Is Harding Elementary a good school?

Harding Elementary ranks 3294 th of 5862 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Harding Elementary?

In the 2022-23 school year, 551 students attended Harding Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Harding Elementary?

Students at Harding Elementary are 95% Hispanic, 3% White, 1% Two or more races.

What schools do graduates of Harding Elementary attend?

Students who attend Harding Elementary usually go on to attend: Middle : Wilson Junior High High : Central Union High

Harding Elementary

Summary:

Harding Elementary is a public elementary school in El Centro, California, serving 551 students in grades K-6. The school is part of the El Centro Elementary School District, which is ranked 890 out of 1,568 districts in the state and has a 2-star rating.

Harding Elementary faces some challenges in student performance, with proficiency rates in English Language Arts/Literacy and Mathematics generally lower than the district and state averages. For example, in 2023-2024, the school's English Language Arts/Literacy proficiency rates ranged from 21.43% to 50.68%, compared to the district average of 33.15% to 42.83% and the state average of 42.8% to 47.37%. In Mathematics, Harding Elementary's proficiency rates ranged from 20% to 36.11%, while the district average was 21.85% to 40.88% and the state average was 34.31% to 45.64%. The school also has a high chronic absenteeism rate of 24.7%, which is significantly higher than the district and state averages.

However, Harding Elementary has some bright spots, particularly in its performance with English Language Learner students, who rank in the top 15% of California elementary schools for this subgroup. Additionally, the school's Hispanic students perform relatively well compared to the state averages. Nearby Sunflower Elementary and De Anza Magnet schools, which are also part of the El Centro Elementary District, have higher proficiency rates and lower chronic absenteeism than Harding Elementary. To improve, the school may need to focus on addressing the needs of students from low socioeconomic backgrounds and those with disabilities, while also working to improve overall academic achievement and attendance.

Detail:

Public K-6

950 South Seventh St.
El Centro, CA 92243-3919

(760) 352-4791

District: El Centro Elementary

SchoolDigger Rank:
3294^th of 5,862 California Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $7,909

Students who attend Harding Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Wilson Junior High
High:	Central Union High

Student/teacher ratio: 23.9

Number of students: 551

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

94.9%

White:

2.5%

Two or more races:

1.5%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 68.2%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Harding Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Harding Elementary ranks worse than 56.2% of elementary schools in California. It also ranks 6^th among 10 ranked elementary schools in the El Centro Elementary School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 38.1. (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 Harding Elementary has the largest elementary school student body size in the El Centro Elementary School District. Racial makeup is: Hispanic (94.9%), White (2.5%), two or more races (1.5%). (See more...)

Compare Details 68.2% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Harding Elementary is 23.9, which is the 4^th best among 10 elementary schools in the El Centro Elementary School District. (See more...)

Compare Harding Elementary employs 23 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Harding Elementary is $7,909, which is the 5^th highest among 10 elementary schools in the El Centro Elementary School District.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Harding Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Harding Elementary 3294^th of 5862 California public elementary schools. (See Harding 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:

El Centro Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks El Centro Elementary 890^th of 1568 California school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for Harding Elementary

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Rank History for all students at Harding Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2004	17.89	4121^st	4809	14.3%
2005	22.06	3825^th	4822	20.7%
2006	20.73	3947^th	4818	18.1%
2007	30.42	3544^th	5113	30.7%
2008	36.95	3139^th	5113	38.6%
2009	29.07	3779^th	5193	27.2%
2010	34.66	3513^th	5314	33.9%
2011	30.26	3961^st	5377	26.3%
2012	25.65	4264^th	5390	20.9%
2013	23.64	4482^nd	5530	19.0%
2015	18.27	4811^th	5611	14.3%
2016	20.40	4583^rd	5614	18.4%
2017	27.60	4038^th	5692	29.1%
2018	42.37	3004^th	5662	46.9%
2019	39.77	3209^th	5789	44.6%
2022	34.21	3519^th	5883	40.2%
2023	37.50	3316^th	5874	43.5%
2024	38.10	3294^th	5862	43.8%

See the entire list of California Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Harding Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	65.14	693^rd	3246	78.7%
2019	53.59	1062^nd	3275	67.6%
2022	53.47	1029^th	3311	68.9%
2023	56.63	928^th	3250	71.4%
2024	66.56	497^th	3160	84.3%

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

Rank History for Special Education students at Harding Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	29.58	1672^nd	2420	30.9%
2024	33.20	1648^th	2634	37.4%

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

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Harding Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	46.33	2589^th	5084	49.1%
2019	47.93	2545^th	5173	50.8%
2022	37.84	3188^th	5264	39.4%
2023	39.42	3111^th	5374	42.1%
2024	41.65	3006^th	5511	45.5%

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

Rank History for Female students at Harding Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	39.81	3096^th	5413	42.8%
2019	35.46	3376^th	5492	38.5%
2022	27.65	3965^th	5635	29.6%
2023	33.79	3432^nd	5617	38.9%
2024	39.41	3104^th	5605	44.6%

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

Rank History for Disabled students at Harding Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2022	24.79	1747^th	2227	21.6%

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

Rank History for Male students at Harding Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	44.22	2775^th	5431	48.9%
2019	44.05	2770^th	5510	49.7%
2022	41.05	2944^th	5663	48.0%
2023	40.69	3017^th	5650	46.6%
2024	37.48	3247^th	5636	42.4%

