The top reported proficiency rate is 26% in English language arts. The lowest is 7% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Turner Elementary
Turner Elementary sits on Delta Fair Boulevard in Antioch, a large East Bay city where the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta meets the sprawl of Contra Costa County's eastern edge. The school serves kindergarten through fifth grade as a regular public school within Antioch Unified, and its enrollment puts it in a mid-range size for a K-5 campus.
The student body is diverse and reflects the surrounding community. Hispanic students make up roughly half the enrollment, Black students about a fifth, and Asian students close to a fifth, with smaller shares of other groups. A large majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price meals, which places Turner among the higher-need schools in the area. Data on English learners and students with IEPs were not available in the source material.
State assessment results from the most recent year paint a clear picture: proficiency rates in both English language arts and math are low across third, fourth, and fifth grades. Math results are particularly thin, and fifth-grade science proficiency is very low as well. Placed against districts in Contra Costa County, Turner's overall proficiency index lands in the bottom quartile of the schools and districts measured in that comparison set. Trend data covers only a single year, so it is not possible to say whether scores have been moving in any direction. A parent who wants to understand what supports the school has in place to address these gaps would be well served by asking directly.
The district context matters here and is unusually active right now. Antioch Unified is publicly reported to be in serious fiscal stress. The county education office downgraded the district's budget certification to "negative" in 2026, a status that signals the district may not be able to meet its financial obligations without changes and that raises the possibility of state intervention. The district had held a "positive" rating continuously since some earlier year. In early 2026 the board authorized a large round of preliminary layoffs affecting teachers, paraeducators who support special education students, psychologists, custodians, and other staff. For a school whose students carry elevated need, cuts to paraeducators and psychologists in particular are worth tracking closely. The district is also discussing a possible parcel tax. On the facilities side, voters in March 2024 approved a school bond measure aimed at modernizing aging buildings across the district, including roof, plumbing, HVAC, and electrical work. That bond is a long-term property tax obligation for anyone buying into the district's boundaries.
Antioch itself is a city that has grown substantially over recent decades, drawing many Bay Area households priced out of areas closer to employment centers. Housing here is well below the California statewide median, though it sits above the national figure, and recent values have dipped slightly year over year. Rents are running at a level that represents a significant share of household income at typical earnings, and many lower-income renters in the city are cost-burdened. The city has active housing development in progress, particularly around the downtown riverfront corridors and along major arterials. Public transit includes the eBART line terminating at the Hillcrest Avenue station and Tri Delta Transit bus service. The historic Rivertown district along the San Joaquin River offers a walkable core with shops and restaurants, but most of the city requires a car.
Graduation rate data does not apply here because Turner serves only elementary grades. Chronic absenteeism data were not available for this school.
For a family weighing Turner, the academic performance numbers are genuinely low and worth taking seriously, not as a verdict but as a prompt to ask what the school's improvement plan looks like and how student support is structured at the classroom level. The district's financial situation adds a layer of uncertainty around staffing and services that did not exist a year or two ago. Parents with children who receive special education services or who rely on academic support staff should pay particular attention to how the layoff process resolves.
See more original research from School Decision →