Joshua Elementary

Set in Lancaster, California, Joshua Elementary is a moderately sized primary school, operated by Lancaster Elementary. It educates 688 students across grades K through 6. That puts it 48% bigger than the typical public school in California, which averages around 465 students.

Across the 23 schools in Lancaster Elementary (13,765 students total), Joshua Elementary accounts for its share of the district's footprint.

Demographically, Joshua Elementary reports that the largest single group is Hispanic at 51%, but no single group is in the majority. Other groups include 36% Black, 6% multiracial, 3% White. Compared to Los Angeles County overall, the school's racial mix sits in roughly the same range.

On the income-and-resources front, On paper, Joshua Elementary has 31 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 22.2:1. That tracks the state average closely. Around 91% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment. That share is noticeably above Los Angeles County's rate of about 70%.

On a demographically-adjusted basis, Joshua Elementary is in the bottom 10% of California public schools. The BeatsExpectations model predicts schools with this FRL share to land around 25.4%; Joshua Elementary posts 6.7%, -18.7 points below that line.

Zooming out to the county, ACS estimates for Los Angeles County put median household earnings sit near $90,112, about 36% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and roughly 10% of residents live below the federal poverty line. In all, Los Angeles County runs 2244 public schools (combined enrollment of about 1,265,907 students), of which Joshua Elementary is one.

Nearest neighbor: iLEAD Lancaster Charter, around 0.7 miles off. Counting just inside five miles, 8 other public schools cluster around Joshua Elementary. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Joshua Elementary at 5th of 5; the average score across the group is 23.1%.

Geographically, the school is in a bedroom-community area.

Five-year trend. Joshua Elementary's enrollment has rose 26% since 2018, when it stood at 544 (now 688). Over the same period, the White share declined from 9% to 3%. Class-load math has fell: from 23.6:1 in 2018 to 22.2:1 in 2025.

On the community side, recent activity here tends to focus on pickup logistics, teacher feedback, and after-school programs. Members of the school community can share what they know.