Redwood Elementary, Crescent City CA

Original Research by School Decision on Redwood Elementary

Redwood Elementary sits on Lake Earl Drive in Crescent City, serving a full K-8 enrollment of mixed size across its nine grades. The school draws from a small coastal city economy anchored by government, health care, and retail, with significant service-sector and institutional employment; the area has worked to diversify beyond timber and fishing through public sector and nonprofit growth. The school's immediate community is a compact waterfront city where downtown grid meets residential neighborhoods and Beachfront Park.

The school's recent state testing shows uneven performance across subjects and grades. In English language arts, results run from the low to mid range in the elementary grades but strengthen notably in middle school, with seventh grade showing notably higher proficiency. Math results are considerably weaker across all tested grades, with fifth and eighth grades falling well below the elementary and middle-school average. Science testing, available for fifth and eighth grades only, shows low proficiency in both. An older measure from a prior state assessment system recorded stronger results in social studies for eighth grade, though that data comes from over a decade ago and reflects a different assessment framework. Overall proficiency index placement positions the school above the median among districts in Del Norte County, a reflection of strengths in upper-middle ELA results pulling against much lower math and science attainment. A parent may want to look into what supports and strategies the school has in place to address the significant math gap, particularly in the upper elementary and middle grades.

The school serves a student population that is majority white, with substantial representation of Hispanic and multiracial students and a meaningful population of American Indian and Alaska Native students. Just over half the enrollment qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, marking moderate economic need within the school. Specific counts for students with disabilities or English learner status are not publicly reported, so a parent would want to ask the school directly about available supports for these populations.

Redwood Elementary is a non-charter, non-magnet school operating as part of Del Norte County Unified, where enrollment and grade configuration place it as the primary elementary and middle-school option for its area. The district itself is in a moment of transition. In late 2024, voters rejected a local facilities bond, meaning the school's aging buildings and infrastructure—including documented issues with mold, leaks, and deferred maintenance—will not benefit from a planned modernization program in the near term. At the same time, the district has pivoted toward a Community School model, using a state grant to embed mental health services, afterschool programming, family resource centers, and extended summer learning across its campuses. This represents a deliberate shift to whole-child and family support; families seeking robust wraparound services and mental health access will find that available, while those prioritizing new or upgraded facilities should understand that constraint. Crescent City's own housing market and economic context show moderate stability, with families in the area working across government, health care, retail, and service work. The city is actively planning downtown revitalization and housing growth, which shapes the residential backdrop for school enrollment over the coming years.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 340%

School 40% · District 26% · ▲ 14 pts above district

▼ 3 pts below state median

Grade 433%

School 33% · District 21% · ▲ 12 pts above district

▼ 4 pts below state median

Grade 528%

School 28% · District 18% · ▲ 10 pts above district

▼ 3 pts below state median

Grade 635%

School 35% · District 20% · ▲ 15 pts above district

▲ 4 pts above state median

Grade 748%

School 48% · District 30% · ▲ 18 pts above district

▲ 18 pts above state median

Grade 823%

School 23% · District 20% · ▲ 3 pts above district

▼ 5 pts below state median

English language arts

Grade 338%

School 38% · District 23% · ▲ 15 pts above district

▼ 2 pts below state median

Grade 444%

School 44% · District 24% · ▲ 21 pts above district

▲ 2 pts above state median

Grade 542%

School 42% · District 31% · ▲ 10 pts above district

▼ 4 pts below state median

Grade 653%

School 53% · District 38% · ▲ 15 pts above district

▲ 9 pts above state median

Grade 763%

School 63% · District 39% · ▲ 23 pts above district

▲ 17 pts above state median

Grade 851%

School 51% · District 34% · ▲ 17 pts above district

▲ 7 pts above state median

Science

Grade 523%

School 23% · District 21% · ▲ 2 pts above district

▼ 5 pts below state median

Grade 820%

School 20% · District 17% · ▲ 3 pts above district

▼ 6 pts below state median

Social studies

Grade 870%

School 70% · District 53% · ▲ 17 pts above district

▲ 21 pts above state median

This schoolDel Norte County 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-income20%Higher-income65%45 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income43%Higher-income47%4 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income39%Higher-income46%7 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income49%Higher-income61%12 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income48%Higher-income80%32 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income40%Higher-income64%24 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income23%Higher-income65%42 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income32%Higher-income35%3 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income28%Higher-income27%1 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income27%Higher-income50%23 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income45%Higher-income52%7 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income20%Higher-income27%7 pp gap