Upper Lake Elementary, Upper Lake CA

Original Research by School Decision on Upper Lake Elementary

Upper Lake Elementary sits in a small rural town in Lake County, serving kindergarten through fifth grade in a building located on Second Street in the community's school-campus cluster. The school draws about half its enrollment from Upper Lake proper and the surrounding areas, serving a student body where a large majority qualify for free or reduced-price lunch and roughly half identify as white, with substantial Hispanic and American Indian representation and a smaller number of other backgrounds. One in four students are American Indian, reflecting the school's location near tribal lands and the Habematolel Pomo of Upper Lake's presence in the community.

On California's 2024-25 state assessments, Upper Lake Elementary's proficiency rates are very low. Across math and English language arts combined, the school's proficiency stands well below the statewide performance bar. In third grade, proficiency in math is in the low single digits, and in English language arts similarly weak. Fourth grade shows only slightly higher math proficiency; fifth grade's math proficiency is in the single digits. English proficiency in fifth grade, the highest grade tested, reaches just above one in five students. The school's science assessment result in fifth grade is also quite low. Overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades is below the midpoint among the ten districts in Lake County, positioning the school among the lower performers in its regional peer set.

The school has only one year of state assessment data available, so trend information is not yet present. A parent may want to discuss with the school directly what instruction looks at, how the school is responding to these numbers, and what supports are in place for students working below grade level, particularly in upper elementary grades where foundational math and reading gaps tend to compound.

Upper Lake is a quiet town centered on a historic Main Street with a blue-collar workforce and a lifestyle oriented toward outdoor recreation. The school sits apart from downtown, clustered with other school buildings on Clover Valley Road and surrounding streets. Population in the area is essentially flat, and housing has historically been scarce, though recent list-price growth has been strong. The tribal Community Center project, recently funded with significant federal resources, signals a longer-term investment in the area's capacity for education and community development.

At the school level, state data on staffing levels, English learner counts, special education identification, chronic absenteeism, or discipline were not available; a parent interested in those details should reach out directly to the school. The school's website was also not located, so no specific information about curriculum, schedule, programs, or family engagement practices could be drawn.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 321%

School 21% · District 21%

▼ 21 pts below state median · even with county median

Grade 432%

School 32% · District 32%

▼ 6 pts below state median · ▲ 10 pts above county median

Grade 56%

School 6% · District 6%

▼ 25 pts below state median · ▼ 7 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 320%

School 20% · District 20%

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

Grade 416%

School 16% · District 16%

▼ 26 pts below state median · ▼ 8 pts below county median

Grade 523%

School 23% · District 23%

▼ 22 pts below state median · even with county median

Science

Grade 511%

School 11% · District 11%

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

This schoolUpper Lake 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-income18%Higher-income27%9 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income9%Higher-income46%37 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income24%Higher-income18%5 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income17%Higher-income46%29 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income24%Higher-income64%40 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income7%Higher-income0%7 pp gap