Somis Elementary, Somis CA - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Somis Elementary

Somis Elementary serves a small rural community in agricultural Ventura County and is the only K-8 school in the Somis Union School District. The school's enrollment is small, drawn primarily from a nearby farmworker housing project and local farm families, with a composition that is largely Hispanic and economically disadvantaged. State test results show persistent academic challenges across the grade span, particularly in upper grades and in mathematics and science.

In English language arts, proficiency among all tested grades averages around half of students meeting state standards, with slightly stronger performance in third and fourth grade and declining results through eighth grade. Mathematics performance is notably weaker, with overall proficiency below half across all grades. Third grade shows the strongest results in both subjects, while upper grades, especially fifth and eighth grades in math, show substantial gaps. In science, where testing occurs only in fifth and eighth grades, proficiency falls sharply, with eighth-grade science performance below one in ten students. These declines are consistent across the grade band and suggest that students struggle increasingly as material grows more demanding.

The student body is economically stressed. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the farmworker and low-income rural character of the area. The population is predominantly Hispanic, with a smaller white population and very few students from other backgrounds. The school is small by design, with enrollment distributed evenly across grade levels, and kindergarten through eighth grade sit on a single campus. No data on English learner status or special education enrollment was available.

Relative to other districts in Ventura County, Somis Elementary's overall proficiency index places it above the midpoint, meaning that despite these challenges, the school outperforms nearly half of the county's districts. This reflects both the actual proficiency levels shown above and the fact that many county schools serve similar or lower-performing populations. The county comparison, however, does not change the reality of student performance in absolute terms.

The district has made recent physical investments. Bond-funded modernization completed in 2023 brought new exterior paint, refurbished classrooms with modern furniture, new blacktop and outdoor play areas, an outdoor science lab, and a futsal court. These improvements represent a lasting upgrade to the school's physical plant and learning environment, which matters in a community with limited economic resources elsewhere.

Somis Elementary is best understood as a very small, economically disadvantaged K-8 school serving a historically agricultural community now experiencing modest population change through a new farmworker housing project. Families considering the school should understand that academic proficiency falls below state expectations in most subjects and grades, with the sharpest struggles in upper middle grades and science. A parent may want to look into further with the school what supports it offers to address these performance gaps. The school's strength lies in its manageable size, recent facility upgrades, and position within a tight-knit rural community where it serves as the sole educational anchor.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 379%

School 79% · District 79%

▲ 36 pts above state median · ▲ 38 pts above county median

Grade 468%

School 68% · District 68%

▲ 30 pts above state median · ▲ 31 pts above county median

Grade 532%

School 32% · District 32%

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

Grade 650%

School 50% · District 50%

▲ 20 pts above state median · ▲ 17 pts above county median

Grade 730%

School 30% · District 30%

even with state median · ▼ 6 pts below county median

Grade 815%

School 15% · District 15%

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

English language arts

Grade 374%

School 74% · District 74%

▲ 33 pts above state median · ▲ 34 pts above county median

Grade 457%

School 57% · District 57%

▲ 15 pts above state median · ▲ 14 pts above county median

Grade 543%

School 43% · District 43%

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

Grade 656%

School 56% · District 56%

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

Grade 746%

School 46% · District 46%

even with state median · ▼ 1 pts below county median

Grade 842%

School 42% · District 42%

▼ 2 pts below state median · even with county median

Science

Grade 521%

School 21% · District 21%

▼ 7 pts below state median · ▼ 7 pts below county median

Grade 86%

School 6% · District 6%

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

Social studies

Grade 870%

School 70% · District 70%

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

This schoolSomis Union, 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.