Mupu Elementary, Santa Paula CA - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Mupu Elementary

Mupu Elementary is a small K-8 school serving just over a hundred students in Santa Paula, a citrus-centered city in Ventura County. The school sits on North Ojai Road in a part of town built out decades ago, north of Santa Paula's compact historic downtown. Most of its students are Latino, and a substantial share qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the economic profile of the agricultural and working-class communities the school draws from. The school is part of its own independent school district, one of a handful that remained separate when Santa Paula unified in 2012, so it serves kindergarten through eighth grade and sends students to secondary schools elsewhere in the Santa Paula system.

Academically, Mupu's test results show genuine unevenness. In English language arts across all tested grades, students averaged proficiency at just under half, with seventh and eighth graders performing noticeably stronger than younger grades. Math proficiency is lower, averaging around a third of students across grades three through eight, with fourth and sixth grade performing somewhat better than third, fifth, and eighth. Science proficiency is mixed: fifth graders struggled substantially, while eighth graders performed well. These patterns suggest the school is meeting some students effectively but leaving significant gaps, particularly in math and in the elementary grades. Among Ventura County districts, Mupu's overall proficiency index places it above the median, which reflects some strength relative to peers, though individual grade and subject results show room for growth.

The school's physical plant recently underwent targeted investment. In November 2022, voters approved two local general obligation bonds to fund modernization at this single-school district. Because Mupu Elementary District remained independent when Santa Paula unified, it had not benefited from earlier Santa Paula bond measures and had accumulated deferred maintenance. The bond funding is now supporting renovation of outdated classrooms and restrooms, roof repair and replacement, electrical upgrades, and improvements to plumbing and sewer systems, as well as security, safety, and accessibility work. These improvements are ongoing and address longstanding facility needs specific to the school's location and age.

Santa Paula itself is a mixed-use small city with deep agricultural roots, known for citrus and avocados, where Calavo Growers and Limoneira are major employers and headquartered. The downtown is walkable and historic, centered on Main Street with locally owned shops, but civic and economic growth is shifting eastward to the Harvest at Limoneira master-planned community, a large residential and commercial development that adds new parkland, sports facilities, and housing stock. The median home value in the zip code is above the California state benchmark, though rents are substantial relative to income, reflecting Ventura County's housing constraints. For families in established neighborhoods near the school, the environment is family-oriented and community-driven, with a notably Latino commercial and cultural character. State testing data for grade 1 and 2, as well as enrollment counts for English learner and special education students, were not available, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about those populations and early literacy support.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 326%

School 26% · District 26%

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

Grade 441%

School 41% · District 41%

▲ 4 pts above state median · ▲ 5 pts above county median

Grade 514%

School 14% · District 14%

▼ 16 pts below state median · ▼ 13 pts below county median

Grade 640%

School 40% · District 40%

▲ 10 pts above state median · ▲ 7 pts above county median

Grade 744%

School 44% · District 44%

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

Grade 829%

School 29% · District 29%

▲ 1 pts above state median · ▼ 4 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 316%

School 16% · District 16%

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

Grade 435%

School 35% · District 35%

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

Grade 536%

School 36% · District 36%

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

Grade 647%

School 47% · District 47%

▲ 3 pts above state median · ▲ 5 pts above county median

Grade 758%

School 58% · District 58%

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

Grade 863%

School 63% · District 63%

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

Science

Grade 514%

School 14% · District 14%

▼ 14 pts below state median · ▼ 14 pts below county median

Grade 858%

School 58% · District 58%

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

Social studies

Grade 865%

School 65% · District 65%

▲ 16 pts above state median · ▲ 8 pts above county median

This schoolMupu 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.