The top reported proficiency rate is 58% in English language arts. The lowest is 27% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Newberry Springs Elementary
Newberry Springs Elementary is a small rural school of roughly a hundred students in kindergarten through fifth grade, located in an unincorporated desert community in San Bernardino County's western Mojave Desert. It is part of Silver Valley Unified, a geographically large district spanning seven schools across the communities of Daggett, Yermo, Newberry Springs, Calico, Fort Irwin, and a Marine Corps logistics base.
The school sits in a place shaped by isolation and stagnation. Newberry Springs was a stopping point on old Route 66 until Interstate 40 bypassed the community in the late nineteen-sixties, and it has never recovered economically. Today it reads as a semi-ghost town: houses and abandoned structures scatter across miles of high desert, the local economy rests on farming, ranching, and tourism anchored by the cult-film Bagdad Cafe, and life is entirely car-dependent. Population is sparse and housing is older, a mix of single-family homes and mobile homes with minimal new construction. The community does maintain a volunteer fire department, a community park, and a community building through a Community Services District, and there is now a local revival effort tied to Route 66's centennial and contested renewable-energy projects, but growth and development remain flat to declining.
A substantial majority of students at Newberry Springs Elementary qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, and the school population is roughly split between Hispanic and white students, with a small share of Asian students and students identifying as two or more races. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not provided.
In state testing, the school's results are mixed and uneven across grade levels. In English language arts, third grade students showed lower proficiency, while fourth and fifth graders reached substantially higher proficiency rates. Math results are considerably weaker overall, with third graders showing particularly low proficiency and improvement in fourth and fifth grades, though still below where the school's reading performance sits. The school's science results, measured only in fifth grade, were also low. Taken as a whole, the school's overall proficiency rate across tested subjects and grades places it in the top quartile among the county's districts, a position that warrants context: this reflects the school's performance relative to other county schools, many of which serve higher-poverty and more challenged populations, and does not mean the school has met a universal standard of academic strength. Parents may want to look into the school's approach to math instruction, where results suggest a significant need.
The school does not serve grades six through twelve; older students attend other Silver Valley Unified schools, meaning families moving through the district will experience a transition to a different campus. The district operates a permanent district-wide virtual learning program called Silver Valley Academy, using digital curriculum paired with state-certified teachers, an option that began in response to the 2020 pandemic and has become a standing choice for families who live far from campuses or face relocation due to military affiliation, which is common in this district given the presence of Fort Irwin.
Housing in the zip code is notably affordable relative to state and national benchmarks, and a typical monthly mortgage is substantially lower than rent, suggesting an owner-occupied market. Employment opportunities within Newberry Springs itself are limited; residents typically look to employment in nearby Barstow or across greater San Bernardino County.
See more original research from School Decision →