Golden Valley Orchard, Orangevale CA

Original Research by School Decision on Golden Valley Orchard

Golden Valley Orchard is a charter school in Orangevale, a semi-rural, unincorporated community in Sacramento County about 25 miles northeast of downtown Sacramento. The school serves kindergarten through eighth grade, making it a K-8 option in a community where most public schooling runs through San Juan Unified's separate elementary and junior high campuses. No graduation rate applies here, given the grade band served.

On state testing, the picture is notably uneven. English language arts results improve substantially as students move through the grades, with seventh graders performing particularly well and eighth graders also at a solid level by California standards. The overall ELA proficiency across all tested grades sits above the midpoint relative to districts in Sacramento County, which is a reasonable position given the school's size. Math tells a different story. Proficiency rates in the early and late middle grades are quite low, while the sixth grade shows a meaningfully higher rate before dipping again at seventh and eighth. Across all tested grades, the school's overall proficiency index lands just above the county median when math and ELA are combined, according to the comparison data for Sacramento County districts. Science results at fifth and eighth grade are in the low-to-mid range. Parents with children who are working toward strong math preparation for high school may want to ask the school directly about its math curriculum, pacing, and any additional supports in place.

Trend data covers only the most recent school year, so it is not possible to say whether results are rising, holding, or declining. That is a gap worth raising with the school.

Enrollment is small for a K-8 school, spread roughly evenly across grade levels with a slightly larger kindergarten class. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price meals, though the rate is below half. The student body is predominantly white, with Hispanic students making up roughly a fifth of enrollment and smaller numbers of students from other backgrounds. Data on students with IEPs and English learners was not reported, so those dimensions of the student support picture are not available here.

Program information was not provided in the data, and the district's own brief turned up nothing confirmable about recent changes or strategic priorities. A parent evaluating Golden Valley Orchard's specific instructional model, its approach to science and electives in middle grades, and any student support services would need to go directly to the school for answers on those questions.

The community context matters for families considering a move. Orangevale is car-dependent, with quiet residential streets, large lots, and an older stock of ranch-style homes. The commercial spine runs along Greenback Lane rather than a walkable downtown, and residents commonly note that daily errands and evening options require a drive to Sacramento or Roseville. Home values in the area run well below the California state benchmark, a gap that is meaningful for families comparing affordability across the Sacramento region. Rents have edged upward modestly in recent months. The broader market has been flat to slightly cooling, with infill development on former orchard parcels representing the main growth pattern in a community that is otherwise largely built out.

No parent-relevant district changes were found in the research, which may reflect the district's small and relatively stable footprint rather than any particular development.

See more original research from School Decision →

Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 312%

School 12% · district not reported

▼ 31 pts below state median · ▼ 27 pts below county median

Grade 412%

School 12% · district not reported

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

Grade 524%

School 24% · district not reported

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

Grade 643%

School 43% · district not reported

▲ 13 pts above state median · ▲ 13 pts above county median

Grade 729%

School 29% · district not reported

▼ 1 pts below state median · ▲ 1 pts above county median

Grade 820%

School 20% · district not reported

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

English language arts

Grade 332%

School 32% · district not reported

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

Grade 426%

School 26% · district not reported

▼ 16 pts below state median · ▼ 13 pts below county median

Grade 552%

School 52% · district not reported

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

Grade 643%

School 43% · district not reported

▼ 1 pts below state median · even with county median

Grade 776%

School 76% · district not reported

▲ 31 pts above state median · ▲ 37 pts above county median

Grade 860%

School 60% · district not reported

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

Science

Grade 541%

School 41% · district not reported

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

Grade 830%

School 30% · district not reported

▲ 4 pts above state median · ▲ 8 pts above county median

This schoolDistrict average, 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.