Is Sun Empire Elementary a good school?

Sun Empire Elementary ranks 3187 th of 5862 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Sun Empire Elementary?

In the 2022-23 school year, 561 students attended Sun Empire Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Sun Empire Elementary?

Students at Sun Empire Elementary are 89% Hispanic, 8% White, 1% Two or more races.

What schools do graduates of Sun Empire Elementary attend?

Students who attend Sun Empire Elementary usually go on to attend: Middle : Kerman Middle High : Kerman High

Sun Empire Elementary

Summary:

Sun Empire Elementary is a public elementary school in Kerman, CA, serving 561 students in grades K-6. It is part of the Kerman Unified School District, which has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Sun Empire Elementary has faced some challenges in recent years. The school has seen a significant increase in chronic absenteeism, rising from 6.3% in 2018-2019 to 19.4% in 2022-2023, which is notably higher than the district average. Academically, Sun Empire generally performs below the district and state averages in Smarter Balanced Assessments for English Language Arts and Mathematics. For example, in 2023-2024, only 40.55% of Sun Empire students were proficient or better in ELA, compared to 40.15% for the district and 47.04% for the state. The school's performance is also lower than nearby Kerman-Floyd Elementary and Goldenrod Elementary, which have higher test scores and lower chronic absenteeism rates.

Sun Empire Elementary has a high percentage of students from low-income families, with 79.32% qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch in 2022-2023. This likely contributes to the school's lower academic performance compared to more affluent schools in the area. However, the school's strong performance among Hispanic students suggests that with the right interventions and support, Sun Empire could potentially improve its outcomes and provide a high-quality education for all its students. Strategies such as targeted interventions, family engagement programs, and professional development for teachers could help address the school's challenges and improve student attendance and academic achievement.

Detail:

Public K-6

2649 North Modoc Ave.
Kerman, CA 93630-9430

(559) 843-9200

District: Kerman Unified

SchoolDigger Rank:
3187^th of 5,862 California Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $5,321

Students who attend Sun Empire Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Kerman Middle
High:	Kerman High

Student/teacher ratio: 22.4

Number of students: 561

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

88.9%

White:

8.4%

Two or more races:

1.1%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 79.3%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Sun Empire Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Sun Empire Elementary ranks worse than 54.4% of elementary schools in California. It also ranks 3^rd among 4 ranked elementary schools in the Kerman Unified School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 39.71. (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 Sun Empire Elementary has the smallest elementary school student body size in the Kerman Unified School District. Racial makeup is: Hispanic (88.9%), White (8.4%), two or more races (1.1%). (See more...)

Compare Details 79.3% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Sun Empire Elementary is 22.4, which is the 2^nd best among 4 elementary schools in the Kerman Unified School District. (See more...)

Compare Sun Empire Elementary employs 25 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Sun Empire Elementary is $5,321, which is the 2^nd highest among 4 elementary schools in the Kerman Unified School District.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Sun Empire Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Sun Empire Elementary 3187^th of 5862 California public elementary schools. (See Sun Empire 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:

Hispanic students:

Kerman Unified:

SchoolDigger ranks Kerman Unified 1059^th of 1568 California school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for Sun Empire Elementary

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Rank History for all students at Sun Empire Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2004	55.93	1880^th	4809	60.9%
2005	54.62	1973^rd	4822	59.1%
2006	56.41	1899^th	4818	60.6%
2007	47.93	2441^st	5113	52.3%
2008	49.44	2401^st	5113	53.0%
2009	61.58	1844^th	5193	64.5%
2010	66.94	1631^st	5314	69.3%
2011	68.14	1570^th	5377	70.8%
2012	57.16	2199^th	5390	59.2%
2013	43.88	3082^nd	5530	44.3%
2015	34.86	3338^th	5611	40.5%
2016	50.77	2456^th	5614	56.3%
2017	63.35	1864^th	5692	67.3%
2018	66.90	1727^th	5662	69.5%
2019	64.70	1855^th	5789	68.0%
2021	55.88	564^th	1417	60.2%
2022	50.47	2514^th	5883	57.3%
2023	35.82	3448^th	5874	41.3%
2024	39.71	3187^th	5862	45.6%

See the entire list of California Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Sun Empire Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	62.00	785^th	3246	75.8%
2019	69.94	539^th	3275	83.5%
2021	67.87	93^rd	602	84.6%
2022	56.82	895^th	3311	73.0%
2023	32.80	2339^th	3250	28.0%
2024	50.56	1144^th	3160	63.8%

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

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Sun Empire Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	77.27	808^th	5084	84.1%
2019	76.74	861^st	5173	83.4%
2021	78.80	148^th	1110	86.7%
2022	64.53	1441^st	5264	72.6%
2023	42.47	2869^th	5374	46.6%
2024	47.72	2547^th	5511	53.8%

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

Rank History for Female students at Sun Empire Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	71.72	1420^th	5413	73.8%
2019	65.46	1722^nd	5492	68.6%
2021	56.92	492^nd	1267	61.2%
2022	49.10	2459^th	5635	56.4%
2023	34.16	3404^th	5617	39.4%
2024	39.40	3108^th	5605	44.5%

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

Rank History for Male students at Sun Empire Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	56.90	2071^st	5431	61.9%
2019	60.39	1943^rd	5510	64.7%
2021	53.93	518^th	1272	59.3%
2022	52.04	2340^th	5663	58.7%
2023	38.72	3137^th	5650	44.5%
2024	39.86	3073^rd	5636	45.5%

