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Parents: what's one thing you'd want the Ponderosa Elementary administration to hear?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
524
Elementary
DISTRICT 376 · STATE 465
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·SANTA CLARA UNIFIED·NCES 063543006049
Ponderosa Elementary
804 Ponderosa Ave., Sunnyvale, CA 94086 · (408) 423-4000 · Santa Clara County
GRADES KG–05ELEMENTARY12-CITYREGULAR SCHOOL524 STUDENTS
B+
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 72% of California public elementary schools
- A-Test scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- B-Beats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- B+Three-year trend Change in reading and math proficiency over the last three test years.
Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded California public elementary schools
Student : Teacher
22.1:1
24 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 19.9:1 · STATE 22.3:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
28%
149 students
DISTRICT 33% · 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 | 112 | 21% |
| Grade 1 | 72 | 14% |
| Grade 2 | 89 | 17% |
| Grade 3 | 86 | 16% |
| Grade 4 | 83 | 16% |
| Grade 5 | 82 | 16% |
This year's kindergarten class (112) is 37% larger than its 5th grade class (82).
Student demographics
69%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
66.1%
CA avg 49.1% . +10.1pp since 2014
Math
67.5%
CA avg 37.7% . +9.5pp since 2014
What this means: On the CAASPP, California's statewide test, about 66 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 68 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 10 points since 2014, while math scores are up about 10 points.
Performance levels, 2024-25
| Subject | Standard Exceeded | Standard Met | Standard Nearly Met | Standard Not Met |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| English Language Arts | 44.5% | 21.6% | 13.1% | 20.8% |
| Math | 46.7% | 20.8% | 13.3% | 19.2% |
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 | 66.1% | 67.5% |
| 2023-24 | 59.1% | 58.1% |
| 2022-23 | 60.2% | 59.5% |
| 2021-22 | 62.5% | 60.0% |
| 2018-19 | 71.3% | 74.6% |
| 2017-18 | 67.1% | 66.0% |
| 2016-17 | 59.6% | 62.4% |
| 2015-16 | 60.0% | 60.0% |
| 2014-15 | 56.0% | 58.0% |
% 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
62.6%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
62.9%
based on CA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-0.2pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 63% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 63% 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 Ponderosa Elementary
Ponderosa Elementary's state test result (62.6% proficient) is higher than 2 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ponderosa Elementary this school | 524 | 28.4% | 62.6% |
| Santa Teresa Elementary San Jose | 542 | 29.0% | 64.2% |
| Buri Buri Elementary South San Francisco | 584 | 28.3% | 64.2% |
| Taylor (Bertha) Elementary San Jose | 497 | 24.1% | 55.5% |
| Greentree Elementary Irvine | 434 | 29.7% | 55.1% |
| Falcon Academy of Science and Technology Brea | 544 | 35.3% | 70.8% |
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 Ponderosa Elementary ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In California | In Santa Clara County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 62.6% | #993 of 5,151 | #95 of 226 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 67.5% | #710 of 5,172 ▲ 379 | #78 of 226 ▲ 25 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 66.1% | #955 of 5,172 ▲ 342 | #86 of 226 ▲ 22 |
| 3-year test score change ranked biggest gain first | +5.6pp | #1,492 of 5,116 | #31 of 225 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 524 | #2,159 of 5,915 | #62 of 255 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 22.1:1 | #2,275 of 5,352 | #135 of 247 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 68.9% | #768 of 5,354 | #51 of 247 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 28.4% | #4,814 of 5,625 | #145 of 252 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -18.4% | #1,601 of 3,837 | #107 of 189 |
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
524
-18 (-3%) vs 2020
-9% since 1990-91, when it was 576
Student : Teacher
22.1:1
was 22.6:1
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 | 524 | 23.7 | 22.1:1 | 28% (149) |
| 2023-24 | 513 | 24 | 21.4:1 | 27% (137) |
| 2022-23 | 501 | 22.7 | 22.1:1 | 32% (158) |
| 2020-21 | 542 | 24 | 22.6:1 | 26% (143) |
| 2017-18 | 642 | 25.3 | 25.4:1 | 31% (199) |
| 2015-16 | 570 | 22 | 25.9:1 | 29% (167) |
| 2010-11 | 567 | N/A | N/A | 32% (180) |
| 2000-01 | 515 | 30 | 17.2:1 | 24% (126) |
| 1990-91 | 576 | 22 | 26.2:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Ponderosa Elementary.
