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What tradition at Mesquite Elementary should never be changed?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
582
Elementary
DISTRICT 551 · STATE 465
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·PALMDALE ELEMENTARY·NCES 062958009608
Mesquite Elementary
37622 43rd St. East, Palmdale, CA 93552 · (661) 285-8376 · Los Angeles County
GRADES KG–05ELEMENTARY21-SUBURBTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL582 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
26.8:1
22 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 23.2:1 · STATE 22.3:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
79%
460 students
DISTRICT 84% · 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 | 110 | 19% |
| Grade 1 | 62 | 11% |
| Grade 2 | 88 | 15% |
| Grade 3 | 107 | 18% |
| Grade 4 | 102 | 18% |
| Grade 5 | 113 | 19% |
This year's kindergarten class (110) is about the same size as its 5th grade class (113).
Student demographics
36%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 37% · 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
28.1%
CA avg 49.1% . -3.9pp since 2014
Math
19.9%
CA avg 37.7% . +0.9pp since 2014
What this means: On the CAASPP, California's statewide test, about 28 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 20 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all California schools, those numbers are about 49 and 38. Reading and writing scores are down about 4 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 | 10.1% | 18.0% | 24.9% | 47.0% |
| Math | 5.0% | 14.8% | 33.1% | 47.0% |
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 | 28.1% | 19.9% |
| 2023-24 | 24.3% | 20.9% |
| 2022-23 | 21.8% | 19.0% |
| 2021-22 | 21.2% | 14.7% |
| 2018-19 | 36.0% | 26.9% |
| 2017-18 | 33.0% | 23.4% |
| 2016-17 | 29.9% | 21.0% |
| 2015-16 | 31.0% | 22.0% |
| 2014-15 | 32.0% | 19.0% |
% 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
23.4%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
33.2%
based on CA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-9.9pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 23% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 33% 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 Mesquite Elementary
Mesquite Elementary's state test result (23.4% proficient) is higher than 1 of the 4 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mesquite Elementary this school | 582 | 79.0% | 23.4% |
| Grand Terrace Elementary Grand Terrace | 654 | 79.8% | 24.5% |
| Buena Vista Elementary Palmdale | 573 | 77.7% | 23.7% |
| King Elementary Long Beach | 598 | 76.4% | 28.4% |
| Cimarron Elementary Palmdale | 497 | 77.9% | 22.7% |
| Rocketship Alma Academy San Jose | 532 | 80.5% | N/A |
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 Mesquite Elementary ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In California | In Los Angeles County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 23.4% | #4,258 of 5,151 | #1,027 of 1,126 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 19.9% | #4,319 of 5,172 ▼ 243 | #1,050 of 1,129 ▼ 58 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 28.1% | #4,172 of 5,172 ▲ 191 | #998 of 1,129 ▲ 22 |
| 3-year test score change ranked biggest gain first | +6.0pp | #1,374 of 5,116 | #419 of 1,116 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 582 | #1,551 of 5,915 | #302 of 1,300 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 26.8:1 | #5,070 of 5,352 | #1,138 of 1,213 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 35.8% | #3,667 of 5,354 | #662 of 1,214 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 79.0% | #2,271 of 5,625 | #715 of 1,276 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -28.1% | #684 of 3,837 | #287 of 947 |
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
582
-107 (-16%) vs 2020
-9% since 1990-91, when it was 638
Student : Teacher
26.8:1
was 25.5:1
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 | 582 | 21.7 | 26.8:1 | 79% (460) |
| 2023-24 | 618 | 22.6 | 27.3:1 | 85% (527) |
| 2022-23 | 640 | 23.4 | 27.3:1 | 89% (571) |
| 2020-21 | 689 | 27 | 25.5:1 | 90% (621) |
| 2017-18 | 809 | 29.8 | 27.2:1 | 91% (733) |
| 2015-16 | 885 | 31 | 28.6:1 | 89% (785) |
| 2010-11 | 1,039 | N/A | N/A | 76% (785) |
| 2000-01 | 1,103 | 56 | 19.7:1 | 56% (617) |
| 1990-91 | 638 | 25 | 25.5:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Mesquite Elementary.
Since 2017-18: students down 28% (809 to 582); teachers down 27% (29.8 to 21.7).
