Virginia Parks Elementary, Modesto CA

Original Research by School Decision on Virginia Parks Elementary

Virginia Parks Elementary is a kindergarten through sixth-grade regular public school in Modesto, part of the Ceres Unified School District. The school serves a student body that is predominantly Hispanic, with a substantial majority of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the economic profile of its neighborhood. The enrollment spans all seven grade levels from kindergarten through sixth grade, with fairly consistent class sizes across grades.

On state assessments, Virginia Parks' proficiency rates are notably low across both English language arts and mathematics. In English language arts, proficiency ranges from around three in ten students in third and fourth grades to four in ten in sixth grade, with fifth grade performing somewhat better. In mathematics, the pattern is starker: proficiency dips below three in ten students in the upper elementary grades, with fifth grade showing the lowest rate. Science assessment data, which California administers only to fifth grade, shows proficiency below fifteen percent. When proficiency across all tested subjects and grades is averaged together, the school sits in the bottom quartile relative to other districts in Stanislaus County, indicating academic performance well below the county median.

The school has only one year of testing data available, so trend information showing whether performance is improving or declining is not yet available. A parent seeking to understand the school's trajectory or responsiveness to instruction over time may want to check back as multi-year data becomes available.

Modesto itself is a mid-sized Central Valley city dominated by food and beverage processing, anchored by major employers such as E. & J. Gallo Winery and Save Mart Supermarkets. The city is car-dependent overall, though downtown has walkability and cultural institutions including theaters and the Gallo Center for the Arts. Housing construction has slowed dramatically in recent decades; the area faces a persistent housing shortage, and median home values reflect the Central Valley market. The city is working to increase housing density and has several development projects underway, including a large residential community near the Amtrak station.

The Ceres Unified district recently approved a major school bond measure in November 2024, funded by a property tax assessment, to repair and upgrade school facilities, replace aging portables and systems, and improve safety and technology. This represents a long-term property tax increase for homeowners in the district. The district has also established a Dual Language Pathway with dual language academies for families interested in English-Spanish biliteracy.

Virginia Parks serves a community with substantial economic need and delivers instruction to students with low baseline proficiency in core academics. A parent considering this school would want to understand its approach to literacy and mathematics instruction and discuss with staff what supports and interventions are in place for students not yet meeting grade-level standards. The school's position in the county comparison suggests that academic performance is a key consideration for families prioritizing test-measured achievement.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 332%

School 32% · District 37% · ▼ 4 pts below district

▼ 11 pts below state median · ▼ 4 pts below county median

Grade 430%

School 30% · District 28% · ▲ 2 pts above district

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

Grade 519%

School 19% · District 20%

▼ 11 pts below state median · ▼ 3 pts below county median

Grade 621%

School 21% · District 23% · ▼ 2 pts below district

▼ 9 pts below state median · ▼ 4 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 330%

School 30% · District 32% · ▼ 1 pts below district

▼ 10 pts below state median · ▼ 2 pts below county median

Grade 429%

School 29% · District 31% · ▼ 2 pts below district

▼ 13 pts below state median · ▼ 5 pts below county median

Grade 536%

School 36% · District 35% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▼ 9 pts below state median · ▼ 2 pts below county median

Grade 640%

School 40% · District 37% · ▲ 3 pts above district

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

Science

Grade 513%

School 13% · District 17% · ▼ 4 pts below district

▼ 15 pts below state median · ▼ 7 pts below county median

This schoolCeres Unified, 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-income30%Higher-income36%6 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income27%Higher-income42%15 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income40%Higher-income43%3 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income30%Higher-income47%17 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income31%Higher-income23%8 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income18%Higher-income27%9 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income20%Higher-income29%9 pp gap