Is Rancho Elementary a good school?

Rancho Elementary ranks in the bottom 15.6% of California elementary schools.

How many students attend Rancho Elementary?

In the 2023-24 school year, 356 students attended Rancho Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Rancho Elementary?

Students at Rancho Elementary are 66% Hispanic, 13% African American, 8% White, 6% Two or more races, 6% Asian, 1% Pacific Islander.

What schools do graduates of Rancho Elementary attend?

Students who attend Rancho Elementary usually go on to attend: Middle : Sci Technical Engr Arts and Math Academy at La Presa High : Mount Miguel High

Rancho Elementary

Summary:

Rancho Elementary is a public elementary school located in Spring Valley, CA, serving 346 students in grades K-6. It is part of the La Mesa-Spring Valley School District, which is ranked 766 out of 1568 districts in California and has a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger. However, Rancho Elementary has seen a decline in its statewide ranking over the past several years, dropping from 2399 out of 5611 California elementary schools in 2014-2015 to 4945 out of 5862 in 2023-2024, with a 1-star rating.

Rancho Elementary faces significant challenges, including high chronic absenteeism rates, consistently lower test scores than the district and state averages across all grade levels and subject areas, and poor performance of student subgroups such as Hispanic students, English Language Learners, and students from low socio-economic backgrounds. The school's student-teacher ratio of 24.7 is also higher than the district and state averages. Interestingly, nearby schools in the La Mesa-Spring Valley School District, such as Bancroft Elementary, Kempton Street Literacy Academy, Avondale Elementary, and La Presa Elementary, also have high percentages of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, but their test scores and other metrics are generally better than Rancho Elementary's.

The high rates of chronic absenteeism, low socio-economic status, and poor performance of student subgroups at Rancho Elementary suggest that the school may be facing significant challenges in terms of student engagement, access to resources, and support for underperforming populations. Addressing these issues will require a comprehensive and targeted approach to support the school and its students effectively, and the school's declining performance over the years indicates a need for targeted interventions and support to improve its academic outcomes.

Detail:

Public K-6

8845 Noeline Ave.
Spring Valley, CA 91977-5716

(619) 668-5885

District: La Mesa-Spring Valley

SchoolDigger Rank:
4945^th of 5,862 California Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $5,309

Students who attend Rancho Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Sci Technical Engr Arts and Math Academy at La Presa
High:	Mount Miguel High

Student/teacher ratio: 22.2

Number of students: 356

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

66.0%

African American:

12.6%

White:

8.4%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 71.9%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Rancho Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Rancho Elementary ranks worse than 84.4% of elementary schools in California. It also ranks 15^th among 17 ranked elementary schools in the La Mesa-Spring Valley School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 18.82. (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 (66%), African American (12.6%), White (8.4%). (See more...)

Compare Details 71.9% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Rancho Elementary is 22.2, which is the 2^nd best among 17 elementary schools in the La Mesa-Spring Valley School District. (See more...)

Compare Rancho Elementary employs 16 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Rancho Elementary is $5,309, which is the lowest among 18 elementary schools in the La Mesa-Spring Valley School District!

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Rancho Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Rancho Elementary 4945^th of 5862 California public elementary schools. (See Rancho 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:

La Mesa-Spring Valley:

SchoolDigger ranks La Mesa-Spring Valley 766^th of 1568 California school districts. (See district ranking list.)

What do you think?

Your rating for Rancho Elementary?

