Topa Topa Elementary, Ojai CA - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Topa Topa Elementary

Topa Topa Elementary serves kindergarten through sixth grade in Ojai, a small Ventura County city known for its artistic character, Spanish-style architecture, and wellness-oriented downtown core. The school sits on a separate campus away from Ojai's walkable village center, where the Arcade shopping district, Libbey Park, and civic institutions anchor community life.

The school's most important context is a district-wide reorganization that took effect following a severe budget crisis. In February 2023, the Ojai Unified board voted to close Topa Topa Elementary as part of a consolidation strategy that also shuttered San Antonio LEADS Academy, reconfigured Matilija Middle School into a K-8, moved middle school grades to the Nordhoff High School campus, and converted Meiners Oaks Elementary into early childhood and preschool uses. This restructuring reflected long-running enrollment decline across the district. A parent or resident evaluating this school should understand that the closure decision is already made and reflects the district's ongoing financial and demographic pressures. Families with elementary-age children currently have other options within the district, and the board's actions signal ongoing change in how and where the district operates.

The school currently enrolls a modest number of students across its grade span, with a student body that is roughly evenly split between white students and Hispanic students, alongside smaller populations of Asian, multiracial, and other students. About two-fifths of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating moderate economic need.

State testing data from the school year ending in 2025 shows proficiency in English language arts running higher than in math. In ELA across grades three through six, students scoring proficient or above ranged from about one-third in sixth grade to about one-half in fifth grade. Math proficiency was lower, ranging from about one-quarter in third and fifth grades to about one-third in fourth and sixth grades. In fifth-grade science, proficiency was comparable to math at about one-quarter of students. Across tested subjects and grades, the school's overall proficiency falls below the midpoint among Ventura County districts.

The housing market around Ojai reflects a supply-constrained community where home values are substantially above both state and national medians. Rental housing is also expensive relative to income. Recent growth has been dominated by affordable housing infill projects rather than market-rate subdivisions, reflecting limited land availability and state housing law. The community's economy centers on tourism, hospitality, healthcare, and education, with a notably high rate of self-employment among residents.

No data were available on chronic absenteeism, discipline, staffing levels, course offerings, or the school's special education and English learner enrollment rates. A parent interested in those details would want to contact the school and district directly.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 328%

School 28% · District 39% · ▼ 12 pts below district

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

Grade 431%

School 31% · District 32%

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

Grade 526%

School 26% · District 31% · ▼ 4 pts below district

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

Grade 633%

School 33% · District 32% · ▲ 1 pts above district

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

English language arts

Grade 343%

School 43% · District 39% · ▲ 4 pts above district

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

Grade 447%

School 47% · District 37% · ▲ 10 pts above district

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

Grade 548%

School 48% · District 51% · ▼ 3 pts below district

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

Grade 635%

School 35% · District 44% · ▼ 8 pts below district

▼ 8 pts below state median · ▼ 6 pts below county median

Science

Grade 526%

School 26% · District 35% · ▼ 8 pts below district

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

This schoolOjai 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.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 3Lower-income24%Higher-income57%33 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income37%Higher-income58%21 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income23%Higher-income86%63 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income32%Higher-income41%9 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income13%Higher-income39%26 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income19%Higher-income46%27 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income19%Higher-income38%19 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income26%Higher-income47%21 pp gap