Is La Patera Elementary a good school?

La Patera Elementary ranks 1722 nd of 5862 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

How many students attend La Patera Elementary?

In the 2023-24 school year, 386 students attended La Patera Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of La Patera Elementary?

Students at La Patera Elementary are 55% Hispanic, 35% White, 8% Two or more races, 2% Asian.

What schools do graduates of La Patera Elementary attend?

Students who attend La Patera Elementary usually go on to attend: Middle : Goleta Valley Junior High High : Dos Pueblos Senior High

La Patera Elementary

Summary:

La Patera Elementary is a public elementary school in Goleta, California, serving 376 students in grades K-6 and part of the Goleta Union Elementary School District.

While La Patera has shown mixed academic performance, with proficiency rates in English Language Arts and Mathematics generally lower than district and state averages, the school's performance varies significantly across different student subgroups. White students and English Language Learners perform relatively well, ranking in the top quartile of California elementary schools, but Hispanic students and students from low socioeconomic backgrounds perform significantly below the state average. Additionally, La Patera has seen a steady increase in chronic absenteeism, rising from 4.7% in 2017-2018 to 15.8% in 2021-2022, which is significantly higher than the state average and could be a contributing factor to the school's academic challenges.

Interestingly, Foothill Elementary, another school within the Goleta Union Elementary School District, consistently outperforms La Patera in both English Language Arts and Mathematics proficiency rates, ranking in the top 10% of California elementary schools. Additionally, other nearby schools, such as Brandon Elementary and Ellwood Elementary, also demonstrate stronger academic performance compared to La Patera in several grade levels and subject areas. These comparisons, along with the high percentage of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch at La Patera, suggest that socioeconomic factors may be a significant contributor to the school's academic challenges.

Detail:

Public K-6

555 North La Patera Ln.
Goleta, CA 93117-1507

(805) 681-1280

District: Goleta Union Elementary

SchoolDigger Rank:
1722^nd of 5,862 California Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $14,832

Students who attend La Patera Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Goleta Valley Junior High
High:	Dos Pueblos Senior High

Student/teacher ratio: 18.3

Number of students: 386

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

55.2%

White:

35.2%

Two or more races:

7.5%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 48.2%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare La Patera Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details La Patera Elementary ranks better than 70.6% of elementary schools in California. It also ranks 7^th among 9 ranked elementary schools in the Goleta Union Elementary School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 67.05. (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 (55.2%), White (35.2%), two or more races (7.5%). (See more...)

Compare Details 48.2% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at La Patera Elementary is 18.3, which is the lowest among 9 elementary schools in the Goleta Union Elementary School District! (See more...)

Compare La Patera Elementary employs 21 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at La Patera Elementary is $14,832, which is the 2^nd highest among 9 elementary schools in the Goleta Union Elementary School District.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

La Patera Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks La Patera Elementary 1722^nd of 5862 California public elementary schools. (See La Patera 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:

Goleta Union Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Goleta Union Elementary 282^nd of 1568 California school districts. (See district ranking list.)

Average Parent Rating:

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Rank History for La Patera Elementary

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Rank History for all students at La Patera Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2004	41.65	2563^rd	4809	46.7%
2005	40.20	2701^st	4822	44.0%
2006	45.60	2404^th	4818	50.1%
2007	44.49	2650^th	5113	48.2%
2008	40.01	2941^st	5113	42.5%
2009	35.27	3348^th	5193	35.5%
2010	49.54	2590^th	5314	51.3%
2011	52.62	2442^nd	5377	54.6%
2012	58.49	2123^rd	5390	60.6%
2013	48.09	2798^th	5530	49.4%
2015	37.59	3159^th	5611	43.7%
2016	48.51	2568^th	5614	54.3%
2017	58.23	2106^th	5692	63.0%
2018	48.66	2632^nd	5662	53.5%
2019	52.89	2429^th	5789	58.0%
2022	57.20	2167^th	5883	63.2%
2023	68.06	1672^nd	5874	71.5%
2024	67.05	1722^nd	5862	70.6%

See the entire list of California Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at La Patera Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	33.91	2135^th	3246	34.2%
2019	43.72	1566^th	3275	52.2%
2022	55.32	954^th	3311	71.2%
2023	65.27	624^th	3250	80.8%

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

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at La Patera Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	34.67	3425^th	5084	32.6%
2019	42.13	2963^rd	5173	42.7%
2022	48.50	2362^nd	5264	55.1%
2023	43.49	2803^rd	5374	47.8%
2024	47.33	2577^th	5511	53.2%

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

Rank History for Female students at La Patera Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	43.98	2831^st	5413	47.7%
2019	50.75	2449^th	5492	55.4%
2022	54.62	2185^th	5635	61.2%
2023	65.19	1710^th	5617	69.6%
2024	63.21	1797^th	5605	67.9%

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

Rank History for Male students at La Patera Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	52.52	2308^th	5431	57.5%
2019	53.22	2302^nd	5510	58.2%
2022	58.88	2015^th	5663	64.4%
2023	66.64	1659^th	5650	70.6%
2024	66.86	1662^nd	5636	70.5%

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

Rank History for Hispanic students at La Patera Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	43.90	2623^rd	4830	45.7%
2019	48.45	2390^th	4963	51.8%
2022	37.12	3138^th	5084	38.3%
2023	47.06	2424^th	5098	52.5%
2024	38.32	3088^th	5102	39.5%

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

Rank History for White students at La Patera Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2022	70.41	795^th	2726	70.8%
2023	77.41	527^th	2662	80.2%
2024	83.63	297^th	2647	88.8%

