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What advice would you give to incoming students at Faller Elementary?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
516
Elementary
DISTRICT 368 · STATE 465
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·SIERRA SANDS UNIFIED·NCES 063680006242
Faller Elementary
1500 West Upjohn St., Ridgecrest, CA 93555 · (760) 499-1690 · Kern County
GRADES KG–05ELEMENTARY33-TOWNTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL516 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
23.9:1
22 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 22.1:1 · STATE 22.3:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
62%
319 students
DISTRICT 64% · 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 | 102 | 20% |
| Grade 1 | 59 | 11% |
| Grade 2 | 86 | 17% |
| Grade 3 | 82 | 16% |
| Grade 4 | 90 | 17% |
| Grade 5 | 97 | 19% |
This year's kindergarten class (102) is 5% larger than its 5th grade class (97).
Student demographics
66%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 66% · 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
38.4%
CA avg 49.1% . +2.4pp since 2014
Math
31.7%
CA avg 37.7% . +0.7pp since 2014
What this means: On the CAASPP, California's statewide test, about 38 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 32 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 2 points since 2014, while math scores have held steady.
Performance levels, 2024-25
| Subject | Standard Exceeded | Standard Met | Standard Nearly Met | Standard Not Met |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| English Language Arts | 12.6% | 25.9% | 22.4% | 39.2% |
| Math | 11.6% | 20.1% | 30.5% | 37.8% |
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 | 38.4% | 31.7% |
| 2023-24 | 34.9% | 33.8% |
| 2022-23 | 34.0% | 24.8% |
| 2021-22 | 37.3% | 28.7% |
| 2020-21 | 36.8% | 20.7% |
| 2018-19 | 50.2% | 42.9% |
| 2017-18 | 46.6% | 31.2% |
| 2016-17 | 42.7% | 34.6% |
| 2015-16 | 37.0% | 33.0% |
| 2014-15 | 36.0% | 31.0% |
% 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
34.9%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
43.3%
based on CA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-8.4pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 35% 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 Faller Elementary
Faller Elementary's state test result (34.9% proficient) is higher than 4 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Faller Elementary this school | 516 | 61.8% | 34.9% |
| Woodside K-8 Citrus Heights | 506 | 62.5% | 31.2% |
| San Onofre Elementary San Clemente | 489 | 63.4% | 72.1% |
| Lichen K-8 Citrus Heights | 498 | 63.9% | 28.5% |
| Lemon Crest Elementary Lakeside | 437 | 59.0% | 25.4% |
| Northridge Elementary Fair Oaks | 423 | 59.8% | 25.6% |
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 Faller Elementary ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In California | In Kern County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 34.9% | #2,968 of 5,151 | #53 of 148 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 31.7% | #3,060 of 5,172 ▼ 362 | #53 of 150 ▼ 6 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 38.4% | #3,097 of 5,172 ▲ 137 | #64 of 150 no change |
| 3-year test score change ranked biggest gain first | +2.1pp | #2,622 of 5,116 | #80 of 147 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 516 | #2,241 of 5,915 | #104 of 163 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 23.9:1 | #3,666 of 5,352 | #117 of 145 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 65.6% | #1,177 of 5,354 | #10 of 145 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 61.8% | #3,386 of 5,625 | #126 of 153 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked fastest growth first | +13.7% | #400 of 1,139 | #12 of 42 |
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
516
+30 (+6%) vs 2020
-6% since 1990-91, when it was 547
Student : Teacher
23.9:1
was 23.1:1
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 | 516 | 21.6 | 23.9:1 | 62% (319) |
| 2023-24 | 504 | 21.7 | 23.3:1 | 59% (295) |
| 2022-23 | 538 | 21.7 | 24.8:1 | 48% (256) |
| 2020-21 | 486 | 21 | 23.1:1 | 65% (318) |
| 2017-18 | 454 | 18 | 25.2:1 | 72% (326) |
| 2015-16 | 448 | 17 | 26.4:1 | 66% (294) |
| 2010-11 | 479 | N/A | N/A | 59% (282) |
| 2000-01 | 452 | 21 | 21.5:1 | 51% (229) |
| 1990-91 | 547 | 21 | 26.1:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Faller Elementary.
