California’s top- and bottom-performing elementary schools showed a striking divide in newly released test results. At one school, nearly every student met state standards in reading and math last spring; at another, fewer than 5% reached the benchmark.

Cold Spring Elementary in Santa Barbara County led the state rankings. All tested students met or exceeded the standard in English language arts, while 98.97% reached the benchmark in math.

At the bottom was San Mateo Park Elementary, located between San Francisco and San Jose. Only 3.57% of students tested met the English standard, and 5.56% met the math standard.

The rankings include 8,682 California public schools, including charter schools. They are based on the average share of students who met or exceeded state standards in English and math on the California Department of Education’s 2025-26 Smarter Balanced assessments.

Thirty-eight schools posted average results of at least 90%, while 201 schools averaged below 10%. The typical school had an average proficiency rate of about 40%, according to a California Post analysis of the newly released data.

Across California, 49.3% of students met or exceeded the English standard, compared with 38.4% in math. The results underscore the continuing academic challenges facing schools and educators statewide.

The sharp differences from one school to another also reflect the unequal conditions students experience beyond the classroom, said Morgan Polikoff, a University of Southern California education professor.

“On average, that’s absolutely true,” Polikoff said when asked whether schools in affluent neighborhoods generally outperform those in disadvantaged communities. “It’s true in California, and it’s true everywhere.”

Cold Spring Elementary, the sole school in its Santa Barbara County district, recorded the highest results in California. Each of the 97 students who took the English assessment met or exceeded the state standard. In math, 96 of 97 students did so. Because the school is small, the performance of a single student changes its percentage by roughly one percentage point.

Two schools in Los Angeles County ranked next.

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At Science Academy STEM Magnet in the Los Angeles Unified School District, 98.8% of students met the English standard and 99.4% met the math standard. At Gretchen Whitney High in ABC Unified, 489 of 494 students met the standard in both subjects, representing 99%.

Oxford Academy, part of Orange County’s Anaheim Union High School District, placed fourth. The school posted an English proficiency rate of 98.9% and a math rate of 96.7%.

Buckeye Union Mandarin Immersion Charter in El Dorado County completed the top five. The district-run charter school had 105 of 108 tested students meet the standard in each subject, or 97.2%. Like Cold Spring, it is a small school, with about 100 students tested.

San Mateo Park Elementary had the lowest results among regular California schools with at least 50 tested students.

Only 5 of the 140 students who took the English assessment met the standard, a rate of 3.6%. In math, 8 of 144 students did so, or 5.6%. The school’s results were notably lower than those across its district: About half of students in the San Mateo-Foster City School District met the standard in each subject.

The next four schools were separated by less than two-tenths of a percentage point. At Martin Luther King, Jr. Elementary in Oakland Unified, 4.3% of students met the English standard and 5% met the math standard.

Barstow Unified in San Bernardino County placed two schools among the five lowest performers.

At Barstow Junior High, 7.3% of 520 students met the English standard. In math, just 11 of 516 students did so, or 2.1%. At Crestline Elementary, 5.2% met the English standard and 4.4% met the math standard. A third Barstow school, Barstow Intermediate, ranked sixth from the bottom.

In Humboldt County, 8.3% of students at Hoopa Valley Elementary in the Klamath-Trinity Joint Unified School District met the English standard. In math, only 2 of 141 students did so, or 1.4%—the lowest math result among the five schools.

Polikoff said schools in disadvantaged communities often contend with challenges that extend well beyond academics, including poverty, homelessness and foster care. Such schools also face difficulties retaining experienced teachers.

“The most experienced and the best teachers will often choose to work in more advantaged schools,” Polikoff said.

A Florida man has been arrested after deputies said he shot his girlfriend and then struck her with his vehicle while his 5-year-old child was inside.

The alleged attack followed an argument between the couple across the street from a bar in Safe Harbor, Florida.

The Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office identified the suspect as 40-year-old Christopher “Dodge” Smith.

Deputies identified the alleged victim as 30-year-old Jessica Antolini, Smith’s girlfriend.

