Proctor Terrace Elementary, Santa Rosa CA

Original Research by School Decision on Proctor Terrace Elementary

Proctor Terrace Elementary is a small school serving kindergarten through sixth grade in the Bryden Lane area of Santa Rosa, the county seat of Sonoma County. The school enrolls children from a mixed-character residential neighborhood and sends them home to a housing market where property values reflect Santa Rosa's position as a mid-size city with health care, government, and technology as economic anchors.

In the most recent school year for which data are available, academic proficiency at Proctor Terrace ranges unevenly across grades and subjects. English language arts proficiency sits in the low-to-mid range, dipping notably in the fourth grade before recovering slightly in the upper grades. Mathematics proficiency is lower overall, with fifth grade showing the most challenge. Science assessment data are available only for fifth grade and show proficiency below what either ELA or math registers. Across tested grades and subjects combined, the school's overall proficiency index places it below the midpoint among elementary schools in Sonoma County. A parent should look into more detail with the school about what academic support and intervention systems are in place, particularly for mathematics.

The student body is fairly balanced between white students and Hispanic students, with much smaller shares of Asian, multiracial, and other groups. About one in three students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a marker of economic need in the household, and this share is in line with what many urban and suburban elementary schools across the country experience. The school does not report data on English learner enrollment or special education identification, so a family seeking that detail should contact the school directly.

Proctor Terrace sits within the Santa Rosa City Schools district, which is navigating significant fiscal strain and structural change. Beginning in the past year, the district closed multiple elementary campuses and consolidated grade configurations, moving the youngest learners into reconfigured buildings and converting some sites into TK-3 (transitional kindergarten through third grade) schools. Students who would normally attend closed schools have been shifted to receiving campuses, which have become crowded. The district has also cut more than fifty teaching and counseling positions and raised class-size targets, with elementary classes after kindergarten now aiming toward around thirty-two students per class on average. Families considering this school should understand that this period of consolidation and resource constraint is ongoing; how the school manages its current enrollment and classroom composition in this context is worth asking about directly.

The district is also weighing additional property tax measures. Voters approved a major bond in 2022 that funds facility improvements but carries an ongoing property tax through the 2050s. Beyond that, district leaders have considered a parcel tax to address budget shortfalls, and a citizen-led effort began in 2026 to place a school parcel tax on the ballot. Prospective homebuyers in the Proctor Terrace attendance area should be aware of this tax landscape.

The neighborhood itself reflects Santa Rosa's character: a mixed residential area less walkable than downtown but with strong civic anchors in the form of linked parks and trails. Howarth Park and Spring Lake Regional Park form part of an eastern park system that connects city life to county trails and wilderness. Downtown Santa Rosa, though a short drive away, offers walking-friendly shops, restaurants, and a farmer's market, while the SMART commuter rail provides transit southward. The broader housing market shows median property values substantial relative to the state average and rental costs that consume a significant share of household income in the region.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 350%

School 50% · District 33% · ▲ 18 pts above district

▲ 7 pts above state median · ▲ 7 pts above county median

Grade 441%

School 41% · District 26% · ▲ 15 pts above district

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

Grade 535%

School 35% · District 21% · ▲ 15 pts above district

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

Grade 646%

School 46% · District 28% · ▲ 18 pts above district

▲ 15 pts above state median · ▲ 11 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 346%

School 46% · District 30% · ▲ 17 pts above district

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

Grade 438%

School 38% · District 29% · ▲ 8 pts above district

▼ 5 pts below state median · ▼ 5 pts below county median

Grade 553%

School 53% · District 33% · ▲ 20 pts above district

▲ 8 pts above state median · ▲ 6 pts above county median

Grade 649%

School 49% · District 40% · ▲ 9 pts above district

▲ 5 pts above state median · even with county median

Science

Grade 541%

School 41% · District 24% · ▲ 17 pts above district

▲ 13 pts above state median · ▲ 9 pts above county median

This schoolSanta Rosa Elementary, 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-income32%Higher-income59%27 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income15%Higher-income64%48 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income27%Higher-income74%47 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income45%Higher-income52%7 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income32%Higher-income67%35 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income21%Higher-income64%43 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income0%Higher-income63%63 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income33%Higher-income56%23 pp gap