Is John Kelley Elementary a good school?

John Kelley Elementary ranks in the bottom 18.8% of California elementary schools.

How many students attend John Kelley Elementary?

In the 2023-24 school year, 496 students attended John Kelley Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of John Kelley Elementary?

Students at John Kelley Elementary are 98% Hispanic, 2% Two or more races.

What schools do graduates of John Kelley Elementary attend?

Students who attend John Kelley Elementary usually go on to attend: Middle : Toro Canyon Middle High : Desert Mirage High

John Kelley Elementary

Summary:

John Kelley Elementary is a public elementary school located in Thermal, California, serving around 500 students in grades K-6. It is part of the Coachella Valley Unified School District, which is ranked 1332 out of 1568 districts in the state and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

John Kelley Elementary has seen a significant increase in chronic absenteeism rates, rising from 15.0% in 2017-2018 to 52.2% in 2022-2023, much higher than nearby schools like Las Palmitas Elementary at 43.5% and Westside Elementary at 49.1%. Academically, the school consistently performs below the district and state averages in Smarter Balanced Assessments for English Language Arts and Mathematics, with only 27.69% of students proficient or better in ELA and 19.83% in Mathematics in 2023-2024. The school also struggles to support certain student subgroups, with lower rankings compared to other California elementary schools, though it performs better for English Language Learners and Special Education students.

When comparing John Kelley Elementary to nearby schools, it is clear that factors beyond just district-level policies and resources may be contributing to the challenges faced by the school. For example, Imagine Schools Riverside County, a public charter school serving the Thermal area, demonstrates better academic performance than John Kelley Elementary in both ELA and Mathematics. Similarly, Coral Mountain Academy and Valle del Sol Elementary, also part of the Coachella Valley Unified School District, outperform John Kelley Elementary across various academic metrics.

Detail:

Public K-6

87-163 Center St.
Thermal, CA 92274-8753

(760) 399-5101

District: Coachella Valley Unified

SchoolDigger Rank:
4761^st of 5,862 California Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $12,759

Students who attend John Kelley Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Toro Canyon Middle
High:	Desert Mirage High

Student/teacher ratio: 15.9

Number of students: 496

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

97.6%

Two or more races:

1.6%

White:

0.6%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 94.8%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare John Kelley Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details John Kelley Elementary ranks worse than 81.2% of elementary schools in California. It also ranks 9^th among 14 ranked elementary schools in the Coachella Valley Unified School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 21.09. (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 (97.6%), two or more races (1.6%), White (0.6%). (See more...)

Compare Details 94.8% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at John Kelley Elementary is 15.9, which is the lowest among 14 elementary schools in the Coachella Valley Unified School District! (See more...)

Compare John Kelley Elementary employs 31 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at John Kelley Elementary is $12,759. 12 elementary schools in the Coachella Valley Unified School District spend more per student.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

John Kelley Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks John Kelley Elementary 4761^st of 5862 California public elementary schools. (See John Kelley 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:

Female students:

Male students:

Hispanic students:

Coachella Valley Unified:

SchoolDigger ranks Coachella Valley Unified 1332^nd of 1568 California school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for John Kelley Elementary

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Rank History for all students at John Kelley Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2004	7.32	4764^th	4809	0.9%
2005	8.41	4723^rd	4822	2.1%
2006	8.24	4699^th	4818	2.5%
2007	9.86	4924^th	5113	3.7%
2008	8.48	4984^th	5113	2.5%
2009	10.05	4997^th	5193	3.8%
2010	21.48	4497^th	5314	15.4%
2011	29.29	4042^nd	5377	24.8%
2012	24.18	4369^th	5390	18.9%
2013	18.45	4839^th	5530	12.5%
2015	11.97	5352^nd	5611	4.6%
2016	15.20	5027^th	5614	10.5%
2017	12.68	5312^th	5692	6.7%
2018	15.64	5038^th	5662	11.0%
2019	21.06	4700^th	5789	18.8%
2021	14.10	1314^th	1417	7.3%
2022	21.90	4659^th	5883	20.8%
2023	19.65	4896^th	5874	16.6%
2024	21.09	4761^st	5862	18.8%

See the entire list of California Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at John Kelley Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	41.14	1703^rd	3246	47.5%
2019	31.27	2392^nd	3275	27.0%
2021	28.09	512^th	602	15.0%
2022	43.68	1556^th	3311	53.0%
2023	33.78	2258^th	3250	30.5%
2024	40.85	1758^th	3160	44.4%

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

Rank History for Special Education students at John Kelley Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2024	45.11	1123^rd	2634	57.4%

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

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at John Kelley Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	20.92	4414^th	5084	13.2%
2019	28.46	3991^st	5173	22.8%
2021	21.52	967^th	1110	12.9%
2022	29.04	3919^th	5264	25.6%
2023	25.17	4298^th	5374	20.0%
2024	26.27	4273^rd	5511	22.5%

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

Rank History for Female students at John Kelley Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	17.49	4743^rd	5413	12.4%
2019	16.24	4929^th	5492	10.3%
2021	15.31	1172^nd	1267	7.5%
2022	27.99	3926^th	5635	30.3%
2023	26.80	4068^th	5617	27.6%
2024	27.32	4032^nd	5605	28.1%

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

Rank History for Disabled students at John Kelley Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2018	30.15	1428^th	2128	32.9%
2019	18.13	2441^st	2585	5.6%

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

Rank History for Male students at John Kelley Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	15.29	4942^nd	5431	9.0%
2019	27.50	3983^rd	5510	27.7%
2021	14.95	1159^th	1272	8.9%
2022	18.33	4895^th	5663	13.6%
2023	14.71	5195^th	5650	8.1%
2024	16.43	5032^nd	5636	10.7%

