Wiley Canyon Elementary, Newhall CA

Original Research by School Decision on Wiley Canyon Elementary

Wiley Canyon Elementary serves kindergarten through sixth grade in Newhall, a neighborhood at the southern edge of Santa Clarita. The school enrolls families reflective of the area's composition: a large share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, and the student body is predominantly Hispanic with smaller populations of white, Asian, and multiracial students. The school is located on La Glorita Circle in the Newhall zip code, in a part of Los Angeles County marked by mixed-income residential neighborhoods, historic Old Town Newhall a short distance away, and ongoing infill development.

Academic performance at Wiley Canyon shows a mixed picture across subjects and grade levels. In English language arts, proficiency is stronger in the upper grades. Fourth graders show just above half the class meeting standard, while fifth and sixth graders reach solid proficiency rates. Third-grade ELA proficiency falls below half. In mathematics, the school faces a steeper challenge. Third grade shows about half the class proficient, but proficiency drops sharply in fourth grade and drops again significantly in fifth grade. Sixth-grade math performance sits in the low-to-middle range. Science proficiency, tested in fifth grade, shows less than half the class at standard. Overall across tested subjects and grades, the school's proficiency index places it above the midpoint when compared to elementary schools and K-8 schools across Los Angeles County districts.

The strength in upper-grade ELA contrasts with softness in mathematics, particularly a pronounced dip in fourth and fifth grade. Parents may want to explore with the school what instructional strategies are in place for math in the middle elementary years and what supports exist for students who are not yet proficient. The school serves a population with significant economic need, which often correlates with family access to tutoring and summer enrichment outside school.

Wiley Canyon sits within the Newhall School District, which has made deliberate investments in early education and arts. The district rolled out a Universal Pre-Kindergarten and Transitional Kindergarten program aligned with state law, giving younger children an earlier public entry point. Through Proposition 28 funding, classroom music teachers now travel to each elementary site, meaning Wiley Canyon students receive arts instruction as part of the regular week. The district also operates a Spanish Dual Language Immersion program at another school, Old Orchard Elementary, which families in the district can access by lottery if that pathway fits their goals.

Newhall itself is characterized as an older, lived-in neighborhood with recognizable identity. Old Town Newhall, a few miles away, has been revitalized through the Old Town Newhall Specific Plan and now functions as a walkable arts and entertainment district with public gathering spaces, a library, parks, and Metrolink rail service to Los Angeles. The area includes William S. Hart Regional Park, recently transitioned to city management, which offers trails and cultural programming. Housing in the Newhall zip code is moderately valued in the Los Angeles context, with a rent-to-income ratio reflecting affordability challenges typical of the region. The broader Santa Clarita Valley employment base includes major employers such as Six Flags Magic Mountain, aerospace and defense manufacturers, and corporate headquarters, though not all jobs align with family income distribution.

Wiley Canyon is a small elementary school serving its immediate neighborhood. The data available does not include chronic absenteeism rates, disciplinary information, or detailed staffing and special-services enrollment, so a parent would want to ask the school directly about attendance support, classroom climate, special education services, and English learner programming. The school's state assessment results are now available; enrollment and demographics are on record; and the district's broader strategic direction is clear. Whether Wiley Canyon is the right fit depends on your child's academic needs, your view on the balance of ELA and math instruction, and your confidence in the school's plan to strengthen mathematics proficiency.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 353%

School 53% · District 64% · ▼ 12 pts below district

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

Grade 449%

School 49% · District 62% · ▼ 12 pts below district

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

Grade 528%

School 28% · District 61% · ▼ 32 pts below district

▼ 2 pts below state median · ▼ 5 pts below county median

Grade 643%

School 43% · District 68% · ▼ 25 pts below district

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

English language arts

Grade 342%

School 42% · District 64% · ▼ 22 pts below district

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

Grade 452%

School 52% · District 66% · ▼ 14 pts below district

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

Grade 566%

School 66% · District 74% · ▼ 8 pts below district

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

Grade 663%

School 63% · District 74% · ▼ 11 pts below district

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

Science

Grade 541%

School 41% · District 58% · ▼ 17 pts below district

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

This schoolNewhall, 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-income35%Higher-income62%27 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income48%Higher-income67%19 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income57%Higher-income81%25 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income48%Higher-income69%22 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income49%Higher-income50%1 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income34%Higher-income69%35 pp gap