Is Bonita Elementary a good school?

Bonita Elementary ranks in the bottom 6.2% of California elementary schools.

How many students attend Bonita Elementary?

In the 2022-23 school year, 540 students attended Bonita Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Bonita Elementary?

Students at Bonita Elementary are 99% Hispanic.

What schools do graduates of Bonita Elementary attend?

Students who attend Bonita Elementary usually go on to attend: Middle : El Camino Junior High

Bonita Elementary

Summary:

Bonita Elementary is a public elementary school located in Santa Maria, California, serving grades K-6 with a total enrollment of 540 students. The school is part of the Santa Maria-Bonita School District, which is ranked 1401 out of 1568 districts in California and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Bonita Elementary consistently ranks in the bottom 10-15% of California elementary schools, with a statewide ranking between 5208 and 5675 out of around 5,800 schools over the past several years. The school's performance on Smarter Balanced Assessments is significantly below the state and district averages across all grade levels and subject areas, with only 15.08% of Bonita Elementary students proficient or better in English Language Arts in 2023-2024, compared to 47.04% statewide and 24.89% in the Santa Maria-Bonita district. Bonita Elementary also has a high percentage of students from disadvantaged backgrounds, with 92.41% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch in the 2022-2023 school year, and a high percentage of English Language Learner (ELL) students.

Bonita Elementary's academic performance is consistently lower than the nearby schools in the Santa Maria-Bonita district, such as Fairlawn Elementary, Liberty Elementary, and Sanchez (David J.) Elementary, which perform significantly better across all subject areas and grade levels. Bonita Elementary's performance is particularly concerning for certain student subgroups, such as Hispanic students and English Language Learners, who rank in the bottom 10-15% of their respective statewide subgroups. Addressing the root causes of the school's high chronic absenteeism, which has risen from 5% to 38% over a few years, will be crucial for improving educational outcomes at Bonita Elementary.

Detail:

Public K-6

2715 West Main St.
Santa Maria, CA 93458-9727

(805) 361-8290

District: Santa Maria-Bonita

SchoolDigger Rank:
5497^th of 5,862 California Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $8,004

Students who attend Bonita Elementary usually attend:

Middle:

El Camino Junior High

Student/teacher ratio: 21.4

Number of students: 540

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

99.1%

American Indian:

0.4%

Two or more races:

0.4%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 92.4%

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Performance Trends

Compare Details Bonita Elementary ranks worse than 93.8% of elementary schools in California. It also ranks 14^th among 16 ranked elementary schools in the Santa Maria-Bonita School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 12.7. (See more...)

Chronic absenteeism in a high 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 (99.1%), American Indian (0.4%), two or more races (0.4%). (See more...)

Compare Details 92.4% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Bonita Elementary is 21.4, which is the 4^th best among 16 elementary schools in the Santa Maria-Bonita School District. (See more...)

Compare Bonita Elementary employs 25.2 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Bonita Elementary is $8,004, which is the 2^nd highest among 16 elementary schools in the Santa Maria-Bonita School District.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Bonita Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Bonita Elementary 5497^th of 5862 California public elementary schools. (See Bonita Elementary in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

English Language Learner students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Homeless students:

Female students:

Male students:

Hispanic students:

Santa Maria-Bonita:

SchoolDigger ranks Santa Maria-Bonita 1401^st of 1568 California school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for Bonita Elementary

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Rank History for all students at Bonita Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2004	17.30	4176^th	4809	13.2%
2005	13.40	4434^th	4822	8.0%
2006	15.94	4293^rd	4818	10.9%
2007	12.56	4796^th	5113	6.2%
2008	13.54	4746^th	5113	7.2%
2009	13.32	4838^th	5193	6.8%
2010	18.72	4661^st	5314	12.3%
2011	18.15	4794^th	5377	10.8%
2012	22.71	4472^nd	5390	17.0%
2013	23.73	4479^th	5530	19.0%
2015	12.50	5321^st	5611	5.2%
2016	15.90	4968^th	5614	11.5%
2017	17.14	4940^th	5692	13.2%
2018	12.63	5286^th	5662	6.6%
2019	15.44	5208^th	5789	10.0%
2022	10.94	5675^th	5883	3.5%
2023	11.69	5599^th	5874	4.7%
2024	12.70	5497^th	5862	6.2%

See the entire list of California Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Bonita Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	20.68	3006^th	3246	7.4%
2019	25.93	2788^th	3275	14.9%
2022	29.80	2624^th	3311	20.7%
2023	32.84	2337^th	3250	28.1%
2024	33.77	2265^th	3160	28.3%

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

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Bonita Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	18.38	4573^rd	5084	10.1%
2019	21.31	4472^nd	5173	13.6%
2022	14.23	5009^th	5264	4.8%
2023	15.20	5028^th	5374	6.4%
2024	16.70	5029^th	5511	8.7%

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

Rank History for Homeless students at Bonita Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	40.93	188^th	336	44.0%
2024	25.95	304^th	364	16.5%

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

Rank History for Female students at Bonita Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	10.45	5210^th	5413	3.8%
2019	16.71	4896^th	5492	10.9%
2022	13.40	5328^th	5635	5.4%
2023	14.96	5147^th	5617	8.4%
2024	7.48	5561^st	5605	0.8%

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

Rank History for Disabled students at Bonita Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2019	30.59	1762^nd	2585	31.8%

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

Rank History for Male students at Bonita Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	16.04	4890^th	5431	10.0%
2019	16.09	4975^th	5510	9.7%
2022	11.26	5482^nd	5663	3.2%
2023	11.24	5441^st	5650	3.7%
2024	19.40	4783^rd	5636	15.1%

