Is Thomas Jefferson Elementary a good school?

Thomas Jefferson Elementary ranks 2158 th of 5862 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Thomas Jefferson Elementary?

In the 2023-24 school year, 796 students attended Thomas Jefferson Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Thomas Jefferson Elementary?

Students at Thomas Jefferson Elementary are 89% White, 7% Hispanic, 2% Asian, 1% African American.

What schools do graduates of Thomas Jefferson Elementary attend?

Students who attend Thomas Jefferson Elementary usually go on to attend: Middle : Eleanor J. Toll Middle High : Herbert Hoover High

Thomas Jefferson Elementary

Summary:

Thomas Jefferson Elementary is a public elementary school in Glendale, California, serving 750 students in grades K-6. It is part of the Glendale Unified School District, which is ranked 364 out of 1,568 districts in the state.

One of Thomas Jefferson Elementary's key strengths is its consistently high performance for English Language Learner (ELL) students, ranking in the top 5-10% of California elementary schools in this area. The school has also shown impressive improvement in the performance of low-socioeconomic status (SES) students, moving from a 3-star rating to a 5-star rating in recent years. However, the school faces a concerning trend of increasing chronic absenteeism rates, which are higher than the surrounding schools and the state average.

While Thomas Jefferson Elementary has had periods of strong performance, its overall statewide ranking has fluctuated over the years. Across all grade levels, the school's proficiency rates in English Language Arts and Mathematics are lower than the Glendale Unified School District and the state of California. When compared to nearby schools, such as Benjamin Franklin Elementary, Thomas Jefferson Elementary generally performs lower in academic measures. The school also has a high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a significant population of students from low-income backgrounds.

Detail:

Public K-6

1540 Fifth St.
Glendale, CA 91201-1925

(818) 243-4279

District: Glendale Unified

SchoolDigger Rank:
2158^th of 5,862 California Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $6,779

Students who attend Thomas Jefferson Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Eleanor J. Toll Middle
High:	Herbert Hoover High

Student/teacher ratio: 23.4

Number of students: 796

Racial breakdown:

White:

88.7%

Hispanic:

6.7%

Asian:

2.4%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 76.5%

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Performance Trends

Compare Details Thomas Jefferson Elementary ranks better than 63.2% of elementary schools in California. It also ranks 17^th among 20 ranked elementary schools in the Glendale Unified School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 57.78. (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: White (88.7%), Hispanic (6.7%), Asian (2.4%). (See more...)

Compare Details 76.5% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Thomas Jefferson Elementary is 23.4, which is the 5^th best among 20 elementary schools in the Glendale Unified School District. (See more...)

Compare Thomas Jefferson Elementary employs 34 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Thomas Jefferson Elementary is $6,779, which is the 6^th highest among 20 elementary schools in the Glendale Unified School District.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Thomas Jefferson Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Thomas Jefferson Elementary 2158^th of 5862 California public elementary schools. (See Thomas Jefferson Elementary in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

English Language Learner students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

White students:

Glendale Unified:

SchoolDigger ranks Glendale Unified 364^th of 1568 California school districts. (See district ranking list.)

Average Parent Rating:

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Rank History for Thomas Jefferson Elementary

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Rank History for all students at Thomas Jefferson Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2004	63.50	1549^th	4809	67.8%
2005	65.99	1511^th	4822	68.7%
2006	54.30	1994^th	4818	58.6%
2007	58.90	1882^nd	5113	63.2%
2008	73.06	1278^th	5113	75.0%
2009	64.99	1679^th	5193	67.7%
2010	69.75	1469^th	5314	72.4%
2011	75.38	1240^th	5377	76.9%
2012	69.45	1559^th	5390	71.1%
2013	81.35	989^th	5530	82.1%
2015	75.46	1303^rd	5611	76.8%
2016	64.62	1785^th	5614	68.2%
2017	66.97	1705^th	5692	70.0%
2018	59.51	2057^th	5662	63.7%
2019	69.13	1638^th	5789	71.7%
2022	72.43	1512^th	5883	74.3%
2023	62.73	1911^th	5874	67.5%
2024	57.78	2158^th	5862	63.2%

See the entire list of California Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Thomas Jefferson Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	42.29	1644^th	3246	49.4%
2019	70.04	536^th	3275	83.6%
2022	89.51	168^th	3311	94.9%
2023	67.97	542^nd	3250	83.3%
2024	79.98	243^rd	3160	92.3%

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

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Thomas Jefferson Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	70.77	1141^st	5084	77.6%
2019	81.47	650^th	5173	87.4%
2022	88.13	427^th	5264	91.9%
2023	73.45	1053^rd	5374	80.4%
2024	62.26	1663^rd	5511	69.8%

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

Rank History for Female students at Thomas Jefferson Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	63.83	1805^th	5413	66.7%
2019	67.29	1641^st	5492	70.1%
2022	70.81	1491^st	5635	73.5%
2023	62.43	1833^rd	5617	67.4%
2024	57.60	2052^nd	5605	63.4%

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

Rank History for Male students at Thomas Jefferson Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	53.36	2259^th	5431	58.4%
2019	67.37	1625^th	5510	70.5%
2022	70.30	1517^th	5663	73.2%
2023	60.69	1918^th	5650	66.1%
2024	55.56	2192^nd	5636	61.1%

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

Rank History for White students at Thomas Jefferson Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	32.91	2001^st	2737	26.9%
2019	41.53	1807^th	2834	36.2%
2022	45.73	1585^th	2726	41.9%
2023	33.90	1889^th	2662	29.0%
2024	32.96	1874^th	2647	29.2%

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

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 5)

100%

Reviews:
No reviews have been submitted!

