Alisal Community, Salinas CA - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Alisal Community

Alisal Community is a K–6 school in Salinas serving a neighborhood with deep economic need and strong immigrant and Latino roots. Nearly all of its roughly five hundred students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, and substantially all students identify as Hispanic. This is a fully public, non-charter elementary school located in the Alisal Union district.

Academically, the school's state test results show underperformance relative to the county. Its overall proficiency index places it above the midpoint among the districts in Monterey County, but this measure reflects a mixed picture across grade levels and subjects. In English language arts, proficiency rises through the grades, reaching about half of sixth graders; third-grade proficiency in ELA sits lower, around a quarter of students, while fifth and sixth graders show stronger results. Math proficiency is notably weaker across all tested grades, ranging from the low twenties to low thirties. Science proficiency, reported for fifth grade only, falls below twenty percent of students.

The school's enrollment is stable and drawn entirely from its immediate neighborhood. Kindergarten and the upper elementary grades each serve roughly eighty to one hundred ten students. No prior-year trend data was available, so it is unclear whether these results represent recent change or a longer pattern. A parent may want to look into what support exists for English learners, since the data did not include the count or rate of students in that category.

Salinas itself is the county seat and largest city in Monterey County, the agricultural heart of the region known for vegetable and berry production. Downtown Salinas has undergone revitalization in recent years, with Main Street walkable and anchored by the National Steinbeck Center and locally owned shops, while newer residential subdivisions spread across North and East Salinas. The city is largely built out and is planned to add substantial new housing through infill and specific plan areas over the next decade to address a long-standing housing shortage. Housing values in the area sit modestly above the statewide benchmark, and rental costs are notable relative to regional income. Major employers include the county government, Taylor Farms (a large fresh-foods supplier headquartered downtown), and Salinas Valley Health. Public transit through Monterey-Salinas Transit connects residents to downtown civic anchors and employment centers.

The Alisal Union district brief did not reveal recent strategic shifts or changes in parent-relevant policy, so the picture of the district's direction remains incomplete from the available research.

See more original research from School Decision →

Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 330%

School 30% · District 30%

▼ 13 pts below state median · even with county median

Grade 427%

School 27% · District 20% · ▲ 7 pts above district

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

Grade 531%

School 31% · District 20% · ▲ 12 pts above district

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

Grade 624%

School 24% · District 19% · ▲ 6 pts above district

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

English language arts

Grade 327%

School 27% · District 23% · ▲ 4 pts above district

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

Grade 433%

School 33% · District 25% · ▲ 8 pts above district

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

Grade 545%

School 45% · District 33% · ▲ 11 pts above district

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

Grade 650%

School 50% · District 33% · ▲ 17 pts above district

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

Science

Grade 520%

School 20% · District 16% · ▲ 5 pts above district

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

This schoolAlisal Union, 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.