Is Fairlawn Elementary a good school?

Fairlawn Elementary ranks in the bottom 14.9% of California elementary schools.

How many students attend Fairlawn Elementary?

In the 2023-24 school year, 716 students attended Fairlawn Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Fairlawn Elementary?

Students at Fairlawn Elementary are 98% Hispanic.

What schools do graduates of Fairlawn Elementary attend?

Students who attend Fairlawn Elementary usually go on to attend: Middle : El Camino Junior High High : Santa Maria High

Fairlawn Elementary

Summary:

Fairlawn Elementary is a public elementary school located in Santa Maria, California, serving grades K-6 with a total enrollment of 746 students. It 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.

Fairlawn Elementary consistently ranks in the bottom 20% of California elementary schools, with significantly below-average performance on Smarter Balanced Assessments across all grade levels and subject areas. For example, in 2023-2024, only 22.05% of Fairlawn students were proficient or better in English Language Arts/Literacy, compared to 47.04% statewide and 24.89% in the Santa Maria-Bonita district. The school's performance is particularly low in mathematics, with only 18.35% of students proficient or better, compared to 35.54% statewide and 16.47% in the district. Fairlawn also has a high percentage of socioeconomically disadvantaged students (93.03%) and English Language Learners, which may contribute to its academic challenges.

Compared to nearby schools in the Santa Maria-Bonita district, such as Ontiveros (Juan Pacifico) Elementary and Sanchez (David J.) Elementary, Fairlawn Elementary's academic performance is consistently lower across all subject areas and grade levels. Additionally, Fairlawn has experienced a significant increase in chronic absenteeism, from 1.9% in 2018-2019 to 23.7% in 2021-2022, before decreasing to 10.3% in 2022-2023, which may also be contributing to the school's low academic outcomes.

Detail:

Public K-6

120 North Mary Dr.
Santa Maria, CA 93458-3920

(805) 361-7500

District: Santa Maria-Bonita

SchoolDigger Rank:
4986^th of 5,862 California Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $7,152

Students who attend Fairlawn Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	El Camino Junior High
High:	Santa Maria High

Student/teacher ratio: 20.0

Number of students: 716

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

98.0%

American Indian:

0.8%

White:

0.4%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 95.9%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Fairlawn Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Fairlawn Elementary ranks worse than 85.1% of elementary schools in California. It also ranks 6^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 18.37. (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%), American Indian (0.8%), Asian (0.4%). (See more...)

Compare Details 95.9% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Fairlawn Elementary is 20, which is the 4^th best among 16 elementary schools in the Santa Maria-Bonita School District. (See more...)

Compare Fairlawn Elementary employs 35.8 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Fairlawn Elementary is $7,152. 11 elementary schools in the Santa Maria-Bonita School District spend more per student.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Fairlawn Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Fairlawn Elementary 4986^th of 5862 California public elementary schools. (See Fairlawn 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 Fairlawn Elementary

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Rank History for all students at Fairlawn Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2004	18.19	4102^nd	4809	14.7%
2005	19.92	3973^rd	4822	17.6%
2006	17.45	4171^st	4818	13.4%
2007	21.79	4148^th	5113	18.9%
2008	18.46	4439^th	5113	13.2%
2009	15.18	4722^nd	5193	9.1%
2010	18.48	4682^nd	5314	11.9%
2011	16.84	4865^th	5377	9.5%
2012	14.40	4991^st	5390	7.4%
2013	16.73	4945^th	5530	10.6%
2015	9.01	5528^th	5611	1.5%
2016	11.74	5317^th	5614	5.3%
2017	12.05	5359^th	5692	5.9%
2018	12.38	5298^th	5662	6.4%
2019	20.17	4786^th	5789	17.3%
2022	24.94	4348^th	5883	26.1%
2023	25.84	4284^th	5874	27.1%
2024	18.37	4986^th	5862	14.9%

See the entire list of California Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Fairlawn Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	19.86	3053^rd	3246	5.9%
2019	25.28	2848^th	3275	13.0%
2022	44.38	1513^th	3311	54.3%
2023	45.29	1464^th	3250	55.0%
2024	36.17	2095^th	3160	33.7%

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

Rank History for Special Education students at Fairlawn Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2024	16.48	2591^st	2634	1.6%

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

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Fairlawn Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	16.73	4672^nd	5084	8.1%
2019	28.15	4015^th	5173	22.4%
2022	35.92	3335^th	5264	36.6%
2023	35.27	3448^th	5374	35.8%
2024	24.58	4403^rd	5511	20.1%

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

Rank History for Migrant students at Fairlawn Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	51.99	32^nd	68	52.9%
2024	81.37	5^th	74	93.2%

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

Rank History for Homeless students at Fairlawn Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2022	32.86	260^th	356	27.0%
2023	54.60	121^st	336	64.0%
2024	48.61	175^th	364	51.9%

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

Rank History for Female students at Fairlawn Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	13.27	5042^nd	5413	6.9%
2019	22.89	4393^rd	5492	20.0%
2022	25.16	4198^th	5635	25.5%
2023	26.27	4116^th	5617	26.7%
2024	18.78	4814^th	5605	14.1%

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

Rank History for Male students at Fairlawn Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	12.82	5100^th	5431	6.1%
2019	19.51	4707^th	5510	14.6%
2022	25.38	4203^rd	5663	25.8%
2023	25.78	4173^rd	5650	26.1%
2024	19.12	4806^th	5636	14.7%

