2011 Test Scores: How Did Your Kid's School Do?

continue to score in the top percentile among their most comparable and highest performing counterparts in the state, according to recently released data from the California Department of Education.

The California Standards Test Scores, released Monday, show La Cañada meets or exceeds state standards in every grade level. But perhaps more telling, is the district places first, second or third in every grade level's performance when stacked against area standout schools.

Statistics showing performance at each La Cañada Unified school,  including overall proficiency on the 2011 STAR tests, can be found here.

"It's absolutely phenomenal,'' Lindi Dreibelbis Arthur, La Cañada's director of assessment, research and consolidated programs, said Wednesday of how well LCUSD kids scored in general, and against their closest academic peers.

Arthur deduced the first-through-third placements by comparing La Cañada's scores to similarly performing districts, such as Arcadia Unified, Manhattan Beach Unified, San Marino Unified and South Pasadena Unified. A breakdown of those scores are available here.

She noted that while the best performing school in the state is Whitney (Gretchen) High School from ABC Unified, she pointed out it is a GATE magnet school which students must apply to, whereas is a general comprehensive public school. Test takers from general public schools included students identified as special needs and English language learners.

Elementary Grades 2-6

At, 99 percent of sixth graders scored as proficient or advanced in math. She derived that total percentage from the 84 percent who scored as advanced, and the 15 percent who scored proficient.

At , 94 percent of sixth graders earned advanced and proficient scores and at that grade level scored 96 percent total advanced and proficient.

High School Grades 7-12

At La Cañada High, 19 different subject areas were tested. In 16 of those, students showed improvement since 2010, Arthur said, noting eleventh-grade language arts grew 6 percent while eighth-grade science scores increased 6 percent.

"Our hardworking staff and students, the parents, and all the community support - those factors truly contribute to the high test scores,'' she added.

Three subject areas dipped slightly compared to 2010, she said. Algebra 1 and biology showed a 2 percent decline while geometry dropped 7 percent. Still, by the end of the course, 62 percent of high school kids showed as advanced or proficient in geometry.

Arthur is crunching the data to compare all of 2010's scores with the 2011 figures (data that is not available from the state's website). She will present that report to the district's at an upcoming governing board meeting.