Jack Franscioni Elementary, Soledad CA

Original Research by School Decision on Jack Franscioni Elementary

Jack Franscioni Elementary is a small school serving kindergarten through sixth grade in Soledad, a compact agricultural city in the Salinas Valley. The school's enrollment is modest, with about as many students as you'd expect in a neighborhood school, and the student body is overwhelmingly Hispanic and Latino. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price meals, reflecting the economic circumstances of Soledad's working families tied to agriculture and government employment.

The school's academic results show room for growth. In English language arts across tested grades, proficiency hovers in the low to mid-range; in mathematics, it sits notably lower, with fewer than half of students in any grade reaching proficiency, and performance in the upper grades (fifth and sixth) dropping considerably. Science proficiency in fifth grade is similarly modest. Statewide assessment data from the current school year is the only trend available, so longer-term improvement patterns cannot be seen. When compared to other districts in Monterey County, the school's overall proficiency sits above the midpoint, meaning it is performing better than half the schools in the county, though still below the county's higher-performing schools.

Soledad itself is in a growth phase. The city sits amid sustained residential expansion, with major housing development planned including a project that would substantially increase population. Recent civic investments include new parks, including Orchard Lane Park near the school, and a new campus for Hartnell College. The district itself has just secured voter approval for a sizable general obligation bond to renovate and repair schools, upgrade accessibility, and build new athletic facilities at the high school—a long-term property tax commitment that will affect housing costs for families in the area. Housing values in the Soledad zip code are below the state median, and affordability relative to income is somewhat better than the national average, though mortgage rates and local economy should factor into any family's housing decision.

The town is car-dependent, with most residents driving alone to work and an average commute of roughly a short span. Civic anchors include a county library branch on the high school campus, an Amtrak station, and bus transit to Salinas and the Monterey Peninsula. The downtown along Front Street, once a one-sided commercial corridor, is the subject of revitalization planning with a focus on bringing retail and entertainment back to the historic core.

Special population data, such as English learner status or special education enrollment, was not available, so parents should ask the school directly about those supports if relevant to their child's needs.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 339%

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

▼ 4 pts below state median · ▲ 8 pts above county median

Grade 443%

School 43% · District 33% · ▲ 11 pts above district

▲ 6 pts above state median · ▲ 21 pts above county median

Grade 530%

School 30% · District 21% · ▲ 9 pts above district

even with state median · ▲ 10 pts above county median

Grade 620%

School 20% · District 23% · ▼ 3 pts below district

▼ 10 pts below state median · ▼ 2 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 344%

School 44% · District 35% · ▲ 9 pts above district

▲ 4 pts above state median · ▲ 20 pts above county median

Grade 446%

School 46% · District 36% · ▲ 10 pts above district

▲ 4 pts above state median · ▲ 19 pts above county median

Grade 541%

School 41% · District 31% · ▲ 10 pts above district

▼ 5 pts below state median · ▲ 7 pts above county median

Grade 642%

School 42% · District 42% · ▼ 1 pts below district

▼ 2 pts below state median · ▲ 4 pts above county median

Science

Grade 528%

School 28% · District 17% · ▲ 11 pts above district

even with state median · ▲ 9 pts above county median

This schoolSoledad 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 6Lower-income36%Higher-income64%27 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 6Lower-income21%Higher-income18%2 pp gap