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Best kept secret at Sanchez (David J.) Elementary?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
654
Elementary
DISTRICT 825 · STATE 465
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·SANTA MARIA-BONITA·NCES 060558011435
Sanchez (David J.) Elementary
804 West Liberty St., Santa Maria, CA 93458 · (805) 361-4625 · Santa Barbara County
GRADES KG–06ELEMENTARY12-CITYTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL654 STUDENTS
C
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 30% of California public elementary schools
- C-Test scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- BBeats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- CThree-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
20.8:1
31 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 21.7:1 · STATE 22.3:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
96%
629 students
DISTRICT 93% · 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 | 140 | 21% |
| Grade 1 | 88 | 13% |
| Grade 2 | 85 | 13% |
| Grade 3 | 84 | 13% |
| Grade 4 | 84 | 13% |
| Grade 5 | 86 | 13% |
| Grade 6 | 87 | 13% |
This year's kindergarten class (140) is 61% larger than its 6th grade class (87).
Student demographics
3%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 9% · 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
25.9%
CA avg 49.1% . +5.9pp since 2014
Math
27.3%
CA avg 37.7% . +9.3pp since 2014
What this means: On the CAASPP, California's statewide test, about 26 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 27 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 6 points since 2014, while math scores are up about 9 points.
Performance levels, 2024-25
| Subject | Standard Exceeded | Standard Met | Standard Nearly Met | Standard Not Met |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| English Language Arts | 7.8% | 18.1% | 26.8% | 47.3% |
| Math | 10.0% | 17.3% | 36.1% | 36.7% |
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 | 25.9% | 27.3% |
| 2023-24 | 30.1% | 21.9% |
| 2022-23 | 31.2% | 25.1% |
| 2021-22 | 31.4% | 23.7% |
| 2018-19 | 32.0% | 33.8% |
| 2017-18 | 40.0% | 29.0% |
| 2016-17 | 32.5% | 27.6% |
| 2015-16 | 28.0% | 20.0% |
| 2014-15 | 20.0% | 18.0% |
% 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
26.2%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
23.2%
based on CA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+3.0pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 26% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 23% 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 Sanchez (David J.) Elementary
Sanchez (David J.) Elementary's state test result (26.2% proficient) is higher than 3 of the 4 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sanchez (David J.) Elementary this school | 654 | 96.2% | 26.2% |
| ISANA Himalia Academy Los Angeles | 655 | 96.5% | N/A |
| Mecca Elementary Mecca | 677 | 97.2% | 18.4% |
| Cesar E. Chavez Elementary Salinas | 628 | 95.1% | 29.2% |
| Hoover Elementary Redwood City | 675 | 96.7% | 16.8% |
| Sierra Vista Elementary Arvin | 690 | 96.2% | 22.7% |
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 Sanchez (David J.) Elementary ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In California | In Santa Barbara County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 26.2% | #3,944 of 5,151 | #46 of 66 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 27.3% | #3,501 of 5,172 ▲ 465 | #41 of 66 ▲ 5 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 25.9% | #4,395 of 5,172 ▼ 625 | #50 of 66 ▼ 4 |
| 3-year test score change ranked biggest drop first | -1.0pp | #1,481 of 5,116 | #25 of 66 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 654 | #991 of 5,915 | #20 of 75 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 20.8:1 | #1,377 of 5,352 | #30 of 63 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 2.7% | #5,306 of 5,354 | #62 of 63 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 96.2% | #300 of 5,625 | #6 of 70 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -13.8% | #2,170 of 3,837 | #20 of 47 |
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
654
-33 (-5%) vs 2020
-17% since 2010-11, when it was 784
Student : Teacher
20.8:1
was 22.9:1
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 | 654 | 31.4 | 20.8:1 | 96% (629) |
| 2023-24 | 658 | 30.7 | 21.4:1 | 93% (615) |
| 2022-23 | 652 | 27.5 | 23.7:1 | 77% (501) |
| 2020-21 | 687 | 30 | 22.9:1 | 90% (620) |
| 2017-18 | 759 | 32 | 23.7:1 | 95% (720) |
| 2015-16 | 794 | 30 | 26.5:1 | 95% (757) |
| 2010-11 | 784 | N/A | N/A | 92% (720) |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Sanchez (David J.) Elementary.
Since 2017-18: students down 14% (759 to 654); teachers down 2% (32 to 31.4).
