English and math scores fell across Sacramento region last year. See how your school did

Sacramento public K-12 students did much worse in 2021-22 on end-of-grade tests than their peers did on tests taken before the pandemic, according to new data from the California Department of Education.

About 36.9% of the four-county Sacramento region’s students met math standards last year, down from 42.2% in 2018-19, the last year before the pandemic. That’s a decline of about 5 percentage points.

Similarly, about 49.5% of local students met English standards last year, down from 53.3% in 2018-19, a decline of about 4 percentage points.

Statewide, English test scores declined by 4 percentage points and math test scores declined by 7 percentage points over the same period.

The results come from the state’s Smarter Balanced tests, which are given to most third to eighth graders, as well as 11th graders. The state did not implement Smarter Balanced tests in 2019-20 and many students did not take them in 2020-21, making 2018-19 the last comparable year.

Test scores are strongly correlated with poverty: Economically disadvantaged students tend to do worse on end-of-grade assessments than students from wealthier backgrounds. In the Sacramento region, this often translates to higher scores in Placer and El Dorado counties and lower scores in Sacramento and Yolo counties.

Students in Sacramento and Yolo counties are about twice as likely to be eligible for free-and-reduced lunch – the state’s meal program for economically-disadvantaged students – than students in Placer and Yolo counties.

Test score declines cut across various demographic groups – but economically-disadvantaged students, along with Black and Hispanic students, saw the steepest declines in math.

About 20 of every 100 economically disadvantaged students in Sacramento County met math standards in 2021-22, a decline of about 24% from 2018-19.

Black students also saw the rate of students meeting math standards decline by 24%, The decline among Hispanic students was about 21%. Among Asian students, it was 15%. Among white students, it was 12%.

About 31 of every 100 girls tested in Sacramento County met math standards in 2021-22, a decline of about 19% from 2018-19. Boys saw a decline of about 11%.

All of the region’s largest districts saw a decline in the percentage of students meeting math and English standards.

Again, school districts with a high proportion of economically disadvantaged students saw the greatest losses.

Among the region’s 12 largest districts, Twin Rivers Unified saw the biggest test score declines. About 31% of its students met English standards last year, compared to 37% of its students in 2018-19. Roughly 20% of its students met math standards last year, down from 29% in 2022.

Woodland Unified and Sacramento City Unified also saw relatively high declines in students meeting English standards. San Juan Unified and Washington Unified saw relatively high declines in students meeting math standards.

Davis Unified, Elk Grove Unified, Folsom Cordova Unified and Washington Unified saw the smallest declines in students meeting English standards. Roseville Unified, Davis Unified and Folsom Cordova Unified saw the smallest declines in students meeting English standards.

Among schools with at least 80 students taking end-of-grade tests, West Campus in Sacramento had the highest proportion of students meeting English standards – 90%. It was followed closely by Sacramento’s Phoebe Hearst Elementary, Newcastle’s Creekside Charter and Natomas’ Pacific Pathways Prep.

Newcastle’s Creekside Charter saw the highest proportion of students meeting math standards – 86%. It was followed by Folsom’s Russell Ranch Elementary and Granite Bay’s Greenhills Elementary.

All told, 386 of the region’s largest public schools saw a decline in the proportion of students meeting English standards from 2018-19 to 2021-22, while 136 saw an increase. Four-hundred and thirty schools saw a decline in the proportion of students meeting math standards, while 92 saw an increase.

This story was originally published October 27, 2022 at 9:00 AM.