Ballington Academy for the Arts and Sciences

Q: Is Ballington Academy for the Arts and Sciences a good school?

Ballington Academy for the Arts and Sciences ranks 3139 th of 5862 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Summary:

Ballington Academy for the Arts and Sciences is a public charter elementary school serving 238 students in grades K-6 in El Centro, California. The school is part of the Ballington Academy for the Arts and Sciences District, which is ranked 853 out of 1568 districts in the state and has a 2-star rating.

While Ballington Academy's performance on standardized assessments is generally below the state average, the school outperforms the nearby Booker T. Washington Elementary across most subject areas and grade levels. The school has a high percentage of students from low socioeconomic backgrounds (74.79%) and a relatively high percentage of English Language Learners, who perform better than their peers at the school. However, the school's chronic absenteeism rate of 32.4% is higher than the nearby Booker T. Washington Elementary and the state average, indicating a potential area for improvement.

Interestingly, the Imperial Valley Home School Academy, a public charter school, outperforms Ballington Academy and the nearby traditional public schools in both English Language Arts and Mathematics. Additionally, Ballington Academy's Hispanic students and English Language Learner students perform better than the school's overall student population, ranking in the top 40% and top 25% of California elementary schools, respectively, in these subgroups.

Detail:

Public, Charter K-6

1525 West Main St.
El Centro, CA 92243-2211

(760) 353-0140

District: Ballington Academy for the Arts and Sciences District

SchoolDigger Rank:
3139^th of 5,862 California Elementary Schools

Student/teacher ratio: 19.3

Number of students: 251

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

92.8%

White:

3.6%

Two or more races:

2.4%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 74.1%

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Performance Trends

Compare Details Ballington Academy for the Arts and Sciences ranks worse than 53.5% of elementary schools in California. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 40.67. (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

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Teachers

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Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Ballington Academy for the Arts and Sciences:

SchoolDigger ranks Ballington Academy for the Arts and Sciences 3139^th of 5862 California public elementary schools. (See Ballington Academy for the Arts and Sciences in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

English Language Learner students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

Hispanic students:

Ballington Academy for the Arts and Sciences District:

SchoolDigger ranks Ballington Academy for the Arts and Sciences District 853^rd of 1568 California school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for Ballington Academy for the Arts and Sciences

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Rank History for all students at Ballington Academy for the Arts and Sciences

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2019	26.83	4208^th	5789	27.3%
2022	27.41	4108^th	5883	30.2%
2023	37.98	3284^th	5874	44.1%
2024	40.67	3139^th	5862	46.5%

See the entire list of California Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Ballington Academy for the Arts and Sciences

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2019	58.89	870^th	3275	73.4%
2022	43.59	1562^nd	3311	52.8%
2023	56.43	938^th	3250	71.1%
2024	59.65	740^th	3160	76.6%

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

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Ballington Academy for the Arts and Sciences

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2019	42.31	2949^th	5173	43.0%
2022	48.42	2371^st	5264	55.0%
2023	43.49	2804^th	5374	47.8%
2024	48.48	2486^th	5511	54.9%

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

Rank History for Female students at Ballington Academy for the Arts and Sciences

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2019	35.61	3371^st	5492	38.6%
2022	29.03	3828^th	5635	32.1%
2023	35.79	3306^th	5617	41.1%
2024	41.21	2963^rd	5605	47.1%

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

Rank History for Male students at Ballington Academy for the Arts and Sciences

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2019	23.88	4300^th	5510	22.0%
2022	32.37	3585^th	5663	36.7%
2023	39.01	3124^th	5650	44.7%
2024	40.48	3038^th	5636	46.1%

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

Rank History for Hispanic students at Ballington Academy for the Arts and Sciences

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2019	33.98	3386^th	4963	31.8%
2022	39.61	2929^th	5084	42.4%
2023	53.03	2054^th	5098	59.7%
2024	56.13	1885^th	5102	63.1%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Hispanic 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 Ballington Academy for the Arts and Sciences

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Two or More Races	Total
2019	12	7	1	295	0	4	319
2020	11	5	3	252	0	8	279
2021	9	5	3	221	0	7	245
2022	6	2	1	195	0	7	211
2023	16	0	1	213	2	6	238
2024	9	1	2	233	0	6	251

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 Ballington Academy for the Arts and Sciences

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2019	319	14.0	22.7	71.2
2020	279	n/a	n/a	66.7
2021	245	14.0	17.5	72.7
2022	211	14.0	15.0	70.1
2023	238	11.0	21.6	74.8
2024	251	13.0	19.3	74.1

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 Ballington Academy for the Arts and Sciences

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2019	319	14.0	22.7	71.2
2020	279	n/a	n/a	66.7
2021	245	14.0	17.5	72.7
2022	211	14.0	15.0	70.1
2023	238	11.0	21.6	74.8
2024	251	13.0	19.3	74.1

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.

Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Ballington Academy for the Arts and Sciences

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Rankings

Rank Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Rank Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Ranks 4208^th of 5789 Elementary schools	Ranks 3284^th of 5874 Elementary schools	16.8%

Test Scores

	% proficient Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	% proficient Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
3rd Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (Ballington Academy for the Arts and Sciences)	47.4	51.1	3.7%
3rd Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (California)	48.5	43	5.6%
3rd Grade Mathematics (Ballington Academy for the Arts and Sciences)	44.7	35.6	9.2%
3rd Grade Mathematics (California)	50.2	45.1	5.1%
4th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (Ballington Academy for the Arts and Sciences)	29.6	32	2.5%
4th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (California)	49.5	43.7	5.7%
4th Grade Mathematics (Ballington Academy for the Arts and Sciences)	25	44	19%
4th Grade Mathematics (California)	44.9	40.8	4.1%
5th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (Ballington Academy for the Arts and Sciences)	32.5	27.8	4.7%
5th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (California)	51.7	46.7	5%
5th Grade Mathematics (Ballington Academy for the Arts and Sciences)	25	16.7	8.3%
5th Grade Mathematics (California)	38	33.4	4.6%
5th Grade Science (Ballington Academy for the Arts and Sciences)	25	11.1	13.9%
5th Grade Science (California)	31.7	31.9	0.1%
6th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (Ballington Academy for the Arts and Sciences)	20	32	12%
6th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (California)	48.5	44.2	4.3%
6th Grade Mathematics (Ballington Academy for the Arts and Sciences)	12	40	28%
6th Grade Mathematics (California)	38.5	33.2	5.3%

Student Body

	Number of students Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Number of students Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Total Students	319	238	25.4%
African American	7	0	100%
American Indian	0	2
Asian	1	1
Hispanic	295	213	27.8%
Pacific Islander	0	0
White	12	16	33.3%
Two or More Races	4	6	50%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	71.2%	74.8%	3.6%