According to a criminal complaint, Smith arrived at a bar shortly before 9 p.m. Tuesday. Witnesses told investigators he appeared to be searching for Antolini and described his behavior as looking “possessed.”

The complaint states that Smith found Antolini outside the bar, where the two began arguing. He allegedly then shot her in the face.

Deputies said Smith then drove his SUV over Antolini before fleeing the scene with his 5-year-old child inside the vehicle, leaving her behind.

The report said multiple 911 calls came in after the shooting. Witnesses also provided deputies with details about Smith’s vehicle.

Deputies responded to the scene, later found Smith’s SUV and attempted to stop him.

Smith allegedly refused to stop, and deputies ultimately immobilized the vehicle.

Video released by the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office, including body-camera, dashcam and aerial footage, appears to show a patrol vehicle performing a PIT maneuver that brought the SUV to a stop.

Smith was arrested after the pursuit and charged with attempted first-degree murder and child abuse.

Antolini remained hospitalized in critical condition. The child was not injured and was later reunited with family members.

Smith is being held in the Pinellas County jail without bond on the attempted first-degree murder charge.

Jurors in the federal trial of a Massachusetts police officer accused of killing a woman he allegedly sexually abused as a teenager were shown disturbing photographs from the crime scene.

Matthew Farwell, 40, is accused of strangling 23-year-old Sandra Birchmore in early 2021 after she told him she was pregnant, then arranging the scene to make her death appear to be a suicide.

Farwell served with the Stoughton Police Department from 2012 until 2022. Prosecutors say he first met Birchmore through the department’s police explorers program when she was 12.

According to the prosecution, Farwell used his position to groom Birchmore, sexually exploit her and abuse her after she turned 15. They allege the sexual relationship continued after she became an adult.

Birchmore learned she was pregnant in late 2020 and informed Farwell, according to the federal indictment filed in US District Court in Massachusetts.

Prosecutors allege that Farwell strangled Birchmore on or around February 1, 2021, before drawing on his police experience to stage her apartment as if she had taken her own life.

Farwell has pleaded not guilty. He maintains that Birchmore died by suicide after he ended their relationship. The Daily Mail has contacted his defense attorneys for additional comment.

During the first week of the federal murder trial, jurors viewed graphic photographs of Birchmore’s body. She was found in her bedroom on February 4, 2021, by an officer carrying out a wellness check.

Canton Police Officer Ensley Cotard testified Tuesday that he was dispatched to check on Birchmore after she failed to report for work, NBC Boston reported.

Cotard said Birchmore’s school, where she worked as an instructional assistant, requested the welfare check. When he reached her apartment, he had to obtain a key from the property’s leasing manager.

He testified that he knocked on the door and, after receiving no response, used the key to enter the apartment.

Inside the bedroom, Cotard said he found Birchmore’s heavily pregnant body near a door. A ligature was around her neck and attached to the doorknob.

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The officer testified that he did not see a suicide note, although he said searching for one was not part of his responsibility because he had been responding to a wellness check.

The proceedings are taking place in federal court after the FBI revisited Birchmore’s death, which had initially been ruled a suicide.

Federal investigators accuse Farwell of killing Birchmore to prevent her from revealing the alleged abuse. The charge is being pursued as a federal witness-tampering homicide case.

In opening statements on Friday, prosecutors said Farwell strangled Birchmore three days before her body was discovered because she had threatened to tell his wife about their affair. His wife was also heavily pregnant with the couple’s third child, prosecutors said.

Footage showed Farwell entering Birchmore’s apartment wearing a mask on the night of the murder, but his lawyers claim he went there to break up with her and she killed herself after he left.

It has since been revealed that Farwell’s twin brother, William, also a Stoughton officer, and Deputy Police Chief Robert Devine also had sexual relationships with Birchmore while she was in the Explorers program. 

An internal police investigation concluded that the three officers had ‘inappropriate’ relationships with Birchmore, while an attorney for her family accused them of ‘passing her around like a toy.’

