Is Monte Bella Elementary a good school?

Monte Bella Elementary ranks 3684 th of 5862 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Monte Bella Elementary?

In the 2022-23 school year, 837 students attended Monte Bella Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Monte Bella Elementary?

Students at Monte Bella Elementary are 96% Hispanic, 1% Two or more races, 1% Asian, 1% White.

What schools do graduates of Monte Bella Elementary attend?

Students who attend Monte Bella Elementary usually go on to attend: Middle : El Sausal Middle High : Alisal High

Monte Bella Elementary

Summary:

Monte Bella Elementary is a public elementary school in Salinas, California, serving 837 students in grades K-6 as part of the Alisal Union School District. While the school performs better than some of its lower-ranked counterparts in the district, it faces significant challenges, including consistently low academic performance, high chronic absenteeism, and a high percentage of students from low-socioeconomic backgrounds.

Monte Bella Elementary has consistently ranked in the bottom half of California elementary schools, with proficiency rates in English Language Arts and Mathematics below the district and state averages across all grade levels. For example, in 6th grade ELA, the school had 55.68% proficiency compared to the district's 37.42% and the state's 45.82%. However, in 5th grade Math, Monte Bella had only 15.5% proficiency, far below the district's 13.09% and the state's 35.02%. The school's performance on the California Science Test is also below the district and state averages, with only 15.5% of 5th graders proficient.

Additionally, Monte Bella Elementary has seen a significant increase in chronic absenteeism, rising from 7.7% in 2017-2018 to 25.9% in the 2022-2023 school year, which is notably higher than the district and state averages. The school also has a high percentage of students from low-socioeconomic backgrounds, with 86.86% qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, compared to the state average of 59.5%. While Monte Bella performs better than some of the lower-ranked schools in the district, such as Dr. Oscar F. Loya Elementary and Cesar E. Chavez Elementary, it lags behind higher-performing schools like Alisal Community and Virginia Rocca Barton Elementary.

Detail:

Public K-6

1300 Tuscany Blvd.
Salinas, CA 93905-2292

(831) 753-5700

District: Alisal Union

SchoolDigger Rank:
3684^th of 5,862 California Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $6,156

Students who attend Monte Bella Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	El Sausal Middle
High:	Alisal High

Student/teacher ratio: 26.1

Number of students: 837

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

95.6%

Two or more races:

1.4%

Asian:

1.3%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 86.9%

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Performance Trends

Compare Details Monte Bella Elementary ranks worse than 62.8% of elementary schools in California. It also ranks 2^nd among 12 ranked elementary schools in the Alisal Union School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 32.96. (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 Monte Bella Elementary has the largest elementary school student body size in the Alisal Union School District. Racial makeup is: Hispanic (95.6%), two or more races (1.4%), Asian (1.3%). (See more...)

Compare Details 86.9% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Monte Bella Elementary is 26.1. 10 elementary schools in the Alisal Union School District have better student/teacher ratios. (See more...)

Compare Monte Bella Elementary employs 32 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Monte Bella Elementary is $6,156, which is the highest among 12 elementary schools in the Alisal Union School District!

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Monte Bella Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Monte Bella Elementary 3684^th of 5862 California public elementary schools. (See Monte Bella 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:

Migrant students:

Homeless students:

Female students:

Male students:

Hispanic students:

Alisal Union:

SchoolDigger ranks Alisal Union 1334^th of 1568 California school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for Monte Bella Elementary

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Rank History for all students at Monte Bella Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2015	16.05	4982^nd	5611	11.2%
2016	15.18	5029^th	5614	10.4%
2017	18.96	4791^st	5692	15.8%
2018	28.28	3966^th	5662	30.0%
2019	25.71	4291^st	5789	25.9%
2022	32.78	3636^th	5883	38.2%
2023	32.61	3680^th	5874	37.4%
2024	32.96	3684^th	5862	37.2%

See the entire list of California Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Monte Bella Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	58.89	898^th	3246	72.3%
2019	50.98	1198^th	3275	63.4%
2022	49.06	1246^th	3311	62.4%
2023	42.13	1678^th	3250	48.4%
2024	40.25	1800^th	3160	43.0%

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

Rank History for Special Education students at Monte Bella Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	30.33	1630^th	2420	32.6%
2024	31.93	1704^th	2634	35.3%

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

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Monte Bella Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	33.36	3525^th	5084	30.7%
2019	34.40	3543^rd	5173	31.5%
2022	43.69	2710^th	5264	48.5%
2023	44.24	2747^th	5374	48.9%
2024	39.93	3151^st	5511	42.8%

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

Rank History for Migrant students at Monte Bella Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	52.17	31^st	68	54.4%
2024	44.72	41^st	74	44.6%

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

Rank History for Homeless students at Monte Bella Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2022	35.59	240^th	356	32.6%
2024	61.41	96^th	364	73.6%

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

Rank History for Female students at Monte Bella Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	35.51	3385^th	5413	37.5%
2019	29.44	3865^th	5492	29.6%
2022	31.18	3632^nd	5635	35.5%
2023	29.45	3822^nd	5617	32.0%
2024	31.92	3640^th	5605	35.1%

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

Rank History for Disabled students at Monte Bella Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2019	17.95	2501^st	2585	3.2%
2022	32.20	1389^th	2227	37.6%

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

Rank History for Male students at Monte Bella Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	21.12	4462^nd	5431	17.8%
2019	22.52	4422^nd	5510	19.7%
2022	35.39	3324^th	5663	41.3%
2023	36.37	3314^th	5650	41.3%
2024	34.17	3466^th	5636	38.5%

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

Rank History for Hispanic students at Monte Bella Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	37.81	3013^th	4830	37.6%
2019	35.14	3305^th	4963	33.4%
2022	46.58	2417^th	5084	52.5%
2023	45.94	2495^th	5098	51.1%
2024	43.20	2736^th	5102	46.4%

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 Monte Bella Elementary

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
2014	11	1	4	444	0	1	6	0	467
2015	10	1	11	537	0	0	7	0	566
2016	11	3	13	610	0	0	5	0	642
2017	9	3	15	685	0	0	12	0	724
2018	8	2	16	740	0	0	10	0	776
2019	17	2	18	778	1	0	15	0	831
2020	9	3	17	793	2	0	12	0	836
2021	8	2	20	795	1	0	11	0	837
2022	11	1	18	791	2	0	12	0	835
2023	10	1	11	800	2	0	12	1	837

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 Monte Bella Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2014	467	18.0	25.9	82.4
2015	566	22.0	25.7	82
2016	642	24.0	26.7	87.5
2017	724	27.0	26.8	84.5
2018	776	30.0	25.8	78.4
2019	831	32.0	25.9	89.3
2020	836	n/a	n/a	90.8
2021	837	33.0	25.3	80.6
2022	835	33.5	24.9	86.8
2023	837	32.0	26.1	86.9

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 Monte Bella Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2014	467	18.0	25.9	82.4
2015	566	22.0	25.7	82
2016	642	24.0	26.7	87.5
2017	724	27.0	26.8	84.5
2018	776	30.0	25.8	78.4
2019	831	32.0	25.9	89.3
2020	836	n/a	n/a	90.8
2021	837	33.0	25.3	80.6
2022	835	33.5	24.9	86.8
2023	837	32.0	26.1	86.9

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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