Enrollment information for Thomas Jefferson Elementary

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	288	12	123	271	0	n/a	n/a	0	694
1989	415	22	131	273	0	n/a	n/a	0	841
1990	329	18	86	240	0	n/a	n/a	0	673
1991	344	21	79	251	0	n/a	n/a	0	695
1992	406	13	83	265	0	n/a	n/a	0	767
1993	468	11	81	269	0	n/a	n/a	0	829
1994	443	10	70	255	0	n/a	n/a	0	778
1995	438	19	61	234	2	n/a	n/a	0	754
1996	438	19	61	234	2	n/a	n/a	0	754
1997	456	14	71	236	6	n/a	n/a	0	783
1998	448	11	69	257	4	n/a	n/a	0	789
1999	417	15	73	253	3	n/a	n/a	0	761
2000	409	14	72	255	4	n/a	n/a	0	754
2001	446	10	67	213	1	n/a	n/a	0	737
2002	388	12	65	141	0	n/a	n/a	14	620
2003	388	12	65	141	0	n/a	n/a	14	620
2004	368	4	51	120	0	n/a	n/a	1	544
2005	341	10	45	121	0	n/a	n/a	2	519
2006	309	9	35	113	0	n/a	n/a	7	473
2007	327	7	31	82	0	n/a	n/a	10	457
2008	343	6	31	83	1	n/a	n/a	0	464
2009	378	8	31	84	0	0	10	0	511
2010	411	10	35	81	0	0	1	0	538
2011	438	7	35	89	0	0	0	0	569
2012	464	6	34	88	0	0	1	0	593
2013	481	7	33	62	1	0	3	0	587
2014	509	5	34	64	1	0	2	0	615
2015	519	4	37	66	1	0	2	0	629
2016	541	6	30	69	1	0	3	0	650
2017	566	5	27	61	0	0	1	0	660
2018	590	5	30	58	0	0	0	0	683
2019	597	2	22	53	0	0	2	0	676
2020	601	6	14	58	0	0	4	0	683
2021	590	5	22	52	0	0	3	0	672
2022	591	6	20	50	0	0	6	0	673
2023	668	11	19	45	0	0	7	0	750
2024	706	11	19	53	0	0	7	0	796

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 Thomas Jefferson Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	694	24.6	28.2	n/a
1989	841	28.6	29.4	n/a
1990	673	23.0	29.2	n/a
1991	695	26.0	26.7	n/a
1992	767	26.4	29.0	67.9
1993	829	29.0	28.6	74.8
1994	778	28.0	27.8	75.7
1995	754	26.0	29.0	82.6
1996	754	26.0	29.0	82.6
1997	783	28.0	28.0	80.2
1998	789	30.5	25.9	79.1
1999	761	35.0	21.7	79.9
2000	754	37.0	20.4	84.5
2001	737	37.0	19.9	88.3
2002	620	31.2	19.9	84.5
2003	620	31.2	19.9	84.5
2004	544	27.6	19.7	81.8
2005	519	25.6	20.3	83.2
2006	473	23.6	20.0	80.5
2007	457	23.6	19.4	74.5
2008	464	23.6	19.7	83.2
2009	511	25.0	19.7	79.8
2010	538	26.0	20.6	76
2011	569	n/a	n/a	75.4
2012	593	27.0	21.9	73.5
2013	587	24.0	24.4	78.2
2014	615	24.0	25.6	74
2015	629	25.0	25.1	77.3
2016	650	27.0	24.0	75.2
2017	660	25.0	26.4	76.1
2018	683	26.0	26.2	76.6
2019	676	26.0	26.0	76
2020	683	n/a	n/a	76.3
2021	672	27.0	24.8	68.2
2022	673	29.0	23.2	64.8
2023	750	29.0	25.8	69.7
2024	796	34.0	23.4	76.5

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 Thomas Jefferson Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	694	24.6	28.2	n/a
1989	841	28.6	29.4	n/a
1990	673	23.0	29.2	n/a
1991	695	26.0	26.7	n/a
1992	767	26.4	29.0	67.9
1993	829	29.0	28.6	74.8
1994	778	28.0	27.8	75.7
1995	754	26.0	29.0	82.6
1996	754	26.0	29.0	82.6
1997	783	28.0	28.0	80.2
1998	789	30.5	25.9	79.1
1999	761	35.0	21.7	79.9
2000	754	37.0	20.4	84.5
2001	737	37.0	19.9	88.3
2002	620	31.2	19.9	84.5
2003	620	31.2	19.9	84.5
2004	544	27.6	19.7	81.8
2005	519	25.6	20.3	83.2
2006	473	23.6	20.0	80.5
2007	457	23.6	19.4	74.5
2008	464	23.6	19.7	83.2
2009	511	25.0	19.7	79.8
2010	538	26.0	20.6	76
2011	569	n/a	n/a	75.4
2012	593	27.0	21.9	73.5
2013	587	24.0	24.4	78.2
2014	615	24.0	25.6	74
2015	629	25.0	25.1	77.3
2016	650	27.0	24.0	75.2
2017	660	25.0	26.4	76.1
2018	683	26.0	26.2	76.6
2019	676	26.0	26.0	76
2020	683	n/a	n/a	76.3
2021	672	27.0	24.8	68.2
2022	673	29.0	23.2	64.8
2023	750	29.0	25.8	69.7
2024	796	34.0	23.4	76.5

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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