured the habit-training is, and what measurable outcomes the school targets for both character and achievement growth.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 341%

School 41% · District 50% · ▼ 9 pts below district

▼ 2 pts below state median · ▲ 5 pts above county median

Grade 428%

School 28% · District 46% · ▼ 17 pts below district

▼ 9 pts below state median · even with county median

Grade 539%

School 39% · District 40%

▲ 9 pts above state median · ▲ 17 pts above county median

Grade 646%

School 46% · District 45%

▲ 15 pts above state median · ▲ 23 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 339%

School 39% · District 53% · ▼ 14 pts below district

▼ 2 pts below state median · ▲ 5 pts above county median

Grade 451%

School 51% · District 52% · ▼ 1 pts below district

▲ 9 pts above state median · ▲ 16 pts above county median

Grade 552%

School 52% · District 56% · ▼ 5 pts below district

▲ 6 pts above state median · ▲ 12 pts above county median

Grade 649%

School 49% · District 62% · ▼ 12 pts below district

▲ 5 pts above state median · ▲ 11 pts above county median

Science

Grade 534%

School 34% · District 40% · ▼ 5 pts below district

▲ 6 pts above state median · ▲ 12 pts above county median

This schoolUpland 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.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 3Lower-income26%Higher-income75%49 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income50%Higher-income53%3 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income44%Higher-income73%29 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income43%Higher-income67%24 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income37%Higher-income50%13 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income27%Higher-income31%4 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income36%Higher-income50%14 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income43%Higher-income53%11 pp gap