A DNA test done after Farwell’s arrest showed the baby was ultimately not Matthew Farwell’s.

Birchmore’s family has since filed a wrongful death lawsuit against all three men, claiming that she was groomed as a teen in the police explorer program, People reported. 

Devine denies any sexual relationship with Birchmore, while William claims she was a consenting adult when they had sex. 

A highly ranked California high school water polo program is facing a hazing investigation after players allegedly harassed and physically mistreated teammates in a hotel room during an away tournament. The incident reportedly left some students injured and prompted an inquiry by the school district.

The allegations were outlined in an email sent by Wilson High School coach Zac Polmanteer to parents, according to the Long Beach Post, which obtained the message. The incident reportedly occurred in the San Jose area last weekend.

“Multiple student athletes were subjected to humiliating and physically harmful acts. Some athletes sustained injuries from being physically struck by their teammates,” Polmanteer wrote.

The coach did not specify how many students were involved or provide details about the severity of the reported injuries.

The Long Beach Unified School District confirmed that it was investigating the allegations and stressed that hazing is prohibited in its schools and athletic programs.

“Hazing is not allowed and has no place in our schools or athletic programs,” a district spokesperson said. “Wilson High School continues to reinforce expectations for student safety and respectful conduct.”

District officials said they could not release additional information while the investigation was underway because of laws protecting confidential student and employee records.

Wilson had won its first two matches of the tournament before most of the team members reportedly gathered in a hotel room Friday night.

Polmanteer said he learned the next day about noise complaints and spoke with players about curfew violations and their conduct. He said he did not become aware of the alleged hazing until the team returned to Long Beach on Sunday evening.

“This level of behaviour is shocking, unacceptable, and completely contrary to everything we stand for as a program,” Polmanteer wrote.

On Monday, the school’s athletic director and several water polo coaches interviewed the players who had traveled to the tournament, speaking with them individually.

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According to the email, school administrators and coaches established disciplinary measures that included suspensions from school and the water polo team. They also developed a plan aimed at preventing future incidents.

“Hazing is a cultural problem, even when only a handful of athletes directly participate,” Polmanteer wrote.

He added that all players and their parents had been required to sign agreements expressly banning hazing before participating in the program.

The team’s lineup appeared notably different Tuesday, when Wilson played Long Beach Poly. Thirteen players listed on the team’s September roster were absent, including most of the seniors who had previously comprised the Bruins’ starting lineup.

It was not immediately clear how many of the absences resulted from disciplinary action related to the alleged hazing, injuries or unrelated circumstances.

When questioned about the missing players, Polmanteer referred to a “situation that occurred at school.” He declined to say whether they would return during the current season.

Wilson was ranked No. 4 in the CIF Southern Section’s opening playoff rankings, which were last updated Sept. 28.

Wilson High School and the Wilson Boys Aquatic Foundation have been contacted for comment.

The allegations come as another high-profile California high school water polo case remains in the public spotlight. Former Harvard-Westlake player Lucca Van der Woude was arrested in connection with allegations involving teammate Aidan Romain.

In a lawsuit filed in March, Romain accused Van der Woude, the son of a Hollywood director and a former Olympic water polo prospect, of months of racist harassment and sexual abuse while they played together on the Los Angeles school’s team. Van der Woude gave a deposition in the case in August.

A Florida woman accused of killing her boyfriend and hiding his body in a shallow grave has been convicted of murder.

Caylen Deller, 32, was charged with first-degree murder in the September 2024 death of Chad Mullen, her on-again, off-again boyfriend.

Prosecutors said Deller shot Mullen at her horse farm in San Mateo, Florida, then enlisted a friend and used a horse to move his body. Mullen was discovered in a shallow grave more than a month after he was reported missing.

A jury deliberated for more than an hour Thursday before finding Deller guilty of first-degree murder. She was sentenced to life in prison and was also convicted of tampering with evidence and failing to report a person’s death.

