North Davis Elementary, Davis CA

Original Research by School Decision on North Davis Elementary

North Davis Elementary sits on East 14th Street in Davis, a compact university city whose character is shaped almost entirely by its proximity to UC Davis. The neighborhood around the school is walkable by Davis standards, and the publicly reported Mary L. Stephens branch library sits just down the same street, connected to greenbelt bike paths. This is a city where cycling is the dominant mode of local travel, where a highly educated adult population is the norm, and where civic life orbits the farmers market, the downtown, and the university. Families choosing North Davis Elementary are choosing into that specific environment.

The school serves kindergarten through sixth grade and carries a moderately large enrollment for that grade band. Its student body is racially and ethnically mixed: white students make up the largest group, followed by Asian and Hispanic students, with multiracial and Black students also present. The share of students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch is relatively modest compared to many California elementary schools, which reflects Davis's overall economic profile. Data on English learners and students with IEPs was not available in what we received, so a parent with specific questions on those supports would want to ask the school directly.

On the California state assessments, North Davis posts proficiency rates that are meaningfully above the midpoint of districts in Yolo County across both English language arts and math. That is a clear and consistent picture grade by grade: roughly two-thirds to nearly three-quarters of tested students in third through sixth grade meet or exceed standards in both subjects, and fifth-grade science results land in a similar range. These are solid numbers by California standards, and they place the school well above the county median. Trend data was available for only a single year, so it is not possible from this data alone to say whether performance has been climbing, holding steady, or recovering from an earlier dip.

Program offerings were not reported in the data we have, so information on enrichment, music, arts, or specific academic programs would need to come from the school or district directly.

Two things at the district level are worth understanding before settling on a home near this school. First, Davis Joint Unified is dealing with a sustained enrollment decline, and the district is actively studying whether to close or consolidate campuses. Under one scenario that has been publicly reported, Patwin Elementary would close in the 2028-29 school year, with its students redistributed to several schools including North Davis. A board decision is not expected until spring 2027. This matters for families thinking about where to buy or rent: school attendance boundaries could shift, and North Davis may absorb additional students from a closure. A parent would do well to monitor district planning before making a long-term housing commitment tied to a specific school. Second, Davis voters in March 2024 approved a permanent parcel tax renewal that provides the district with locally controlled annual revenue supporting academics and teacher retention. That funding stability is a genuine strength relative to districts that face recurring tax expiration cycles.

On housing, the Davis market is expensive relative to both state and national benchmarks, and home values here sit well above the California midpoint. Rents are also elevated, and the rent-to-income ratio based on national income figures signals a meaningful affordability strain for households not anchored to UC Davis salaries or tenure-track income. The market has seen a slight softening in home values year over year, though it remains firmly a high-cost environment.

For families already in Davis or actively relocating to work at the university, North Davis Elementary offers above-average state assessment results, a diverse student body, and a neighborhood with genuine walkable and bikeable character. The open questions around district consolidation are real and worth tracking, and detailed information on student support programs will require direct outreach to the school.

See more original research from School Decision →

Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 366%

School 66% · District 65% · ▲ 2 pts above district

▲ 23 pts above state median · ▲ 24 pts above county median

Grade 470%

School 70% · District 64% · ▲ 6 pts above district

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

Grade 569%

School 69% · District 56% · ▲ 13 pts above district

▲ 38 pts above state median · ▲ 37 pts above county median

Grade 666%

School 66% · District 62% · ▲ 4 pts above district

▲ 35 pts above state median · ▲ 35 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 365%

School 65% · District 63% · ▲ 2 pts above district

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

Grade 469%

School 69% · District 66% · ▲ 4 pts above district

▲ 27 pts above state median · ▲ 31 pts above county median

Grade 567%

School 67% · District 67% · ▲ 1 pts above district

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

Grade 672%

School 72% · District 67% · ▲ 5 pts above district

▲ 28 pts above state median · ▲ 27 pts above county median

Science

Grade 562%

School 62% · District 59% · ▲ 4 pts above district

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

This schoolDavis Joint 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-income32%Higher-income80%49 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income55%Higher-income77%22 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income37%Higher-income75%39 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income50%Higher-income82%32 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income36%Higher-income80%44 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income55%Higher-income78%23 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income42%Higher-income75%33 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income44%Higher-income75%31 pp gap