EDUCATION
New Report Shows Petaluma High Test Scores at Historic Low
Researchers say student performance has dropped dramatically, placing local scores among the lowest measured nationally.
By Elena Voss and Staff · 1 hour ago
A statewide review released Monday placed Petaluma High among the steepest year-over-year declines in California, with proficiency rates in math and reading falling to levels administrators described as “sobering.” District officials pledged emergency tutoring blocks and a community forum next Thursday, while parents lined the gymnasium asking whether phones, post-pandemic absences, or “whatever happened to homework” were to blame. State analysts cautioned that one report should not define a school, but conceded the numbers were “difficult to spin positively.”
PETALUMA — When Superintendent Marla Chen opened the district’s quarterly data packet Monday morning, she reportedly set her coffee down so slowly that three colleagues mistook the silence for a fire drill.
The numbers were unambiguous: Petaluma High’s composite proficiency in math and English language arts had fallen to 31%, a figure that places the campus in the bottom decile statewide and, according to one analyst who asked not to be named, “somewhere between concerning and the kind of thing you put in a PowerPoint with a frowny face.”
The decline did not arrive overnight. Internal dashboards reviewed by this publication show a steady slide over four years, accelerating after 2022 when chronic absenteeism climbed and a popular TikTok trend encouraged students to “study ironically.” Teachers described classrooms where participation is high but answers are “vibes-based.”
Parents who packed the gymnasium Tuesday night were less interested in longitudinal charts than in explanations. “My kid says the Wi-Fi was bad during the test,” said one mother. “Our Wi-Fi is fiber. What is happening?”
District leadership outlined a five-point recovery plan: mandatory tutoring blocks, Saturday math labs, a phone-collection pilot in two classrooms, and a community forum billed as “listening session / light refreshments.” A fifth point—“rebranding effort”—was crossed out on the handout but visible through the paper.
State education officials urged context. “One report does not define a school,” said spokesperson Denise Holt. “That said, these are difficult numbers to spin positively. We recommend honesty, resources, and maybe fewer inspirational posters about grit.”
Students interviewed outside the library were philosophical. “I’ll retake it,” said sophomore Jaylen R. “Or I’ll go into content creation. Same energy.”
The school board votes next month on whether to declare an academic state of emergency, a label that would unlock supplemental funding and, according to board member Greg Fisk, “finally get us on the local news for something other than the pep band.”