George Washington Elementary, Stockton CA

Original Research by School Decision on George Washington Elementary

George Washington Elementary serves kindergarten through eighth grade in Stockton, a large inland city in California's San Joaquin Valley. The school sits in a neighborhood with mixed residential density in a city that spans historic downtown civic blocks, mid-rise and low-density residential areas, and more car-oriented suburban tracts. Stockton's economy centers on transportation and logistics, agriculture, healthcare, and government, with Amazon facilities anchoring recent growth. The community supports public transit through bus routes and a regional rail line, though car dependency remains the norm across most neighborhoods.

The school's student body is very small for a full K-8 building, reflecting either a narrow catchment or low enrollment pressure in this part of the district. The vast majority of students, roughly nine of ten, qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The student population is predominantly Hispanic, with Black, Asian, and multiracial students also present and white enrollment minimal. Enrollment runs unevenly across grades, with some grades substantially larger than others.

Academic performance across state testing is very low. On California's Smarter Balanced assessments administered in spring 2025, proficiency rates in math range from nearly zero in some grades to one in four in one grade, averaging in the low range across the tested grades three through eight. English language arts proficiency is similarly constrained, with one grade at zero and most others in the single digits to low-twenties range; the eighth grade shows a notably higher result. Science proficiency in the tested grades (five and eight) sits in single digits. The only comparison available is old social studies state testing data from 2013, which showed low proficiency. Overall proficiency across all tested subjects and grades places the school in the bottom quartile among San Joaquin County school buildings.

The broader district context matters here. Stockton Unified has recently shifted reading instruction to a structured phonics approach called SIPPS and reports gains in early-grade reading, though those effects may not yet appear fully in state test data for upper grades. The district adopted a multiyear equity plan in 2024-2027 focused on raising academic achievement, supporting students with disabilities, and creating positive conditions for Black students. A significant general obligation bond, Measure C, passed in 2022 and began funding facility improvements in 2025, meaning ongoing property-tax obligations for homeowners but also new resources flowing to schools. Beginning in 2025-26, the district limited student cell phone use during the school day.

For families considering this school, the core question is whether its trajectory and support systems match their child's needs. The state test results indicate the school is not meeting grade-level proficiency benchmarks for most students. A parent may want to look into further with the school what interventions are in place for students below grade level, whether SIPPS is being implemented at the elementary grades, and what progress the school has made on the district's equity commitments. The school serves a predominantly low-income, Hispanic student population in a working-class neighborhood; that demographic reality shapes the peer environment and the school's daily culture. Housing near the school is moderately affordable by state standards, and the area has seen development activity downtown, though the school's location on West Sonora is several blocks from the most active commercial or residential cores.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 36%

School 6% · District 27% · ▼ 21 pts below district

▼ 37 pts below state median · ▼ 25 pts below county median

Grade 425%

School 25% · District 21% · ▲ 4 pts above district

▼ 12 pts below state median · ▼ 1 pts below county median

Grade 54%

School 4% · District 14% · ▼ 10 pts below district

▼ 27 pts below state median · ▼ 16 pts below county median

Grade 613%

School 13% · District 17% · ▼ 4 pts below district

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

Grade 710%

School 10% · District 19% · ▼ 10 pts below district

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

Grade 814%

School 14% · District 19% · ▼ 5 pts below district

▼ 14 pts below state median · ▼ 9 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 30%

School 0% · District 24% · ▼ 24 pts below district

▼ 41 pts below state median · ▼ 30 pts below county median

Grade 420%

School 20% · District 24% · ▼ 4 pts below district

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

Grade 514%

School 14% · District 25% · ▼ 11 pts below district

▼ 32 pts below state median · ▼ 19 pts below county median

Grade 617%

School 17% · District 28% · ▼ 11 pts below district

▼ 27 pts below state median · ▼ 17 pts below county median

Grade 719%

School 19% · District 31% · ▼ 12 pts below district

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

Grade 827%

School 27% · District 34% · ▼ 6 pts below district

▼ 17 pts below state median · ▼ 11 pts below county median

Science

Grade 54%

School 4% · District 15% · ▼ 12 pts below district

▼ 25 pts below state median · ▼ 14 pts below county median

Grade 89%

School 9% · District 15% · ▼ 6 pts below district

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

Social studies

Grade 824%

School 24% · District 23% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▼ 25 pts below state median · ▼ 14 pts below county median

This schoolStockton 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.