New Joseph Bonnheim (njb) Community Charter, Sacramento CA

Original Research by School Decision on New Joseph Bonnheim (njb) Community Charter

New Joseph Bonnheim (NJB) Community Charter is a kindergarten-through-sixth-grade charter school in Sacramento that serves a small enrollment of about mid-range size for its grade band. The school's student body is predominantly Hispanic, with a large share of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting a community with limited household income. The school draws from an economically constrained area; housing values in the zip code are moderate, and rents have risen modestly in the past year.

On state assessments, NJB's proficiency in English language arts and math is substantially below the midpoint for schools tested within Sacramento County. Overall proficiency across tested grades and subjects sits below the median, which a parent may want to look into further with the school. In English language arts, sixth grade shows the strongest performance, while performance in third and fifth grades lags considerably. Math results are particularly low in fifth grade, though sixth grade bounces back somewhat. Science proficiency in fifth grade is also quite low. The school has only one year of assessment data on record, so trends cannot yet be measured.

The charter operates within Sacramento City Unified, a large district currently facing substantial financial pressures. The district approved a major school facilities bond in late 2024 that will fund campus modernization, STEAM classrooms, and technology upgrades; this increases property tax for owners in the area and reflects both a long-term commitment to facilities and an ongoing cost. More significantly, the district has been in a serious budget crisis since late 2025. State oversight warned of potential cash depletion, and the board has issued layoff notices to hundreds of employees, cut administrative positions, and delayed curriculum and technology purchases. These constraints directly affect classroom resources and staffing. The district also experienced an eight-day teacher strike in spring 2022 that closed schools and forced schedule adjustments in 2024 and 2025 to recover instructional days.

For a family considering NJB, the charter structure offers some independence from district operations, though the school remains part of Sacramento City Unified's broader ecosystem. The school's small, neighborhood-based enrollment means a closer-knit community. However, the academic performance data and the district's financial instability are important considerations. A parent evaluating this school should seek clarity from the school and district on how budget cuts are affecting classroom materials, staffing levels, and program continuity, and should understand that Sacramento City Unified's fiscal challenges create an uncertain backdrop for school-level operations.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 325%

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

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

Grade 426%

School 26% · District 35% · ▼ 10 pts below district

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

Grade 511%

School 11% · District 28% · ▼ 17 pts below district

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

Grade 640%

School 40% · District 36% · ▲ 4 pts above district

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

English language arts

Grade 329%

School 29% · District 37% · ▼ 9 pts below district

▼ 12 pts below state median · ▼ 7 pts below county median

Grade 433%

School 33% · District 39% · ▼ 5 pts below district

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

Grade 535%

School 35% · District 39% · ▼ 5 pts below district

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

Grade 653%

School 53% · District 44% · ▲ 9 pts above district

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

Science

Grade 515%

School 15% · District 28% · ▼ 13 pts below district

▼ 14 pts below state median · ▼ 10 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.