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B+

Pacific Union Elementary School District

Public school districtGrades K–8

Arcata’s School Grade A− better than 78% of California school districts

Students
534
Schools
1
Spent per student
$15,558
CA $21,206
Students per teacher
18:1
Free or reduced lunch
55%
The gist

What stands out about Pacific Union Elementary School District

  • Its letter, B+: results better than 66% of California districts
  • Spends 27% less per student than the CA average
  • 18 students per teacher
The School Grade

What this district adds to its towns’ grade

B+: better than 66% of the 1,872 California school districts we grade. Each town’s School Grade weighs its districts by the students they test; spending and class size are shown but don’t count.

Test scoresReading and math above the state, 2021–22
B+

How TownRatings grades schools →

Where would my kid go?

The school path for Arcata. Grade by grade →

K–82 schoolsJacoby Creek Elementary School District
9–12Arcata HighNorthern Humboldt Union High School District

Test scores vs. CA

2021–22
Math proficiency37%
State average 33.1% · 387 students tested
Reading / language arts47%
State average 46.7% · 387 students tested

97% of students in the tested grades sat the 2022 tests.

Graduation rate 97% at Northern Humboldt Union High, which runs the high school (state 86.2%) · class of 2023.

Reported to the U.S. Department of Education (EDFacts via ED Data Express and the Urban Institute); the newest year for each measure.

Where the money goes

fiscal 2024
$15,558 per student · 27% below CA
Spending
Classroom instruction 58%Support & administration 37%Other 5%
Paid for by
Local (mostly property tax) 12%State 61%Federal 27%

Fiscal 2022–24 includes federal pandemic relief (ESSER).

U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances.

Enrollment over time
556’20
526’21
537’22
529’23
534’24

Down 4% since 2020–21.

Students
White 49%Hispanic 27%Two or more races 13%American Indian/Alaska Native 7%Black 2%Asian 2%

Schools in the district

1 public school. Each public school’s letter compares its own 2020–21 reading and math results with California’s other public schools.

Pacific Union Elementary
Elementary · Grades K–8 · Arcata
B+
534 students18:1

District facts: U.S. Department of Education (NCES school directory 2024–25 and district boundaries) and the U.S. Census Bureau’s school finance survey. Test scores and graduation: state results reported to the U.S. Department of Education (EDFacts via ED Data Express and the Urban Institute). The letters are our own summary, graded within California.