Is Virginia Peterson Elementary a good school?

Virginia Peterson Elementary ranks 3826 th of 5862 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Virginia Peterson Elementary?

In the 2023-24 school year, 396 students attended Virginia Peterson Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Virginia Peterson Elementary?

Students at Virginia Peterson Elementary are 62% Hispanic, 26% White, 7% Two or more races, 3% African American, 1% Asian, 1% American Indian.

What schools do graduates of Virginia Peterson Elementary attend?

Students who attend Virginia Peterson Elementary usually go on to attend: Middle : Daniel Lewis Middle High : Paso Robles High

Virginia Peterson Elementary

Summary:

Virginia Peterson Elementary is a public elementary school in Paso Robles, California, serving 372 students in grades K-5. The school is part of the Paso Robles Joint Unified School District, which is ranked 841 out of 1,568 districts in the state.

Virginia Peterson Elementary faces several challenges, including high chronic absenteeism rates, lower test scores compared to the district and state averages, and significant performance gaps among different student subgroups. The school's chronic absenteeism rate has risen from 10% in 2017-2018 to 25.6% in 2022-2023, which is notably higher than nearby schools like Kermit King Elementary (22.6%) and Georgia Brown Dual Immersion Magnet Elementary (22.5%). Additionally, the school's test scores in English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science are consistently lower than the district and state averages.

Interestingly, Virginia Peterson Elementary's performance varies significantly across different student subgroups. Hispanic and White students have the lowest rankings compared to their peers statewide, while the school's English Language Learner and Special Education students perform relatively better. The school also has a high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, reaching 67.47% in 2022-2023, which is significantly higher than nearby schools like Pat Butler Elementary (53.23%) and Kermit King Elementary (44.39%). Addressing these socioeconomic factors and learning from the practices of higher-performing nearby schools could be crucial steps in improving the school's overall academic outcomes and providing a more equitable education for all its students.

Detail:

Public K-5

2501 Beechwood Dr.
Paso Robles, CA 93446-4730

(805) 769-1250

District: Paso Robles Joint Unified

SchoolDigger Rank:
3826^th of 5,862 California Elementary Schools

Students who attend Virginia Peterson Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Daniel Lewis Middle
High:	Paso Robles High

Student/teacher ratio: 21.9

Number of students: 396

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

61.9%

White:

25.8%

Two or more races:

7.3%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 67.7%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Virginia Peterson Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Virginia Peterson Elementary ranks worse than 65.3% of elementary schools in California. It also ranks 5^th among 6 ranked elementary schools in the Paso Robles Joint Unified School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 31.3. (See more...)

Chronic absenteeism in a school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.

Student Body

Compare Details Racial makeup is: Hispanic (61.9%), White (25.8%), two or more races (7.3%). (See more...)

Compare Details 67.7% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Compare Details

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Virginia Peterson Elementary is 21.9, which is the 2^nd best among 6 elementary schools in the Paso Robles Joint Unified School District. (See more...)

Compare Virginia Peterson Elementary employs 18 full-time teachers.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Virginia Peterson Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Virginia Peterson Elementary 3826^th of 5862 California public elementary schools. (See Virginia Peterson Elementary in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

English Language Learner students:

Special Education students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

Hispanic students:

White students:

Paso Robles Joint Unified:

SchoolDigger ranks Paso Robles Joint Unified 841^st of 1568 California school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for Virginia Peterson Elementary

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Rank History for all students at Virginia Peterson Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2004	52.15	2049^th	4809	57.4%
2005	57.29	1863^rd	4822	61.4%
2006	38.07	2824^th	4818	41.4%
2007	49.72	2349^th	5113	54.1%
2008	63.81	1698^th	5113	66.8%
2009	63.06	1766^th	5193	66.0%
2010	63.87	1790^th	5314	66.3%
2011	69.23	1516^th	5377	71.8%
2012	58.34	2137^th	5390	60.4%
2013	43.95	3077^th	5530	44.4%
2015	31.70	3571^st	5611	36.4%
2016	34.13	3466^th	5614	38.3%
2017	36.94	3319^th	5692	41.7%
2018	27.34	4048^th	5662	28.5%
2019	34.01	3616^th	5789	37.5%
2022	31.79	3724^th	5883	36.7%
2023	41.56	3028^th	5874	48.5%
2024	31.30	3826^th	5862	34.7%

See the entire list of California Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Virginia Peterson Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	24.90	2730^th	3246	15.9%
2019	33.70	2224^th	3275	32.1%
2022	52.66	1067^th	3311	67.8%
2023	26.61	2780^th	3250	14.5%
2024	49.45	1206^th	3160	61.8%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for English Language Learner Students!

Rank History for Special Education students at Virginia Peterson Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	58.95	677^th	2420	72.0%
2024	29.06	1882^nd	2634	28.5%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Virginia Peterson Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	27.55	3948^th	5084	22.3%
2019	36.03	3435^th	5173	33.6%
2022	43.17	2754^th	5264	47.7%
2023	54.41	2074^th	5374	61.4%
2024	35.07	3518^th	5511	36.2%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Virginia Peterson Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	29.27	3813^th	5413	29.6%
2019	31.75	3691^st	5492	32.8%
2022	41.16	2929^th	5635	48.0%
2023	41.87	2898^th	5617	48.4%
2024	31.90	3645^th	5605	35.0%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Disabled students at Virginia Peterson Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	24.59	1729^th	2128	18.8%
2019	38.10	1380^th	2585	46.6%
2022	39.60	1094^th	2227	50.9%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Disabled Students!

