Helen Carr Castello Elementary, Elk Grove CA

Original Research by School Decision on Helen Carr Castello Elementary

Helen Carr Castello Elementary serves kindergarten through sixth grade in Elk Grove, a rapidly developing suburban city south of Sacramento. The school sits in a new residential area of the city characterized by master-planned neighborhoods and ongoing suburban growth.

The school's test performance shows moderate proficiency across measured subjects. In English language arts, students score around two-thirds proficient across the grade band, with sixth grade performing slightly higher than earlier grades. Math proficiency is lower, ranging from about half of fifth graders meeting the standard to roughly two-thirds of third and sixth graders. In the one year science was assessed at the school, fifth graders scored below half proficient. These results place the school in the top quartile among districts in Sacramento County when proficiency is averaged across all tested subjects and grades, though a reader should understand this reflects how a parent might use county comparison data, not a statewide or national ranking.

The enrollment of about eight hundred students is stable across all grades. The student population is diverse: roughly two-fifths are Asian, about one-fifth are Hispanic, with smaller proportions of white, multiracial, Black, and other students. About one-third of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, which typically signals moderate family economic need in the surrounding neighborhood. Data on special education enrollment and English learner populations were not available.

Elk Grove itself is among the fastest-growing cities in Northern California, built largely on master-planned residential development replacing former agricultural land. The city has a preserved historic Old Town district with walkable shops and restaurants, but most daily life requires a car. Schools are anchored by parks, trails, and public library service, and the city is served by Sacramento Regional Transit bus lines. Housing values in the school's zip code are modest relative to statewide benchmarks, though rents have been rising, and the area continues to absorb new single-family and multifamily residential construction. Employment is concentrated in retail, food service, education, and health care, with the school district itself among the city's largest employers.

A parent considering this school might want to look into the relatively lower math proficiency, especially in the fourth and fifth grades, and ask the school directly about its math instruction and intervention approaches. State data on special education and English learner services were not provided, so families with students in those categories should request that information from the school. No prior-year state test data was available to determine whether performance is improving or declining, so that too is worth asking about directly.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 369%

School 69% · District 53% · ▲ 15 pts above district

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

Grade 457%

School 57% · District 49% · ▲ 8 pts above district

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

Grade 551%

School 51% · District 39% · ▲ 12 pts above district

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

Grade 664%

School 64% · District 46% · ▲ 19 pts above district

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

English language arts

Grade 367%

School 67% · District 51% · ▲ 17 pts above district

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

Grade 466%

School 66% · District 53% · ▲ 13 pts above district

▲ 23 pts above state median · ▲ 26 pts above county median

Grade 563%

School 63% · District 54% · ▲ 10 pts above district

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

Grade 669%

School 69% · District 58% · ▲ 11 pts above district

▲ 25 pts above state median · ▲ 26 pts above county median

Science

Grade 545%

School 45% · District 34% · ▲ 11 pts above district

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

This schoolElk Grove 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-income60%Higher-income77%18 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income54%Higher-income80%26 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income53%Higher-income74%21 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income64%Higher-income74%10 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income62%Higher-income77%15 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income48%Higher-income69%22 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income44%Higher-income59%15 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income52%Higher-income75%24 pp gap