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:

by a parent
Tuesday, February 7, 2017

Great teachers, fantastic principal and a wonderfully welcoming community of families. All have our students best interest in mind, always. Low student to teacher ratios and great enrichment programs. We love La Patera School! Close Quote

Enrollment information for La Patera Elementary

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	240	9	25	213	7	n/a	n/a	0	494
1989	241	10	33	230	5	n/a	n/a	0	519
1990	231	15	31	247	6	n/a	n/a	0	530
1991	256	14	37	256	8	n/a	n/a	0	571
1992	270	16	41	262	5	n/a	n/a	0	594
1993	281	13	48	287	7	n/a	n/a	0	636
1994	290	12	51	330	5	n/a	n/a	0	688
1995	256	8	50	380	7	n/a	n/a	0	701
1996	256	8	50	380	7	n/a	n/a	0	701
1997	237	13	43	318	4	n/a	n/a	0	615
1998	227	13	35	326	5	n/a	n/a	0	606
1999	213	12	38	325	3	n/a	n/a	0	591
2000	200	9	33	250	1	n/a	n/a	0	493
2001	202	5	21	247	1	n/a	n/a	0	476
2002	178	3	34	272	2	n/a	n/a	0	489
2003	178	3	34	272	2	n/a	n/a	0	489
2004	158	5	31	293	2	n/a	n/a	0	489
2005	143	4	21	277	4	n/a	n/a	0	449
2006	137	3	18	278	4	n/a	n/a	0	440
2007	123	4	20	259	3	n/a	n/a	0	409
2008	100	5	21	262	3	n/a	n/a	0	391
2009	121	5	21	281	2	0	0	0	430
2010	113	8	18	281	1	1	13	0	435
2011	106	9	14	319	0	0	8	0	456
2012	98	6	14	310	0	0	4	0	432
2013	95	5	14	303	0	0	5	0	422
2014	87	3	11	317	0	0	10	0	428
2015	87	3	8	316	0	0	12	0	426
2016	89	4	8	321	0	0	13	0	435
2017	74	2	9	289	0	0	13	0	387
2018	82	1	8	269	0	0	15	0	375
2019	89	0	8	246	0	0	16	0	359
2020	117	0	9	236	0	0	31	1	394
2021	95	0	4	193	0	0	24	0	316
2022	132	0	7	218	0	0	22	0	379
2023	125	1	8	216	0	0	26	0	376
2024	136	0	8	213	0	0	29	0	386

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 La Patera Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	494	22.6	21.8	n/a
1989	519	24.6	21.0	n/a
1990	530	24.6	21.5	n/a
1991	571	26.6	21.4	n/a
1992	594	27.0	22.0	34.7
1993	636	26.4	24.1	40.4
1994	688	26.5	26.0	44.6
1995	701	28.5	24.6	50.9
1996	701	28.5	24.6	50.9
1997	615	30.3	20.3	46.3
1998	606	31.5	19.2	50.2
1999	591	30.8	19.2	45.7
2000	493	25.0	19.7	43.6
2001	476	23.8	20.0	39.7
2002	489	23.0	21.3	42.1
2003	489	23.0	21.3	42.1
2004	489	25.0	19.6	47.4
2005	449	23.1	19.4	50.1
2006	440	23.1	19.0	48.6
2007	409	23.0	17.8	51.8
2008	391	25.0	15.6	54.2
2009	430	23.0	17.8	55.1
2010	435	23.0	18.8	59.3
2011	456	n/a	n/a	60.7
2012	432	21.0	20.5	n/a
2013	422	19.0	22.2	62.6
2014	428	20.0	21.4	63.8
2015	426	20.0	21.3	66.4
2016	435	21.0	20.7	63.7
2017	387	20.0	19.3	62
2018	375	17.0	22.0	60
2019	359	17.0	21.1	57.9
2020	394	n/a	n/a	55.3
2021	316	17.0	18.5	44.6
2022	379	23.0	16.4	37.2
2023	376	22.0	17.0	46.8
2024	386	21.0	18.3	48.2

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 La Patera Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	494	22.6	21.8	n/a
1989	519	24.6	21.0	n/a
1990	530	24.6	21.5	n/a
1991	571	26.6	21.4	n/a
1992	594	27.0	22.0	34.7
1993	636	26.4	24.1	40.4
1994	688	26.5	26.0	44.6
1995	701	28.5	24.6	50.9
1996	701	28.5	24.6	50.9
1997	615	30.3	20.3	46.3
1998	606	31.5	19.2	50.2
1999	591	30.8	19.2	45.7
2000	493	25.0	19.7	43.6
2001	476	23.8	20.0	39.7
2002	489	23.0	21.3	42.1
2003	489	23.0	21.3	42.1
2004	489	25.0	19.6	47.4
2005	449	23.1	19.4	50.1
2006	440	23.1	19.0	48.6
2007	409	23.0	17.8	51.8
2008	391	25.0	15.6	54.2
2009	430	23.0	17.8	55.1
2010	435	23.0	18.8	59.3
2011	456	n/a	n/a	60.7
2012	432	21.0	20.5	n/a
2013	422	19.0	22.2	62.6
2014	428	20.0	21.4	63.8
2015	426	20.0	21.3	66.4
2016	435	21.0	20.7	63.7
2017	387	20.0	19.3	62
2018	375	17.0	22.0	60
2019	359	17.0	21.1	57.9
2020	394	n/a	n/a	55.3
2021	316	17.0	18.5	44.6
2022	379	23.0	16.4	37.2
2023	376	22.0	17.0	46.8
2024	386	21.0	18.3	48.2

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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