Is Oak Valley Elementary a good school?

Oak Valley Elementary ranks 3185 th of 5862 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Oak Valley Elementary?

In the 2023-24 school year, 371 students attended Oak Valley Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Oak Valley Elementary?

Students at Oak Valley Elementary are 50% Hispanic, 41% White, 6% Two or more races, 2% Asian.

What schools do graduates of Oak Valley Elementary attend?

Students who attend Oak Valley Elementary usually go on to attend: Middle : Jonata Middle High : Santa Ynez Valley Union High

Oak Valley Elementary

Summary:

Oak Valley Elementary is a public elementary school located in Buellton, California, serving 350 students in grades K-5. The school is part of the Buellton Union Elementary School District, which is ranked 533 out of 1,568 districts in the state and has a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Oak Valley Elementary faces several challenges, including high chronic absenteeism rates, lower-than-average test scores, and a high percentage of students from low-socioeconomic backgrounds. The school's chronic absenteeism rate has risen significantly from 7.3% in 2017-2018 to 24.1% in 2022-2023, notably higher than the state average of 14.3%. In both English Language Arts and Mathematics, Oak Valley's proficiency rates are lower than the district and state averages, particularly in the 4th and 5th grade levels. Additionally, the school's performance on science (CAST) tests is significantly lower than the district and state averages.

Interestingly, while nearby schools like Leonora Fillmore Elementary and Arthur Hapgood Elementary (both part of the Lompoc Unified School District) have even lower test scores and higher chronic absenteeism rates than Oak Valley, schools like Ballard Elementary and Solvang Elementary, which are part of higher-performing districts, have significantly better performance metrics. Oak Valley's own performance has also declined over time, with its statewide ranking dropping from 717 out of 5,611 California elementary schools in 2014-2015 to 3,185 out of 5,862 in the 2023-2024 school year.

Detail:

Public K-5

595 Second St.
Buellton, CA 93427-6801

(805) 688-6992

District: Buellton Union Elementary

SchoolDigger Rank:
3185^th of 5,862 California Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $6,532

Students who attend Oak Valley Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Jonata Middle
High:	Santa Ynez Valley Union High

Student/teacher ratio: 19.5

Number of students: 371

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

50.4%

White:

41.2%

Two or more races:

5.9%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 51.5%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Oak Valley Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Oak Valley Elementary ranks worse than 54.3% of elementary schools in California. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 39.72. (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 (50.4%), White (41.2%), two or more races (5.9%). (See more...)

Compare Details 51.5% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Oak Valley Elementary is 19.5. (See more...)

Compare Oak Valley Elementary employs 19 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Oak Valley Elementary is $6,532.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Oak Valley Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Oak Valley Elementary 3185^th of 5862 California public elementary schools. (See Oak Valley Elementary in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

Hispanic students:

White students:

Buellton Union Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Buellton Union Elementary 533^rd of 1568 California school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for Oak Valley Elementary

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Rank History for all students at Oak Valley Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2007	71.17	1320^th	5113	74.2%
2008	61.50	1785^th	5113	65.1%
2009	49.79	2499^th	5193	51.9%
2010	63.90	1788^th	5314	66.4%
2011	68.91	1530^th	5377	71.5%
2012	70.34	1509^th	5390	72.0%
2013	81.16	997^th	5530	82.0%
2015	88.18	717^th	5611	87.2%
2016	85.16	887^th	5614	84.2%
2017	77.23	1237^th	5692	78.3%
2018	67.08	1716^th	5662	69.7%
2019	65.38	1823^rd	5789	68.5%
2022	41.53	2986^th	5883	49.2%
2023	49.17	2574^th	5874	56.2%
2024	39.72	3185^th	5862	45.7%

See the entire list of California Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Oak Valley Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2019	41.09	1717^th	3275	47.6%
2022	31.90	2456^th	3311	25.8%
2023	48.38	1276^th	3250	60.7%

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

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Oak Valley Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	47.40	2525^th	5084	50.3%
2019	50.87	2346^th	5173	54.6%
2022	39.08	3088^th	5264	41.3%
2023	46.19	2614^th	5374	51.4%
2024	35.29	3497^th	5511	36.5%

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

Rank History for Female students at Oak Valley Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	61.54	1906^th	5413	64.8%
2019	55.31	2212^th	5492	59.7%
2022	37.81	3134^th	5635	44.4%
2023	54.42	2191^st	5617	61.0%
2024	36.79	3282^nd	5605	41.4%