Since 2017-18: students up 14% (454 to 516); teachers up 20% (18 to 21.6).
About Faller Elementary
Faller Elementary is an elementary school located in Ridgecrest, California, in Kern County. Students in kindergarten through 5 attend the school, which enrolls 516 students.
Faller Elementary is among 10 schools run by Sierra Sands Unified, which serves 4,974 students.
Faller Elementary's enrollment has no majority group, and White students are the largest at 43%. After that, the student body is 38% Hispanic, 8% multiracial, 7% Black, and 3% Asian. That is close to the 44% White share among all Kern County residents. Faller Elementary has a diversity index of 66%, compared with 70% for all US public school students.
Teachers at the school number 21.6 full-time equivalents, and the ratio is 23.9:1. Among elementary schools in California, the typical ratio is 22.3:1. The school's lunch program data list 62% of students as eligible for free or reduced-price meals. Among public schools in Kern County, the average eligibility rate is 76%.
The model predicts 43.3% for a school in California with Faller Elementary's free or reduced-price lunch share. Faller Elementary posts 34.9%.
Census Bureau estimates for Kern County show that median household income is about $70,210, a bachelor's degree or higher is held by about 19% of adults, and the share of residents below the poverty line is 15%. Faller Elementary is one of 279 public schools in Kern County, which together enroll about 197,431 students.
The closest public school to Faller Elementary is Ridgecrest Elem Acad for Language Music and Sci, about 0.8 miles away. Within five miles of Faller Elementary, there are at least 8 other public schools. Among its closest neighbors with test data, Faller Elementary is 4th of 7 on proficiency.
Its NCES locale code is Town: Remote: the school is in a town far from an urbanized area.
The number of students grew from 486 to 516 over 4 years.
The discussion area below is open to posts about school events, clubs, and volunteer needs. Questions from prospective families are welcome too.
Kern County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
915,075
Census ACS
Median income
$70,210
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
19%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
15%
Below federal line
Schools in county
279
197,431 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Sierra Sands Unified
- Burroughs HighHigh · 1,536 students
- Murray MiddleMiddle · 643 students
- Las Flores ElementaryElementary · 526 students
- James Monroe MiddleMiddle · 490 students
- Richmond ElementaryElementary · 364 students
- Gateway ElementaryElementary · 346 students
Other schools in Ridgecrest
- Burroughs HighHigh · 1,536 students
- Murray MiddleMiddle · 643 students
- Las Flores ElementaryElementary · 526 students
- James Monroe MiddleMiddle · 490 students
- Richmond ElementaryElementary · 364 students
- Gateway ElementaryElementary · 346 students
Nearby schools
- Ridgecrest Elem Acad for Language Music and Sci0.8 mi · 239
- Las Flores Elementary1.5 mi · 526
- James Monroe Middle1.5 mi · 490
- Mesquite Continuation High2.4 mi · 95
- Murray Middle2.7 mi · 643
- Pierce Elementary2.7 mi · 297
Frequently asked questions
About Faller ElementaryHow many students attend Faller Elementary?
Faller Elementary enrolls approximately 516 students in grades KG-05.
What age range does Faller Elementary serve?
Faller Elementary serves students from grade KG through grade 05.
How many teachers does Faller Elementary have?
Faller Elementary employs 22 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 23.9:1.
What is the student diversity at Faller Elementary?
Student demographics at Faller Elementary are roughly 43% White, 38% Hispanic, 7% Black, 3% Asian, 8% Two or more.
Who oversees Faller Elementary?
Faller Elementary is overseen by Sierra Sands Unified in Kern County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.