Bonita Elementary, Crows Landing CA

Original Research by School Decision on Bonita Elementary

Bonita Elementary serves students in kindergarten through fifth grade in Crows Landing, a small unincorporated community on the west side of the San Joaquin Valley, about a short distance southwest of Modesto. The school sits in a rural, residential area defined by dairy and grain farming, with a student body that reflects the region's demographics: the majority of students are Hispanic or Latino, and roughly half of all students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating substantial economic need in the community.

The enrollment is small, with roughly children across all grade levels. Academic results from the most recent state assessments show mixed performance. In English language arts, the school demonstrates uneven outcomes by grade: third graders meet proficiency at a solid rate, fifth graders perform stronger still, but fourth graders struggle significantly below the other grades. In mathematics, the picture is more challenging across the board. Third grade shows moderate proficiency, fifth grade performs somewhat better, but fourth grade is substantially weaker. Science proficiency at fifth grade falls short of the English language arts benchmark. Across all tested subjects and grades combined, the school's overall proficiency sits in the top quartile among Stanislaus County school districts, a point of strength relative to peers in the county, though the absolute performance levels suggest many students are not yet meeting grade-level standards. The one-year trend data provided does not permit a comparison across multiple years, so the pattern of growth or stability over time is not yet clear.

The parent district, Newman-Crows Landing Unified, approved two substantial facilities bond measures in November 2024 that will fund expansions and repairs across all campuses, including improvements to vocational and career training spaces, special education classrooms, counseling facilities, roofs, and general classroom infrastructure. These bonds will generate ongoing property-tax obligations for residents over a multi-year construction period. Bonita itself serves as the elementary hub for Crows Landing; older students attend middle school and high school in the nearby city of Newman, meaning families with children in upper grades will see their students travel to the neighboring town for schooling.

The Crows Landing area itself is experiencing limited residential growth, with a largely flat population over recent decades. The dominant development story is not new housing but the Crows Landing Industrial Business Park and Airfield, a major reuse of the former WWII-era airfield that the county projects could generate substantial employment once fully built. Local housing values are moderate relative to California statewide benchmarks, and most residents own their homes. A parent may want to look into the school's English language learner support and special education offerings, as both data on the number of students in these populations and specific program detail were not available. The school's fourth-grade performance dip, evident in both subjects, may warrant conversation with the school about whether there are grade-level or transition factors at play and what targeted support exists for students working below proficiency.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 350%

School 50% · District 39% · ▲ 11 pts above district

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

Grade 420%

School 20% · District 26% · ▼ 6 pts below district

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

Grade 541%

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

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

English language arts

Grade 354%

School 54% · District 34% · ▲ 20 pts above district

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

Grade 436%

School 36% · District 40% · ▼ 3 pts below district

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

Grade 571%

School 71% · District 43% · ▲ 28 pts above district

▲ 25 pts above state median · ▲ 32 pts above county median

Science

Grade 547%

School 47% · District 19% · ▲ 28 pts above district

▲ 19 pts above state median · ▲ 27 pts above county median

This schoolNewman-Crows Landing 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.