(Ranking FAQ)

Rank History for Rancho Elementary

Compare

Rank History for all students at Rancho Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2004	55.49	1901^st	4809	60.5%
2005	52.37	2078^th	4822	56.9%
2006	42.89	2566^th	4818	46.7%
2007	44.73	2630^th	5113	48.6%
2008	54.88	2113^th	5113	58.7%
2009	56.45	2101^st	5193	59.5%
2010	58.38	2078^th	5314	60.9%
2011	49.98	2601^st	5377	51.6%
2012	46.00	2878^th	5390	46.6%
2013	44.50	3045^th	5530	44.9%
2015	50.88	2399^th	5611	57.2%
2016	46.70	2672^nd	5614	52.4%
2017	33.03	3598^th	5692	36.8%
2018	42.00	3027^th	5662	46.5%
2019	47.16	2751^st	5789	52.5%
2022	35.31	3437^th	5883	41.6%
2023	27.51	4130^th	5874	29.7%
2024	18.82	4945^th	5862	15.6%

See the entire list of California Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Rancho Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	42.31	1643^rd	3246	49.4%
2019	79.16	328^th	3275	90.0%
2022	56.46	906^th	3311	72.6%
2023	36.39	2053^rd	3250	36.8%
2024	29.81	2565^th	3160	18.8%

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

Rank History for Special Education students at Rancho Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	29.72	1657^th	2420	31.5%
2024	21.91	2298^th	2634	12.8%

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

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Rancho Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	54.59	2066^th	5084	59.4%
2019	57.25	1937^th	5173	62.6%
2022	45.45	2572^nd	5264	51.1%
2023	30.95	3829^th	5374	28.7%
2024	21.68	4654^th	5511	15.6%

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

Rank History for Female students at Rancho Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	35.34	3395^th	5413	37.3%
2019	37.54	3261^st	5492	40.6%
2022	44.34	2742^nd	5635	51.3%
2023	30.39	3723^rd	5617	33.7%
2024	15.53	5076^th	5605	9.4%

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

Rank History for Male students at Rancho Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	48.45	2543^rd	5431	53.2%
2019	55.35	2180^th	5510	60.4%
2022	26.23	4114^th	5663	27.4%
2023	26.78	4062^nd	5650	28.1%
2024	28.06	3994^th	5636	29.1%

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

Rank History for Hispanic students at Rancho Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	46.41	2448^th	4830	49.3%
2019	48.10	2410^th	4963	51.4%
2022	37.92	3063^rd	5084	39.8%
2023	22.91	4271^st	5098	16.2%
2024	16.43	4689^th	5102	8.1%

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

We're sorry, but no reviews have been submitted for Rancho Elementary.

If you have first-hand knowledge about Rancho Elementary, submit a rating!

Reviews:
No reviews have been submitted!

Enrollment information for Rancho Elementary

Compare

Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	268	41	71	135	2	n/a	n/a	0	517
1989	285	42	62	156	2	n/a	n/a	0	547
1990	262	44	65	151	4	n/a	n/a	0	526
1991	244	55	71	143	2	n/a	n/a	0	515
1992	226	78	73	153	1	n/a	n/a	0	531
1993	227	88	95	148	1	n/a	n/a	0	559
1994	203	86	95	154	0	n/a	n/a	0	538
1995	175	87	88	176	5	n/a	n/a	0	531
1996	175	87	88	176	5	n/a	n/a	0	531
1997	158	81	70	209	9	n/a	n/a	0	527
1998	171	70	77	223	4	n/a	n/a	0	545
1999	169	67	74	238	3	n/a	n/a	31	582
2000	156	87	78	224	5	n/a	n/a	27	577
2001	127	92	72	224	7	n/a	n/a	45	567
2002	103	80	75	201	9	n/a	n/a	33	501
2003	103	80	75	201	9	n/a	n/a	33	501
2004	85	75	62	175	3	n/a	n/a	46	446
2005	64	58	71	180	2	n/a	n/a	59	434
2006	54	49	54	186	1	n/a	n/a	60	404
2007	58	45	61	188	0	n/a	n/a	43	395
2008	42	43	50	171	n/a	n/a	n/a	0	306
2009	32	43	33	168	0	2	52	0	330
2010	41	31	37	190	0	1	25	0	325
2011	50	45	32	206	0	3	28	0	364
2012	52	45	42	290	0	6	28	0	463
2013	52	50	40	297	0	5	26	0	470
2014	49	46	39	289	0	4	23	0	450
2015	44	47	44	267	0	3	24	0	429
2016	37	54	40	244	1	1	17	0	394
2017	34	56	42	243	2	1	20	0	398
2018	34	51	43	229	1	2	22	0	382
2019	29	44	35	219	0	1	16	0	344
2020	27	40	38	218	0	1	14	0	338
2021	22	39	32	202	0	1	13	0	309
2022	23	36	20	214	0	1	12	0	306
2023	30	45	20	230	0	3	18	0	346
2024	30	45	20	235	0	5	21	0	356

