FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
District earns higher Dashboard ratings than California in six of eight indicators, with stronger ELA and Math improvement
CUTLER/OROSI, Calif. — Cutler-Orosi Joint Unified School District (COJUSD) is celebrating improvement across all eight district-level indicators on the 2026 California School Dashboard, released today by the California Department of Education. The results reflect progress in student achievement, college and career readiness, English language development, attendance, graduation, and school climate.
All eight indicators moved in a favorable direction compared with the previous year. The district earned one Blue, four Green, and three Yellow performance ratings, with College/Career readiness reaching Blue, the highest performance level on the Dashboard.
Compared with California overall, COJUSD earned a higher Dashboard performance color in six of eight indicators: College/Career, English Learner Progress, Chronic Absenteeism, Graduation Rate, Suspension Rate and English Language Arts. Both COJUSD and the state earned Yellow in Mathematics and Science.
Districtwide Results Show Broad-Based Progress
-College and career readiness rose to 74.9%, up 16% points, surpassing California's 55.2% by 19.7% points and earning Blue, compared with Green statewide.
-English Learner Progress increased from 42.0% to 48.1%, a gain of 6.1% points, compared with 47.4% statewide. COJUSD earned Green compared to Yellow statewide.
-Academic achievement: ELA performance improved by 5.8 points, compared with a statewide change of 0.6 points. Mathematics improved by 9.3 points, compared with 3.5 points statewide.
-Science performance increased from 46.0 to 47.3 Science Points on the state's 0–100 scale.
-Attendance and school climate: Chronic absenteeism declined from 9.0% to 6.6%, well below the statewide 16.1%. Suspension declined from 3.2% to 2.6%, compared to 2.7% statewide. Both district indicators earned Green compared to Yellow statewide.
-Graduation rate increased to 93.6%, up from 92.8% and above the statewide 88.1%. COJUSD earned Green compared with Yellow statewide.
School Successes Reflect Districtwide Momentum
Across the district, school results offer additional reasons to celebrate. Golden Valley Elementary earned Green in all six of the elementary reported indicators. Palm Elementary and El Monte Middle School earned Blue in English Learner Progress, with gains of 15.2% and 18.9% points.
Cutler Elementary improved 5.1 Science Points and earned Green in Science. At Orosi High School, College/Career readiness reached 86.4% and graduation reached 98.4%, with both indicators earning Blue.
Superintendent Quote:
“These results represent the commitment of our students, educators, staff, and families to doing the work that prepares students for college, career, and civic engagement. We are proud to see progress across every district indicator, and we are equally committed to learning from the data, strengthening supports where they are needed and ensuring every student has the opportunity to thrive,” said Superintendent Valdez.
Celebrating Progress While Continuing the Work
The Dashboard also identifies opportunities for continued improvement, particularly in academic outcomes for some student groups. District leaders, principals and school leadership teams will continue to collaboratively examine results, identify effective practices worth sustaining, and focus resources on students who need additional support.
View the 2026 California School Dashboard: https://www.caschooldashboard.org/