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

Rank History for Hispanic students at Sun Empire Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	77.25	794^th	4830	83.6%
2019	76.36	862^nd	4963	82.6%
2022	63.50	1454^th	5084	71.4%
2023	48.28	2347^th	5098	54.0%
2024	52.92	2072^nd	5102	59.4%

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

Rank History for White students at Sun Empire Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2018	54.23	1379^th	2737	49.6%
2019	53.98	1420^th	2834	49.9%

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 Sun Empire Elementary

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	288	0	16	398	0	n/a	n/a	0	702
1989	266	2	17	420	0	n/a	n/a	0	705
1990	272	0	20	469	0	n/a	n/a	0	761
1991	242	0	24	490	0	n/a	n/a	0	756
1992	251	2	26	547	0	n/a	n/a	0	826
1993	252	3	24	610	0	n/a	n/a	0	889
1994	258	2	25	619	1	n/a	n/a	0	905
1995	261	1	30	637	0	n/a	n/a	0	929
1996	261	1	30	637	0	n/a	n/a	0	929
1997	245	1	24	657	0	n/a	n/a	0	927
1998	231	1	27	658	0	n/a	n/a	0	917
1999	204	3	27	624	0	n/a	n/a	0	858
2000	182	7	33	640	0	n/a	n/a	0	862
2001	181	6	37	593	0	n/a	n/a	0	817
2002	102	0	22	456	0	n/a	n/a	0	580
2003	102	0	22	456	0	n/a	n/a	0	580
2004	97	3	18	456	2	n/a	n/a	2	578
2005	107	5	16	475	2	n/a	n/a	0	605
2006	125	3	14	467	1	n/a	n/a	1	611
2007	133	3	12	563	3	n/a	n/a	1	715
2008	141	1	19	574	4	n/a	n/a	0	739
2009	148	7	18	645	2	0	1	0	821
2010	146	6	21	710	2	0	0	0	885
2011	156	8	20	693	1	0	0	0	878
2012	104	3	14	419	1	0	0	0	541
2013	95	2	16	427	3	0	3	0	546
2014	82	2	19	445	1	0	0	0	549
2015	89	2	13	478	2	0	4	0	588
2016	89	1	12	475	2	0	0	0	579
2017	91	2	11	486	3	0	1	0	594
2018	82	0	12	494	5	0	1	0	594
2019	77	1	12	517	5	0	1	0	613
2020	70	0	6	514	5	0	2	0	597
2021	60	0	6	507	3	0	2	0	578
2022	53	0	7	474	4	1	6	1	546
2023	47	1	4	499	3	0	6	1	561

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 Sun Empire Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	702	29.0	24.2	n/a
1989	705	31.0	22.7	n/a
1990	761	30.0	25.3	n/a
1991	756	30.0	25.2	n/a
1992	826	30.5	27.0	72.3
1993	889	36.0	24.7	74.8
1994	905	36.0	25.1	70.9
1995	929	38.0	24.4	78.4
1996	929	38.0	24.4	78.4
1997	927	44.0	21.1	80.2
1998	917	45.0	20.4	79.7
1999	858	45.0	19.1	78.9
2000	862	44.0	19.6	79.1
2001	817	44.0	18.6	90.9
2002	580	33.0	17.6	77.9
2003	580	33.0	17.6	77.9
2004	578	30.0	19.3	72.6
2005	605	30.0	20.2	99.5
2006	611	31.0	19.7	99.7
2007	715	35.0	20.4	72.8
2008	739	38.7	19.1	64.7
2009	821	40.0	19.3	73.9
2010	885	34.6	25.5	76.4
2011	878	n/a	n/a	84.2
2012	541	19.0	28.4	99.4
2013	546	20.0	27.3	83.2
2014	549	21.0	26.1	84.5
2015	588	22.0	26.7	85.9
2016	579	22.0	26.3	87
2017	594	23.0	25.8	84.3
2018	594	24.0	24.7	86.2
2019	613	24.0	25.5	80.4
2020	597	n/a	n/a	83.2
2021	578	25.4	22.7	94.3
2022	546	24.0	22.7	80.8
2023	561	25.0	22.4	79.3

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 Sun Empire Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	702	29.0	24.2	n/a
1989	705	31.0	22.7	n/a
1990	761	30.0	25.3	n/a
1991	756	30.0	25.2	n/a
1992	826	30.5	27.0	72.3
1993	889	36.0	24.7	74.8
1994	905	36.0	25.1	70.9
1995	929	38.0	24.4	78.4
1996	929	38.0	24.4	78.4
1997	927	44.0	21.1	80.2
1998	917	45.0	20.4	79.7
1999	858	45.0	19.1	78.9
2000	862	44.0	19.6	79.1
2001	817	44.0	18.6	90.9
2002	580	33.0	17.6	77.9
2003	580	33.0	17.6	77.9
2004	578	30.0	19.3	72.6
2005	605	30.0	20.2	99.5
2006	611	31.0	19.7	99.7
2007	715	35.0	20.4	72.8
2008	739	38.7	19.1	64.7
2009	821	40.0	19.3	73.9
2010	885	34.6	25.5	76.4
2011	878	n/a	n/a	84.2
2012	541	19.0	28.4	99.4
2013	546	20.0	27.3	83.2
2014	549	21.0	26.1	84.5
2015	588	22.0	26.7	85.9
2016	579	22.0	26.3	87
2017	594	23.0	25.8	84.3
2018	594	24.0	24.7	86.2
2019	613	24.0	25.5	80.4
2020	597	n/a	n/a	83.2
2021	578	25.4	22.7	94.3
2022	546	24.0	22.7	80.8
2023	561	25.0	22.4	79.3

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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