CAASPP Results Explained: Scale Score Ranges, Levels & Percentiles (2026)

CAASPP test results are here—do you know how to check your child’s scores and understand what those grades really mean? This guide explains how to access CAASPP results, interpret scale score percentiles and achievement levels by grade, and see how your child’s grade compares at both the school and state level. More than just a number, your child’s CAASPP grade highlights strengths, areas for improvement, and clear next steps to support long-term academic success.

Scroll down to download the latest CAASPP percentile data, evaluate your child’s overall performance, and explore whether Math Acceleration is the right next step—starting with a free Think Academy evaluation.

What is CAASPP?

The California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) is California’s standardized assessment system for public school students. CAASPP evaluates students’ proficiency in critical subjects:

• English Language Arts (ELA)
• Mathematics
• Science (CAST), aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards (Grades 5, 8, and selected high school grades)
• California Alternate Assessments (CAA) for students with cognitive disabilities
• California Spanish Assessment (CSA) for students assessing Spanish reading, writing, and listening skills.

Smarter Balanced Assessments (SBA) are the main assessments for ELA and Mathematics for grades 3-8 and 11, emphasizing critical thinking, analytical writing, and problem-solving skills.

How to Access Your Child’s CAASPP Scores

CAASPP scores are typically available through your child’s school district Parent Portal, such as Aeries, Infinite Campus, or other similar systems. Here’s the general process:

Step-by-Step Process:

1. Log in to the Parent Portal: Visit your school district’s official website, locate the Parent Portal, and log in using your credentials.
2. Navigate to Test Scores Section: Look for sections labeled “Test Scores,” “State Tests,” or specifically “CAASPP Scores.”
3. View or Download Score Reports: You can typically view, download, or print your child’s detailed CAASPP report directly.

Additional Tips:

• District-Specific Instructions: District websites often provide specific instructions or direct links for CAASPP results.
• Contact Your Child’s School: If you encounter difficulty online, contact your child’s school to request printed copies or assistance.

A Quick Guide to Understanding Your Child’s CAASPP Score Report

CAASPP report provides essential insights into your child’s academic performance in English Language Arts (ELA), Mathematics, and Science.

Key Sections to Understand:

• Overall Achievement Levels: Indicates if your child meets, exceeds, or is approaching grade-level standards.
  • Achievement Levels:
    • Level 4: Standard Exceeded
    • Level 3: Standard Met
    • Level 2: Standard Nearly Met
    • Level 1: Standard Not Met
  • Typically, the score ranges between 2000-3000, with around 2500 being the threshold for meeting standards. Scores dynamically shift annually based on student performance distributions.
• Subject-Specific Scores and History: Shows current-year performance and trends over time, revealing progress or areas needing improvement.
• Detailed Performance Areas: Highlights your child’s strengths and weaknesses within each subject, helping to identify specific skills for further support.
• Essay and Skill Measures (Lexile and Quantile): Provides deeper insights into your child’s writing abilities and readiness in reading and mathematics.
• Comparative Analysis: Compares your child’s scores to school and state averages, offering context on their overall academic standing.

By reviewing this report, parents can clearly identify their child’s strengths, recognize areas for growth, and collaborate effectively with teachers to support continuous academic development.

Click to download a complete report sample.

How to Understand the Performance in School Level

• To understand your child’s CAASPP performance compared to the school average:
• Visit the Education Data Partnership website.
• Select your County, District, and School Name from the provided dropdown menus.
• Scroll down to the Performance section.
• Review historical data and CAASPP proficiency percentages to compare your child’s performance.

This data will help you gauge your child’s performance within the context of their school, providing deeper insights for targeted academic support.

How to Understand CAASPP by Grade

At each grade level, scale scores are the starting point, but two additional indicators help parents better understand a student’s performance: achievement levels and percentiles. Let’s look at each one in more detail.

Understand CAASPP Achievement Levels by Grade

There are four achievement levels for each grade based on CAASPP scale scores. These levels are named to reflect students’ proficiency relative to grade-level standards:

• Standard Not Met
• Standard Nearly Met
• Standard Met
• Standard Exceeded

Within the same achievement level, the detailed descriptors can provide more specific insights into how well a student has mastered the required skills.

• Grades 3-5: “Standard Exceeded” indicates mastery essential for future academic success.
• Grades 6-8: “Standard Exceeded” shows readiness for success in high-school-level coursework and entry-level college classes.
• Grade 11: Achieving “Standard Exceeded” implies readiness for high school graduation and foundational college coursework.

“Standard Met” (Level 3) means the student has met California public school grade-level expectations, which is important for moving on to the next academic stage.

Use the tables and graphs below to find your ELA & Math position based on your grade and score.

