Woodson Elementary, Corning CA - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Woodson Elementary

Woodson Elementary serves kindergarten through sixth grade in Corning, a small agricultural city in Tehama County's upper Sacramento Valley. The school sits in a residential community shaped by olive production and food processing, with a significant Hispanic population. Most students qualify for free or reduced price lunch, reflecting the area's economic circumstances.

On state standardized assessments, Woodson's proficiency rates are well below the state benchmark across both tested subjects. In English language arts, proficiency across grades three through six hovers in the mid to upper twenties. In math, results are lower, ranging from the low teens in sixth grade to around thirty percent in fourth grade. Science proficiency in fifth grade, the only grade tested, sits around fourteen percent. These numbers place the school below the midpoint for overall proficiency compared to other districts in Tehama County. A parent evaluating whether Woodson matches their child's academic needs should examine these results carefully and ask the school directly about any supplemental support or intervention programs that might be in place.

The student body is majority Hispanic, with a strong presence of white students as well. A very substantial share of families experience economic hardship based on free and reduced lunch eligibility. Enrollment data broken down by grade level is available on the school's profile; the overall enrollment is small enough that the school serves a genuinely neighborhood feel.

Corning itself is car-dependent with a compact, charming downtown core along Solano Street that includes the library, city offices, and local shops and restaurants. Outside that historic center, the built environment is low-density ranch homes and agricultural land. The city has experienced modest growth and a recent rise in home values. The area's employment base centers on manufacturing, agriculture, and food processing, anchored by large employers like Bell-Carter Foods. Rolling Hills Casino, on tribal land near town, is also a significant regional draw.

The Corning Union Elementary School District has undertaken major facility improvements. Phase II of modernization at West Street Elementary, completed in late 2023, added new classroom wings and a multipurpose room. The district passed a general obligation bond in November 2024 that will fund further facility upgrades across multiple sites, with work underway in 2026. These improvements target buildings that have been in use for many decades, so families considering the school may see ongoing construction but also visible investment in modernized spaces.

The district adopted the AVID instructional framework across all sites beginning in 2022-23, paired with PBIS for behavior support, a district reading initiative, and CharacterStrong for social-emotional learning. This represents a pedagogy shift meant to raise expectations and build stronger academic and personal foundations. Woodson offers clubs including Book Club, Chess Club, Science Club, and Student Council, giving students some choice in how they engage with peers outside the regular classroom.

A parent weighing Woodson would want to understand the specific academic support available given the low proficiency numbers, ask about the timeline and scope of facility improvements that may affect the campus experience, and consider whether the school's composition and setting align with their family's needs and values.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 327%

School 27% · District 26% · ▲ 1 pts above district

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

Grade 430%

School 30% · District 27% · ▲ 3 pts above district

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

Grade 524%

School 24% · District 15% · ▲ 9 pts above district

▼ 6 pts below state median · even with county median

Grade 614%

School 14% · District 21% · ▼ 7 pts below district

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

English language arts

Grade 329%

School 29% · District 24% · ▲ 6 pts above district

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

Grade 425%

School 25% · District 29% · ▼ 4 pts below district

▼ 17 pts below state median · ▼ 12 pts below county median

Grade 531%

School 31% · District 28% · ▲ 4 pts above district

▼ 14 pts below state median · ▼ 6 pts below county median

Grade 625%

School 25% · District 27% · ▼ 2 pts below district

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

Science

Grade 514%

School 14% · District 15% · ▼ 1 pts below district

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

Social studies

Grade 855%

School 55% · District 36% · ▲ 19 pts above district

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

This schoolCorning Union 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 4Lower-income19%Higher-income55%36 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 4Lower-income28%Higher-income36%8 pp gap