Castaic Elementary, Castaic CA - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Castaic Elementary

Castaic Elementary serves kindergarten through sixth grade in an unincorporated, largely residential area on the northwestern edge of Los Angeles County. The school sits in a dispersed community centered on Castaic Lake and the I-5 corridor rather than a traditional downtown, with daily life shaped by bedroom-community living, outdoor recreation, and proximity to the Golden State Freeway. Housing in the zip code is moderately priced relative to the region, and the area is experiencing significant new residential development through master-planned communities, which will likely bring enrollment pressure to the school.

The school enrolls a mix of students: roughly even shares of white and Hispanic students, with smaller Asian, multiracial, and very small Black and Native Hawaiian populations. A meaningful share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting moderate economic diversity. State testing data from the most recent school year shows students performing at mixed levels. In English language arts, school-wide proficiency sits just above the midpoint, with fourth grade the strongest and fifth grade the softest. Math proficiency is lower and less consistent, with fourth graders performing solidly while fifth graders dip noticeably. Science proficiency, measured at fifth grade, falls below the majority of schools in the county. When proficiency rates across all tested subjects and grades are averaged, the school lands above the midpoint among the county's elementary schools.

This pattern suggests variable academic strength across grade levels and subjects. A parent looking at the school may want to investigate further what the school is doing to support fifth-grade mathematics and science achievement, which appear to be areas where students are falling behind their peers in other subjects and grades. The school's position relative to other county schools is not at the bottom of the distribution, but it is not among the top performers either.

An important logistical shift: beginning with the 2025-26 school year, Castaic Union School District discontinued home-to-school transportation for general education students, continuing it only for special education students with that need in their IEPs. This removes a service families may have relied on, shifting the daily commute entirely to parents, and is a factor anyone considering the school should factor into their planning.

The school itself is a regular public elementary with no charter or magnet designation. It is located at Park Vista Drive in Castaic proper. Data on school size, staffing, discipline, attendance, and program offerings beyond the core curriculum were not available. State testing covers only grades three through six; proficiency rates for kindergarten through second grade are not assessed at the state level, so the school's effectiveness with younger students is not reflected in these public metrics.

Castaic is growing. The area has multiple active home builders and new residential developments underway, including partially built master-planned communities. This growth is likely to drive enrollment increases at the elementary school over the coming years, a pattern families moving to the area should anticipate.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 352%

School 52% · District 52%

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

Grade 462%

School 62% · District 54% · ▲ 8 pts above district

▲ 25 pts above state median · ▲ 22 pts above county median

Grade 540%

School 40% · District 42% · ▼ 2 pts below district

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

Grade 660%

School 60% · District 49% · ▲ 12 pts above district

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

English language arts

Grade 362%

School 62% · District 55% · ▲ 7 pts above district

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

Grade 464%

School 64% · District 49% · ▲ 16 pts above district

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

Grade 554%

School 54% · District 50% · ▲ 4 pts above district

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

Grade 664%

School 64% · District 65% · ▼ 1 pts below district

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

Science

Grade 537%

School 37% · District 34% · ▲ 3 pts above district

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

This schoolCastaic 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.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 3Lower-income47%Higher-income71%24 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income47%Higher-income73%27 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income20%Higher-income70%50 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income54%Higher-income72%18 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income53%Higher-income52%1 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income40%Higher-income73%33 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income10%Higher-income54%44 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income50%Higher-income69%19 pp gap