Desert Garden Elementary: english

The shaded band is this school's normal range. If nothing about how it works changes, nearly every future year should land inside it. Zero means the typical student just meets the state standard. The small numbers under the years are how many students were tested.

Measured against the grade bars

The state's English test uses one scale for every grade, so a score means the same thing in grade 3 as in grade 6.

Many students here are still learning English, and this test is given in English. In 2026, 76 of the 201 students who took the English Language Arts test were English learners.

All students

3rd The average 3rd grader scores 42 points under the grade 3 bar. 2390 vs. 2432.
4th The average 4th grader scores 28 points under the grade 4 bar. 2445 vs. 2473.
5th The average 5th grader scores just under the grade 5 bar. 2496 vs. 2502.
6th The average 6th grader scores 11 points under the grade 5 bar. 2491 vs. 2502. The 6th-grade bar is 2531.

Students fluent in English

The closest these results come to reading alone: English is not in the way. Includes students who have only ever spoken English.

Grade bars 3rd 29 students Just under the grade 3 bar. 4th 28 students Just under the grade 4 bar. 5th 37 students Meets the grade 5 bar. 6th 31 students 18 points under the grade 6 bar.

English learners

Students leave this group as they become fluent, so its average stays low even where they learn well.

Grade bars 3rd 17 students 111 points under the grade 3 bar. 4th 20 students 15 points under the grade 3 bar. 5th 25 students 12 points under the grade 3 bar. 6th 14 students 31 points under the grade 4 bar.

the group's average that grade's own bar the distance between

2026 results. The English test covers reading, writing, listening and research together. "Meets standard" is the state's mark for being on track for that grade. The state leaves out any group of ten students or fewer, so a grade may be missing from the charts.

Step 1 · Each year's result

For each grade tested, take the average (mean) scale score from the California Department of Education's results file, and subtract the lowest score that counts as "Standard Met" for that grade. That is the grade's distance from standard. Weight each grade by its share of the students tested, then add the grades up. Grades where the state hides the average because ten or fewer students tested are left out entirely.

2015 from sb_ca2015_1_csv_v3.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	14,915	2388.9	− 2432	−43.1	× 47 / 190	−10.7
4	14,916	2432.0	− 2473	−41	× 31 / 190	−6.7
5	14,919	2449.4	− 2502	−52.6	× 43 / 190	−11.9
6	14,920	2531.3	− 2531	0.3	× 69 / 190	0.1
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−29

2016 from sb_ca2016_1_csv_v3.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	13,943	2402.2	− 2432	−29.8	× 48 / 201	−7.1
4	13,945	2435.3	− 2473	−37.7	× 61 / 201	−11.4
5	13,946	2496.3	− 2502	−5.7	× 37 / 201	−1
6	13,948	2490.5	− 2531	−40.5	× 55 / 201	−11.1
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−31

2017 from sb_ca2017_1_csv_v2.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	14,278	2416.4	− 2432	−15.6	× 40 / 199	−3.1
4	14,280	2458.4	− 2473	−14.6	× 56 / 199	−4.1
5	14,282	2471.4	− 2502	−30.6	× 63 / 199	−9.7
6	14,283	2519.0	− 2531	−12	× 40 / 199	−2.4
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−19

2018 from sb_ca2018_1_csv_v3.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	14,285	2407.2	− 2432	−24.8	× 51 / 230	−5.5
4	14,288	2439.5	− 2473	−33.5	× 58 / 230	−8.4
5	14,289	2503.5	− 2502	1.5	× 57 / 230	0.4
6	14,292	2491.7	− 2531	−39.3	× 64 / 230	−10.9
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−25

2019 from sb_ca2019_1_csv_v4.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	14,374	2419.9	− 2432	−12.1	× 54 / 259	−2.5
4	14,375	2451.1	− 2473	−21.9	× 64 / 259	−5.4
5	14,376	2480.1	− 2502	−21.9	× 70 / 259	−5.9
6	14,377	2537.4	− 2531	6.4	× 71 / 259	1.8
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−12

2022 from sb_ca2022_1_csv_v1.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	14,379	2417.4	− 2432	−14.6	× 50 / 236	−3.1
4	14,380	2390.3	− 2473	−82.7	× 53 / 236	−18.6
5	14,381	2475.4	− 2502	−26.6	× 70 / 236	−7.9
6	14,382	2472.6	− 2531	−58.4	× 63 / 236	−15.6
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−45

2023 from sb_ca2023_1_csv_v1.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	14,340	2377.1	− 2432	−54.9	× 46 / 234	−10.8
4	14,341	2423.1	− 2473	−49.9	× 55 / 234	−11.7
5	14,342	2489.1	− 2502	−12.9	× 54 / 234	−3
6	14,343	2504.7	− 2531	−26.3	× 79 / 234	−8.9
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−34

2024 from sb_ca2024_1_csv_v1.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	14,295	2431.8	− 2432	−0.2	× 50 / 213	0
4	14,296	2408.5	− 2473	−64.5	× 39 / 213	−11.8
5	14,297	2490.5	− 2502	−11.5	× 60 / 213	−3.2
6	14,298	2497.0	− 2531	−34	× 64 / 213	−10.2
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−25

2025 from sb_ca2025_1_csv_v1.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	14,255	2397.5	− 2432	−34.5	× 51 / 223	−7.9
4	14,256	2425.6	− 2473	−47.4	× 52 / 223	−11.1
5	14,257	2482.5	− 2502	−19.5	× 51 / 223	−4.5
6	14,258	2516.0	− 2531	−15	× 69 / 223	−4.6
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−28

2026 from sb_ca2026_1_csv_v1.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	14,277	2390.0	− 2432	−42	× 46 / 201	−9.6
4	14,278	2445.4	− 2473	−27.6	× 48 / 201	−6.6
5	14,279	2495.6	− 2502	−6.4	× 62 / 201	−2
6	14,280	2491.2	− 2531	−39.8	× 45 / 201	−8.9
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−27

Step 2 · The average and the normal range

Average: add the yearly results and divide by how many there are. −29, −31, −19, −25, −12, −45, −34, −25, −28, −27 → −27.5
Typical year-to-year change: how far the result moved from each year to the next, ignoring up or down. 2015→2016: 2 · 2016→2017: 12 · 2017→2018: 6 · 2018→2019: 13 · 2019→2022: 33 · 2022→2023: 11 · 2023→2024: 9 · 2024→2025: 3 · 2025→2026: 1 → average 10
Normal range: multiply the typical change by 2.66, then add it to the average and subtract it. 10 × 2.66 = 26.6. Upper limit −0.9, lower limit −54.1.

Why 2.66? It is the standard factor from quality control, the work of Walter Shewhart and W. Edwards Deming. It turns "how much the result typically changes in a year" into "how far it can wander by chance alone".

Years with no result (no state tests were given in spring 2020) are skipped: the year-to-year change runs from the last year with a result to the next one.

Step 3 · Free or reduced-price meals

The share of enrolled students eligible for free or reduced-price meals. From 2014–15, 2015–16, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2018–19, 2020–21, 2021–22, 2022–23, 2023–24, 2024–25, 2025–26.