Union Street Charter, Arcata CA - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Union Street Charter

Union Street Charter is a small elementary school serving kindergarten through fifth grade in Arcata, a college town on California's North Coast. The school sits in a walkable, environmentally focused community shaped by Cal Poly Humboldt's presence and oriented toward sustainability.

The school has a compact enrollment distributed fairly evenly across its grade span. About half the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch. The student population is predominantly white, with a smaller share identifying as Hispanic or multiracial, and very few students from other racial or ethnic groups represented in the data.

Academically, Union Street Charter shows solid performance on California's state assessments. In math, proficiency climbs across the grade span, with third-graders showing a solid foundation and fifth-graders reaching a high level. English language arts proficiency is similarly strong, with fifth graders demonstrating full proficiency on the assessment. Science results, available only for fifth grade, also show full proficiency. Overall proficiency across tested subjects places this school in the top quartile relative to other districts in Humboldt County.

The school's academic results suggest students are gaining competency as they move up the grades. This upward trajectory in both literacy and math is worth noting for families seeking a school where older elementary students finish the K-5 span strong.

Data on special education enrollment and English learner population are not available, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about services for students with disabilities and English language support. Likewise, chronic absenteeism and attendance records were not provided in available sources. The school's website and administrative staff can clarify how these services and supports are organized.

Arcata itself is described as a small, walkable community with biking infrastructure, situated at the edge of redwood forest with bay views. Cal Poly Humboldt is a major local employer and cultural anchor. Housing values in the area are moderate relative to California statewide benchmarks. The town's character tends toward environmental awareness and college-town culture, which may resonate with some families more than others; this is a matter of fit rather than school quality.

Union Street Charter is a regular public charter school operated as its own district, rather than a traditional district school. This structure gives it some autonomy in operations. For families drawn to a small, academically solid elementary program in a distinctive North Coast setting, with strong results in the upper elementary grades, this school merits a close look.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 377%

School 77% · district not reported

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

Grade 488%

School 88% · district not reported

▲ 51 pts above state median · ▲ 51 pts above county median

Grade 593%

School 93% · district not reported

▲ 63 pts above state median · ▲ 65 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 371%

School 71% · district not reported

▲ 30 pts above state median · ▲ 35 pts above county median

Grade 488%

School 88% · district not reported

▲ 46 pts above state median · ▲ 55 pts above county median

Grade 5100%

School 100% · district not reported

▲ 55 pts above state median · ▲ 56 pts above county median

Science

Grade 5100%

School 100% · district not reported

▲ 72 pts above state median · ▲ 63 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.