Jacoby Creek, Bayside CA - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Jacoby Creek

Jacoby Creek is a kindergarten through eighth grade public school sitting at a rural crossroads in Bayside, a small unincorporated community in Humboldt County. The school occupies a historic spot on Old Arcata Road where that road meets Jacoby Creek Road, near a 19th-century grange hall and temperance hall that together give the neighborhood what civic identity it has. Bayside itself has no real commercial center: residents live on quarter- to half-acre lots among bungalows, ranch homes, and farmhouses, with ranch land and organic farms at the edges. The nearest true downtown, university campus, and transit access are all in adjacent Arcata, a short drive north. Bayside has no bus service of its own, so families here are car-dependent.

The school is the sole campus in the Jacoby Creek Elementary district. Enrollment puts it at a modest size for a K-8 school. The student population is predominantly white, with Hispanic students making up a smaller share and multiracial students another, and roughly a third of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. Data on English learners and students with IEPs was not available in what we reviewed.

On academics, the picture is genuinely strong. Measured against districts in Humboldt County, Jacoby Creek sits in the top quartile on an overall proficiency index that blends tested subjects and grades, and the statewide CAASPP results support that placement. ELA proficiency runs well above the majority of tested grades, with seventh and eighth graders reaching especially high rates, and the school-wide ELA figure places it clearly above the California midpoint. Math proficiency is also solid, with fourth and sixth graders performing particularly well; fifth grade math is the one grade where performance dips to roughly the midpoint statewide, which a parent may want to ask the school about. Science results from the fifth and eighth grade CAST assessments show most students meeting proficiency, though eighth grade science runs slightly lower than fifth. Only one year of data was available, so trend direction cannot be assessed.

No graduation rate applies here, as the school serves only through eighth grade.

Program data was not available in what we reviewed, so we cannot speak to electives, arts, outdoor education, or middle school course offerings beyond what state testing covers. The district brief turned up no recent bond measures, parcel tax votes, or curriculum overhauls within the past several years that a parent would need to know about.

The housing context matters for anyone considering a move. Home values in the Bayside ZIP code run well above the national midpoint and meaningfully above the statewide figure, though they have pulled back modestly year over year. Rent data was not available for this area. The price-to-income ratio implies a real affordability stretch relative to national norms. The most concrete development story in Bayside is a proposed affordable mixed-use project directly across from the school on the former Roger's Garage site, a Danco Communities effort that as of early 2026 was in its third iteration, scaled to several dozen units in four three-story buildings with ground-floor commercial space. Publicly reported accounts note neighbor objections over legacy contamination cleanup, traffic near the school entrance, and parking. That project is worth tracking for anyone buying close to the school.

The short version: Jacoby Creek offers a rural, small-community setting with test results that stand out positively within Humboldt County, particularly in ELA across the grade band and math at most tested grades. The setting appeals to families who want a place where the school is a genuine community anchor, the surroundings are agricultural and open, and the nearest city amenities are a short drive rather than a walk. Families dependent on transit, or expecting a wider range of documented program options, should look more closely before deciding.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 359%

School 59% · District 59%

▲ 16 pts above state median · ▲ 19 pts above county median

Grade 467%

School 67% · District 67%

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

Grade 550%

School 50% · District 50%

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

Grade 677%

School 77% · District 77%

▲ 46 pts above state median · ▲ 53 pts above county median

Grade 770%

School 70% · District 70%

▲ 40 pts above state median · ▲ 39 pts above county median

Grade 869%

School 69% · District 69%

▲ 41 pts above state median · ▲ 39 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 367%

School 67% · District 67%

▲ 27 pts above state median · ▲ 32 pts above county median

Grade 480%

School 80% · District 80%

▲ 37 pts above state median · ▲ 46 pts above county median

Grade 570%

School 70% · District 70%

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

Grade 671%

School 71% · District 71%

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

Grade 783%

School 83% · District 83%

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

Grade 883%

School 83% · District 83%

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

Science

Grade 564%

School 64% · District 64%

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

Grade 858%

School 58% · District 58%

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

Social studies

Grade 879%

School 79% · District 79%

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

This schoolJacoby Creek 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 3Lower-income48%Higher-income82%35 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income64%Higher-income87%22 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income56%Higher-income77%20 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income81%Higher-income66%16 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income63%Higher-income94%31 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income77%Higher-income86%9 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income38%Higher-income75%37 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income43%Higher-income79%36 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income31%Higher-income59%28 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income88%Higher-income71%16 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income56%Higher-income77%21 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income71%Higher-income69%2 pp gap