Weed Elementary, Weed CA - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Weed Elementary

Weed Elementary is a small K-8 school in a timber-and-tourism town at the base of Mount Shasta, serving a student body that reflects rural and working-class demographics. The school educates about a small number of students across nine grade levels, with a substantial share of families qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. Enrollment is stable across elementary grades but drops off noticeably in the upper grades.

The academic picture is challenging. On California's 2024-25 standardized tests, proficiency rates across math and English language arts ran in the low range. Third grade showed modestly higher results, and sixth grade was a relative bright spot, but by seventh and eighth grade proficiency fell sharply. Science proficiency was very low when assessed in fifth and eighth grade. These results place the school in the bottom quartile of proficiency when compared to other districts in Siskiyou County. The school has not yet reported trend data that would show whether performance is moving, and comparative growth metrics were not available.

The student population is economically stressed. About a strong majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price meals, and the school draws substantially from the town's white, Hispanic, and multiracial families as well as from a notable Black population tied to the town's mill-work and Great Migration heritage. Special education and English learner counts were not reported in the available data, so a parent would want to inquire directly about how those services are resourced.

Weed itself is navigating profound economic disruption. The timber industry has been in retreat for decades. Most recently, the September 2022 Mill Fire destroyed much of the town, including nearly all homes in the historically Black Lincoln Heights neighborhood; rebuilding remains ongoing and incomplete. In December 2025, Roseburg Forest Products, a major local employer, closed its veneer plant, eliminating a substantial number of manufacturing jobs and leaving only the biomass power plant operating. Health care, food service, and the publicly funded College of the Siskiyous now anchor the local economy.

The school district itself faced a narrow defeat on a general obligation bond in November 2024, losing by only a handful of votes. This means facility improvements that were on voters' minds did not get funded, and property taxes did not rise. The closeness of the margin suggests another bond attempt is likely.

Housing costs in Weed run below California's state median and well below the national average, making it affordable by state standards, but much of the recent housing story is fire recovery rather than new development. A parent considering Weed Elementary should see a working-class, economically stressed community in transition, a school facing significant proficiency headwinds, and limited current visibility into whether interventions are moving the needle. Direct conversation with the school about instructional priorities, special services, and recent staffing or program changes would help clarify what support looks like for a child.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 329%

School 29% · District 29%

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

Grade 416%

School 16% · District 19% · ▼ 3 pts below district

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

Grade 521%

School 21% · District 21%

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

Grade 634%

School 34% · District 34%

▲ 4 pts above state median · ▲ 7 pts above county median

Grade 713%

School 13% · District 13%

▼ 17 pts below state median · ▼ 6 pts below county median

Grade 87%

School 7% · District 7%

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

English language arts

Grade 323%

School 23% · District 23%

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

Grade 416%

School 16% · District 16% · ▲ 1 pts above district

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

Grade 511%

School 11% · District 11%

▼ 35 pts below state median · ▼ 24 pts below county median

Grade 635%

School 35% · District 35%

▼ 9 pts below state median · even with county median

Grade 720%

School 20% · District 20%

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

Grade 87%

School 7% · District 7%

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

Science

Grade 56%

School 6% · District 6%

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

Grade 87%

School 7% · District 7%

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

Social studies

Grade 813%

School 13% · District 13%

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

This schoolWeed 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.