Is Adam (William Laird) Elementary a good school?

Adam (William Laird) Elementary ranks in the bottom 8.4% of California elementary schools.

How many students attend Adam (William Laird) Elementary?

In the 2023-24 school year, 870 students attended Adam (William Laird) Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Adam (William Laird) Elementary?

Students at Adam (William Laird) Elementary are 98% Hispanic.

What schools do graduates of Adam (William Laird) Elementary attend?

Students who attend Adam (William Laird) Elementary usually go on to attend: Middle : Arellanes Junior High High : Santa Maria High

Adam (William Laird) Elementary

Summary:

Adam (William Laird) Elementary is a public elementary school located in Santa Maria, California, serving 856 students in grades K-6. The school is part of the Santa Maria-Bonita School District, which is ranked 1401 out of 1568 districts in the state and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Adam (William Laird) Elementary consistently ranks in the bottom 10-15% of California elementary schools, with significantly below-average performance on state assessments across all grade levels and subject areas. The school struggles to support its diverse student population, with lower rankings for subgroups such as Hispanic students, English Language Learners, Special Education students, and Low Socioeconomic Status students compared to the state. Additionally, the school has experienced a significant increase in chronic absenteeism, rising from 2.6% in 2017-2018 to 31.9% in 2021-2022, more than double the state average.

While the nearby schools in the Santa Maria-Bonita School District, such as Bruce (Robert) Elementary, Alvin Elementary, and Oakley (Calvin C.) Elementary, also struggle academically, some schools in the district, like Jimenez Roberto and Dr. Francisco Elementary and Sanchez (David J.) Elementary, perform significantly better, suggesting that there may be opportunities for Adam (William Laird) Elementary to learn from their successful practices and implement strategies to improve its own performance.

Detail:

Public K-6

500 West Windsor
Santa Maria, CA 93458-6543

(805) 361-6700

District: Santa Maria-Bonita

SchoolDigger Rank:
5372^nd of 5,862 California Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $7,132

Students who attend Adam (William Laird) Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Arellanes Junior High
High:	Santa Maria High

Student/teacher ratio: 23.3

Number of students: 870

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

98.2%

White:

0.7%

American Indian:

0.5%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 96.2%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Adam (William Laird) Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Adam (William Laird) Elementary ranks worse than 91.6% of elementary schools in California. It also ranks 11^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 14.19. (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 (98.2%), White (0.7%), American Indian (0.5%). (See more...)

Compare Details 96.2% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Adam (William Laird) Elementary is 23.3. 13 elementary schools in the Santa Maria-Bonita School District have better student/teacher ratios. (See more...)

Compare Adam (William Laird) Elementary employs 37.2 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Adam (William Laird) Elementary is $7,132. 12 elementary schools in the Santa Maria-Bonita School District spend more per student.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Adam (William Laird) Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Adam (William Laird) Elementary 5372^nd of 5862 California public elementary schools. (See Adam (William Laird) 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:

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 Adam (William Laird) Elementary

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Rank History for all students at Adam (William Laird) Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2004	25.20	3549^th	4809	26.2%
2005	17.69	4127^th	4822	14.4%
2006	16.94	4217^th	4818	12.5%
2007	19.69	4316^th	5113	15.6%
2008	18.29	4447^th	5113	13.0%
2009	5.55	5140^th	5193	1.0%
2010	9.19	5189^th	5314	2.4%
2011	13.01	5076^th	5377	5.6%
2012	13.89	5023^rd	5390	6.8%
2013	10.97	5253^rd	5530	5.0%
2015	15.21	5080^th	5611	9.5%
2016	13.19	5196^th	5614	7.4%
2017	18.83	4805^th	5692	15.6%
2018	20.30	4653^rd	5662	17.8%
2019	20.45	4756^th	5789	17.8%
2022	13.57	5487^th	5883	6.7%
2023	12.05	5570^th	5874	5.2%
2024	14.19	5372^nd	5862	8.4%

See the entire list of California Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Adam (William Laird) Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	31.19	2305^th	3246	29.0%
2019	26.69	2729^th	3275	16.7%
2022	28.38	2728^th	3311	17.6%
2023	32.70	2344^th	3250	27.9%
2024	37.91	1963^rd	3160	37.9%

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

Rank History for Special Education students at Adam (William Laird) Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	20.98	2149^th	2420	11.2%
2024	22.97	2240^th	2634	15.0%

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

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Adam (William Laird) Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	29.26	3831^st	5084	24.6%
2019	29.20	3911^th	5173	24.4%
2022	17.84	4788^th	5264	9.0%
2023	15.64	4997^th	5374	7.0%
2024	18.45	4908^th	5511	10.9%

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

Rank History for Migrant students at Adam (William Laird) Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	25.08	61^st	68	10.3%
2024	34.96	57^th	74	23.0%

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

Rank History for Homeless students at Adam (William Laird) Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2022	26.78	294^th	356	17.4%
2023	33.19	244^th	336	27.4%
2024	34.11	266^th	364	26.9%

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

Rank History for Female students at Adam (William Laird) Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	18.59	4644^th	5413	14.2%
2019	15.65	4980^th	5492	9.3%
2022	12.63	5389^th	5635	4.4%
2023	13.71	5258^th	5617	6.4%
2024	14.14	5185^th	5605	7.5%

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

Rank History for Disabled students at Adam (William Laird) Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2018	29.32	1481^st	2128	30.4%
2022	18.67	2063^rd	2227	7.4%

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

Rank History for Male students at Adam (William Laird) Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	23.62	4215^th	5431	22.4%
2019	27.77	3962^nd	5510	28.1%
2022	16.35	5092^nd	5663	10.1%
2023	11.62	5403^rd	5650	4.4%
2024	15.95	5076^th	5636	9.9%