Since 2017-18: students down 18% (642 to 524); teachers down 6% (25.3 to 23.7).
About Ponderosa Elementary
Ponderosa Elementary is a medium-sized elementary school in Sunnyvale, California, under Santa Clara Unified. Its 524 students are spread across kindergarten through 5.
Ponderosa Elementary is a school in Santa Clara Unified. The district has 30 schools and 14,411 students.
The most common group at Ponderosa Elementary is Asian students, at 39%. The school is also 36% Hispanic, 17% White, and 6% multiracial. That is close to the 41% Asian share among all Santa Clara County residents. The school's diversity index is 69%, meaning two students picked at random have a 69% chance of belonging to different racial or ethnic groups.
Ponderosa Elementary's 23.7 full-time-equivalent teachers put its ratio at 22.1:1. That is close to the 22.3:1 average for elementary schools in California. Eligibility for subsidized school meals is 28%. The gap from the 37% average for public schools in Santa Clara County is 9 points.
Measured against California public elementary schools, Ponderosa Elementary receives a B+. The grade weighs proficiency most heavily, then how results compare with what the school's low-income share predicts, then the three-year change.
Given its share of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, Ponderosa Elementary would be expected to post about 62.9%. Its actual average proficiency rate on state tests is 62.6%.
Among Santa Clara County residents, the median household income is $164,281, roughly 57% of adults have a four-year degree or more, and the share of residents below the poverty line is 4%. Ponderosa Elementary is one of 412 public schools in the county.
The nearest other public school, Braly Elementary, is about 0.6 miles away. There are at least 8 more public schools inside five miles. By average proficiency, Ponderosa Elementary is 2nd among 8 schools close by.
Locale data from NCES put Ponderosa Elementary inside a principal city with a population between 100,000 and 250,000 (City: Mid-size).
Enrollment declined 3% from its 2020-21 level of 542.
Community posts for Ponderosa Elementary can cover enrollment questions, class placement, and PTA news. Alumni can share how the school prepared them.
Santa Clara County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
1,902,047
Census ACS
Median income
$164,281
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
57%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
4%
Below federal line
Schools in county
412
230,059 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Santa Clara Unified
- Santa Clara HighHigh · 1,663 students
- Adrian Wilcox HighHigh · 1,614 students
- Juan Cabrillo MiddleMiddle · 796 students
- Marian A. Peterson MiddleMiddle · 759 students
- Buchser MiddleMiddle · 711 students
- Kathleen MacDonald HighHigh · 683 students
Other schools in Sunnyvale
- Fremont HighHigh · 2,060 students
- Cupertino MiddleMiddle · 1,067 students
- Sunnyvale MiddleMiddle · 1,053 students
- Louis E. Stocklmeir ElementaryElementary · 840 students
- Ellis ElementaryElementary · 768 students
- Marian A. Peterson MiddleMiddle · 759 students
Other Ponderosa Elementary schools
11 other US public schools in 8 states are named Ponderosa Elementary. Ponderosa Elementary is the 4th largest of the 12.
- Ponderosa ElementaryAnaheim, CA · 785 students
- Ponderosa ElementarySouth San Francisco, CA · 359 students
- Ponderosa Elementary SchoolHOUSTON, TX · 740 students
- Ponderosa Elementary SchoolAURORA, CO · 634 students
- PONDEROSA ELEMENTARY SCHOOLPOST FALLS, ID · 466 students
Nearby schools
- Braly Elementary0.6 mi · 381
- New Valley Continuation High0.8 mi · 151
- Marian A. Peterson Middle0.9 mi · 759
- Ellis Elementary1.0 mi · 768
- Briarwood Elementary1.2 mi · 288
- Adrian Wilcox High1.2 mi · 1,614
Frequently asked questions
About Ponderosa ElementaryHow many students attend Ponderosa Elementary?
Ponderosa Elementary enrolls approximately 524 students in grades KG-05.
Is Ponderosa Elementary an elementary, middle, or high school?
Ponderosa Elementary is an elementary school covering grades KG-05.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Ponderosa Elementary?
The student-to-teacher ratio at Ponderosa Elementary is approximately 22.1:1 (24 FTE teachers).
How diverse is Ponderosa Elementary?
Ponderosa Elementary reports a student body of 17% White, 36% Hispanic, 1% Black, 39% Asian, 6% Two or more.
What district is Ponderosa Elementary in?
Ponderosa Elementary is part of Santa Clara Unified.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.