SLO County test scores show students still behind after COVID. See your district’s results
Learning loss experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic still has a grip on San Luis Obispo County schools, recent standardized test scores show.
On Wednesday, the state released the latest scores from the California Smarter Balanced assessments, administered annually to students in grades three through eight and 11.
The tests are meant to measure students’ progress relative to the state’s English-language arts and math standards.
And the data shows that schools across the state — and in SLO County — are still grappling with how to get students back on track after a bout of learning loss decimated test scores in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In the Paso Robles Joint Unified School District, ELA scores improved while math scores dipped to the lowest they’ve been in over eight years, data shows.
Jennifer Loftus, the Paso district superintendent, said the scores are “much lower than we would like to see.”
District staff began analyzing preliminary data in the spring and over the summer and has started implementing changes the district hopes will improve math scores, Loftus told The Tribune in an email.
The changes include the implementation of a new math curriculum, which will be fully rolled out in grades seven through 12 by the 2025-26 school year, as well as additional supports and training opportunities for educators.
But Paso isn’t the only SLO County district struggling to get back on track. Take a look at the data to see how your district measures up.
Some SLO County schools show slow progress. See the data
Statewide, standardized test scores are inching forward.
Just over 47% of California students who tested during the 2023-24 academic year met ELA standards, while 35.5% of students met math standards. Both scores are up from the previous year’s scores by less than one percentage point.
Similar results can be seen at the county level, as progress among SLO County students has remained relatively stagnant.
Countywide, 39.69% of students met math standards during the 2023-24 academic year, up from 39.49% the previous year.
But students saw a slight decrease in ELA scores — 52.16% met ELA standards last year, down from 52.26% in 2023.
Math scores for SLO County students are, on average, lower than ELA scores — aligning with another statewide trend.
Countywide, math scores saw an average increase of just 0.10 percentage points.
Some districts saw slight growth from the previous year, while others sunk lower.
Only one district — Cayucos Elementary — has surpassed its pre-pandemic scores, a milestone that occurred in 2023. Cayucos’ scores dipped again in 2024, but remain above pre-pandemic levels.
In the Shandon Joint Unified District, only 11.48% of students met math standards in 2024, down from 15.27% the previous year. Shandon’s scores sit well below the state and county averages.
The Lucia Mar and San Luis Coastal districts saw slight growth in their math scores.
Eric Prater, superintendent for San Luis Coastal, said the growth reflects the “hard work and dedication” of district educators. But the work is not over.
“While we are proud of this progress, we recognize that there is still work to be done,” Prater told The Tribune in an email. “Our mission is to ensure that every student is included in this educational success story, and we remain committed to fostering an environment where all students can thrive — not just within our district, but across the county.”
Lucia Mar superintendent Paul Fawcett also celebrated his district’s growth.
“We’re thrilled to see our test scores on the rise!” Fawcett said via a district spokesperson. “Our results are above the state average, and we achieved some of the highest growth in the county. This success reflects our amazing staff’s dedication and our students’ hard work.”
Some grades see more improvement than others, scores show
The California Smarter Balanced assessments are administered to students in grades three through eight and 11 — but not all grades see the same levels of improvement.
SLO County sixth-graders saw the largest jump in the percentage of students who met or exceeded ELA standards, up 2.91 percentage points from 2023.
Meanwhile, 11th-graders saw the biggest drop in scores — from 57.7% in 2023 down to 53.96% in 2024.
Math scores also showed mixed results.
Students in grades four, five, six and eight improved their scores, while the remainder saw drops.
And overall, scores trended downward as grade level got higher, with 11th-graders performing the poorest on the math assessment. Seventh-graders saw the biggest drop in scores — from 40.58% in 2023 down to 37.39% in 2024.
Learning gaps persist among low-income, marginalized students
Test scores show that learning gaps persist among SLO County’s most vulnerable students, including those from low-income backgrounds.
But the gaps are narrower than they were previously.
Low-income students saw improvements on their 2024 test scores where their counterparts did not.
While non-low-income students saw a slight decrease in both their math and ELA scores, low-income students saw a hike of 2.7 percentage points in ELA and 3.22 percentage points in math.
The San Luis Coastal district saw scores increase for both groups.
Non-low-income students in the San Luis Coastal district saw year-to-year improvements of less than 2 percentage points in both math and ELA.
Low-income students saw their scores jump by over 7 percentage points for both tests.
District officials attribute the growth to the programming and supports implemented within the past years to help close gaps.
“Our hardworking staff’s focus on the gaps in knowledge for students and doing something about it is making a difference for most student subgroups,” said Lisa Yamashita, assistant superintendent for educational services.
Yamashita told The Tribune the district added counselors and student success specialists at the elementary schools to ensure “no student slips through the cracks.”
The district is also working to strengthen supports for new students and English learners who might need targeted programming, Yamashita said.
“This achievement is a testament to the commitment of our students, families, teachers, support staff and administrators,” said Prater. “Together, we continue to focus on closing the achievement gap by addressing the unique needs of each student.”
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