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

Rank History for Hispanic students at John Kelley Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	20.95	4187^th	4830	13.3%
2019	29.80	3708^th	4963	25.3%
2022	29.50	3749^th	5084	26.3%
2023	26.44	4002^nd	5098	21.5%
2024	30.44	3708^th	5102	27.3%

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 John Kelley Elementary

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	24	4	5	741	0	n/a	n/a	0	774
1989	31	6	5	774	0	n/a	n/a	0	816
1990	30	1	5	840	2	n/a	n/a	0	878
1991	22	2	4	912	1	n/a	n/a	0	941
1992	24	1	2	939	0	n/a	n/a	0	966
1993	27	3	2	922	0	n/a	n/a	0	954
1994	19	3	1	899	0	n/a	n/a	0	922
1995	10	1	1	902	1	n/a	n/a	0	915
1996	10	1	1	902	1	n/a	n/a	0	915
1997	4	4	1	962	1	n/a	n/a	0	972
1998	8	0	1	1014	1	n/a	n/a	0	1024
1999	6	0	0	945	0	n/a	n/a	0	951
2000	3	2	0	916	0	n/a	n/a	0	921
2001	5	0	0	976	0	n/a	n/a	0	981
2002	7	1	0	976	1	n/a	n/a	1	986
2003	7	1	0	976	1	n/a	n/a	1	986
2004	4	0	0	630	2	n/a	n/a	2	638
2005	11	0	0	593	2	n/a	n/a	1	607
2006	5	0	0	560	0	n/a	n/a	1	566
2007	2	1	0	636	1	n/a	n/a	4	644
2008	2	n/a	n/a	574	n/a	n/a	n/a	0	576
2009	7	0	0	582	0	0	4	0	593
2010	7	0	0	575	0	0	8	0	590
2011	5	0	0	610	0	0	4	0	619
2012	6	0	0	598	0	0	15	0	619
2013	4	0	0	581	1	0	14	0	600
2014	2	0	0	592	1	0	8	0	603
2015	3	0	0	612	0	0	7	0	622
2016	0	0	0	588	0	0	8	0	596
2017	0	0	0	569	1	0	9	0	579
2018	4	0	0	556	2	0	8	0	570
2019	4	1	0	533	2	0	4	0	544
2020	4	1	0	522	1	0	7	0	535
2021	3	1	0	484	0	0	10	0	498
2022	2	1	1	472	0	0	8	0	484
2023	5	0	1	485	0	0	9	0	500
2024	3	0	1	484	0	0	8	0	496

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 John Kelley Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	774	34.0	22.7	n/a
1989	816	34.0	24.0	n/a
1990	878	35.0	25.0	n/a
1991	941	41.0	22.9	n/a
1992	966	41.7	23.1	82.4
1993	954	32.0	29.8	92.2
1994	922	34.0	27.1	92.3
1995	915	34.0	26.9	91
1996	915	34.0	26.9	91
1997	972	38.0	25.6	95
1998	1024	42.0	24.4	94.9
1999	951	41.0	23.2	90.6
2000	921	40.0	23.0	93.5
2001	981	43.0	22.8	98.9
2002	986	46.0	21.4	94.5
2003	986	46.0	21.4	94.5
2004	638	33.0	19.3	92.8
2005	607	30.0	20.2	97.4
2006	566	30.0	18.9	97.2
2007	644	35.0	18.4	90.8
2008	576	41.0	14.0	90.5
2009	593	35.0	16.0	93.1
2010	590	36.0	16.3	91.2
2011	619	n/a	n/a	90.3
2012	619	30.7	20.1	86.6
2013	600	30.1	19.9	47.2
2014	603	29.0	20.7	86.6
2015	622	32.0	19.4	95
2016	596	34.0	17.5	85.1
2017	579	33.1	17.4	94.1
2018	570	31.2	18.2	93
2019	544	30.1	18.0	93.2
2020	535	n/a	n/a	91.6
2021	498	29.0	17.1	92.4
2022	484	28.6	16.9	92.6
2023	500	30.9	16.1	94.8
2024	496	31.0	15.9	94.8

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 John Kelley Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	774	34.0	22.7	n/a
1989	816	34.0	24.0	n/a
1990	878	35.0	25.0	n/a
1991	941	41.0	22.9	n/a
1992	966	41.7	23.1	82.4
1993	954	32.0	29.8	92.2
1994	922	34.0	27.1	92.3
1995	915	34.0	26.9	91
1996	915	34.0	26.9	91
1997	972	38.0	25.6	95
1998	1024	42.0	24.4	94.9
1999	951	41.0	23.2	90.6
2000	921	40.0	23.0	93.5
2001	981	43.0	22.8	98.9
2002	986	46.0	21.4	94.5
2003	986	46.0	21.4	94.5
2004	638	33.0	19.3	92.8
2005	607	30.0	20.2	97.4
2006	566	30.0	18.9	97.2
2007	644	35.0	18.4	90.8
2008	576	41.0	14.0	90.5
2009	593	35.0	16.0	93.1
2010	590	36.0	16.3	91.2
2011	619	n/a	n/a	90.3
2012	619	30.7	20.1	86.6
2013	600	30.1	19.9	47.2
2014	603	29.0	20.7	86.6
2015	622	32.0	19.4	95
2016	596	34.0	17.5	85.1
2017	579	33.1	17.4	94.1
2018	570	31.2	18.2	93
2019	544	30.1	18.0	93.2
2020	535	n/a	n/a	91.6
2021	498	29.0	17.1	92.4
2022	484	28.6	16.9	92.6
2023	500	30.9	16.1	94.8
2024	496	31.0	15.9	94.8

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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