PUSD was ranked third in the state and first in Northern California for English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics, according to results from the 2022-2023 California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) results. PUSD was also ranked fifth in the state and second in Northern California for science. 

  CAASPP measures the performance of California primary and secondary school students. According to the California Department of Education, “the primary purpose of the CAASPP system is to assist teachers, administrators, students, and parents by promoting high-quality teaching and learning.” 

  The district has a history of high performance on the CAASPP test, ranking first in Northern California for ELA and Mathematics in the 2021-2022, 2018-2019, and 2017-2018 school years. 

  “Nothing seems amiss,” PHS principal Sukanya Goswami said. 

  She said she would have to take a closer look at the data before fully understanding it.

  The data is often broken down by the percentage of students who met or exceeded a certain standard. According to EdSource, a nonprofit newsroom covering education, in 2022, 87.09% of students in PUSD met or exceeded the English standard, which decreased to 86.06% in 2023. However, the Math standard saw a 1.36% increase in students who met or exceeded the standard.

  PHS saw a 5.04% increase in students who met or exceeded the English standard and a 5.74% increase for the Math standard. 

  MHS had a 19.04% decrease in students who met or exceeded the English standard, dropping from 85.71% in 2022 to 66.67% in 2023. However, the percentage of students who met or exceeded the Math standard grew by 6.25%.