About Mesquite Elementary
Mesquite Elementary is the name of a medium-sized elementary school in Palmdale, California. The grade span is kindergarten through 5, and enrollment is 582 students. The average among elementary schools in California is roughly 465 students; this school is 25% larger than that.
Enrollment across the 29 schools in Palmdale Elementary totals 17,941 students.
Mesquite Elementary's enrollment is 79% Hispanic. The next largest groups are 10% Black, 5% White, and 3% multiracial. In Los Angeles County overall, about 48% of residents are Hispanic. The chance that two students picked at random at Mesquite Elementary belong to different racial or ethnic groups, known as the diversity index, is 36%.
The teaching staff at Mesquite Elementary is 21.7 full-time-equivalent teachers, and the ratio is 26.8:1. That ratio is over the 22.3:1 average for elementary schools in California. The percentage of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch is 79%. That is higher than the 70% average for public schools in Los Angeles County.
Mesquite Elementary sits between the top and bottom 10% of California schools on BeatsExpectations, with an actual average proficiency rate on state tests of 23.4% and a predicted 33.2%.
Recent Census Bureau figures for Los Angeles County show that median household income is about $90,112, 36% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and about 10% of people live in poverty. Federal data list 2,244 public schools in Los Angeles County, with a combined enrollment of about 1,265,907.
Of nearby public schools, Palmdale Academy Charter is the closest, at about 0.6 miles. Inside a five-mile radius, there are at least 8 other public schools. The nearest schools with test data average 25.3%, higher than Mesquite Elementary's 23.4%.
Locale data from NCES put Mesquite Elementary in a suburban area outside a principal city, within an urbanized area with a population of 250,000 or more (Suburb: Large).
Mesquite Elementary had 689 students in 2020-21 and 582 in 2024-25, a 16% decrease. The ratio of students to teachers went from 25.5:1 to 26.8:1 over the same years.
Discussions about Mesquite Elementary may include sports tryouts, band and choir, and theater. Questions from prospective families are welcome too.
Los Angeles County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
9,808,667
Census ACS
Median income
$90,112
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
36%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
10%
Below federal line
Schools in county
2,244
1,265,907 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Palmdale Elementary
- Los Amigos - Dual ImmersionElementary · 1,027 students
- Palmdale Academy CharterCombined · 989 students
- David G. Millen Law and Government Magnet AcademyMiddle · 952 students
- Desert Willow Fine Arts Sci and Tech Magnet AcadMiddle · 948 students
- Dos Caminos Dual ImmersionElementary · 945 students
- Cactus Medical Health and Technology Magnet AcademyMiddle · 822 students
Other schools in Palmdale
- Highland HighHigh · 2,706 students
- William J. (Pete) Knight HighHigh · 2,349 students
- Palmdale Aerospace AcademyCombined · 2,259 students
- Palmdale HighHigh · 2,208 students
- Hillview MiddleMiddle · 1,100 students
- Antelope Valley Learning AcademyCombined · 1,059 students
Other Mesquite Elementary schools
4 other US public schools in 2 states are named Mesquite Elementary. Mesquite Elementary is the 3rd largest of the 5.
- Mesquite Elementary SchoolTUCSON, AZ · 640 students
- Mesquite Elementary SchoolGILBERT, AZ · 584 students
- Mesquite ElementaryYuma, AZ · 568 students
- Mesquite Elementary SchoolCASA GRANDE, AZ · 439 students
Nearby schools
- Palmdale Academy Charter0.6 mi · 989
- Innovations Academy of Palmdale0.7 mi · 409
- Antelope Valley Learning Academy0.7 mi · 1,059
- Chaparral Prep Academy0.7 mi · 594
- Cimarron Elementary1.0 mi · 497
- Oak Tree Community Day1.0 mi · 63
Frequently asked questions
About Mesquite ElementaryHow many students attend Mesquite Elementary?
Mesquite Elementary enrolls approximately 582 students in grades KG-05.
What grades does Mesquite Elementary serve?
Mesquite Elementary serves grades KG-05.
How many teachers does Mesquite Elementary have?
Mesquite Elementary employs 22 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 26.8:1.
How diverse is Mesquite Elementary?
Mesquite Elementary reports a student body of 5% White, 79% Hispanic, 10% Black, 1% Asian, 3% Two or more.
Who oversees Mesquite Elementary?
Mesquite Elementary is overseen by Palmdale Elementary in Los Angeles County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.