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

Rank History for Hispanic students at Bonita Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	16.84	4427^th	4830	8.3%
2019	20.17	4364^th	4963	12.1%
2022	14.02	4849^th	5084	4.6%
2023	15.31	4775^th	5098	6.3%
2024	16.73	4672^nd	5102	8.4%

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 Bonita Elementary

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Total
1988	12	0	5	49	0	n/a	n/a	66
1989	9	0	5	54	0	n/a	n/a	68
1990	13	0	7	37	0	n/a	n/a	57
1991	16	0	2	47	0	n/a	n/a	65
1992	20	0	6	53	0	n/a	n/a	79
1993	19	0	3	48	0	n/a	n/a	70
1994	16	0	0	47	0	n/a	n/a	63
1995	7	0	0	42	2	n/a	n/a	51
1996	7	0	0	42	2	n/a	n/a	51
1997	13	0	0	57	1	n/a	n/a	71
1998	10	0	0	68	0	n/a	n/a	78
1999	7	0	0	68	0	n/a	n/a	75
2000	7	0	0	77	0	n/a	n/a	84
2001	14	5	5	296	2	n/a	n/a	322
2002	13	2	1	528	4	n/a	n/a	548
2003	13	2	1	528	4	n/a	n/a	548
2004	14	1	1	479	1	n/a	n/a	496
2005	7	0	2	389	1	n/a	n/a	399
2006	6	0	4	366	2	n/a	n/a	378
2007	7	1	3	336	1	n/a	n/a	348
2008	4	n/a	2	381	n/a	n/a	n/a	387
2009	4	0	0	417	0	0	0	421
2010	4	1	0	504	1	0	0	510
2011	4	1	1	528	1	0	0	535
2012	5	0	1	565	0	0	0	571
2013	7	0	1	588	3	0	0	599
2014	4	0	2	607	3	0	0	616
2015	8	0	2	625	3	0	0	638
2016	7	0	3	523	3	0	0	536
2017	6	0	4	587	2	0	0	599
2018	5	0	3	562	0	0	0	570
2019	4	0	1	550	0	0	0	555
2020	2	0	1	557	2	0	0	562
2021	2	0	0	544	1	0	2	549
2022	1	0	0	536	2	0	3	542
2023	1	0	0	535	2	0	2	540

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 Bonita Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	66	3.0	22.0	n/a
1989	68	3.0	22.6	n/a
1990	57	4.0	14.2	n/a
1991	65	4.0	16.2	n/a
1992	79	4.1	19.2	73.4
1993	70	3.0	23.3	77.1
1994	63	3.0	21.0	79.4
1995	51	3.0	17.0	94.1
1996	51	3.0	17.0	94.1
1997	71	3.0	23.7	90.1
1998	78	3.0	26.0	83.3
1999	75	3.0	25.0	94.7
2000	84	4.0	21.0	96.4
2001	322	17.0	18.9	92.5
2002	548	28.0	19.6	96.9
2003	548	28.0	19.6	96.9
2004	496	24.2	20.5	96.4
2005	399	19.0	21.0	92.2
2006	378	18.0	21.0	87.3
2007	348	18.5	18.8	96
2008	387	20.0	19.4	94.8
2009	421	23.0	17.5	91.2
2010	510	20.0	25.5	93.9
2011	535	n/a	n/a	93.6
2012	571	24.0	23.7	n/a
2013	599	24.5	24.4	96.2
2014	616	26.5	23.2	79.7
2015	638	28.0	22.7	93.4
2016	536	25.0	21.4	94.2
2017	599	24.0	24.9	86.5
2018	570	26.5	21.5	94.4
2019	555	25.5	21.7	92.8
2020	562	n/a	n/a	91.3
2021	549	23.3	23.5	97.8
2022	542	22.8	23.7	90
2023	540	25.2	21.4	92.4

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 Bonita Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	66	3.0	22.0	n/a
1989	68	3.0	22.6	n/a
1990	57	4.0	14.2	n/a
1991	65	4.0	16.2	n/a
1992	79	4.1	19.2	73.4
1993	70	3.0	23.3	77.1
1994	63	3.0	21.0	79.4
1995	51	3.0	17.0	94.1
1996	51	3.0	17.0	94.1
1997	71	3.0	23.7	90.1
1998	78	3.0	26.0	83.3
1999	75	3.0	25.0	94.7
2000	84	4.0	21.0	96.4
2001	322	17.0	18.9	92.5
2002	548	28.0	19.6	96.9
2003	548	28.0	19.6	96.9
2004	496	24.2	20.5	96.4
2005	399	19.0	21.0	92.2
2006	378	18.0	21.0	87.3
2007	348	18.5	18.8	96
2008	387	20.0	19.4	94.8
2009	421	23.0	17.5	91.2
2010	510	20.0	25.5	93.9
2011	535	n/a	n/a	93.6
2012	571	24.0	23.7	n/a
2013	599	24.5	24.4	96.2
2014	616	26.5	23.2	79.7
2015	638	28.0	22.7	93.4
2016	536	25.0	21.4	94.2
2017	599	24.0	24.9	86.5
2018	570	26.5	21.5	94.4
2019	555	25.5	21.7	92.8
2020	562	n/a	n/a	91.3
2021	549	23.3	23.5	97.8
2022	542	22.8	23.7	90
2023	540	25.2	21.4	92.4

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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