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A

Freshwater Elementary School District

Public school districtGrades K–8

Eureka’s School Grade B− better than 48% of California school districts

Students
334
Schools
2
Spent per student
$17,157
CA $21,206
Students per teacher
27:1
Free or reduced lunch
49%
Debt
$2.3M
fiscal 2024
The gist

What stands out about Freshwater Elementary School District

  • Its letter, A: results better than 88% of California districts
  • Math proficiency 14 pts above the state
  • Reading proficiency 20 pts above the state
  • Spends 19% less per student than the CA average
  • 27 students per teacher
  • Debt of $2.3M, about $6,847 per student
The School Grade

What this district adds to its towns’ grade

A: better than 88% 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 well above the state, 2021–22
A

How TownRatings grades schools →

Where would my kid go?

The school path for Eureka. Grade by grade →

K–53 elementary schoolsEureka City Unified School District
6–8Catherine L. Zane MiddleEureka City Unified School District
9–12Eureka Senior HighEureka City Unified School District

Test scores vs. CA

2021–22
Math proficiency45–49%
State average 33.1% · 188 students tested
Reading / language arts65–69%
State average 46.7% · 188 students tested

98% of students in the tested grades sat the 2022 tests.

Graduation rate 88% at Eureka City Schools, 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
$17,157 per student · 19% below CA
Spending
Classroom instruction 62%Support & administration 32%Other 5%
Paid for by
Local (mostly property tax) 28%State 67%Federal 5%

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

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

Enrollment over time
323’20
290’21
307’22
313’23
334’24

Up 3.4% since 2020–21.

Students
White 71%Hispanic 14%Two or more races 11%American Indian/Alaska Native 3%Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander <1%Asian <1%

Schools in the district

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

Freshwater Elementary
Elementary · Grades K–6 · Eureka
B
283 students27:1
Freshwater Charter Middle
Middle · Grades 7–8 · Eureka
B+
51 students26:1

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.