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

Rank History for Hispanic students at Harding Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	53.89	1974^th	4830	59.1%
2019	52.76	2109^th	4963	57.5%
2022	45.03	2521^st	5084	50.4%
2023	50.72	2196^th	5098	56.9%
2024	50.83	2208^th	5102	56.7%

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 Harding Elementary

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	94	9	7	393	0	n/a	n/a	0	503
1989	108	9	4	464	0	n/a	n/a	0	585
1990	95	9	3	508	0	n/a	n/a	0	615
1991	89	9	4	545	0	n/a	n/a	0	647
1992	107	8	3	523	0	n/a	n/a	0	641
1993	103	11	4	537	0	n/a	n/a	0	655
1994	90	14	6	538	0	n/a	n/a	0	648
1995	66	8	10	530	0	n/a	n/a	0	614
1996	66	8	10	530	0	n/a	n/a	0	614
1997	52	6	5	529	0	n/a	n/a	0	592
1998	39	7	8	503	0	n/a	n/a	0	557
1999	40	9	7	495	0	n/a	n/a	0	551
2000	53	9	6	478	0	n/a	n/a	2	548
2001	55	7	11	481	0	n/a	n/a	0	554
2002	42	12	9	507	0	n/a	n/a	0	570
2003	42	12	9	507	0	n/a	n/a	0	570
2004	37	18	15	444	0	n/a	n/a	0	514
2005	31	11	11	418	0	n/a	n/a	0	471
2006	34	9	2	421	0	n/a	n/a	0	466
2007	28	8	5	458	0	n/a	n/a	0	499
2008	29	6	9	449	n/a	n/a	n/a	0	493
2009	24	8	4	457	0	1	0	0	494
2010	23	10	2	447	0	1	1	0	484
2011	15	7	3	462	0	0	1	0	488
2012	15	3	2	459	1	0	0	0	480
2013	13	3	2	482	1	0	4	0	505
2014	12	4	2	477	0	0	3	0	498
2015	18	2	1	501	0	0	3	0	525
2016	13	4	2	495	0	0	3	0	517
2017	14	4	2	548	0	0	2	0	570
2018	14	2	2	531	0	0	2	0	551
2019	13	2	1	556	0	0	4	0	576
2020	17	2	0	548	1	0	4	0	572
2021	13	5	0	547	1	0	5	0	571
2022	12	2	1	524	1	1	4	0	545
2023	14	4	2	523	0	0	8	0	551

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 Harding Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	503	19.0	26.4	n/a
1989	585	21.9	26.7	n/a
1990	615	22.0	27.9	n/a
1991	647	23.0	28.1	n/a
1992	641	23.4	27.3	73.5
1993	655	24.0	27.3	76.6
1994	648	24.0	27.0	79
1995	614	23.0	26.7	86.5
1996	614	23.0	26.7	86.5
1997	592	24.0	24.7	83.6
1998	557	23.0	24.2	78.6
1999	551	27.0	20.4	79.5
2000	548	26.5	20.7	80.2
2001	554	27.0	20.5	78.2
2002	570	27.0	21.1	79.3
2003	570	27.0	21.1	79.3
2004	514	24.0	21.4	74.9
2005	471	23.0	20.5	79.8
2006	466	21.0	22.2	81.3
2007	499	22.0	22.7	79.6
2008	493	24.0	20.5	73.8
2009	494	23.0	19.8	80.4
2010	484	20.0	24.2	86
2011	488	n/a	n/a	85.9
2012	480	18.0	26.6	n/a
2013	505	19.0	26.5	83
2014	498	19.0	26.2	85.1
2015	525	20.0	26.2	78.7
2016	517	21.0	24.6	77.6
2017	570	22.0	25.9	79.1
2018	551	22.0	25.0	76.2
2019	576	n/a	n/a	77.8
2020	572	n/a	n/a	75.3
2021	571	23.0	24.8	74.1
2022	545	23.0	23.6	72.5
2023	551	23.0	23.9	68.2

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 Harding Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	503	19.0	26.4	n/a
1989	585	21.9	26.7	n/a
1990	615	22.0	27.9	n/a
1991	647	23.0	28.1	n/a
1992	641	23.4	27.3	73.5
1993	655	24.0	27.3	76.6
1994	648	24.0	27.0	79
1995	614	23.0	26.7	86.5
1996	614	23.0	26.7	86.5
1997	592	24.0	24.7	83.6
1998	557	23.0	24.2	78.6
1999	551	27.0	20.4	79.5
2000	548	26.5	20.7	80.2
2001	554	27.0	20.5	78.2
2002	570	27.0	21.1	79.3
2003	570	27.0	21.1	79.3
2004	514	24.0	21.4	74.9
2005	471	23.0	20.5	79.8
2006	466	21.0	22.2	81.3
2007	499	22.0	22.7	79.6
2008	493	24.0	20.5	73.8
2009	494	23.0	19.8	80.4
2010	484	20.0	24.2	86
2011	488	n/a	n/a	85.9
2012	480	18.0	26.6	n/a
2013	505	19.0	26.5	83
2014	498	19.0	26.2	85.1
2015	525	20.0	26.2	78.7
2016	517	21.0	24.6	77.6
2017	570	22.0	25.9	79.1
2018	551	22.0	25.0	76.2
2019	576	n/a	n/a	77.8
2020	572	n/a	n/a	75.3
2021	571	23.0	24.8	74.1
2022	545	23.0	23.6	72.5
2023	551	23.0	23.9	68.2

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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