Los Altos 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 5.

All students

3rd The average 3rd grader scores 21 points under the grade 3 bar. 2411 vs. 2432.
4th The average 4th grader scores 23 points under the grade 4 bar. 2450 vs. 2473.
5th The average 5th grader scores 11 points under the grade 5 bar. 2491 vs. 2502.

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 4th 52 students Just under the grade 4 bar.

English learners

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

Grade bars 4th 11 students 90 points under the grade 3 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	39,483	2417.7	− 2432	−14.3	× 57 / 193	−4.2
4	39,485	2470.9	− 2473	−2.1	× 71 / 193	−0.8
5	39,487	2518.7	− 2502	16.7	× 65 / 193	5.6
Sum, rounded to a whole point						1

2016 from sb_ca2016_1_csv_v3.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	36,591	2438.3	− 2432	6.3	× 57 / 177	2
4	36,592	2469.7	− 2473	−3.3	× 60 / 177	−1.1
5	36,595	2556.8	− 2502	54.8	× 60 / 177	18.6
Sum, rounded to a whole point						19

2017 from sb_ca2017_1_csv_v2.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	37,357	2441.4	− 2432	9.4	× 73 / 190	3.6
4	37,358	2495.1	− 2473	22.1	× 55 / 190	6.4
5	37,361	2508.9	− 2502	6.9	× 62 / 190	2.3
Sum, rounded to a whole point						12

2018 from sb_ca2018_1_csv_v3.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	37,309	2442.2	− 2432	10.2	× 80 / 209	3.9
4	37,311	2496.6	− 2473	23.6	× 79 / 209	8.9
5	37,313	2536.0	− 2502	34	× 50 / 209	8.1
Sum, rounded to a whole point						21

2019 from sb_ca2019_1_csv_v4.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	37,509	2447.3	− 2432	15.3	× 80 / 233	5.3
4	37,510	2486.3	− 2473	13.3	× 80 / 233	4.6
5	37,511	2538.5	− 2502	36.5	× 73 / 233	11.4
Sum, rounded to a whole point						21

2022 from sb_ca2022_1_csv_v1.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	37,416	2387.7	− 2432	−44.3	× 63 / 191	−14.6
4	37,417	2472.7	− 2473	−0.3	× 69 / 191	−0.1
5	37,418	2536.9	− 2502	34.9	× 59 / 191	10.8
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−4

2023 from sb_ca2023_1_csv_v1.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	37,447	2430.6	− 2432	−1.4	× 60 / 189	−0.4
4	37,448	2439.4	− 2473	−33.6	× 66 / 189	−11.7
5	37,449	2511.0	− 2502	9	× 63 / 189	3
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−9

2024 from sb_ca2024_1_csv_v1.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	37,299	2424.6	− 2432	−7.4	× 57 / 181	−2.3
4	37,300	2466.1	− 2473	−6.9	× 59 / 181	−2.2
5	37,301	2466.7	− 2502	−35.3	× 65 / 181	−12.7
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−17

2025 from sb_ca2025_1_csv_v1.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	37,112	2422.0	− 2432	−10	× 65 / 191	−3.4
4	37,113	2483.9	− 2473	10.9	× 61 / 191	3.5
5	37,114	2506.3	− 2502	4.3	× 65 / 191	1.5
Sum, rounded to a whole point						2

2026 from sb_ca2026_1_csv_v1.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	37,094	2411.1	− 2432	−20.9	× 62 / 191	−6.8
4	37,095	2450.0	− 2473	−23	× 63 / 191	−7.6
5	37,096	2491.0	− 2502	−11	× 66 / 191	−3.8
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−18

Step 2 · The average and the normal range

Average: add the yearly results and divide by how many there are. 1, 19, 12, 21, 21, −4, −9, −17, 2, −18 → 2.8
Typical year-to-year change: how far the result moved from each year to the next, ignoring up or down. 2015→2016: 18 · 2016→2017: 7 · 2017→2018: 9 · 2018→2019: 0 · 2019→2022: 25 · 2022→2023: 5 · 2023→2024: 8 · 2024→2025: 19 · 2025→2026: 20 → average 12.3
Normal range: multiply the typical change by 2.66, then add it to the average and subtract it. 12.3 × 2.66 = 32.7. Upper limit 35.5, lower limit −29.9.

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.