Table 1: English Language Arts Literacy Scale Score Ranges by Grade (2020–21 and Forward)

Achievement Level	G3	G4	G5	G6	G7	G8	G11
Scale Range	2115–2650	2140–2690	2200–2730	2230–2770	2260–2810	2290–2850	2300–2900
Standard Not Met	2115–2366	2140–2415	2200–2441	2230–2456	2260–2478	2290–2486	2300–2492
Standard Nearly Met	2367–2431	2416–2472	2442–2501	2457–2530	2479–2551	2487–2566	2493–2582
Standard Met	2432–2489	2473–2532	2502–2581	2531–2617	2552–2648	2567–2667	2583–2681
Standard Exceeded	2490–2650	2533–2690	2582–2730	2618–2770	2649–2810	2668–2850	2682–2900

Table 2: Mathematics Scale Score Ranges by Grade (2020–21 and Forward)

Achievement Level	G3	G4	G5	G6	G7	G8	G11
Scale Range	2190–2660	2205–2700	2220–2740	2235–2780	2250–2820	2265–2860	2280–2900
Standard Not Met	2190–2380	2205–2410	2220–2454	2235–2472	2250–2483	2265–2503	2280–2542
Standard Nearly Met	2381–2435	2411–2484	2455–2527	2473–2551	2484–2566	2504–2585	2543–2627
Standard Met	2436–2500	2485–2548	2528–2578	2552–2609	2567–2634	2586–2652	2628–2717
Standard Exceeded	2501–2660	2549–2700	2579–2740	2610–2780	2635–2820	2653–2860	2718–2900

If you are looking for score reference before 2020, visit this page.

Understand CAASPP Scale Score Percentiles by Grade

The graphs below show scale score percentiles for the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP), including Smarter Balanced English Language Arts Literacy and Mathematics.

Percentiles show how a student’s score compares with other test participants. For example, if your child’s score is at the 99th percentile, they performed in the top 1% of students in the same grade and subject.

*Click to Download detailed 2014-2025 CAASPP percentile data

Notice that there is no fixed one-to-one relationship between achievement levels and percentiles. Achievement levels indicate a student’s mastery of grade-level standards, while percentiles show how the student compares with peers in the same grade and subject.

In other words, achievement levels answer “Has the student met the grade-level standard?” while percentiles answer “How does the student rank compared with other test takers?” A student can meet the standard but still fall at different percentile levels depending on statewide performance in that year, grade, and subject.

Recent Trends in CAASPP Scores and Percentile

CAASPP scale score distributions vary from year to year, reflecting changes in student performance across the state. The table below records the share of all test participants who reached each achievement level.

For example, in the 2024–2025 CAASPP ELA test, 29.43% of students were at “Standard Not Met,” 21.76% were at “Standard Nearly Met,” 26.53% were at “Standard Met,” and 22.29% were at “Standard Exceeded.” The combined share of “Standard Met” and “Standard Exceeded” was 48.82%, which means fewer than half of students statewide reached or exceeded the grade-level proficiency standard in ELA.

This percentage is an important indicator for understanding overall student performance in California. Recent data from 2018 to 2025 shows several notable trends, including a significant decline in overall CAASPP performance during the COVID-19 period and a lower share of students reaching the “Standard Exceeded” level.

Since 2021, English Language Arts (ELA) performance has remained relatively stable, while the share of students reaching “Standard Exceeded” in Math has gradually improved.

Table 3: CAASPP ELA Achievement Level Shares for All Grades by Year

School Year	Standard Not Met	Standard Nearly Met	Standard Met	Standard Exceeded	Met or Exceeded
2024–2025	29.43%	21.76%	26.53%	22.29%	48.82%
2023–2024	31.15%	21.80%	26.02%	21.02%	47.04%
2022–2023	31.17%	22.17%	25.93%	20.73%	46.66%
2021–2022	30.33%	22.62%	26.56%	20.50%	47.06%
2020–2021	28.30%	22.69%	27.59%	21.42%	49.01%
2018–2019	26.63%	22.28%	28.62%	22.48%	51.10%

Table 4: CAASPP Math Achievement Level Shares for All Grades by Year

School Year	Standard Not Met	Standard Nearly Met	Standard Met	Standard Exceeded	Met or Exceeded
2024–2025	38.98%	23.72%	17.93%	19.37%	37.30%
2023–2024	40.55%	23.91%	17.65%	17.89%	35.54%
2022–2023	41.32%	24.06%	17.48%	17.14%	34.62%
2021–2022	41.96%	24.66%	17.32%	16.06%	33.38%
2020–2021	40.74%	25.50%	17.98%	15.78%	33.76%
2018–2019	34.86%	25.41%	20.04%	19.69%	39.73%

*Data Source: Data from 2019–2020 is not available due to the suspension of testing during the pandemic.