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

Rank History for Hispanic students at Fairlawn Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	16.26	4447^th	4830	7.9%
2019	28.12	3825^th	4963	22.9%
2022	35.12	3278^th	5084	35.5%
2023	36.02	3230^th	5098	36.6%
2024	25.82	4038^th	5102	20.9%

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 Fairlawn Elementary

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Total
1989	63	6	52	456	3	n/a	n/a	580
1990	66	3	50	497	2	n/a	n/a	618
1991	41	6	27	542	7	n/a	n/a	623
1992	36	5	30	536	3	n/a	n/a	610
1993	36	5	28	595	2	n/a	n/a	666
1994	29	10	27	639	2	n/a	n/a	707
1995	21	9	25	628	3	n/a	n/a	686
1996	21	9	25	628	3	n/a	n/a	686
1997	30	7	24	675	0	n/a	n/a	736
1998	24	5	22	659	3	n/a	n/a	713
1999	33	0	22	739	1	n/a	n/a	795
2000	26	1	21	743	0	n/a	n/a	791
2001	11	1	21	689	0	n/a	n/a	722
2002	13	4	25	732	2	n/a	n/a	776
2003	13	4	25	732	2	n/a	n/a	776
2004	14	3	22	759	1	n/a	n/a	799
2005	10	2	24	586	0	n/a	n/a	622
2006	14	0	27	596	1	n/a	n/a	638
2007	9	0	20	569	1	n/a	n/a	599
2008	7	1	24	569	1	n/a	n/a	602
2009	5	2	23	604	1	1	0	636
2010	3	2	16	588	0	1	0	610
2011	0	1	15	646	0	0	0	662
2012	0	1	15	674	0	0	0	690
2013	3	0	11	711	0	0	2	727
2014	4	0	11	737	1	0	2	755
2015	5	2	7	768	0	0	2	784
2016	1	3	6	730	0	0	2	742
2017	2	0	6	768	0	0	0	776
2018	2	0	4	765	0	0	0	771
2019	1	0	3	726	0	0	0	730
2020	0	0	5	703	1	0	0	709
2021	1	0	4	741	2	0	0	748
2022	2	0	3	772	1	0	0	778
2023	3	0	2	738	2	0	1	746
2024	3	0	3	702	6	0	2	716

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 Fairlawn Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1989	580	22.0	26.3	n/a
1990	618	24.5	25.2	n/a
1991	623	25.0	24.9	n/a
1992	610	25.4	24.0	85.7
1993	666	27.5	24.2	92.2
1994	707	25.0	28.3	93.1
1995	686	25.0	27.4	91.4
1996	686	25.0	27.4	91.4
1997	736	30.0	24.5	94.2
1998	713	32.0	22.3	93.5
1999	795	37.0	21.5	92.7
2000	791	38.0	20.8	96.5
2001	722	35.0	20.6	94.2
2002	776	34.5	22.5	92.4
2003	776	34.5	22.5	92.4
2004	799	35.3	22.6	93.6
2005	622	29.0	21.4	89.5
2006	638	29.0	22.0	96.2
2007	599	31.0	19.3	92.7
2008	602	30.0	20.1	99.5
2009	636	28.2	20.3	87.6
2010	610	23.8	25.6	98.9
2011	662	n/a	n/a	90
2012	690	24.7	27.8	n/a
2013	727	25.7	28.2	93.8
2014	755	26.2	28.7	80.1
2015	784	28.0	28.0	96.2
2016	742	28.0	26.5	93
2017	776	28.5	27.2	87.9
2018	771	31.5	24.4	95.5
2019	730	27.2	26.7	94
2020	709	n/a	n/a	91
2021	748	31.5	23.7	95.5
2022	778	32.5	23.9	93.1
2023	746	33.4	22.3	93
2024	716	35.8	20.0	95.9

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 Fairlawn Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1989	580	22.0	26.3	n/a
1990	618	24.5	25.2	n/a
1991	623	25.0	24.9	n/a
1992	610	25.4	24.0	85.7
1993	666	27.5	24.2	92.2
1994	707	25.0	28.3	93.1
1995	686	25.0	27.4	91.4
1996	686	25.0	27.4	91.4
1997	736	30.0	24.5	94.2
1998	713	32.0	22.3	93.5
1999	795	37.0	21.5	92.7
2000	791	38.0	20.8	96.5
2001	722	35.0	20.6	94.2
2002	776	34.5	22.5	92.4
2003	776	34.5	22.5	92.4
2004	799	35.3	22.6	93.6
2005	622	29.0	21.4	89.5
2006	638	29.0	22.0	96.2
2007	599	31.0	19.3	92.7
2008	602	30.0	20.1	99.5
2009	636	28.2	20.3	87.6
2010	610	23.8	25.6	98.9
2011	662	n/a	n/a	90
2012	690	24.7	27.8	n/a
2013	727	25.7	28.2	93.8
2014	755	26.2	28.7	80.1
2015	784	28.0	28.0	96.2
2016	742	28.0	26.5	93
2017	776	28.5	27.2	87.9
2018	771	31.5	24.4	95.5
2019	730	27.2	26.7	94
2020	709	n/a	n/a	91
2021	748	31.5	23.7	95.5
2022	778	32.5	23.9	93.1
2023	746	33.4	22.3	93
2024	716	35.8	20.0	95.9

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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