The top reported proficiency rate is 25% in English language arts. The lowest is 10% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Williams Upper Elementary
Williams Upper Elementary serves grades four through six in a small city in the Sacramento Valley, located on Eleventh Street in downtown Williams. The school draws from a community rooted in agriculture and small-town life, where Interstate 5 access and affordability relative to areas closer to Sacramento have begun to draw newcomers alongside longtime residents.
The enrollment is small for its grade band. Nearly all students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The student body is predominantly Hispanic, with very small numbers of students from other racial and ethnic groups. English learner enrollment data and special education identification counts were not reported, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about these populations.
The academic picture shows significant challenge across both tested subjects. In 2024-25, proficiency in English language arts across grades four, five, and six averaged around a quarter of students meeting the state standard. Mathematics proficiency was substantially lower, averaging around one-tenth across those grades, with fifth-grade performance dropping to a very small portion of students. Fifth-grade science proficiency, the only science grade tested at the school, was similarly low. These results place the school in the bottom quartile for overall proficiency when compared with other district-serving schools in Colusa County. Only one year of data is available, so trend information is not yet available to show whether performance is moving.
The district passed Measure B, a school bond, in November 2024 after an earlier bond measure was defeated. The bond funds classroom renovation, facility repairs including roof and electrical work, and upgrades to career technical education spaces. The bond will carry an ongoing property-tax cost for homeowners in the district, a factor families considering a move to the area should weigh.
Williams itself is a walkable, grid-patterned small city with a Main Street-style retail core along E Street and single-family homes, many of them midcentury ranch-style, filling the surrounding blocks. The school sits within this central grid rather than on an isolated campus. The community is marked by tree-lined, quiet residential streets and direct access to the Interstate 5 corridor, with downtown Sacramento roughly an hour away. Parks including Northview Park and a municipal recreation program serve the community. The housing market shows a mix of older, affordable homes and newer subdivisions on the suburban east side, with values comparatively moderate for California and the area described as a draw for commuters.
Parents considering this school should understand that it serves a highly economically disadvantaged population with very low current proficiency results on state assessments. The school offers an entry point into the Williams public system for families living in or relocating to the town, but the academic foundation requires close attention and partnership with families to address significant learning gaps.
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