1
What's the vibe like in the hallways at Daniel N. Buchanan Elementary right now?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
828
Elementary
DISTRICT 797 · STATE 465
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·MURRIETA VALLEY UNIFIED·NCES 060002910354
Daniel N. Buchanan Elementary
40121 Torrey Pines Rd., Murrieta, CA 92563 · (951) 696-1428 · Riverside County
GRADES KG–05ELEMENTARY21-SUBURBTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL828 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
23.8:1
35 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 24.6:1 · STATE 22.3:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
62%
516 students
DISTRICT 56% · STATE 65%
Community
6
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other elementary schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Kindergarten | 171 | 21% |
| Grade 1 | 136 | 16% |
| Grade 2 | 108 | 13% |
| Grade 3 | 154 | 19% |
| Grade 4 | 115 | 14% |
| Grade 5 | 144 | 17% |
This year's kindergarten class (171) is 19% larger than its 5th grade class (144).
Student demographics
71%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 69% · STATE 62% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
Test scores
CAASPP 2024-25 . % met or exceeded standardEnglish Language Arts
57.9%
CA avg 49.1% . +3.9pp since 2014
Math
50.4%
CA avg 37.7% . +2.4pp since 2014
What this means: On the CAASPP, California's statewide test, about 58 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 50 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all California schools, those numbers are about 49 and 38. Reading and writing scores are up about 4 points since 2014, while math scores are up about 2 points.
Performance levels, 2024-25
| Subject | Standard Exceeded | Standard Met | Standard Nearly Met | Standard Not Met |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| English Language Arts | 29.7% | 28.2% | 19.2% | 22.9% |
| Math | 22.7% | 27.7% | 27.7% | 21.9% |
Share of tested students at each CAASPP level. Each student counts in one level, so a row adds to about 100%.
CAASPP results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 57.9% | 50.4% |
| 2023-24 | 48.3% | 54.3% |
| 2022-23 | 45.9% | 48.4% |
| 2021-22 | 46.2% | 46.3% |
| 2018-19 | 61.3% | 55.5% |
| 2017-18 | 66.0% | 55.2% |
| 2016-17 | 62.0% | 55.3% |
| 2015-16 | 58.0% | 51.0% |
| 2014-15 | 54.0% | 48.0% |
% met or exceeded standard, all students and all tested grades.
Source: CAASPP. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
52.5%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
43.0%
based on CA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+9.5pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 53% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 43% typical for California schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among California's top nor bottom 10%.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
Schools most like Daniel N. Buchanan Elementary
Daniel N. Buchanan Elementary's state test result (52.5% proficient) is higher than 3 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daniel N. Buchanan Elementary this school | 828 | 62.3% | 52.5% |
| Monte Vista Elementary Murrieta | 769 | 59.4% | 50.4% |
| Alta Murrieta Elementary Murrieta | 849 | 60.5% | 58.7% |
| Southshore Elementary Menifee | 843 | 59.3% | 41.6% |
| Temescal Valley Elementary Corona | 832 | 64.4% | 71.7% |
| Orange Elementary Corona | 746 | 63.1% | 49.3% |
Matched among California elementary schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where Daniel N. Buchanan Elementary ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In California | In Riverside County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 52.5% | #1,559 of 5,151 | #46 of 283 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 50.4% | #1,567 of 5,172 ▼ 297 | #46 of 283 ▼ 21 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 57.9% | #1,475 of 5,172 ▲ 552 | #47 of 283 ▲ 28 |
| 3-year test score change ranked biggest gain first | +7.8pp | #941 of 5,116 | #46 of 280 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 828 | #311 of 5,915 | #43 of 296 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 23.8:1 | #3,585 of 5,352 | #172 of 292 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 70.7% | #556 of 5,354 | #11 of 292 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 62.3% | #3,366 of 5,625 | #237 of 294 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -9.7% | #2,726 of 3,837 | #150 of 207 |
Ranked against other public elementary schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
828
+23 (+3%) vs 2020
-20% since 2010-11, when it was 1,033
Student : Teacher
23.8:1
was 25.2:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 828 | 34.8 | 23.8:1 | 62% (516) |
| 2023-24 | 843 | 33.8 | 25.0:1 | 59% (494) |
| 2022-23 | 857 | 31.8 | 26.9:1 | 56% (477) |
| 2020-21 | 805 | 32 | 25.2:1 | 45% (363) |
| 2017-18 | 917 | 35 | 26.2:1 | 47% (431) |
| 2015-16 | 961 | 37 | 26.0:1 | 43% (414) |
| 2010-11 | 1,033 | N/A | N/A | 35% (364) |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Daniel N. Buchanan Elementary.
