Cameron Ranch Elementary, Carmichael CA

Original Research by School Decision on Cameron Ranch Elementary

Cameron Ranch Elementary is a small public elementary school in Carmichael serving kindergarten through fifth grade. The school sits in a stable, mature residential community of mid-century ranch homes on spacious lots, where families typically commute to regional employment centers. The neighborhood values open space and a semi-rural feel, with commercial activity concentrated along Fair Oaks Boulevard.

The school's academic performance is significantly below proficiency benchmarks. In English language arts across tested grades, fewer than a quarter of students tested met state proficiency standards, with particularly low results in grades three and four. Mathematics performance is lower still, with fewer than one in five students meeting proficiency across the grade span, and some grades showing single-digit proficiency rates. Science results from fifth grade show a similar pattern. The data provided includes only the most recent school year, so no trend information is available to show whether these outcomes are new or longstanding. Given the magnitude of these gaps, a parent may want to look into what support systems and interventions the school is deploying, and what the district's plan is for addressing early literacy and mathematics proficiency, which are stated district priorities through 2029.

The student body reflects Carmichael's demographic diversity. About three-quarters of enrolled students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating substantial economic need in the school community. Racial and ethnic composition is mixed, with roughly equal shares of white and Hispanic students, followed by smaller groups of Asian, Black, and multiracial students. Data on special education and English learner populations was not available.

The school is part of San Juan Unified, which serves multiple communities and recently passed a major facilities bond in November 2024 that will add a property tax levy through the mid-2050s to modernize aging buildings, remove hazardous materials, and upgrade classrooms and restrooms. The district also adopted a new five-year strategic plan in May 2024 with a focused emphasis on early literacy and grades 3-8 mathematics, and is in the process of adopting new mathematics instructional materials for implementation over 2026-27. These district-level initiatives may affect curriculum and teaching approach at Cameron Ranch in the near term.

The Carmichael area itself is built-out and stable, with limited new development beyond infill projects. Housing values are modest for the Sacramento metro, and the community is anchored by an extensive parks system, a regional library branch, and bus transit serving residents, though it lacks a walkable downtown core or light rail. The character is decidedly car-oriented and suburban, distributed across arterials and residential streets rather than clustered in a central place.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 319%

School 19% · District 33% · ▼ 15 pts below district

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

Grade 49%

School 9% · District 31% · ▼ 23 pts below district

▼ 29 pts below state median · ▼ 26 pts below county median

Grade 517%

School 17% · District 26% · ▼ 9 pts below district

▼ 14 pts below state median · ▼ 10 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 314%

School 14% · District 34% · ▼ 20 pts below district

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

Grade 414%

School 14% · District 36% · ▼ 23 pts below district

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

Grade 531%

School 31% · District 40% · ▼ 9 pts below district

▼ 15 pts below state median · ▼ 10 pts below county median

Science

Grade 524%

School 24% · District 30% · ▼ 6 pts below district

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

This schoolSan Juan 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 5Lower-income29%Higher-income39%10 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 5Lower-income16%Higher-income23%8 pp gap