Poplar 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, 71 of the 248 students who took the English Language Arts test were English learners.

All students

3rd The average 3rd grader scores 31 points under the grade 3 bar. 2401 vs. 2432.
4th The average 4th grader scores 28 points under the grade 4 bar. 2445 vs. 2473.
5th The average 5th grader scores 21 points under the grade 5 bar. 2481 vs. 2502.
6th The average 6th grader scores 13 points under the grade 6 bar. 2518 vs. 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 43 students 28 points under the grade 3 bar. 4th 40 students Meets the grade 4 bar. 5th 43 students Meets the grade 5 bar. 6th 51 students Meets 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 41 points under the grade 3 bar. 4th 22 students 41 points under the grade 3 bar. 5th 14 students 23 points under the grade 3 bar. 6th 18 students Just 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	65,908	2403.1	− 2432	−28.9	× 90 / 373	−7
4	65,911	2414.7	− 2473	−58.3	× 93 / 373	−14.5
5	65,912	2445.5	− 2502	−56.5	× 103 / 373	−15.6
6	65,915	2489.0	− 2531	−42	× 87 / 373	−9.8
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−47

2016 from sb_ca2016_1_csv_v3.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	61,119	2419.7	− 2432	−12.3	× 98 / 378	−3.2
4	61,121	2438.9	− 2473	−34.1	× 86 / 378	−7.8
5	61,124	2469.9	− 2502	−32.1	× 97 / 378	−8.2
6	61,125	2516.1	− 2531	−14.9	× 97 / 378	−3.8
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−23

2017 from sb_ca2017_1_csv_v2.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	62,898	2409.1	− 2432	−22.9	× 82 / 353	−5.3
4	62,899	2446.1	− 2473	−26.9	× 94 / 353	−7.2
5	62,902	2475.0	− 2502	−27	× 82 / 353	−6.3
6	62,903	2516.7	− 2531	−14.3	× 95 / 353	−3.8
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−23

2018 from sb_ca2018_1_csv_v3.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	62,979	2415.4	− 2432	−16.6	× 76 / 345	−3.7
4	62,982	2426.9	− 2473	−46.1	× 83 / 345	−11.1
5	62,983	2461.4	− 2502	−40.6	× 98 / 345	−11.5
6	62,986	2510.2	− 2531	−20.8	× 88 / 345	−5.3
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−32

2019 from sb_ca2019_1_csv_v4.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	63,246	2411.3	− 2432	−20.7	× 69 / 336	−4.3
4	63,247	2435.5	− 2473	−37.5	× 78 / 336	−8.7
5	63,248	2477.0	− 2502	−25	× 81 / 336	−6
6	63,249	2523.5	− 2531	−7.5	× 108 / 336	−2.4
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	63,321	2372.4	− 2432	−59.6	× 69 / 268	−15.3
4	63,322	2410.6	− 2473	−62.4	× 74 / 268	−17.2
5	63,323	2461.6	− 2502	−40.4	× 62 / 268	−9.3
6	63,324	2486.8	− 2531	−44.2	× 63 / 268	−10.4
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−52

2023 from sb_ca2023_1_csv_v1.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	63,264	2391.0	− 2432	−41	× 68 / 276	−10.1
4	63,265	2413.9	− 2473	−59.1	× 70 / 276	−15
5	63,266	2459.4	− 2502	−42.6	× 72 / 276	−11.1
6	63,267	2465.4	− 2531	−65.6	× 66 / 276	−15.7
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−52

2024 from sb_ca2024_1_csv_v1.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	63,236	2387.0	− 2432	−45	× 55 / 256	−9.7
4	63,237	2445.9	− 2473	−27.1	× 65 / 256	−6.9
5	63,238	2453.5	− 2502	−48.5	× 68 / 256	−12.9
6	63,239	2488.1	− 2531	−42.9	× 68 / 256	−11.4
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−41

2025 from sb_ca2025_1_csv_v1.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	63,002	2397.1	− 2432	−34.9	× 63 / 249	−8.8
4	63,003	2439.4	− 2473	−33.6	× 54 / 249	−7.3
5	63,004	2482.8	− 2502	−19.2	× 67 / 249	−5.2
6	63,005	2488.9	− 2531	−42.1	× 65 / 249	−11
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−32

2026 from sb_ca2026_1_csv_v1.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	62,966	2400.6	− 2432	−31.4	× 60 / 248	−7.6
4	62,967	2444.8	− 2473	−28.2	× 62 / 248	−7.1
5	62,968	2480.7	− 2502	−21.3	× 57 / 248	−4.9
6	62,969	2517.7	− 2531	−13.3	× 69 / 248	−3.7
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−23

Step 2 · The average and the normal range

Average: add the yearly results and divide by how many there are. −47, −23, −23, −32, −21, −52, −52, −41, −32, −23 → −34.6
Typical year-to-year change: how far the result moved from each year to the next, ignoring up or down. 2015→2016: 24 · 2016→2017: 0 · 2017→2018: 9 · 2018→2019: 11 · 2019→2022: 31 · 2022→2023: 0 · 2023→2024: 11 · 2024→2025: 9 · 2025→2026: 9 → average 11.6
Normal range: multiply the typical change by 2.66, then add it to the average and subtract it. 11.6 × 2.66 = 30.9. Upper limit −3.7, lower limit −65.5.

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.