Mission Elementary, Soledad CA - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Mission Elementary

Mission Elementary is a small, rural K-8 school in the Salinas Valley town of Soledad, serving just over one hundred students across nine grades. The school sits within Mission Union Elementary School District, a single-school district that has navigated real infrastructure challenges in recent years, most notably nitrate contamination of its independent groundwater well. The district has now secured grant funding for a new, deeper well projected to be operational by 2026, moving beyond years of bottled water and point-of-use filtration. In November 2024, district voters approved a school repairs and safety bond, authorizing facility upgrades funded through local property taxes.

The student body is predominantly Hispanic/Latino, reflecting Soledad's demographics. About a quarter of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The enrollment is stable across the elementary grades, thinning somewhat at the eighth-grade level. No data on English learner or special education enrollment was reported.

State testing results show uneven performance across subjects and grades. In English language arts, the school's aggregate proficiency is above the midpoint among Monterey County districts, with sixth grade performing notably well and several grades at or above half proficiency. Fifth grade in particular shows strength in ELA. Mathematics performance is considerably lower, with aggregate proficiency near the lower half of county schools. Fifth grade represents the most significant soft spot in math proficiency; a parent may want to look into whether that grade receives additional support or intervention. Science proficiency is extremely limited in fifth grade but improves substantially by eighth grade. The school has one year of testing data, so trend information is not yet available.

The housing market in Soledad's 93960 zip code is relatively modest compared to the state benchmark, though the city is in an active development phase. A major housing project north of town could eventually double the population. The town has a car-dependent structure with limited downtown retail; many residents travel to Salinas or the Monterey Peninsula for goods and services. The civic anchors include a county library branch on the high school campus, an Amtrak station, and local bus transit serving broader valley connections. The city has recently expanded parks and is adding commercial and recreational amenities as part of planned growth.

This is a small-scale, community-embedded school serving a rural agricultural area with a stable but modest resource base. Students move forward to Soledad High School, where a facilities bond also recently passed. For families prioritizing small school size, a tight-knit rural setting, and elementary-through-middle continuity in one building, Mission Elementary fits that profile. The academic performance data suggests mixed results that warrant direct conversation with school leadership about instructional focus, especially in mathematics.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 336%

School 36% · District 36%

▼ 7 pts below state median · ▲ 6 pts above county median

Grade 436%

School 36% · District 36%

▼ 1 pts below state median · ▲ 14 pts above county median

Grade 514%

School 14% · District 14%

▼ 16 pts below state median · ▼ 6 pts below county median

Grade 620%

School 20% · District 20%

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

Grade 736%

School 36% · District 36%

▲ 6 pts above state median · ▲ 11 pts above county median

Grade 836%

School 36% · District 36%

▲ 9 pts above state median · ▲ 14 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 350%

School 50% · District 50%

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

Grade 436%

School 36% · District 36%

▼ 6 pts below state median · ▲ 9 pts above county median

Grade 564%

School 64% · District 64%

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

Grade 687%

School 87% · District 87%

▲ 43 pts above state median · ▲ 49 pts above county median

Grade 736%

School 36% · District 36%

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

Grade 864%

School 64% · District 64%

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

Science

Grade 57%

School 7% · District 7%

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

Grade 827%

School 27% · District 27%

▲ 2 pts above state median · ▲ 3 pts above county median

This schoolMission Union 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.