Sonoma Elementary, Modesto CA - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Sonoma Elementary

Sonoma Elementary sits in central Modesto, a mid-sized Central Valley city dominated by food and beverage processing, agriculture, and distribution. The school serves kindergarten through sixth grade in a regular public setting, drawing a student body that is diverse in ethnicity and economics and moderately sized for its grade band. A majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, signaling high economic need in the school's enrollment. The school's peer group for comparison is the set of districts across Stanislaus County.

In reading and language arts, the school's overall proficiency runs near the middle of its county comparison set. Results vary by grade, with third graders reaching just above the midpoint, fourth graders at the lower end, fifth graders solidly in the middle range, and sixth graders at the upper end of that spread. The trend across the elementary grades shows uneven mastery, with younger students in fourth grade noticeably behind their peers in third and fifth. In math, proficiency is lower across the board. Third and sixth grades are in a similar band, while fourth and fifth grades dip notably, with fourth graders showing particularly weak performance. Science proficiency data is available only for fifth grade, where results fall below the school's reading and math performance.

Across all tested subjects and grades, the school's overall proficiency index places it in the top quartile among Stanislaus County districts. This standing reflects that despite the grade-level softness in math and the variance in reading, the school's average performance outpaces most peers in the county. A parent may want to look into the school's math instruction further, particularly in grades four and five, to understand what supports exist for students who struggle in that subject. Science results are limited to one grade, so a fuller picture of science learning across the elementary grades is not available in the data.

The school's enrollment is stable and well distributed across its grade levels. The student body is substantially Hispanic (about half), with white students, two or more races, and Asian students forming secondary groups. Staff and resources data were not available. The Modesto economy centers on Gallo Winery, Save Mart Supermarkets, healthcare, and food-related manufacturing and distribution, providing employment bases for families in the region.

Housing in the Modesto 95355 zip code is moderately priced relative to California benchmarks, though affordability remains tight. Rental costs have declined slightly year-over-year, while home values have edged down as well. The broader Modesto area has seen little residential construction in recent years outside a few large developments, creating a relatively stable but tight housing landscape. Parks including Graceada Park and West Side Park serve the neighborhood. Transit through the Stanislaus Regional Transit Authority and Amtrak downtown offer regional connections.

The Modesto City Elementary district passed bond measures in recent years that have funded school site improvements and repairs. The district also adopted a new comprehensive sex education curriculum for middle grade levels in the 2024-25 school year, a change that drew scrutiny and represents a shift in instructional content families might want to review directly with the school.

Sonoma Elementary offers a standard elementary pathway in a neighborhood setting with solid county-level academic standing but uneven proficiency across grades and subjects, particularly in mathematics, that merits attention from families weighing the school's fit.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 355%

School 55% · District 32% · ▲ 23 pts above district

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

Grade 436%

School 36% · District 25% · ▲ 12 pts above district

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

Grade 541%

School 41% · District 21% · ▲ 20 pts above district

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

Grade 646%

School 46% · District 23% · ▲ 23 pts above district

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

English language arts

Grade 364%

School 64% · District 29% · ▲ 35 pts above district

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

Grade 442%

School 42% · District 31% · ▲ 12 pts above district

even with state median · ▲ 9 pts above county median

Grade 559%

School 59% · District 35% · ▲ 24 pts above district

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

Grade 667%

School 67% · District 37% · ▲ 30 pts above district

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

Science

Grade 529%

School 29% · District 17% · ▲ 12 pts above district

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

This schoolModesto City 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-income58%Higher-income70%12 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income36%Higher-income54%19 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income55%Higher-income67%12 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income66%Higher-income68%3 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income50%Higher-income62%12 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income31%Higher-income46%15 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income30%Higher-income58%28 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income46%Higher-income47%2 pp gap