Mission Avenue Open Elementary, Carmichael CA

Original Research by School Decision on Mission Avenue Open Elementary

Mission Avenue Open Elementary serves kindergarten through sixth grade in Carmichael, an unincorporated suburban community in northeastern Sacramento County. The school enrolls a student body of around four hundred thirty, distributed fairly evenly across the grade levels, with a slightly larger cohort in fifth grade.

The student body is predominantly white, with substantial representation from Asian, multiracial, and Hispanic students, and a small number of Black students. Roughly two out of every five students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The school does not report enrollment figures for students with individualized education plans or English learners, a gap that often reflects either very small numbers in those populations or data collection practices; a parent may want to ask the school directly about these student groups.

State test results from spring 2025 show proficiency in English language arts and mathematics at levels below the state midpoint. In English language arts across grades three through six, proficiency ranges from roughly one in three students in grade three to near one in two by grade six, indicating some growth as students move through the upper elementary grades. Mathematics proficiency is more consistently low, clustering around one in three to two in five across grades three through six. Fifth-grade science proficiency, the only grade tested, sits just under two in five students. When schools report these kinds of results, a parent may want to ask what the school is doing to address performance and whether the curriculum or instructional approach has shifted recently. The district, San Juan Unified, has made mathematics instruction a strategic priority; in May 2024 it adopted a 2024-2029 strategic plan with explicit focus on grades three through eight math, and is implementing new mathematics materials districtwide with implementation continuing into the 2026-27 school year. That district-level work may affect instruction at this school.

Carmichael itself is a mature, established suburban community of mid-twentieth-century single-family ranch homes on relatively large, tree-shaded lots. The tone is semi-rural and residential, with commercial activity concentrated along Fair Oaks Boulevard rather than spread throughout neighborhoods. The community lacks a single town center; schools sit on separated campuses distributed across the area rather than clustered around civic anchors. Parks are a strong community feature, with a recreation district managing thirteen park sites including a botanical garden and nature areas along the American River Parkway. A library branch and bus transit serve the area, though Carmichael has no light rail station. The community is mostly car-oriented, though walkability varies sharply by location.

Housing in the zip code where the school sits is valued at a mid-range level for the Sacramento region, with median rents modest relative to home values. The local economy is anchored by health care, particularly Mercy San Juan Medical Center, but Carmichael is primarily a bedroom community where most residents commute to employers elsewhere, including Sacramento and regional centers like UC Davis Health and Intel's Folsom campus.

Carmichael is largely built out; growth now comes mainly through infill projects rather than new subdivisions. A notable recent development is an all-electric forty-six-home community that broke ground in 2024. The county has adopted planning frameworks to guide infill redevelopment along Fair Oaks Boulevard.

In November 2024, San Juan Unified voters approved a general obligation bond for major facilities upgrades, funded by a permanent property tax increase through fiscal year 2054-55. This is the district's structural capital plan and will create a lasting addition to property tax bills for families in the district.

Mission Avenue Open Elementary does not report discipline data, attendance data, or staffing metrics, leaving gaps in the full picture of school environment and culture. The school's name suggests an open classroom or open-education philosophy, though program details were not available. A parent interested in this school should ask about the pedagogical approach, class size and structure, and how the school plans to address the current proficiency gaps, particularly in mathematics given the district's new emphasis in that subject.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 334%

School 34% · District 33% · ▲ 1 pts above district

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

Grade 439%

School 39% · District 31% · ▲ 7 pts above district

▲ 1 pts above state median · ▲ 4 pts above county median

Grade 531%

School 31% · District 26% · ▲ 5 pts above district

▲ 1 pts above state median · ▲ 4 pts above county median

Grade 636%

School 36% · District 27% · ▲ 8 pts above district

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

English language arts

Grade 333%

School 33% · District 34% · ▼ 1 pts below district

▼ 8 pts below state median · ▼ 3 pts below county median

Grade 435%

School 35% · District 36% · ▼ 1 pts below district

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

Grade 543%

School 43% · District 40% · ▲ 4 pts above district

▼ 2 pts below state median · ▲ 3 pts above county median

Grade 647%

School 47% · District 41% · ▲ 6 pts above district

▲ 3 pts above state median · ▲ 4 pts above county median

Science

Grade 540%

School 40% · District 30% · ▲ 9 pts above district

▲ 12 pts above state median · ▲ 15 pts above 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 3Lower-income34%Higher-income31%3 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income36%Higher-income35%1 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income27%Higher-income67%40 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income36%Higher-income54%18 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income34%Higher-income34%0 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income29%Higher-income48%20 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income12%Higher-income58%47 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income44%Higher-income30%14 pp gap