The top reported proficiency rate is 13% in English language arts. The lowest is 2% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Helen M. Lehman Elementary
Helen M. Lehman Elementary serves kindergarten through sixth grade in Santa Rosa's central neighborhoods. The school enrolls a small to mid-sized cohort drawn almost entirely from the surrounding area, with the vast majority of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. The student population is predominantly Hispanic, with smaller representations of Asian, white, Black, and Pacific Islander students; specific rates for English learners and students with disabilities were not available in the data.
State test results from the most recent administration show proficiency rates that are very low across all tested subjects and grade levels. In math, students reached proficiency at rates ranging from negligible in third grade to roughly one in five in sixth grade. In English language arts, proficiency ranged from around one in twenty in fifth grade to about one in four in sixth grade. Science proficiency in fifth grade was near two percent. Across tested subjects and grades, the school's overall proficiency index places it in the bottom quartile among districts in Sonoma County. A parent may want to look into this further with the school, including what instructional changes or supports the school is implementing to build student competency in these core areas.
The broader Santa Rosa Elementary School District context matters significantly for families considering Helen Lehman. The district has undergone major consolidation: Albert Biella and Brook Hill elementary schools closed in mid-2025, and Steele Lane is set to close in June 2026. Helen Lehman received a substantial influx of displaced students from these closures, resulting in its largest enrollment increase in a decade and markedly larger class sizes. The district has also cut more than fifty teaching and counseling positions since 2024 and raised target class sizes; elementary classes after kindergarten are now projected to reach roughly thirty-two students per class. Mental health and counseling staff have been reduced as well. These dynamics represent a compressed, heavily staffed environment in the year of data collection and signal ongoing resource constraints.
The district placed a general obligation bond before voters in 2022 that was approved, funding facility repairs and upgrades. The bond carries a property-tax cost and runs through the late 2050s, so families moving into the district will pay this on their property tax bills for decades. Additionally, the district has weighed asking property owners for a new parcel tax to stabilize finances, and a citizens group formed in 2026 to pursue a citywide school parcel tax. Any new parcel tax would be an additional property-tax obligation on top of the existing bond.
Santa Rosa itself is a mixed-character city with a downtown core that has been revitalized and residential neighborhoods ranging from walkable districts near downtown to more car-dependent outlying areas. Housing values are substantial and have declined slightly in recent market years; rental costs are also high. Health care and county government are the region's major employers, along with some tech and medical-device manufacturing. The city has urban growth boundaries and is focusing development inward toward downtown and infill, with several new affordable and market-rate residential projects underway or recently completed.
For families evaluating Helen Lehman, the combination of very low proficiency results, significant enrollment pressure and class-size increases from school closures, reduced support staffing, and ongoing fiscal constraints all point to a school operating under substantial strain. These factors, alongside the district's ongoing budget challenges and potential future property-tax measures, should feature in any family's careful assessment of whether this school and district fit their child's needs.
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