Lathrop Elementary, Lathrop CA - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Lathrop Elementary

Lathrop Elementary serves kindergarten through eighth grade in the city of Lathrop, a fast-growing suburban and industrial hub in San Joaquin County where Tesla operates one of its major Northern California facilities. The school sits at the edge of a community that is transforming rapidly through the River Islands master-planned development, which is adding housing and schools across multiple phases. For families considering Lathrop Elementary, understanding the school's current academic performance and the context of its changing community is essential.

The most pressing indicator is academic proficiency. Across math and English language arts combined, the school's proficiency rate is low: in the most recent state assessment data, math proficiency across tested grades ranged from roughly one in ten to one in five, while English language arts showed more variation, with some grades around one in four and others closer to one in three. Science proficiency in the tested grades was similarly modest. These figures place the school in the bottom quartile of San Joaquin County elementary and middle schools on overall proficiency. A parent may want to look further into how the school is addressing these gaps and what support exists for students working below grade level.

The student body is predominantly Hispanic, comprising roughly three-quarters of enrollment, with Asian students representing roughly one in ten and smaller populations of white, Black, and other students. About three-quarters of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the economic circumstances of Lathrop's working families. The school serves students across nine grades, from kindergarten through eighth, with enrollment distributed across those grades, making it a substantial campus serving several hundred students.

Lathrop itself is a town with limited walkability and car-dependent infrastructure, though the River Islands development on the west side includes extensive trails and parks designed for pedestrian access. The city offers civic amenities like the Lathrop Branch Library and community centers, and is served by commuter rail through the ACE station, though a second station and future Valley Link connections are still under construction. Housing is below the California state benchmark in cost, and rents are modest, making Lathrop more affordable than many surrounding areas. However, families buying new homes in parts of Lathrop or other Manteca Unified neighborhoods may also face Mello-Roos special taxes on top of regular property taxes and the district's Measure A bond levy, both of which are ongoing property-tax obligations that families should weigh when relocating.

The district is pursuing a significant facility modernization through Measure A, approved by voters in 2020, and is constructing three new transitional kindergarten through eighth-grade schools, including the Ethel Allen Elementary in Lathrop, targeted for completion around 2027. This expansion reflects rapid enrollment growth and means that school boundaries and assignments may shift as new facilities come online. The district has also transitioned to standards-based report cards for kindergarten through sixth grade, replacing traditional letter grades; families will see proficiency marks like "exceeded," "proficient," "approaching," or "beginning" tied to grade-level standards instead of A through F.

For families in Lathrop, Lathrop Elementary is the neighborhood school serving the community's youngest residents through middle grades. The low proficiency results merit careful consideration and direct conversation with the school about academic supports, intervention programs, and how the school is working to improve outcomes. The community is growing quickly and changing, with new schools coming and boundaries potentially shifting, so prospective families should clarify whether their home assignment will be stable or subject to change as new campuses open.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 312%

School 12% · District 26% · ▼ 15 pts below district

▼ 31 pts below state median · ▼ 20 pts below county median

Grade 415%

School 15% · District 24% · ▼ 8 pts below district

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

Grade 520%

School 20% · District 20%

▼ 11 pts below state median · even with county median

Grade 619%

School 19% · District 22% · ▼ 3 pts below district

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

Grade 722%

School 22% · District 21% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▼ 8 pts below state median · ▼ 1 pts below county median

Grade 811%

School 11% · District 22% · ▼ 11 pts below district

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

English language arts

Grade 38%

School 8% · District 26% · ▼ 18 pts below district

▼ 33 pts below state median · ▼ 23 pts below county median

Grade 418%

School 18% · District 27% · ▼ 9 pts below district

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

Grade 535%

School 35% · District 35%

▼ 10 pts below state median · ▲ 2 pts above county median

Grade 622%

School 22% · District 32% · ▼ 10 pts below district

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

Grade 738%

School 38% · District 39% · ▼ 2 pts below district

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

Grade 835%

School 35% · District 40% · ▼ 5 pts below district

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

Science

Grade 518%

School 18% · District 20% · ▼ 2 pts below district

▼ 10 pts below state median · even with county median

Grade 810%

School 10% · District 19% · ▼ 9 pts below district

▼ 15 pts below state median · ▼ 9 pts below county median

Social studies

Grade 841%

School 41% · District 41%

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

This schoolManteca 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-income9%Higher-income5%4 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income13%Higher-income35%22 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income35%Higher-income38%3 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income26%Higher-income9%16 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income36%Higher-income43%7 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income35%Higher-income37%2 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income11%Higher-income14%3 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income15%Higher-income18%4 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income17%Higher-income27%10 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income23%Higher-income5%18 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income19%Higher-income29%10 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income11%Higher-income11%0 pp gap