NEWMAN — Newman–Crows Landing Unified School District posted strong gains in graduation rates, college and career readiness, and English learner progress in the 2025 California School Dashboard, while chronic absenteeism emerged as the district’s most significant challenge.

The district earned Blue, the state’s highest rating, in both graduation rate and college/career readiness. According to the dashboard, 97.4% of students graduated, up 3.5 percentage points from the previous year. College and career readiness also climbed nearly 10 points, with 82.4% of students meeting the state’s preparedness criteria.

English learner progress was another bright spot. The district received a Green rating, with 47.5% of English learners making progress toward proficiency, a 6.9 point increase.

Academic performance in English language arts and mathematics landed in the Yellow range, indicating medium performance with improvement from the prior year. Students scored 33.7 points below standard in English, improving by 6.8 points, and 79.9 points below standard in math, improving by 8.5 points. Growth data showed 70.5% of students improved in English and 64.8% improved in math, placing the district in the “average” and “moderate” growth categories, respectively.

Science performance, reported for informational purposes, earned a Green rating, with scores rising 2.6 points.

The district met all local indicators, including standards for instructional materials, facilities, academic standards implementation, parent engagement, climate surveys, and access to a broad course of study.

However, chronic absenteeism remains a significant concern. The district received a Red rating — the lowest level — with 15.6% of students chronically absent, an increase of 5.7 percentage points. Six student groups also fell into the Red category, signaling widespread attendance issues across grade levels and demographics.

Suspensions were rated Yellow, with 3.8% of students suspended at least once, a rate that held steady from the previous year.

Newman–Crows Landing Unified serves 3,085 students, nearly 70% of whom are socioeconomically disadvantaged and 30% of whom are English learners. The district reported that 80.5% of teachers hold clear credentials, a figure below the state average.

Overall, the dashboard reflects a district making notable academic and collegereadiness gains while continuing to confront persistent attendance challenges.