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 Rancho Elementary

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	517	20.0	25.8	n/a
1989	547	21.0	26.0	n/a
1990	526	21.0	25.0	n/a
1991	515	23.0	22.3	n/a
1992	531	23.4	22.6	37.7
1993	559	23.0	24.3	0
1994	538	21.0	25.6	48.5
1995	531	23.0	23.1	52.7
1996	531	23.0	23.1	52.7
1997	527	26.1	20.2	57.9
1998	545	29.4	18.5	59.6
1999	582	30.4	19.1	58.1
2000	577	28.2	20.5	53.6
2001	567	29.3	19.4	56.9
2002	501	27.0	18.6	55.1
2003	501	27.0	18.6	55.1
2004	446	22.9	19.5	60.3
2005	434	22.5	19.3	73.6
2006	404	22.5	18.0	84
2007	395	21.0	18.8	75.9
2008	306	32.6	9.4	79.7
2009	330	26.0	11.3	67.3
2010	325	22.9	14.1	67.7
2011	364	n/a	n/a	75
2012	463	16.0	28.9	n/a
2013	470	17.0	27.6	68.1
2014	450	16.5	27.2	80
2015	429	16.0	26.8	75.5
2016	394	16.0	24.6	79.7
2017	398	16.0	24.8	73.9
2018	382	15.0	25.4	75.4
2019	344	13.0	26.4	73.3
2020	338	n/a	n/a	74.3
2021	309	12.0	25.7	78
2022	306	12.0	25.5	79.4
2023	346	14.0	24.7	78.9
2024	356	16.0	22.2	71.9

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 Rancho Elementary

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	517	20.0	25.8	n/a
1989	547	21.0	26.0	n/a
1990	526	21.0	25.0	n/a
1991	515	23.0	22.3	n/a
1992	531	23.4	22.6	37.7
1993	559	23.0	24.3	0
1994	538	21.0	25.6	48.5
1995	531	23.0	23.1	52.7
1996	531	23.0	23.1	52.7
1997	527	26.1	20.2	57.9
1998	545	29.4	18.5	59.6
1999	582	30.4	19.1	58.1
2000	577	28.2	20.5	53.6
2001	567	29.3	19.4	56.9
2002	501	27.0	18.6	55.1
2003	501	27.0	18.6	55.1
2004	446	22.9	19.5	60.3
2005	434	22.5	19.3	73.6
2006	404	22.5	18.0	84
2007	395	21.0	18.8	75.9
2008	306	32.6	9.4	79.7
2009	330	26.0	11.3	67.3
2010	325	22.9	14.1	67.7
2011	364	n/a	n/a	75
2012	463	16.0	28.9	n/a
2013	470	17.0	27.6	68.1
2014	450	16.5	27.2	80
2015	429	16.0	26.8	75.5
2016	394	16.0	24.6	79.7
2017	398	16.0	24.8	73.9
2018	382	15.0	25.4	75.4
2019	344	13.0	26.4	73.3
2020	338	n/a	n/a	74.3
2021	309	12.0	25.7	78
2022	306	12.0	25.5	79.4
2023	346	14.0	24.7	78.9
2024	356	16.0	22.2	71.9

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.

Kindergarten Immunization Rates