Sylvan Elementary, Modesto CA - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Sylvan Elementary

Sylvan Elementary serves kindergarten through fifth grade in Modesto, a mid-sized Central Valley city anchored by food and beverage processing, agriculture, and regional healthcare. The school sits in a community where civic institutions cluster downtown around historic neighborhoods and parks, though most daily life is car-dependent outside the walkable core. Housing in the area has appreciated modestly but remains under pressure from a severe shortage of new construction over the past two decades.

The school's student body is predominantly low-income. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. Enrollment leans toward Hispanic students, with smaller shares identifying as white, Asian, and multiracial, while Black students and American Indian or Alaska Native students make up very small numbers. The total enrollment sits at a size typical for an elementary school in its grade span, distributed fairly evenly across the six grades.

State testing results from the most recent school year show proficiency rates well below the state average across both English language arts and mathematics. In tested grades, ELA proficiency ranges from the low twenties to low thirties, while math proficiency falls into the teens and low twenties. Fifth-grade science proficiency is also in the low twenties. These results place the school in the bottom quartile for proficiency when compared against other districts in Stanislaus County. A parent examining these numbers may want to look into further detail with the school about what interventions or supports are in place and what trajectory the school is working toward.

The school is a regular public school, not a charter, and no recent significant district-level policy changes, bond measures, or curriculum adoptions by Sylvan Union Elementary could be verified through publicly available sources. Data on staff size, attendance rates, or discipline practices was not available. The school's website, if one exists, was not included in the available information.

Modesto itself offers parks, a downtown with restaurants and cultural venues, and transit through the Stanislaus Regional Transit Authority, though most neighborhoods require a car for daily errands. The local economy depends heavily on major employers like E. & J. Gallo Winery and Save Mart Supermarkets, alongside healthcare and food-processing firms. Housing costs in the ZIP code are moderate relative to state benchmarks, though affordability remains tight given local household incomes.

Families considering Sylvan Elementary should weigh its current academic performance against their own support capacity and priorities, seek details directly from the school about instructional approaches and staffing, and factor in the school's role within the broader Sylvan Union district.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 324%

School 24% · District 43% · ▼ 19 pts below district

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

Grade 419%

School 19% · District 33% · ▼ 14 pts below district

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

Grade 514%

School 14% · District 35% · ▼ 21 pts below district

▼ 16 pts below state median · ▼ 8 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 324%

School 24% · District 39% · ▼ 15 pts below district

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

Grade 420%

School 20% · District 37% · ▼ 17 pts below district

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

Grade 530%

School 30% · District 43% · ▼ 13 pts below district

▼ 15 pts below state median · ▼ 8 pts below county median

Science

Grade 521%

School 21% · District 28% · ▼ 7 pts below district

▼ 7 pts below state median · ▲ 1 pts above county median

This schoolSylvan 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.