Christine Sipherd Elementary

Christine Sipherd Elementary, a mid-sized K-5 school in Modesto, California, part of Empire Union Elementary, educates 505 students, covering grades K through 6.

Empire Union Elementary runs 6 schools in total, collectively educating 2,794 students. Christine Sipherd Elementary is one of those campuses.

Demographically, Christine Sipherd Elementary shows that 58% of the student body identifies as Hispanic; the rest comes out to 24% White, 6% Asian, 6% Black, 5% multiracial.

In terms of school funding signals, On paper, Christine Sipherd Elementary has 21 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 24.1:1. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 22.3:1, putting Christine Sipherd Elementary higher than the state norm the norm. An estimated 82% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, often used as a Title I proxy. By comparison, Stanislaus County runs at roughly 71%, so the school's eligibility rate is somewhat above the surrounding baseline.

After controlling for student poverty, Christine Sipherd Elementary sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 30.4%; this one delivers 31.6%.

Around the school, the surrounding county (Stanislaus County) shows that median household income runs about $81,468, roughly 20% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and the poverty rate sits near 11%. Across Stanislaus County's 190 public schools (combined enrollment of about 106,477 students), Christine Sipherd Elementary is one campus in the mix.

Lakewood Elementary is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.6 miles from this campus. Counting just inside five miles, 8 other public schools cluster around Christine Sipherd Elementary. On composite proficiency, Christine Sipherd Elementary comes 6th of 8 in the immediate cluster, below the nearby-schools average of 40.5%.

The campus sits in an inner-city setting.

Over the past 7-year window. Over the past 7-year window, the student count grew 5%: 483 students in 2018 compared to 505 in 2025. White enrollment moved from 35% to 24% across the same window.

Within the allk12 community for this school, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around sports schedules, lunch menu changes, and school spirit week. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.