Chico Country Day, Chico CA - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Chico Country Day

Chico Country Day is a public charter school serving kindergarten through eighth grade in downtown Chico, with an enrollment of about five hundred seventy students. The school operates under a charter renewed in spring 2025 by Chico Unified School District, giving families multi-year continuity. In 2024 the school moved into a new campus with a dedicated middle school building, part of an expansion toward a transitional kindergarten-through-eight model supported by Chico Unified's voter-approved Measure K bond.

The school's defining instructional approach is project-based learning across all grades. In kindergarten through fifth grade, English language arts uses the EL Education curriculum paired with Go Math; grades six through eight shift to College Preparatory Math while maintaining the project-based framework throughout. This curriculum and pedagogy choice distinguishes Chico Country Day among local options and shapes the daily learning environment.

State assessment data from 2024-25 shows mixed performance across grades and subjects. In English language arts, proficiency holds strongest in the upper middle grades: seventh grade performs above the middle, and eighth grade performs solidly above the middle. Early elementary and middle grades six and seven show lower proficiency in ELA. Mathematics proficiency is more uneven. Third grade performs above the middle in math, while grades four through eight cluster around the middle of the state's distribution. Science results are limited to fifth and eighth grades; fifth grade science proficiency is below the middle, while eighth grade reaches the middle. Overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades places the school in the top quartile among Butte County's districts, a strength meaningful in its regional context.

The school population is roughly two-thirds White students, with Hispanic students making up a significant minority, and other racial and ethnic groups each representing smaller shares. About thirty percent of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting a mixed-income enrollment. Data on students with individualized education plans and English learners were not available.

Chico Country Day sits on West Eleventh Street in downtown Chico, within walking distance of Chico State University and the city's commercial core. The location affords access to downtown amenities and the university's cultural offerings, though the school serves a district-wide enrollment rather than solely a neighborhood population. The city itself continues steady growth, with housing values reflecting a moderate market relative to state benchmarks. The downtown area has seen recent revitalization, and the city is home to Chico State, Sierra Nevada Brewing, Enloe Medical Center, and diversified agriculture and retail sectors.

A parent considering Chico Country Day should understand that the school is smaller than many K-8 publics in the region, operates on a distinctive project-based learning model that is a core part of its identity, and has recently invested in new facilities with dedicated middle school space. The school's overall academic standing in county comparison is solid. Mathematics proficiency, particularly in grades four through six, may warrant conversation with the school about curriculum and support structures. The charter renewal confirms the school's authorization to continue operating through June 2030, removing any uncertainty on that front.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 370%

School 70% · district not reported

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

Grade 443%

School 43% · district not reported

▲ 5 pts above state median · ▲ 7 pts above county median

Grade 552%

School 52% · district not reported

▲ 21 pts above state median · ▲ 19 pts above county median

Grade 642%

School 42% · district not reported

▲ 12 pts above state median · ▲ 14 pts above county median

Grade 745%

School 45% · district not reported

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

Grade 843%

School 43% · district not reported

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

English language arts

Grade 364%

School 64% · district not reported

▲ 23 pts above state median · ▲ 24 pts above county median

Grade 462%

School 62% · district not reported

▲ 20 pts above state median · ▲ 18 pts above county median

Grade 561%

School 61% · district not reported

▲ 16 pts above state median · ▲ 18 pts above county median

Grade 657%

School 57% · district not reported

▲ 13 pts above state median · ▲ 21 pts above county median

Grade 772%

School 72% · district not reported

▲ 26 pts above state median · ▲ 25 pts above county median

Grade 873%

School 73% · district not reported

▲ 29 pts above state median · ▲ 32 pts above county median

Science

Grade 539%

School 39% · district not reported

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

Grade 850%

School 50% · district not reported

▲ 24 pts above state median · ▲ 18 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.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 3Lower-income53%Higher-income68%16 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income50%Higher-income69%19 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income56%Higher-income65%9 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income46%Higher-income64%18 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income61%Higher-income80%19 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income57%Higher-income82%25 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income58%Higher-income75%17 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income36%Higher-income46%10 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income48%Higher-income54%6 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income27%Higher-income51%24 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income30%Higher-income57%26 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income29%Higher-income51%23 pp gap