Schools Near Ballington Academy for the Arts and Sciences

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Immunizations Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2024)				Ranking (2023)				CSA Spanish Reading/Language Arts (2024)					CAST Science (2024)			Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy (2024)							Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2024)							% Completely Immunized (2022)	% DTP (2022)	% MMR (2022)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2018)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	SchoolDigger Rating (2024)	Average Standard Score (2023)	Statewide Rank (2023)	State Percentile (2023)	Rank Change from Previous Year	CSA Spanish Reading/Language Arts 3rd Grade	CSA Spanish Reading/Language Arts 4th Grade	CSA Spanish Reading/Language Arts 5th Grade	CSA Spanish Reading/Language Arts 6th Grade	CSA Spanish Reading/Language Arts End of Course	CAST Science 5th Grade	CAST Science 8th Grade	CAST Science End of Course	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 3rd Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 4th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 5th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 6th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 7th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 8th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy End of Course	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 3rd Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 4th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 5th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 6th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 7th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 8th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics End of Course	% Completely Immunized KG	% DTP KG	% MMR KG	Total
Ballington Academy for the Arts and Sciences	Public, Charter	K-6	1525 West Main St.	El Centro	92243	Imperial County	Ballington Academy for the Arts and Sciences District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 353-0140	251	13	19.3	74.1%	9 (3.6%)	1 (0.4%)	233 (92.8%)	2 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (2.4%)	40.7	3139^th of 5862 public elementary schools	46.5%		38	3284^th of 5874 public elementary schools	44.1%	145						14.3		14.3	44.1	50.0	32.1	44.4			43.5	38.2	42.5	10.7	19.4			29.0
Margaret Hedrick Elementary	Public	K-6	550 South Waterman Ave.	El Centro	92243	Imperial County	El Centro Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 352-4750	460	20	23.0	82.6%	11 (2.4%)	4 (0.9%)	438 (95.2%)	4 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.7%)	20	4856^th of 5862 public elementary schools	17.2%		13.1	5478^th of 5874 public elementary schools	6.7%	622						7.7		7.7	17.3	30.8	30.3	36.5			28.3	21.3	24.6	13.6	12.7			18.2				$6,531
Lincoln Elementary	Public	K-6	200 North Twelfth St.	El Centro	92243	Imperial County	El Centro Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 352-3060	436	20	21.8	93.3%	9 (2.1%)	3 (0.7%)	414 (95.0%)	5 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.1%)	25.3	4332^nd of 5862 public elementary schools	26.1%		14.7	5345^th of 5874 public elementary schools	9.0%	1013	26.3	21.1	31.6		26.3	23.1		23.1	23.7	16.7	41.2	19.4			26.2	41.3	18.6	15.4	12.5			24.2	95.7	96.8	96.8	$7,998
Imperial Valley Home School Academy	Public, Charter	K-8	2370 Main St.	El Centro	92243	Imperial County	El Centro Elementary	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 335-5100	134	5	26.8	55.2%	12 (9.0%)	2 (1.5%)	116 (86.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (3.0%)	50.3	2533^rd of 5862 public elementary schools	56.8%		43.3	2935^th of 5874 public elementary schools	50.0%	402							30.8	34.8	31.3	33.3		73.7	35.3	38.5	47.1	31.3	16.7		47.4	11.8	15.4	28.7				$7,676
Sunflower Elementary	Public	K-6	2450 Main St.	El Centro	92243	Imperial County	El Centro Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 337-4890	398	17	23.4	77.4%	10 (2.5%)	3 (0.8%)	380 (95.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.3%)	54	2338^th of 5862 public elementary schools	60.1%		44.6	2848^th of 5874 public elementary schools	51.5%	510						27.7		27.7	59.6	51.9	46.2	60.3			54.4	53.9	42.6	20.0	20.6			32.6				$7,619
Harding Elementary	Public	K-6	950 South Seventh St.	El Centro	92243	Imperial County	El Centro Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 352-4791	585	25	23.4	69.9%	19 (3.2%)	5 (0.9%)	548 (93.7%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (1.9%)	38.1	3294^th of 5862 public elementary schools	43.8%		37.5	3316^th of 5874 public elementary schools	43.5%	22	0.0	13.6	0.0	16.1	8.2	28.2		28.2	21.4	39.7	50.7	36.6			36.6	33.3	33.3	36.1	20.0			30.6				$7,909
De Anza Magnet	Public	K-8	1530 South Waterman Ave.	El Centro	92243	Imperial County	El Centro Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 352-9811	492	20	24.5	74.4%	8 (1.6%)	3 (0.6%)	478 (97.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.4%)	44.5	2892^nd of 5862 public elementary schools	50.7%		42.5	2980^th of 5874 public elementary schools	49.3%	88						15.5	31.8	24.0	42.9	38.5	55.2	43.1	44.4	59.4	47.5	46.4	26.9	29.3	29.2	23.8	42.9	33.1				$8,472
Martin Luther King Junior Elementary	Public	K-6	1950 Villa Ave.	El Centro	92243	Imperial County	El Centro Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 337-6555	415	17	24.4	93.5%	5 (1.2%)	3 (0.7%)	407 (98.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	34.4	3562^nd of 5862 public elementary schools	39.2%		31.9	3736^th of 5874 public elementary schools	36.4%	174						16.4		16.4	42.0	42.4	40.3	33.9			39.5	56.0	18.6	16.1	14.5			24.9				$8,002
McKinley Elementary	Public	K-6	1177 North Eighth St.	El Centro	92243	Imperial County	El Centro Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 352-3225	456	18	25.3	88.4%	4 (0.9%)	2 (0.4%)	445 (97.6%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.7%)	42.8	3005^th of 5862 public elementary schools	48.7%		43.9	2897^th of 5874 public elementary schools	50.7%	108						21.1		21.1	32.7	30.7	42.7	47.3			39.1	41.8	32.8	37.3	32.0			35.7				$7,455
Desert Garden Elementary	Public	K-6	1900 South Sixth St.	El Centro	92243	Imperial County	El Centro Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 352-2051	371	17	21.8	81.4%	3 (0.8%)	6 (1.6%)	357 (96.2%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.5%)	43.7	2936^th of 5862 public elementary schools	49.9%		39.7	3159^th of 5874 public elementary schools	46.2%	223						36.7		36.7	54.0	15.4	53.3	40.6			42.7	58.8	10.3	11.7	21.9			25.7	98.1	98.1		$7,578

Frequently Asked Questions about Ballington Academy for the Arts and Sciences

What district is Ballington Academy for the Arts and Sciences in?

Ballington Academy for the Arts and Sciences District

What is the racial makeup of Ballington Academy for the Arts and Sciences?

Students at Ballington Academy for the Arts and Sciences are 93% Hispanic, 4% White, 2% Two or more races.

How many students attend Ballington Academy for the Arts and Sciences?

In the 2023-24 school year, 251 students attended Ballington Academy for the Arts and Sciences.

Is Ballington Academy for the Arts and Sciences a good school?

Ballington Academy for the Arts and Sciences ranks 3139^th of 5862 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the California Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.