Since 2017-18: students down 10% (917 to 828); teachers down 1% (35 to 34.8).
About Daniel N. Buchanan Elementary
A large elementary school in Murrieta, California, Daniel N. Buchanan Elementary is part of Murrieta Valley Unified. Classes run from kindergarten through 5, and the school has 828 students. Against the 465-student average for elementary schools in California, enrollment here is 78% higher.
Within Murrieta Valley Unified, Daniel N. Buchanan Elementary is one of 20 schools. The district enrolls 21,621 students.
The most common group at Daniel N. Buchanan Elementary is Hispanic students, at 44%. Enrollment also includes 27% White, 12% multiracial, 11% Asian, and 5% Black. The school's diversity index is 71%, meaning two students picked at random have a 71% chance of belonging to different racial or ethnic groups.
Daniel N. Buchanan Elementary operates with 34.8 full-time-equivalent teachers, a ratio of about 23.8:1. On average, elementary schools in California have 22.3:1, compared with 23.8:1 here. Daniel N. Buchanan Elementary reports 62% of students eligible for free or reduced-price meals. That rate is below the 74% average among public schools in Riverside County.
Test results at Daniel N. Buchanan Elementary are 9.5 points above what its free or reduced-price lunch share predicts (52.5% actual, 43.0% predicted).
Among Riverside County residents, the median household income is $93,074, the share of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher is 26%, and roughly 8% of residents are in poverty. Besides Daniel N. Buchanan Elementary, Riverside County has 542 other public schools.
Ysabel Barnett Elementary is located about 0.6 miles from Daniel N. Buchanan Elementary. The five-mile area around Daniel N. Buchanan Elementary holds at least 8 other public schools. Daniel N. Buchanan Elementary comes in 5th of 7 nearby schools on average proficiency.
Daniel N. Buchanan Elementary has an NCES locale of Suburb: Large.
Compared with 2020-21, the school had 23 more students in 2024-25. The school's ratio fell from 25.2:1 to 23.8:1 between 2020-21 and 2024-25.
Topics for discussion here include science fairs, picture day, and bus routes. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.
Riverside County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
2,478,600
Census ACS
Median income
$93,074
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
26%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
8%
Below federal line
Schools in county
543
424,872 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Murrieta Valley Unified
- Vista Murrieta HighHigh · 3,328 students
- Murrieta Valley HighHigh · 2,104 students
- Murrieta Mesa HighHigh · 2,066 students
- Thompson MiddleMiddle · 1,565 students
- Dorothy McElhinney MiddleMiddle · 1,451 students
- Shivela MiddleMiddle · 1,282 students
Other schools in Murrieta
- Vista Murrieta HighHigh · 3,328 students
- Murrieta Valley HighHigh · 2,104 students
- Murrieta Mesa HighHigh · 2,066 students
- Thompson MiddleMiddle · 1,565 students
- Dorothy McElhinney MiddleMiddle · 1,451 students
- Shivela MiddleMiddle · 1,282 students
Nearby schools
- Ysabel Barnett Elementary0.6 mi · 753
- Warm Springs Middle0.7 mi · 755
- Chaparral High1.0 mi · 3,136
- Alta Murrieta Elementary1.4 mi · 849
- MethodSchools1.5 mi · 428
- James L. Day Middle1.6 mi · 932
Frequently asked questions
About Daniel N. Buchanan ElementaryHow many students attend Daniel N. Buchanan Elementary?
Daniel N. Buchanan Elementary enrolls approximately 828 students in grades KG-05.
What grades does Daniel N. Buchanan Elementary serve?
Daniel N. Buchanan Elementary serves grades KG-05.
How many students per teacher at Daniel N. Buchanan Elementary?
Approximately 23.8:1 students per teacher at Daniel N. Buchanan Elementary.
How diverse is Daniel N. Buchanan Elementary?
Daniel N. Buchanan Elementary reports a student body of 27% White, 44% Hispanic, 5% Black, 11% Asian, 12% Two or more.
Who oversees Daniel N. Buchanan Elementary?
Daniel N. Buchanan Elementary is overseen by Murrieta Valley Unified in Riverside County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.