Deller testified Wednesday that she shot Mullen in self-defense. She said he choked her and raised a hammer after she confronted him about unproven allegations that he had sexually abused her young daughter. According to Deller, Mullen became enraged, pinned her against a truck and grabbed her throat, leaving her unable to breathe.

Deller said she reached for a gun after the confrontation. She testified that she had obtained the weapon after Mullen allegedly broke into her apartment on Aug. 1, 2024.

“I pulled the trigger of the gun and shot him twice,” Deller said. “I was extremely afraid.

“I shot Chad twice in self-defense.”

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Deller said she never intended to kill Mullen and believed her actions were necessary to protect herself.

Prosecutors challenged Deller over her decision not to contact police and her continued communication with Mullen, whom she had described as violent. They presented evidence showing that she placed 28 calls to him between Sept. 2 and Sept. 9, 2024.

Deller testified that she did not call 911 immediately after the shooting because she feared police would reject her self-defense account. She said she also withheld the information from Mullen’s family for the same reason.

“It was probably not a good idea,” Deller said. “I was more concerned about getting in trouble.”

In closing arguments Thursday, prosecutors told jurors that Deller should have contacted law enforcement after the shooting.

“She could have called law enforcement to report that Mr. Mullen attacked her or charged at her or did something to her, but she never did,” a prosecutor said.

A body-positivity influencer who said she wanted to spend her life empowering young people in the United States allegedly attempted to kill her two daughters by deliberately crashing her vehicle on a freeway before stabbing them.

Janieka Ellington, 35, had begun gaining recognition as a plus-size activist after sharing her 60-pound weight-loss journey on TikTok, the Daily Mail can reveal.

As she urged followers to pursue their “dream body naturally,” without surgery or medication, Ellington was also working toward a career in criminal justice and public policy.

The diversity, equity and inclusion scholar graduated from Walden University last winter with a master’s degree in criminal justice. The school is known for its online degree programs.

She now faces attempted murder charges after police alleged that she intentionally crashed her Volkswagen Tiguan on Interstate 5 in Dupont, Washington, at about 9 a.m. PT on October 5.

According to charging documents obtained by the Daily Mail, Ellington then allegedly tried to stab both of her daughters. The attack reportedly ended only when two US Army soldiers witnessed the scene and intervened.

Investigators said Ellington blamed her actions on losing her job and struggling with mental health issues, according to the alleged would-be murder case.

The violent incident marks a dramatic fall for Ellington, who had recently turned her attention to academia and public service.

For her capstone thesis, Ellington examined what she called the “deep-seated roots of injustice embedded within the American criminal justice system.”

Her research and advocacy focused on public policy reforms aimed at dismantling structural barriers, tackling racial inequality and advancing restorative justice alongside public safety, according to her thesis and online academic profile.

In September, the first-generation master’s student commemorated the completion of her degree with a professional photoshoot in her cap and gown.

“I’m dedicated to empowering young people to break through their barriers and come out victorious,” she wrote on Facebook while sharing a highlight reel from the photoshoot.

She continued: “I didn’t grow up with a silver spoon, but I’m constantly pushing forward, never forgetting where I come from.”

Ellington could now face decades in prison over the violent incident on I-5 earlier this month, according to a probable cause affidavit.

The Washington State Patrol said her SUV first struck the left-side barrier, moved onto the right shoulder and then veered back across the roadway, where it hit a semi-truck in the middle lane.

Police said the vehicle continued toward the left, hit the concrete barrier again and overturned onto its passenger side before stopping.

Three good Samaritans ran to assist Ellington and her young daughters, who were identified in court documents only by their initials, AD and ZD.

The affidavit alleges that Ellington then produced a knife and chased her 15-year-old daughter, AD, around the area while shouting, “I’m going to kill you.”

The group of bystanders, which included two soldiers, and the teenager worked to disarm Ellington and held her on the ground until state troopers arrived, the affidavit said.

Ellington was charged with four counts of attempted murder, two counts of vehicular assault and felony harassment, according to Pierce County Corrections records. She has not yet entered a plea. 