About Sanchez (David J.) Elementary
Sanchez (David J.) Elementary is a medium-sized elementary school found in Santa Maria, California. Enrollment in 2024-25 was 654 students in kindergarten through 6. Against the 465-student average for elementary schools in California, enrollment here is 41% higher.
Santa Maria-Bonita has 17,408 students in 21 schools, and Sanchez (David J.) Elementary is one of those schools.
Sanchez (David J.) Elementary's enrollment is 99% Hispanic. That is higher than the 48% Hispanic share among all Santa Barbara County residents. Sanchez (David J.) Elementary's diversity index is 3%, against a US figure of 70%.
The school reported 31.4 full-time-equivalent teachers in 2024-25 and a ratio of 20.8:1. The school has fewer students per teacher than the 22.3:1 average for elementary schools in California. Eligible students account for 96% of enrollment in the free or reduced-price lunch program. Compared with the 68% average for public schools in Santa Barbara County, the school's rate is higher.
Sanchez (David J.) Elementary is graded C by allk12, scoring above 30% of California public elementary schools once test results, poverty-adjusted performance, and the recent trend are combined.
Test results at Sanchez (David J.) Elementary are 3.0 points above what its free or reduced-price lunch share predicts (26.2% actual, 23.2% predicted).
In the county around the school, Santa Barbara County, the median household income is $98,161, about 37% of adults have at least a bachelor's degree, and roughly 9% of residents are in poverty. Santa Barbara County is home to 129 public schools and about 66,191 public school students.
The nearest public school is Adam (William Laird) Elementary, at about 0.3 miles. Around the school, at least 8 other public schools are within five miles. By average proficiency, Sanchez (David J.) Elementary is 3rd among 9 schools close by.
Sanchez (David J.) Elementary is inside a principal city with a population between 100,000 and 250,000, a location NCES labels City: Mid-size.
Enrollment has fallen by 33 students since 2020-21, to 654. Over the same period, the student-to-teacher ratio fell to 20.8:1, from 22.9:1.
Conversations here can range across school safety, transportation, and start times. Posting is open to anyone connected to the school.
Santa Barbara County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
443,701
Census ACS
Median income
$98,161
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
37%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
9%
Below federal line
Schools in county
129
66,191 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Santa Maria-Bonita
- JIMENEZ ROBERTO AND DR. FRANCISCO ELEMENTARYElementary · 1,177 students
- Bruce (Robert) ElementaryElementary · 1,050 students
- Alvin ElementaryElementary · 998 students
- Fesler (Isaac) Junior HighMiddle · 974 students
- Tunnell (Martin Luther) ElementaryElementary · 917 students
- Kunst (Tommie) Junior HighMiddle · 912 students
Other schools in Santa Maria
- Santa Maria HighHigh · 3,143 students
- Pioneer Valley HighHigh · 3,080 students
- Ernest Righetti HighHigh · 2,416 students
- JIMENEZ ROBERTO AND DR. FRANCISCO ELEMENTARYElementary · 1,177 students
- Bruce (Robert) ElementaryElementary · 1,050 students
- Alvin ElementaryElementary · 998 students
Nearby schools
- Adam (William Laird) Elementary0.3 mi · 874
- Santa Maria High0.6 mi · 3,143
- Miller (Isaac) Elementary0.9 mi · 883
- Liberty Elementary1.0 mi · 865
- Fairlawn Elementary1.0 mi · 716
- JIMENEZ ROBERTO AND DR. FRANCISCO ELEMENTARY1.0 mi · 1,177
Frequently asked questions
About Sanchez (David J.) ElementaryWhat is the total enrollment at Sanchez (David J.) Elementary?
Sanchez (David J.) Elementary enrolls approximately 654 students in grades KG-06.
What grades does Sanchez (David J.) Elementary serve?
Sanchez (David J.) Elementary serves grades KG-06.
How many students per teacher at Sanchez (David J.) Elementary?
Approximately 20.8:1 students per teacher at Sanchez (David J.) Elementary.
What is the racial breakdown of students at Sanchez (David J.) Elementary?
At Sanchez (David J.) Elementary, the student body is approximately 1% White, 99% Hispanic, 0% Black, 0% Asian.
What district is Sanchez (David J.) Elementary in?
Sanchez (David J.) Elementary is part of Santa Maria-Bonita.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.