Mitchell Elementary, Atwater CA - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Mitchell Elementary

Mitchell Elementary is a kindergarten-through-sixth-grade school in Atwater, a growing mid-sized city in California's San Joaquin Valley with a largely suburban character and an economy anchored in food processing, dairy, light manufacturing, and health care. The school sits within the Atwater Elementary School District, which recently added capacity by opening a new elementary school in 2023, its first new campus in many years.

The student body reflects the demographic composition of the surrounding area. A substantial majority of Mitchell's enrollment is Hispanic, and a large share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, pointing to a community where family income is generally modest. Specific data on the share of students with disabilities or English learners was not available.

On state testing in English language arts and mathematics (the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress), Mitchell's performance across tested grades shows mixed results. In third grade, just over half of students met proficiency in ELA and roughly two-thirds in math, which stands out as stronger than upper grades. From fourth through sixth grade, the pattern shifts noticeably downward. Fourth-grade proficiency rates drop to near one-quarter in ELA and roughly one-third in math, marking the school's lowest point. Fifth and sixth graders show some recovery, with ELA reaching just under half proficient and math around two-fifths, but neither grade returns to third-grade levels. Across all tested grades combined, the school's overall proficiency sits at just under half in both subjects. In science, tested only in fifth grade, fewer than one-third of students met proficiency. Compared to other elementary schools across Merced County, Mitchell's overall proficiency index places it in the top quartile, a noteworthy position that reflects stronger relative performance in its county.

One area a parent may want to explore further is the significant drop in proficiency between third and fourth grade, a transition point where subject complexity increases and the gap widens further in upper elementary. Understanding what academic supports or resources might address this pattern would be worth discussing with school leadership.

The school is part of a district experiencing growth. Atwater itself has been growing steadily, with new residential subdivisions expanding through the city, and the district's recent investment in new school capacity signals confidence in sustained enrollment. The surrounding area is car-oriented with suburban development patterns, and housing values in the Atwater zip code are moderate relative to California as a whole, with rental availability also present. For families seeking elementary education in a growing working-class community, Mitchell offers established enrollment with a peer group drawn largely from local residential neighborhoods, though the academic performance data shows room for improvement, particularly in the upper elementary grades.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 364%

School 64% · District 45% · ▲ 19 pts above district

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

Grade 430%

School 30% · District 37% · ▼ 7 pts below district

▼ 7 pts below state median · even with county median

Grade 541%

School 41% · District 30% · ▲ 11 pts above district

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

Grade 645%

School 45% · District 33% · ▲ 12 pts above district

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

English language arts

Grade 346%

School 46% · District 37% · ▲ 9 pts above district

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

Grade 424%

School 24% · District 44% · ▼ 20 pts below district

▼ 18 pts below state median · ▼ 11 pts below county median

Grade 547%

School 47% · District 43% · ▲ 5 pts above district

▲ 2 pts above state median · ▲ 9 pts above county median

Grade 656%

School 56% · District 45% · ▲ 11 pts above district

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

Science

Grade 529%

School 29% · District 26% · ▲ 3 pts above district

▲ 1 pts above state median · ▲ 9 pts above county median

This schoolAtwater Elementary, 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 5Lower-income49%Higher-income33%16 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income53%Higher-income73%20 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 5Lower-income38%Higher-income58%20 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income41%Higher-income64%23 pp gap