Caroline Wenzel Elementary, Sacramento CA

Original Research by School Decision on Caroline Wenzel Elementary

Caroline Wenzel Elementary serves kindergarten through sixth grade in Sacramento and enrolls a diverse, economically stressed student body of roughly two hundred students. A large majority qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, and the enrollment is predominantly Black, Hispanic, and Asian, with smaller shares of white, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, American Indian, and multiracial students.

The school's academic performance, as measured by California state assessments in 2024-25, is substantially below the county midpoint. In mathematics, proficiency across tested grades averages in the low double digits, with third grade at its lowest and performance remaining weak through sixth grade. English language arts shows a similar pattern: third grade is at its lowest point, and while grades four through six show slightly better proficiency, the overall average across grades remains low single digits in percentage terms. Science proficiency in fifth grade was also low. Compared to other districts in Sacramento County, Caroline Wenzel's overall proficiency index places it in the bottom quartile. This is not a school where most students are meeting state standards in core subjects.

What drives these results is not yet clear from the available data. The school's demographic composition, high poverty rate, and location in a district facing severe budget crisis all matter. Sacramento City Unified approved emergency cost-cutting measures in November 2025 to avert a county or state takeover, after its budget deficit ballooned through the spring of 2026. The district issued layoff notices to hundreds of employees, delayed curriculum and technology purchases, and reduced administrative staff. These cuts reach into classrooms and affect supplies and programs directly. Families considering this school may want to look into how those budget pressures have affected classroom staffing, materials, and support services at the building level.

The school's immediate neighborhood data was not available, so a prospective family cannot see what the surrounding Sacramento area offers in terms of walkability, local character, or nearby anchors. Housing in the school's zip code is moderately priced for the region and rents are stable, though properties are valued above the national benchmark. A family weighing a move to this area would also want to know about the district's Measure D bond, approved by voters in November 2024, which added a property tax to fund facilities upgrades, including STEAM classrooms, HVAC improvements, and a new pool at a high school. This is a permanent tax on assessed property value while the debt is active.

The school itself is a regular public elementary in a district that has weathered a teacher and classified-staff strike in spring 2022, shifted school calendars to recover lost instructional time, and now faces a fiscal crisis that clouds the near-term outlook for programs and staffing stability. For a family seeking strong academic performance or abundant classroom resources, Caroline Wenzel's current profile presents real constraints. For a family already in or committed to the area, the school exists and is open; understanding its specific challenges and the district's ongoing financial instability is essential to setting realistic expectations.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 35%

School 5% · District 39% · ▼ 34 pts below district

▼ 38 pts below state median · ▼ 34 pts below county median

Grade 414%

School 14% · District 35% · ▼ 21 pts below district

▼ 23 pts below state median · ▼ 20 pts below county median

Grade 514%

School 14% · District 28% · ▼ 14 pts below district

▼ 17 pts below state median · ▼ 13 pts below county median

Grade 610%

School 10% · District 36% · ▼ 26 pts below district

▼ 20 pts below state median · ▼ 20 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 35%

School 5% · District 37% · ▼ 32 pts below district

▼ 36 pts below state median · ▼ 31 pts below county median

Grade 425%

School 25% · District 39% · ▼ 14 pts below district

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

Grade 527%

School 27% · District 39% · ▼ 12 pts below district

▼ 18 pts below state median · ▼ 13 pts below county median

Grade 621%

School 21% · District 44% · ▼ 23 pts below district

▼ 23 pts below state median · ▼ 22 pts below county median

Science

Grade 519%

School 19% · District 28% · ▼ 9 pts below district

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

This schoolSacramento City 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.