Jackson Heights Elementary, Red Bluff CA

Original Research by School Decision on Jackson Heights Elementary

Jackson Heights Elementary is a kindergarten-through-fifth-grade school in Red Bluff, a small historic agricultural community along the Sacramento River in Tehama County. The school sits in a town shaped by Victorian-era homes, tree-lined streets, and an affordable housing stock that leans toward mid-twentieth-century ranch homes. The local economy rests on health care, retail, education, public agencies, agriculture, and timber. River recreation and a walkable historic downtown center daily life, though most residents rely on cars to get around.

The school serves a student body that is roughly split between white and Hispanic students, with smaller enrollments of students identifying as multiracial, Native American, and Asian. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. Enrollment data for English learners and students with disabilities is not available in the current dataset, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about support services for those populations.

Academic performance across tested grades shows particular weakness in math. In grade three, fewer than one in five students meet California's proficiency standard in math; that rate improves to around one in four by grade four, then reaches a higher bar by grade five. English language arts proficiency is somewhat stronger, especially in the upper grades where a majority of fifth graders meet the standard. Science proficiency in fifth grade, the only grade tested, sits below half. Across all tested subjects and grades, the school's overall proficiency index places it above the midpoint compared to other districts in Tehama County, though the absolute numbers remain modest across the board.

The school's math results are an area a parent should examine carefully. When reviewing with the school, it would be worth asking about curriculum choices, intervention programs for students who are struggling, and approaches to building foundational numeracy in the primary grades, where the proficiency gaps are widest.

Red Bluff Union Elementary School District, which operates Jackson Heights and two other elementary schools plus a sixth-through-eighth-grade academy, recently faced a setback when voters defeated a proposed school facilities bond in November 2024. That measure would have funded safety upgrades and renovations across the district's buildings. With the bond's failure, facility improvements remain unfunded through local bond revenue, and families should understand that the district's K-8 campuses have not received this modernization. The district may seek another bond in the future.

Housing in Red Bluff is notably affordable, with median home values and monthly rental rates substantially below state and national benchmarks. For families prioritizing affordability and small-town character, the cost of housing is a real advantage. The community is building new affordable housing, including a planned sixty-one-unit development with state support, along with transit improvements including expanded bus service and bike lanes.

Jackson Heights serves a community-oriented elementary school population in a place where school life is woven into a broader fabric of river parks, public transit, and rural employment anchors. The academic picture shows strength in reading by the upper grades but points to work needed in mathematics, particularly in the early primary grades.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 318%

School 18% · District 27% · ▼ 8 pts below district

▼ 25 pts below state median · ▼ 12 pts below county median

Grade 424%

School 24% · District 26% · ▼ 2 pts below district

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

Grade 540%

School 40% · District 27% · ▲ 14 pts above district

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

English language arts

Grade 320%

School 20% · District 24% · ▼ 4 pts below district

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

Grade 426%

School 26% · District 27% · ▼ 1 pts below district

▼ 16 pts below state median · ▼ 11 pts below county median

Grade 556%

School 56% · District 36% · ▲ 20 pts above district

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

Science

Grade 536%

School 36% · District 27% · ▲ 10 pts above district

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

This schoolRed Bluff 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 4Lower-income28%Higher-income18%9 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income55%Higher-income57%2 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income40%Higher-income69%29 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 4Lower-income27%Higher-income9%18 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income36%Higher-income57%21 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income40%Higher-income60%20 pp gap