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

Rank History for Disabled students at Oak Valley Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2019	51.18	951^st	2585	63.2%

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

Rank History for Male students at Oak Valley Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	69.63	1500^th	5431	72.4%
2019	73.32	1373^rd	5510	75.1%
2022	46.09	2651^st	5663	53.2%
2023	43.86	2815^th	5650	50.2%
2024	42.36	2912^th	5636	48.3%

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

Rank History for Hispanic students at Oak Valley Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	58.85	1684^th	4830	65.1%
2019	53.94	2040^th	4963	58.9%
2022	33.22	3428^th	5084	32.6%
2023	41.58	2786^th	5098	45.4%
2024	39.22	3024^th	5102	40.7%

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

Rank History for White students at Oak Valley Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	63.52	1057^th	2737	61.4%
2019	67.70	911^th	2834	67.9%
2022	37.10	1822^nd	2726	33.2%
2023	46.63	1523^rd	2662	42.8%
2024	24.83	2092^nd	2647	21.0%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for White 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 Oak Valley Elementary

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
2002	133	0	3	79	0	n/a	n/a	0	215
2003	133	0	3	79	0	n/a	n/a	0	215
2004	123	1	1	76	0	n/a	n/a	0	201
2005	102	3	3	83	0	n/a	n/a	0	191
2006	111	3	0	87	0	n/a	n/a	0	201
2007	225	5	9	186	5	n/a	n/a	1	431
2008	240	6	10	184	7	n/a	n/a	0	447
2009	252	4	7	204	7	1	7	0	482
2010	226	2	11	209	6	1	23	0	478
2011	171	0	5	202	5	1	65	0	449
2012	178	0	5	205	5	1	62	0	456
2013	149	1	6	175	4	1	106	0	442
2014	173	2	5	179	2	0	89	0	450
2015	192	2	4	182	1	0	30	0	411
2016	191	4	3	170	0	0	25	0	393
2017	191	3	3	170	1	0	25	0	393
2018	184	2	2	172	0	0	36	0	396
2019	197	2	1	193	0	0	36	0	429
2020	182	0	2	197	1	0	44	0	426
2021	127	1	3	182	2	0	37	0	352
2022	147	1	6	171	2	0	32	0	359
2023	141	1	9	173	2	0	24	0	350
2024	153	2	6	187	1	0	22	0	371

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 Oak Valley Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2002	215	11.9	18.1	3.3
2003	215	11.9	18.1	3.3
2004	201	11.0	18.3	39.8
2005	191	9.0	21.2	40.3
2006	201	11.0	18.3	41.8
2007	431	23.5	18.3	37.7
2008	447	25.0	17.9	38
2009	482	23.0	20.1	38.8
2010	478	24.6	19.4	37.7
2011	449	n/a	n/a	42.1
2012	456	20.5	22.2	n/a
2013	442	20.0	22.1	34.4
2014	450	19.0	23.6	37.3
2015	411	19.0	21.6	29.7
2016	393	19.0	20.6	31.8
2017	393	18.0	21.8	34.4
2018	396	18.0	22.0	39.1
2019	429	18.0	23.8	41.5
2020	426	n/a	n/a	42.3
2021	352	18.8	18.7	45.2
2022	359	18.0	19.9	52.9
2023	350	17.0	20.5	50.6
2024	371	19.0	19.5	51.5

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 Oak Valley Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2002	215	11.9	18.1	3.3
2003	215	11.9	18.1	3.3
2004	201	11.0	18.3	39.8
2005	191	9.0	21.2	40.3
2006	201	11.0	18.3	41.8
2007	431	23.5	18.3	37.7
2008	447	25.0	17.9	38
2009	482	23.0	20.1	38.8
2010	478	24.6	19.4	37.7
2011	449	n/a	n/a	42.1
2012	456	20.5	22.2	n/a
2013	442	20.0	22.1	34.4
2014	450	19.0	23.6	37.3
2015	411	19.0	21.6	29.7
2016	393	19.0	20.6	31.8
2017	393	18.0	21.8	34.4
2018	396	18.0	22.0	39.1
2019	429	18.0	23.8	41.5
2020	426	n/a	n/a	42.3
2021	352	18.8	18.7	45.2
2022	359	18.0	19.9	52.9
2023	350	17.0	20.5	50.6
2024	371	19.0	19.5	51.5

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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