Starr King K-8, Carmichael CA - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Starr King K-8

Starr King K-8 serves kindergarten through eighth grade in Carmichael, a built-out residential suburb northeast of Sacramento where mid-century single-family homes and open space define the landscape. The school enrolls students across all nine grades from this established suburban community, which is served by the broader San Juan Unified School District.

The school's academic results show pressing challenges across tested subjects and grades. On the most recent state assessments, proficiency in mathematics ranges from very low across grades three through eight, with the highest rates in the earlier grades. English language arts proficiency is similarly low across the span, though with somewhat more variation by grade. Science proficiency, measured in grades five and eight, is single-digit. These results place the school in the bottom quartile of schools among the district's county peers on overall proficiency. A parent may want to look into these results further with the school to understand what instructional or support efforts are underway and what resources the district is allocating to address them.

The student body reflects substantial diversity. A large majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, signaling economic need in the school's enrollment. Racially and ethnically, the school draws roughly equal shares of Asian, white, Hispanic, and Black students, with smaller portions of other groups. The school is part of San Juan Unified, which adopted a strategic plan in 2024 emphasizing early literacy and grades three through eight mathematics as district priorities. The district is also implementing a new TK-8 mathematics curriculum adoption for the 2026-27 school year, a structural change in what students are taught.

Carmichael itself is a mature community where growth now occurs through infill rather than subdivision sprawl. The neighborhood centers on residential streets and commercial arterials; civic life is spread across separate park sites, a library branch, and schools rather than gathered around a walkable downtown. Housing costs in the area are moderate relative to California benchmarks, and the community is anchored by Mercy San Juan Medical Center and a well-developed parks system. In November 2024, district voters approved a general obligation facilities bond that will result in a property tax increase through fiscal 2055 to fund major classroom and facility upgrades across the system, a structural change affecting homeowner costs.

The school's capacity to address its current academic performance will depend significantly on how district supports, the new curriculum adoption, and strategic emphasis on literacy and middle-grade math translate into classroom practice. For families considering this school, the academic profile and economic composition of the student body are material factors to examine directly with the school and district.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 316%

School 16% · District 33% · ▼ 17 pts below district

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

Grade 49%

School 9% · District 31% · ▼ 22 pts below district

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

Grade 56%

School 6% · District 26% · ▼ 20 pts below district

▼ 24 pts below state median · ▼ 21 pts below county median

Grade 64%

School 4% · District 27% · ▼ 24 pts below district

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

Grade 75%

School 5% · District 30% · ▼ 25 pts below district

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

Grade 85%

School 5% · District 25% · ▼ 20 pts below district

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

English language arts

Grade 315%

School 15% · District 34% · ▼ 18 pts below district

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

Grade 45%

School 5% · District 36% · ▼ 31 pts below district

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

Grade 510%

School 10% · District 40% · ▼ 30 pts below district

▼ 35 pts below state median · ▼ 30 pts below county median

Grade 622%

School 22% · District 41% · ▼ 19 pts below district

▼ 22 pts below state median · ▼ 21 pts below county median

Grade 718%

School 18% · District 43% · ▼ 25 pts below district

▼ 28 pts below state median · ▼ 21 pts below county median

Grade 810%

School 10% · District 38% · ▼ 28 pts below district

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

Science

Grade 59%

School 9% · District 30% · ▼ 21 pts below district

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

Grade 87%

School 7% · District 26% · ▼ 18 pts below district

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

Social studies

Grade 822%

School 22% · District 51% · ▼ 29 pts below district

▼ 27 pts below state median · ▼ 25 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 8Lower-income5%Higher-income36%30 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 8Lower-income5%Higher-income7%2 pp gap