Spring Grove Elementary, Hollister CA

Original Research by School Decision on Spring Grove Elementary

Spring Grove Elementary is a kindergarten-through-eighth-grade school of about that size in Hollister, a town in San Benito County. It serves a student body that is more than three-fifths Hispanic and about one-third white, with a substantial share of families qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. The school sits in a local housing market where home values and rental costs are moderate relative to California benchmarks, though rental affordability is tighter than mortgage affordability for buyers.

The school's most recent state testing data shows mixed results across grades and subjects. In English language arts, proficiency ranges widely by grade, from the mid-fifties to the upper sixties across the tested grades. In math, the picture is more uneven. Fourth grade showed relatively strong performance, but fifth and eighth grades showed substantially lower proficiency rates, with sixth and seventh grades in between. Science proficiency in the grades tested was notably low. In English language arts alone, when averaging across all tested grades, the school's overall proficiency sits in the top quartile relative to other districts in San Benito County. When all tested subjects are averaged together, the school's overall proficiency index places it in the top quartile countywide as well, though this aggregate masks real variability within grade bands and subjects.

The most concrete shift in how the school operates is its adoption of a structured-literacy approach aligned with the Science of Reading. The school has trained roughly two dozen teachers and instructional aides in the Orton-Gillingham method, a multi-sensory instructional technique designed to help students master foundational reading and spelling. These staff members are delivering this approach to kindergarten through third grade students with ongoing professional development support. The Orton-Gillingham method is regarded as particularly effective for students with dyslexia and those who struggle with conventional reading instruction. The district also provides professional development across math, science, and support for English learners.

A parent considering this school should understand that the school serves a majority-minority student population in a town with moderate cost of living. The reading instruction approach offers explicit, structured support for early literacy, which may matter if your family values that pedagogy or if your child has struggled with reading. The math and science results merit closer conversation with the school about where efforts are concentrated and what support is available in those areas, particularly for students in the upper grades. The school is part of a single-school district, so decisions about programming and resources are made at this one site rather than across a larger system.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 365%

School 65% · District 65%

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

Grade 474%

School 74% · District 74%

▲ 37 pts above state median · ▲ 40 pts above county median

Grade 536%

School 36% · District 36%

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

Grade 656%

School 56% · District 56%

▲ 26 pts above state median · ▲ 35 pts above county median

Grade 752%

School 52% · District 52%

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

Grade 840%

School 40% · District 40%

▲ 12 pts above state median · ▲ 28 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 354%

School 54% · District 54%

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

Grade 463%

School 63% · District 63%

▲ 21 pts above state median · ▲ 17 pts above county median

Grade 558%

School 58% · District 58%

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

Grade 666%

School 66% · District 66%

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

Grade 767%

School 67% · District 67%

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

Grade 857%

School 57% · District 57%

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

Science

Grade 534%

School 34% · District 34%

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

Grade 834%

School 34% · District 34%

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

Social studies

Grade 861%

School 61% · District 61%

▲ 12 pts above state median

This schoolNorth County Joint 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.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 3Lower-income43%Higher-income63%20 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income58%Higher-income66%8 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income38%Higher-income76%38 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income69%Higher-income64%5 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income37%Higher-income91%55 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income55%Higher-income58%3 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income53%Higher-income74%20 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income58%Higher-income85%27 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income31%Higher-income41%10 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income41%Higher-income66%25 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income32%Higher-income70%38 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income33%Higher-income44%11 pp gap