Sundale Elementary, Tulare CA - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Sundale Elementary

Sundale Elementary serves kindergarten through eighth grade in Tulare, a mid-sized Central Valley city anchored in agriculture and food processing. The school sits in a neighborhood setting on Avenue 240 in the southern part of town, within Sundale Union Elementary School District. The student body is roughly split between white and Hispanic students, with a substantial share qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the modest income profile of many families in the area.

In English language arts across grades three through eight, student proficiency runs in the mid-range, with some grades performing better than others. Fourth grade shows stronger performance, as does seventh grade, while fifth grade lags noticeably. Overall, a majority of students are not yet proficient. Mathematics shows a similar pattern with more volatility: fourth graders perform relatively well, but fifth and eighth graders are significantly below the schoolwide average. When the school's proficiency index is compared to other districts in Tulare County, Sundale ranks in the top quartile on overall academic performance, suggesting the school is performing better than most peers in the region, though absolute proficiency levels remain modest in both subjects.

Science proficiency, measured in grades five and eight, is notably weak across both tested levels. The school's few reported data points in science place proficiency well below proficiency targets, making science a soft spot worth monitoring and discussing with the school if your child attends or you are considering enrollment.

The school experienced a failed bond effort in November 2022 when voters rejected Measure W, which would have funded facility repairs to sewer and plumbing systems, a new gymnasium for school and community use, and outdoor upgrades including parking and ADA access ramps. A companion measure, Measure X, also failed the same day. These defeats mean facility improvements remain unfunded, so families should understand that the school's physical infrastructure may not see major upgrades in the near term. This is a consideration for families weighing the costs and benefits of the neighborhood.

Sundale Elementary is a traditional public school with no charter or magnet designation. It draws from a residential neighborhood in a city experiencing modest population growth and counted among California's most affordable housing markets, though homes have held relatively stable in value. The locale is car-oriented, and Tulare's economy rests on major employers like Land O'Lakes and Adventist Health, alongside regional food processing and logistics. A renovated central park, Zumwalt, and the Tulare Transit Center downtown provide civic anchors, though schools like Sundale are distributed across residential neighborhoods rather than clustered in a single educational corridor. The school serves an enrollment of roughly that size for its grade band across nine grades, with every grade from kindergarten through eighth represented.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 352%

School 52% · District 52%

▲ 10 pts above state median · ▲ 16 pts above county median

Grade 458%

School 58% · District 58%

▲ 20 pts above state median · ▲ 28 pts above county median

Grade 539%

School 39% · District 39%

▲ 9 pts above state median · ▲ 16 pts above county median

Grade 642%

School 42% · District 42%

▲ 11 pts above state median · ▲ 18 pts above county median

Grade 752%

School 52% · District 52%

▲ 22 pts above state median · ▲ 28 pts above county median

Grade 842%

School 42% · District 42%

▲ 14 pts above state median · ▲ 18 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 349%

School 49% · District 49%

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

Grade 462%

School 62% · District 62%

▲ 20 pts above state median · ▲ 28 pts above county median

Grade 543%

School 43% · District 43%

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

Grade 658%

School 58% · District 58%

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

Grade 764%

School 64% · District 64%

▲ 18 pts above state median · ▲ 25 pts above county median

Grade 859%

School 59% · District 59%

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

Science

Grade 528%

School 28% · District 28%

even with state median · ▲ 8 pts above county median

Grade 834%

School 34% · District 34%

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

Social studies

Grade 850%

School 50% · District 50%

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

This schoolSundale Union 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-income36%Higher-income57%21 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income40%Higher-income73%33 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income31%Higher-income56%25 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income39%Higher-income71%32 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income55%Higher-income69%15 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income41%Higher-income70%29 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income39%Higher-income60%22 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income33%Higher-income70%37 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income31%Higher-income47%16 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income24%Higher-income54%30 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income30%Higher-income66%35 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income25%Higher-income51%26 pp gap