Woodland Prairie Elementary, Woodland CA

Original Research by School Decision on Woodland Prairie Elementary

Woodland Prairie Elementary is a regular public school in Woodland, California, serving kindergarten through sixth grade. The school sits on the city's south side, near the growing Spring Lake area. It is part of the Woodland Joint Unified School District, which operates schools across Yolo County.

The enrollment is about [a mid-sized figure] students, with the grade distribution roughly even across all seven grades. A substantial majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The student body is predominantly Hispanic, with smaller populations of Asian students and white students; other racial and ethnic groups comprise a very small share. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not available.

State testing results from the most recent assessment cycle show proficiency rates that place the school below the middle range among the county's districts. In English language arts, proficiency across all tested grades averages around one quarter of students. Math proficiency is lower still, averaging around one in five. In fifth-grade science, the proficiency rate was also low. The math proficiency trend shows variation across grades, with fourth grade notably higher than third and fifth grades. Parents may want to look into what support structures and interventions the school has in place and how it is addressing gaps.

Woodland itself is a Central Valley city anchored by a walkable historic downtown with cultural institutions, restaurants, and civic life. The economy is rooted in agriculture, distribution and warehousing, retail, and healthcare. Major employers include Nugget Markets, Woodland Memorial Hospital, Woodland Community College, and the school district itself. The city has been growing steadily through the Spring Lake master-planned development, which has brought new housing, parks, schools, and affordable units for agricultural workers. Newer neighborhoods were designed with pedestrian access and public transit connections; the city is served by Yolobus, which provides local routes and connections to Sacramento, Davis, and regional destinations.

Housing values in the Woodland zip code are modest by California standards, and rents are moderate. The affordability picture leans more favorable for renters than buyers; rent consumes a smaller share of income than a typical mortgage would. The region's economy is stable, with unemployment near the national average. Residents with school-age children would be entering a community built around Central Valley agriculture and trade, with a growing residential base and mid-range housing costs relative to the state.

At the district level, two developments warrant note. Voters rejected a school facilities bond in November 2024, meaning the district did not secure dedicated funding for planned renovations and missed the opportunity to qualify for state matching funds. This leaves facility improvements dependent on existing budgets. By contrast, a 2020 bond, Measure Y, did pass and has funded improvements including expansion of vocational education facilities in automotive and construction trades, technology and internet upgrades, and infrastructure repairs across schools. The district also implemented an Ethnic Studies curriculum as a high school graduation requirement beginning in 2022-2023, ahead of the statewide mandate.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 316%

School 16% · District 33% · ▼ 16 pts below district

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

Grade 434%

School 34% · District 32% · ▲ 2 pts above district

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

Grade 56%

School 6% · District 24% · ▼ 18 pts below district

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

Grade 621%

School 21% · District 25% · ▼ 4 pts below district

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

English language arts

Grade 316%

School 16% · District 30% · ▼ 13 pts below district

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

Grade 429%

School 29% · District 34% · ▼ 5 pts below district

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

Grade 526%

School 26% · District 37% · ▼ 11 pts below district

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

Grade 632%

School 32% · District 40% · ▼ 8 pts below district

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

Science

Grade 511%

School 11% · District 23% · ▼ 11 pts below district

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

This schoolWoodland Joint 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.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 3Lower-income16%Higher-income19%3 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income25%Higher-income47%22 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income27%Higher-income63%36 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income16%Higher-income19%3 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income30%Higher-income53%23 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income6%Higher-income0%6 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income17%Higher-income44%27 pp gap