Primary Years Academy: 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 bars

The state's math test uses one scale for every grade, so a score means the same thing in grade 3 as in grade 7.

3rd The average 3rd grader scores just under the grade 3 bar. 2432 vs. 2436.
4th The average 4th grader scores 43 points under the grade 4 bar. 2442 vs. 2485.
5th The average 5th grader scores 38 points under the grade 4 bar. 2447 vs. 2485. The 5th-grade bar is 2528.
6th The average 6th grader scores just under the grade 5 bar. 2523 vs. 2528. The 6th-grade bar is 2552.
7th The average 7th grader scores just under the grade 4 bar. 2478 vs. 2485. The 7th-grade bar is 2567.

2026 results. "Meets standard" is the state's mark for being on track for that grade.

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	80,636	2443.0	− 2436	7	× 48 / 127	2.6
4	80,637	2491.6	− 2485	6.6	× 53 / 127	2.8
5	80,639	2490.4	− 2528	−37.6	× 26 / 127	−7.7
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−2

2016 from sb_ca2016_1_csv_v3.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	74,737	2428.5	− 2436	−7.5	× 53 / 152	−2.6
4	74,738	2477.0	− 2485	−8	× 50 / 152	−2.6
5	74,740	2515.9	− 2528	−12.1	× 49 / 152	−3.9
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−9

2017 from sb_ca2017_1_csv_v2.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	76,722	2474.2	− 2436	38.2	× 55 / 160	13.1
4	76,724	2449.5	− 2485	−35.5	× 54 / 160	−12
5	76,726	2480.1	− 2528	−47.9	× 51 / 160	−15.3
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−14

2018 from sb_ca2018_1_csv_v3.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	76,904	2467.3	− 2436	31.3	× 53 / 158	10.5
4	76,906	2484.9	− 2485	−0.1	× 54 / 158	0
5	76,908	2480.6	− 2528	−47.4	× 51 / 158	−15.3
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−5

2019 from sb_ca2019_1_csv_v4.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	77,408	2454.6	− 2436	18.6	× 50 / 153	6.1
4	77,409	2479.9	− 2485	−5.1	× 49 / 153	−1.6
5	77,410	2521.9	− 2528	−6.1	× 54 / 153	−2.2
Sum, rounded to a whole point						2

2022 from sb_ca2022_1_csv_v1.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	77,560	2413.0	− 2436	−23	× 59 / 142	−9.6
4	77,561	2490.5	− 2485	5.5	× 45 / 142	1.7
5	77,562	2445.5	− 2528	−82.5	× 38 / 142	−22.1
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−30

2023 from sb_ca2023_1_csv_v1.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	77,546	2425.0	− 2436	−11	× 36 / 131	−3
4	77,547	2457.9	− 2485	−27.1	× 56 / 131	−11.6
5	77,548	2482.9	− 2528	−45.1	× 39 / 131	−13.4
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−28

2024 from sb_ca2024_1_csv_v1.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	77,546	2407.5	− 2436	−28.5	× 42 / 128	−9.4
4	77,547	2506.4	− 2485	21.4	× 32 / 128	5.4
5	77,548	2458.2	− 2528	−69.8	× 54 / 128	−29.4
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−33

2025 from sb_ca2025_1_csv_v1.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	77,201	2417.0	− 2436	−19	× 38 / 162	−4.5
4	77,202	2465.8	− 2485	−19.2	× 41 / 162	−4.9
5	77,203	2482.6	− 2528	−45.4	× 30 / 162	−8.4
6	77,204	2468.2	− 2552	−83.8	× 53 / 162	−27.4
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−45

2026 from sb_ca2026_1_csv_v1.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	77,104	2432.0	− 2436	−4	× 48 / 223	−0.9
4	77,105	2442.4	− 2485	−42.6	× 43 / 223	−8.2
5	77,106	2446.9	− 2528	−81.1	× 44 / 223	−16
6	77,107	2522.6	− 2552	−29.4	× 35 / 223	−4.6
7	77,108	2478.4	− 2567	−88.6	× 53 / 223	−21.1
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−51

Step 2 · The average and the normal range

Average: add the yearly results and divide by how many there are. −2, −9, −14, −5, 2, −30, −28, −33, −45, −51 → −21.5
Typical year-to-year change: how far the result moved from each year to the next, ignoring up or down. 2015→2016: 7 · 2016→2017: 5 · 2017→2018: 9 · 2018→2019: 7 · 2019→2022: 32 · 2022→2023: 2 · 2023→2024: 5 · 2024→2025: 12 · 2025→2026: 6 → average 9.4
Normal range: multiply the typical change by 2.66, then add it to the average and subtract it. 9.4 × 2.66 = 25. Upper limit 3.5, lower limit −46.5.

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.