Rank History for Military Connected students at Virginia Peterson Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2022	23.58	105^th	130	19.2%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Military Connected Students!

Rank History for Male students at Virginia Peterson Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	27.00	3939^th	5431	27.5%
2019	37.55	3225^th	5510	41.5%
2022	27.22	4031^st	5663	28.8%
2023	40.99	2997^th	5650	47.0%
2024	31.50	3699^th	5636	34.4%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Virginia Peterson Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	28.06	3680^th	4830	23.8%
2019	32.89	3486^th	4963	29.8%
2022	32.82	3455^th	5084	32.0%
2023	49.21	2278^th	5098	55.3%
2024	31.78	3592^nd	5102	29.6%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for White students at Virginia Peterson Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	25.55	2189^th	2737	20.0%
2019	35.49	1986^th	2834	29.9%
2022	30.88	1989^th	2726	27.0%
2023	30.45	1974^th	2662	25.8%
2024	31.76	1900^th	2647	28.2%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: California Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Data source: California Department of Education

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Enrollment information for Virginia Peterson Elementary

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1998	415	15	7	116	2	n/a	n/a	0	555
1999	390	9	5	150	2	n/a	n/a	0	556
2000	360	12	5	177	5	n/a	n/a	0	559
2001	347	8	9	161	5	n/a	n/a	46	576
2002	238	13	9	177	5	n/a	n/a	0	442
2003	238	13	9	177	5	n/a	n/a	0	442
2004	234	10	8	198	2	n/a	n/a	4	456
2005	211	9	8	219	3	n/a	n/a	2	452
2006	228	13	6	228	2	n/a	n/a	1	478
2007	199	14	9	253	3	n/a	n/a	1	479
2008	207	10	12	260	2	n/a	n/a	0	491
2009	216	9	10	257	3	3	4	0	502
2010	184	9	13	258	4	3	5	0	476
2011	182	12	14	283	2	2	8	0	503
2012	174	9	11	311	2	4	11	0	522
2013	138	8	5	326	1	3	9	0	490
2014	125	8	3	327	0	1	16	0	480
2015	117	9	2	319	1	0	12	0	460
2016	115	8	0	329	0	0	15	0	467
2017	118	6	1	347	0	1	14	0	487
2018	110	5	1	304	0	1	19	0	440
2019	121	3	2	301	1	2	23	0	453
2020	122	4	3	299	1	1	16	0	446
2021	107	2	4	258	1	0	11	0	383
2022	92	6	4	276	3	0	15	0	396
2023	91	9	5	241	4	0	22	0	372
2024	102	11	5	245	4	0	29	0	396

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Virginia Peterson Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1998	555	26.5	20.9	36.8
1999	556	28.0	19.9	41.9
2000	559	29.9	18.7	42.4
2001	576	29.5	19.5	42.6
2002	442	24.8	17.8	51.4
2003	442	24.8	17.8	51.4
2004	456	23.0	19.8	49.3
2005	452	26.3	17.2	45.6
2006	478	27.3	17.5	51.6
2007	479	27.0	17.7	55.4
2008	491	33.0	14.9	58.9
2009	502	28.1	17.3	0
2010	476	23.7	20.0	66.6
2011	503	n/a	n/a	64.8
2012	522	22.0	23.6	n/a
2013	490	18.0	27.2	68.8
2014	480	18.0	26.6	70
2015	460	19.0	24.2	65.7
2016	467	20.0	23.3	72.4
2017	487	21.0	23.1	70.6
2018	440	18.5	23.7	68.9
2019	453	19.0	23.8	67.5
2020	446	n/a	n/a	68.8
2021	383	16.5	23.1	60.8
2022	396	18.0	22.0	64.9
2023	372	18.0	20.6	67.5
2024	396	18.0	21.9	67.7

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Virginia Peterson Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1998	555	26.5	20.9	36.8
1999	556	28.0	19.9	41.9
2000	559	29.9	18.7	42.4
2001	576	29.5	19.5	42.6
2002	442	24.8	17.8	51.4
2003	442	24.8	17.8	51.4
2004	456	23.0	19.8	49.3
2005	452	26.3	17.2	45.6
2006	478	27.3	17.5	51.6
2007	479	27.0	17.7	55.4
2008	491	33.0	14.9	58.9
2009	502	28.1	17.3	0
2010	476	23.7	20.0	66.6
2011	503	n/a	n/a	64.8
2012	522	22.0	23.6	n/a
2013	490	18.0	27.2	68.8
2014	480	18.0	26.6	70
2015	460	19.0	24.2	65.7
2016	467	20.0	23.3	72.4
2017	487	21.0	23.1	70.6
2018	440	18.5	23.7	68.9
2019	453	19.0	23.8	67.5
2020	446	n/a	n/a	68.8
2021	383	16.5	23.1	60.8
2022	396	18.0	22.0	64.9
2023	372	18.0	20.6	67.5
2024	396	18.0	21.9	67.7

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.

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