Small Rural Napa County School Surpasses State and County Reading Averages After Dramatic Academic Turnaround

Pope Valley Elementary's English Language Arts proficiency climbs from 12% to 57% in four years, with 73% of Latino students meeting state standards alongside massive gains in attendance and student well-being

POPE VALLEY, Calif., Oct. 16, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- For years, fewer than one in four students at Pope Valley Elementary School met California’s English language arts standards. Today, a clear majority do. In a striking testament to what targeted focus and high expectations can achieve, this small rural public school in Napa County is now officially outperforming both county and statewide averages in reading and writing.

Newly released results from the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) reveal that 57% of Pope Valley students met or exceeded English language arts standards in 2025–26, outpacing Napa County (44%) and the statewide average (49%).

This achievement marks an extraordinary trajectory for a school where English language arts proficiency stood at just 12% in 2022–23. In the past year alone, proficiency more than doubled, leaping from 26% to 57%.

Closing Achievement Gaps and Elevating Every Child
The historic gains extend deep into historically underserved populations:

• 73% of Pope Valley’s Latino students met or exceeded English language arts standards.
• 60% of socioeconomically disadvantaged students achieved proficiency.
• 40% preliminary annual reclassification rate for English learners, with 4 out of 10 students reclassified as fluent English proficient during the 2025–26 school year.
  
  

"For years, most of our students were not meeting the state's reading and writing standards. Today, we're outperforming both Napa County and California," said Kim Kern, superintendent and principal of Pope Valley Union Elementary School District. "What's especially meaningful is that we're seeing progress among students who deserve every opportunity to succeed. This is the result of teachers, students, and families working together with high expectations for every child."

Performance at a Glance: Outpacing County and State Averages
According to the 2025–26 CAASPP results:

• English Language Arts: Pope Valley’s proficiency rate sits nearly 13 percentage points above the Napa County average and nearly 8 points above the state.
• Mathematics: Math proficiency has also more than doubled over the past year, rising from 14% to 33%. While slightly below the broader state average of 38%, Pope Valley now outperforms the Napa County average.
• Four-Year ELA Growth Curve:
  
  • 2022–23: 12% proficient
  • 2023–24: 19% proficient
  • 2024–25: 26% proficient
  • 2025–26: 57% proficient
    
    

Beyond Test Scores: A Transformation in Attendance and School Climate
The academic surge is mirrored by an extraordinary turnaround in student attendance and emotional well-being, as tracked by California's 2026 School Dashboard and internal district surveys:

• Chronic Absenteeism: Plummeted from 62.5% in 2025 to 30.6% in 2026—a dramatic reduction of nearly 32 percentage points.
• Suspensions: Held at 0% for students suspended for at least one day during the latest reporting period.
• School Connectedness: Jumped from 46% to 82%.
• Students Feeling Safe: Rose from 38% to 73%.
• Caring Adults on Campus: Increased from 63% to 94%.
• Positive Life Satisfaction: Climbed from 58% to 87%.
  
  

"Every child deserves access to excellent instruction, regardless of background, family income, or the size of the community where they live," Kern said. "Our goal is not simply to help students catch up. It's to help them thrive."

A Small Rural School With Big Expectations
Pope Valley’s success stems from a comprehensive shift in instructional culture. Rather than relying on a single curriculum or silver-bullet intervention, the district prioritized:

• Intensive teacher coaching and continuous professional development.
• Explicit literacy instruction, targeted writing development, and differentiated support.
• Individualized interventions tailored to academic and language-learning needs.
  
  

"Being a small rural school doesn't mean having small expectations," Kern noted. "It means we have an opportunity to know every child, recognize their strengths and challenges, and provide the kind of individual attention that helps them succeed."

As the school celebrates these milestones, leadership emphasizes that momentum will only build. "We're proud of how far we've come, but we're not finished," Kern said. "Our focus now is sustaining these gains, continuing to strengthen mathematics, and making sure every student feels supported, challenged, and excited to learn."

About Pope Valley Union Elementary School District
Pope Valley Union Elementary School District is a small rural public elementary school district serving families in Napa County, California. The district champions academic excellence, personalized instruction, deep student-teacher relationships, and a whole-child approach to education.

Media Contact:
Annie Scranton
annie@pacepublicrelations.com
732-642-7192