Cottage Elementary: math

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 3 bar

The state's math test uses one scale for every grade, so a score means the same thing in grade 3 as in grade 5.

Many students here are still learning English. The math test is written in English, with some translation help, and many of its questions are word problems. In 2026, 128 of the 237 students who took the math test were English learners.

All students

3rd The average 3rd grader scores 83 points under the grade 3 bar. 2353 vs. 2436.
4th The average 4th grader scores 50 points under the grade 3 bar. 2386 vs. 2436. The 4th-grade bar is 2485.
5th The average 5th grader scores 50 points under the grade 3 bar. 2386 vs. 2436. The 5th-grade bar is 2528.

Students fluent in English

Math with English out of the way. Includes students who have only ever spoken English.

Grade bars 3rd 29 students 44 points under the grade 3 bar. 4th 51 students 27 points under the grade 3 bar. 5th 29 students Just under the grade 3 bar.

English learners

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

Grade bars 3rd 39 students 112 points under the grade 3 bar. 4th 47 students 76 points under the grade 3 bar. 5th 42 students 81 points under the grade 3 bar.

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

2026 results. "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	62,363	2370.4	− 2436	−65.6	× 39 / 141	−18.1
4	62,364	2429.9	− 2485	−55.1	× 42 / 141	−16.4
5	62,367	2452.8	− 2528	−75.2	× 60 / 141	−32
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−67

2016 from sb_ca2016_1_csv_v3.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	57,856	2357.1	− 2436	−78.9	× 54 / 133	−32
4	57,858	2430.7	− 2485	−54.3	× 45 / 133	−18.4
5	57,860	2417.4	− 2528	−110.6	× 34 / 133	−28.3
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−79

2017 from sb_ca2017_1_csv_v2.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	59,550	2342.6	− 2436	−93.4	× 60 / 161	−34.8
4	59,552	2402.7	− 2485	−82.3	× 56 / 161	−28.6
5	59,555	2443.6	− 2528	−84.4	× 45 / 161	−23.6
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−87

2018 from sb_ca2018_1_csv_v3.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	59,667	2347.6	− 2436	−88.4	× 56 / 157	−31.5
4	59,669	2429.7	− 2485	−55.3	× 52 / 157	−18.3
5	59,672	2421.7	− 2528	−106.3	× 49 / 157	−33.2
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−83

2019 from sb_ca2019_1_csv_v4.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	59,924	2370.7	− 2436	−65.3	× 55 / 152	−23.6
4	59,925	2429.9	− 2485	−55.1	× 49 / 152	−17.8
5	59,926	2442.7	− 2528	−85.3	× 48 / 152	−26.9
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−68

2022 from sb_ca2022_1_csv_v1.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	59,992	2312.9	− 2436	−123.1	× 69 / 192	−44.2
4	59,993	2359.8	− 2485	−125.2	× 63 / 192	−41.1
5	59,994	2407.3	− 2528	−120.7	× 60 / 192	−37.7
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−123

2023 from sb_ca2023_1_csv_v1.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	59,947	2328.1	− 2436	−107.9	× 78 / 206	−40.9
4	59,948	2369.5	− 2485	−115.5	× 74 / 206	−41.5
5	59,949	2382.7	− 2528	−145.3	× 54 / 206	−38.1
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−120

2024 from sb_ca2024_1_csv_v1.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	59,872	2325.1	− 2436	−110.9	× 80 / 212	−41.8
4	59,873	2362.3	− 2485	−122.7	× 67 / 212	−38.8
5	59,874	2392.5	− 2528	−135.5	× 65 / 212	−41.5
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−122

2025 from sb_ca2025_1_csv_v1.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	59,633	2346.9	− 2436	−89.1	× 93 / 237	−35
4	59,634	2369.5	− 2485	−115.5	× 75 / 237	−36.6
5	59,635	2387.6	− 2528	−140.4	× 69 / 237	−40.9
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−112

2026 from sb_ca2026_1_csv_v1.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	59,560	2353.2	− 2436	−82.8	× 68 / 237	−23.8
4	59,561	2385.9	− 2485	−99.1	× 98 / 237	−41
5	59,562	2386.1	− 2528	−141.9	× 71 / 237	−42.5
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−107

Step 2 · The average and the normal range

Average: add the yearly results and divide by how many there are. −67, −79, −87, −83, −68, −123, −120, −122, −112, −107 → −96.8
Typical year-to-year change: how far the result moved from each year to the next, ignoring up or down. 2015→2016: 12 · 2016→2017: 8 · 2017→2018: 4 · 2018→2019: 15 · 2019→2022: 55 · 2022→2023: 3 · 2023→2024: 2 · 2024→2025: 10 · 2025→2026: 5 → average 12.7
Normal range: multiply the typical change by 2.66, then add it to the average and subtract it. 12.7 × 2.66 = 33.8. Upper limit −63, lower limit −130.6.

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.