Murrieta's Cole Canyon Elementary API Score Among State's Top 10 Percent

Nine Riverside County elementary schools ranked among the top 10 percent of schools statewide for academic progress, including Murrieta’s Cole Canyon Elementary School, according to figures released today by the California Department of Education.

Cole Canyon’s 2010 base API score was 916. No schools in Murrieta achieved less than 800 on their base API score, with the exception of Tenaja Academy, a home-school program, and Creekside High School, the district’s alternative high school.

Four schools in neighboring Temecula Valley Unified School District also perfomed in the top 10 percent, as did two schools in the Lake Elsinore Unified School District.
  
The CDE published its 2010 Base Academic Performance Index, with a list of schools indicating whether they were meeting, exceeding or falling below the previous year's level of achievement.
  
The state ranks schools academically on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 representing the top 10 percent, to determine a school's standing compared to other schools around the state. The rankings are based on the school's base API, which is calculated for elementary, middle and high schools based on results of the Standardized Testing and Reporting Program and California High School Exit Exam.
  
Because of the nature of the system, 10 percent of public schools in California will always be in each decile. Where a school falls according to score changes over the years as schools improve their scores.
  
Figures showed the following Riverside County schools received API scores that placed them in the top 10 percent statewide:
  
-- George Washington Charter Elementary, Desert Unified School District with a score of 922;
 
-- James Earl Carter Elementary, Desert Unified School District with a score of 913 ;
  
-- Earl Warren Elementary, Lake Elsinore Unified School District with a score of 918;
  
-- Tuscany Hills Elementary , Lake Elsinore Unified School District with a score of 948;
  
-- Cole Canyon Elementary, Murrieta Valley Unified School District with a score of 916 ;
  
-- Abby Reinke Elementary, Temecula Valley Unified School District with a score of 914;
  
-- Alamos Elementary, Temecula Valley Unified School District with a score of 932;
  
-- Crowne Hill Elementary, Temecula Valley Unified School District with a score 919 ; and
  
-- Vintage Hills Elementary, Temecula Valley Unified School District with a score of 914.
  
In the Murrieta Valley Unified School District, Alta Murrieta Elementary, Antelope Hills Elementary and Tovashal Elementary all fell in the 90th percentile statewide. Daniel N. Buchanan, Lisa J. Mails and Murrieta elementary schools fell in the 80th percentile, and Avaxat, E. Hale Curran, Monte Vista and Rail Ranch fell in the 70th percentile. No elementary schools in Murrieta scored below the 70th percentile, according to the report.

No middle or high schools in the county received scores that put them in the highest category. All three high schools in Murrieta were in the 90th percentile. Dorothy McElhinney and Thompson middle schools were in the 90th percentile, and Shivela and Warm Springs middle schools were in the 70th percentile.
  
Individual school districts were included in the report, which revealed how they scored in relation to the CDE's target of 800.
  
The statewide base API was 768. The base for elementary schools was 800, while it was 765 for middle schools and 729 for high schools.
  
The report showed all but one school district--Banning Unified--exceeded its previous year's level of achievement. The following six school districts scored above 800:
  
-- Corona-Norco Unified with a score of 802;
  
-- Lake Elsinore Unified with a score of 813;
  
-- Menifee Union with a score of 828;
  
-- Murrieta Valley Unified with a score of 837; and
  
-- Temecula Valley Unified with a score of 856.
    
“Today signifies the beginning of a new reporting cycle of testing and reporting under the API, which gives us one measure of school's academic performance,'' said Tom Torlakson, the state superintendent of Public Instruction.
  
“This is the jumping-off point where, based on last year's testing results, schools are given a number of points by which they must grow in order to satisfy the requirements of our state accountability system.''
    
Statewide, the base API was 838 for white students, 851 for Filipinos and 890 for Asians. The API was 686 for black students, 715 for Hispanics, 692 for English-learners and 712 for “financially disadvantaged'' students.

In the Murrieta Valley Unified School District , the base API was 860 for white students, 872 for Filipinos and 887 for Asians. The API was 766 for black students, 803 for Hispanics, 722 for English-learners and 784 for socioeconomically disadvantaged.

Base API scores for each school in Murrieta were, including how they stack up against other schools statewide with similar demographics:

Alta Murrieta 890, similar schools rank 9

Antelope Hills 546, similar schools rank 9

Avaxat 829, similar schools rank 6

Cole Canyon 916, similar schools rank 7

Daniel N. Buchanan 706, similar schools rank 8

E. Hale Curran 836, similar schools rank 3

Lisa J. Mails 871, similar schools rank 6

Monte Vista 844, similar schools rank 4

Murrieta Elementary 855, similar schools rank 6

Rail Ranch Elementary 839, similar schools rank 6

Tovashal Elementary 879, similar schools rank 7

Dorothy McElhinney 850, similar schools rank 9

Shivela 809, similar schools rank 4

Thompson 857, similar schools rank 6

Warm Springs 802, similar schools rank 3

Murrieta Mesa 819, similar schools rank 8

Murrieta Valley 823, similar schools rank 7

Vista Murrieta 819, similar schools rank 9

Creekside 736

Tenaja Canyon Academy 729

To see a full list of API reports released today and see how your school ranked, click here.

City News Service contributed to this report.