The top reported proficiency rate is 31% in English language arts. The lowest is 29% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Salida Elementary
Salida Elementary serves kindergarten through fifth grade in an unincorporated farming community north of Modesto. The school enrolls a small population of about that size for its grade band, and draws substantially from low-income families; a very large majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The student body is predominantly Hispanic, with smaller shares of Asian, white, and multiracial students. Specific enrollment numbers for students with disabilities or English learners were not available.
State test results on the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress show proficiency well below the state midline across both English language arts and mathematics. In the tested grades (third through fifth), ELA proficiency ranges from the low twenties to the high thirties across grades, with fourth grade performing somewhat higher than third and fifth. Math proficiency is even lower, ranging from the low twenties to around thirty percent, and declining in the upper grades. Science testing in fifth grade showed proficiency in the low thirties. Across all tested grades and subjects combined, the school's proficiency sits below the midpoint relative to other districts in Stanislaus County. Only one year of data was available, so trend cannot be assessed.
The school sits in Salida, a mix of older residential and small-business core along Broadway Avenue, newer suburban subdivisions, and highway-commercial and industrial zones toward State Route 99. The community is primarily a farming center surrounded by farmland and reads as suburban-to-rural in everyday character, with most residents owning homes. Civic anchors include Salida Park on Broadway with a ball field run by Salida Little League, and the Salida Regional Library branch, which hosts family events and programming. Regional employment anchors nearby in north Modesto include Kaiser Permanente, Costco, and Vintage Faire Mall retail area; the broader county economy centers on agribusiness, food processing, and logistics. Salida has grown over the years and remains on an expansion trajectory under a county community plan, though decades of tension with the City of Modesto over annexation shape development patterns. A local bus route (StanRTA Route 48) connects downtown Salida to Modesto Transit Center and key regional stops.
The school is part of Salida Union Elementary School District, which feeds into Modesto City Schools at the high school level. Joseph Gregori High School, the area's comprehensive high school, sits on a large rural-type campus in northwest Modesto and was built partly to serve Salida students. No major recent strategic shifts in the district were confirmed.
Housing in the Salida area is below the state median value; monthly mortgage costs and rental prices both run somewhat below the state benchmark, though the rent-to-income ratio is elevated relative to national affordability norms. The local labor market shows moderate unemployment.
Parents considering Salida Elementary should understand that test proficiency across the school is low and would warrant direct conversation with school leadership about instructional approach, support services, and any targeted interventions now underway. The school's student population reflects the economic and demographic makeup of the farming community it serves.
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