CAASPP’s Broader Impact

1. College Readiness Benchmark: CAASPP scores can serve as indicators of a student’s preparedness for college-level coursework. Some universities may consider these scores during the admissions process or for course placement decisions, particularly for California State Universities (CSU).
2. Instructional Improvement: Teachers and curriculum planners use CAASPP data to adjust and optimize their teaching strategies and course content, ensuring educational programs effectively meet students’ learning needs.
3. School Funding and Resource Allocation: CAASPP results influence funding distribution and resource allocation decisions by providing a clear measure of school and district performance, guiding budgetary priorities and educational investments.
4. Advanced Placement and Acceleration Opportunities: In Bay Area school districts such as Saratoga and Mountain View, students achieving Level 4 (“Standard Exceeded”) on their CAASPP assessments may be recommended for placement tests that can lead to accelerated courses or advanced learning tracks.

How to Use CAASPP Results to Support Your Child

CAASPP provides crucial insights into your child’s academic abilities, allowing parents and educators to:

• Identify Strengths and Weaknesses: Tailor academic support and enrichment based on specific areas highlighted in the detailed claims section of the report.
• Teacher Collaboration: Teachers adjust and optimize teaching methods and curriculum content based on CAASPP data to better meet student learning needs.
• Planning Educational Pathways: Some districts, especially in high-performing areas like Saratoga and Mountain View, use CAASPP Level 4 results to recommend students for accelerated courses or placement tests.

Next Steps After CAASPP Results: Accelerate Your Child’s Math Learning

Your child’s CAASPP results offer valuable insights for future academic planning.

• If your child has achieved Level 4 (Standard Exceeded), they’re among the top 20% in California, indicating readiness for advanced math classes and competitive opportunities.
• Students at Level 3 (Standard Met) are meeting grade-level standards, making this the ideal moment to pinpoint strengths and address gaps, leading to substantial growth.
• Even if your child scored at Level 1 or 2, identifying foundational gaps or learning habits can swiftly boost their performance.

Level 1–2: Strengthening the Foundation with Practice

Download free targeted math practice for the skills your child needs most. Our grade-specific worksheets are aligned with Common Core concepts and cover every level from Kindergarten through Algebra.

Inside, you’ll find:

• K–5 Worksheets: Choose from foundation practice for students who need extra support with grade-level skills, or advanced practice for students ready for more challenging, above-grade-level work.
• Course-Based Worksheets (Grade 6+): Select your current course — Grade 6, Pre-Algebra, Algebra 1, Geometry, or Algebra 2 — and receive targeted practice for your learning stage.

Get Instant Access: Fill out the form below to receive our exclusive resource pack.

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Looking for more practice by grade level? Visit our full worksheet library to download additional resources across every grade and topic.

Level 3–4: Targeted Acceleration Based on Deeper Assessment

Early math acceleration boosts confidence, develops critical thinking, and positions students for success in advanced classes, prestigious competitions, and selective private schools.

Starting early offers a significant advantage when paired with the right pacing and structure. If you’re unsure when to begin advanced courses, how to balance academics with competitions, or whether your child is on the right long-term track, a Think Academy Free Evaluation can help.

This 1-on-1 evaluation diagnoses current progress and provides a personalized learning pathway aligned with future academic goals.

CAASPP FAQs

• Who takes the CAASPP tests?
  • Students in grades 3–8 and grade 11 primarily take the CAASPP assessments.
• Is participation mandatory in public schools?
  • Yes. Participation in standard assessments like the Smarter Balanced Assessments (SBA) and California Science Test (CAST) is required. Students with special education needs typically take the California Alternate Assessments (CAA).
• When are CAASPP tests administered?
  • The assessments are usually given in spring, from March to May each year.
• Do students need to register individually for CAASPP tests?
  • No. Schools handle the scheduling, organization, and administration of CAASPP testing.
• Do CAASPP results directly influence grades or promotion?
  • No. The CAASPP tests are primarily used as diagnostic tools to measure academic progress and guide learning support, not for grading or promotion decisions.
• What is considered a good CAASPP score?
  • A “good” CAASPP score typically refers to achieving Level 3 (Standard Met) or Level 4 (Standard Exceeded). These levels indicate that students meet or surpass grade-level standards. To better understand scores and performance levels, download the 2023–2024 percentile data for detailed reference.

About Think Academy

Think Academy US Online, part of TAL Education Group (NYSE: TAL), provides structured math and ELA programs that help students build strong academic foundations and grow with confidence. With expert teachers, proven methods, and innovative AI tools, we nurture learning ability, curiosity, and healthy study habits that support long-term growth and a lifelong love of learning.

Check our programs:

• Think Kids: Ages 3-5
• Math
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• ELA
  • Elementary ELA — Grades 2–5

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Source:U.S. News 2026 rankings announcement and methodology, Wikipedia, and official university websites.