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

Rank History for Hispanic students at Adam (William Laird) Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	28.07	3679^th	4830	23.8%
2019	28.94	3772^nd	4963	24.0%
2022	17.33	4680^th	5084	7.9%
2023	15.20	4785^th	5098	6.1%
2024	18.98	4525^th	5102	11.3%

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 Adam (William Laird) Elementary

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1989	155	31	43	515	15	n/a	n/a	0	759
1990	133	30	47	584	13	n/a	n/a	0	807
1991	152	24	46	535	14	n/a	n/a	0	771
1992	142	31	36	600	13	n/a	n/a	0	822
1993	123	30	27	609	12	n/a	n/a	0	801
1994	121	29	27	628	11	n/a	n/a	0	816
1995	104	33	24	735	7	n/a	n/a	0	903
1996	104	33	24	735	7	n/a	n/a	0	903
1997	83	14	27	768	6	n/a	n/a	0	898
1998	78	5	30	866	8	n/a	n/a	0	987
1999	66	12	22	679	4	n/a	n/a	1	784
2000	60	14	24	729	4	n/a	n/a	2	833
2001	62	3	26	812	4	n/a	n/a	4	911
2002	57	13	29	819	1	n/a	n/a	0	919
2003	57	13	29	819	1	n/a	n/a	0	919
2004	57	20	25	885	1	n/a	n/a	0	988
2005	30	9	6	681	1	n/a	n/a	0	727
2006	25	16	8	672	3	n/a	n/a	0	724
2007	13	9	8	614	1	n/a	n/a	0	645
2008	19	6	8	599	4	n/a	n/a	0	636
2009	20	5	6	757	1	1	3	0	793
2010	19	5	4	842	0	1	0	0	871
2011	20	4	2	844	2	0	0	0	872
2012	10	7	6	915	1	0	0	0	939
2013	17	4	7	965	1	0	1	0	995
2014	14	6	9	1017	1	0	1	0	1048
2015	15	4	7	1069	0	0	0	0	1095
2016	9	2	1	1024	0	0	0	0	1036
2017	14	1	2	973	0	0	0	0	990
2018	13	1	5	964	0	0	0	0	983
2019	15	1	4	918	0	0	0	0	938
2020	9	0	0	911	1	1	1	0	923
2021	8	0	1	879	2	1	2	0	893
2022	14	0	2	839	3	0	2	0	860
2023	10	0	3	838	3	0	2	0	856
2024	6	0	2	854	4	0	4	0	870

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 Adam (William Laird) Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1989	759	26.0	29.1	n/a
1990	807	33.0	24.4	n/a
1991	771	32.0	24.0	n/a
1992	822	32.5	25.2	81.4
1993	801	31.0	25.8	85.6
1994	816	31.0	26.3	86.5
1995	903	31.0	29.1	84.4
1996	903	31.0	29.1	84.4
1997	898	38.0	23.6	88.5
1998	987	43.0	23.0	90.2
1999	784	39.0	20.1	94.8
2000	833	42.0	19.8	91.9
2001	911	46.0	19.8	92.1
2002	919	46.5	19.8	91.2
2003	919	46.5	19.8	91.2
2004	988	43.4	22.8	86.5
2005	727	35.5	20.5	92.8
2006	724	33.0	21.9	82.5
2007	645	29.5	21.9	94.4
2008	636	31.0	20.5	90.4
2009	793	36.0	20.5	89.2
2010	871	27.5	31.6	92.7
2011	872	n/a	n/a	91.6
2012	939	35.0	26.8	n/a
2013	995	36.5	27.2	93.7
2014	1048	36.7	28.5	78.7
2015	1095	37.0	29.5	95
2016	1036	38.0	27.2	95.4
2017	990	37.0	26.7	87
2018	983	37.7	26.0	95.7
2019	938	35.7	26.2	95.2
2020	923	n/a	n/a	92
2021	893	35.9	24.8	95
2022	860	36.0	23.8	95.2
2023	856	36.9	23.1	91.5
2024	870	37.2	23.3	96.2

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 Adam (William Laird) Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1989	759	26.0	29.1	n/a
1990	807	33.0	24.4	n/a
1991	771	32.0	24.0	n/a
1992	822	32.5	25.2	81.4
1993	801	31.0	25.8	85.6
1994	816	31.0	26.3	86.5
1995	903	31.0	29.1	84.4
1996	903	31.0	29.1	84.4
1997	898	38.0	23.6	88.5
1998	987	43.0	23.0	90.2
1999	784	39.0	20.1	94.8
2000	833	42.0	19.8	91.9
2001	911	46.0	19.8	92.1
2002	919	46.5	19.8	91.2
2003	919	46.5	19.8	91.2
2004	988	43.4	22.8	86.5
2005	727	35.5	20.5	92.8
2006	724	33.0	21.9	82.5
2007	645	29.5	21.9	94.4
2008	636	31.0	20.5	90.4
2009	793	36.0	20.5	89.2
2010	871	27.5	31.6	92.7
2011	872	n/a	n/a	91.6
2012	939	35.0	26.8	n/a
2013	995	36.5	27.2	93.7
2014	1048	36.7	28.5	78.7
2015	1095	37.0	29.5	95
2016	1036	38.0	27.2	95.4
2017	990	37.0	26.7	87
2018	983	37.7	26.0	95.7
2019	938	35.7	26.2	95.2
2020	923	n/a	n/a	92
2021	893	35.9	24.8	95
2022	860	36.0	23.8	95.2
2023	856	36.9	23.1	91.5
2024	870	37.2	23.3	96.2

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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