The alleged assault came just three hours after the seemingly distressed mother had run out of gas on the side of the road, WSP body-worn camera footage obtained by KING 5 showed.

Ellington, who appeared to be crying in the footage, was seen standing next to her parked SUV just after 6am on October 5.

She allegedly told the officer that she had run out of fuel, so he went to a nearby gas station, filled a five-gallon gas container, and returned to put the fuel in her car.

At the time of her arrest, Ellington had been struggling with her mental health, a pretrial services screening and public safety assessment revealed. 

She told investigators during an in-custody interview that she had been diagnosed with depression and anxiety, the filing said. 

Investigators ran a check through the National Crime Information Center database and determined Ellington has a ‘criminal history in Tennessee,’ the assessment noted.

The filing went on to state that despite this history, she has no convictions. The Daily Mail ran an independent records search and failed to find any further details about her alleged criminal past in Tennessee.

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Instead, she appeared to be a pillar in her Memphis community and just four years ago was featured in a Canvas Rebel profile in connection to her media company, Memphis Visuals.

The company, which has not updated its social media platforms since 2023, offered photography, film and music video services across Memphis.

While in Tennessee, Ellington had also amassed a small following on TikTok as a body positivity influencer after losing 60 pounds in just two years.

‘As a plus size woman, I grew up bullied and shamed for my body,’ she told the magazine. ‘But as an adult, I found my confidence and pride in my curvy physique.’

Her TikTok account has since been deleted, but other social media profiles promoting body positivity remain active.

It is unclear exactly when or why Ellington moved her family to Washington, but her daughters told police they had been living with an uncle in the small town of Steilacoom.

Ellington represented the Palmer Scholars Green Stormwater Infrastructure program at the Tacoma Public Utilities Women in Trades Expo in January 2025, the workforce development initiative wrote in a Facebook post.

She and her cohort ‘loved connecting with so many driven young women exploring careers in the trade,’ Palmer Scholars said at the time.

However, she had been unemployed for about two months at the time of her arrest, according to the pretrial services screening and public safety assessment. 

Ellington told police how she recently lost two jobs and was stressed. She claimed that she was having difficulties managing her mental health and was concerned she was being followed, according to a WSP report obtained by KING 5.

The scholar also said she had considered traveling to Vancouver, Canada, in search of safety, the report said.

Police believe Ellington was under the influence of alcohol and having suicidal thoughts at the time of the crash, the probable cause affidavit said. 

Ellington allegedly smelled of booze, troopers said, and admitted that she had been drinking ‘whiskey straight’ the night before the crash, according to the filing. She also told police that ‘she never went to bed.’ 

AD recalled seeing her mother drinking late Sunday evening and claimed Ellington abruptly woke her and ZD in the middle of the night, the affidavit said.

Ellington rushed them into her SUV and they abruptly left their home, AD told investigators. She drove roughly three hours, before she turned around and headed home, the 15-year-old said.

Ellington’s younger daughter, ZD, told authorities that her mother believed she was being followed as she drove, according to the court filing.

The ten-year-old claimed the scholar also told them ‘they were all going to die’ before driving into the barrier, the affidavit said.

During their drive, Ellington said she would kill AD and ZD ‘before the people that were following them did,’ according to the affidavit.

AD told investigators she believed Ellington was ‘delusional,’ the affidavit said, and added that her mother had been ‘driving extremely erratic’ before the crash.

Ellington was arrested at the scene and taken to a nearby hospital for evaluation, the filing said.

She is currently being held in jail without bail as she awaits a mental health evaluation, according to a competency evaluation order obtained by the Daily Mail.

Both girls were also hospitalized after the crash, but are expected to recover from their injuries, according to the affidavit. 

AD broke her left ankle, while ZD was left with multiple broken bones, a spinal injury and stab wounds, the affidavit said.

The semi-truck driver was not injured during the incident, though the vehicle was damaged, state troopers said.

The crash remains under investigation. Ellington is next due in court on October 20.