Is Joshua Elementary a good school?

Joshua Elementary ranks in the bottom 0.3% of California elementary schools.

How many students attend Joshua Elementary?

In the 2023-24 school year, 574 students attended Joshua Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Joshua Elementary?

Students at Joshua Elementary are 38% African American, 26% White, 24% Hispanic, 6% Two or more races, 3% Asian, 3% American Indian.

What schools do graduates of Joshua Elementary attend?

Students who attend Joshua Elementary usually go on to attend: Middle : New Vista Middle High : Antelope Valley High

Joshua Elementary

Summary:

Joshua Elementary is a public elementary school located in Lancaster, California, serving grades K-5 with a total enrollment of 542 students. The school is part of the Lancaster Elementary School District, which is ranked 1436 out of 1568 districts in California and has a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Joshua Elementary consistently ranks among the lowest-performing elementary schools in California, with statewide rankings between 5,280 and 5,862 out of around 5,900 schools over the past decade. The school's proficiency rates in Smarter Balanced Assessments for English Language Arts and Mathematics are significantly lower than the state and district averages, with only 9.45% of Joshua Elementary students proficient or better in ELA, compared to 22.8% in the Lancaster Elementary district and 47.04% statewide. Joshua Elementary's performance on the California Science Assessment (CAST) is also very low, with only 4.17% of students proficient or better, compared to 12.24% in the Lancaster Elementary district and 30.7% statewide.

Joshua Elementary has a high percentage of students from disadvantaged backgrounds, with 95.2% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch in 2022-2023. The school also has a high proportion of minority students, with 85.6% Hispanic and 6.3% African American students, as well as a high percentage of English Language Learners at 54.2%. Additionally, Joshua Elementary has struggled with high chronic absenteeism rates, reaching 72.0% in 2021-2022 and 53.3% in 2022-2023, significantly higher than the state average. The school's performance is particularly low for certain student subgroups, such as African American, Hispanic, and English Language Learner students, who rank in the bottom 10-15% of their respective subgroups statewide. In contrast, nearby schools like El Dorado Elementary, Sierra Elementary, and Lincoln Elementary, as well as charter schools like iLEAD Lancaster Charter and Life Source International Charter, outperform Joshua Elementary in academic measures.

Detail:

Public K-5

43926 North Second St. East
Lancaster, CA 93535-4010

(661) 948-0743

District: Lancaster Elementary

SchoolDigger Rank:
5843^rd of 5,862 California Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $8,506

Students who attend Joshua Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	New Vista Middle
High:	Antelope Valley High

Student/teacher ratio: 27.3

Number of students: 574

Racial breakdown:

African American:

37.6%

White:

26.1%

Hispanic:

24.2%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 93.7%

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Performance Trends

Compare Details Joshua Elementary ranks worse than 99.7% of elementary schools in California. It also ranks last among 15 ranked elementary schools in the Lancaster Elementary School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 5.71. (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 Student population at Joshua Elementary is diverse. Racial makeup is: African American (37.6%), White (26.1%), Hispanic (24.2%). (See more...)

Compare Details 93.7% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Joshua Elementary is 27.3. 14 elementary schools in the Lancaster Elementary School District have better student/teacher ratios. (See more...)

Compare Joshua Elementary employs 21 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Joshua Elementary is $8,506, which is the 3^rd highest among 15 elementary schools in the Lancaster Elementary School District.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Joshua Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Joshua Elementary 5843^rd of 5862 California public elementary schools. (See Joshua 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:

African American students:

Hispanic students:

White students:

Lancaster Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Lancaster Elementary 1436^th of 1568 California school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for Joshua Elementary

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Rank History for all students at Joshua Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2004	30.42	3219^th	4809	33.1%
2005	19.93	3972^nd	4822	17.6%
2006	20.98	3928^th	4818	18.5%
2007	16.29	4554^th	5113	10.9%
2008	12.81	4777^th	5113	6.6%
2009	11.17	4952^nd	5193	4.6%
2010	10.29	5137^th	5314	3.3%
2011	6.99	5302^nd	5377	1.4%
2012	7.63	5280^th	5390	2.0%
2013	4.54	5483^rd	5530	0.8%
2015	7.48	5574^th	5611	0.7%
2016	7.43	5540^th	5614	1.3%
2017	7.24	5617^th	5692	1.3%
2018	4.77	5625^th	5662	0.7%
2019	5.12	5751^st	5789	0.7%
2022	6.99	5850^th	5883	0.6%
2023	6.38	5848^th	5874	0.4%
2024	5.71	5843^rd	5862	0.3%

See the entire list of California Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Joshua Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	17.68	3157^th	3246	2.7%
2019	26.64	2735^th	3275	16.5%
2023	31.10	2465^th	3250	24.2%
2024	22.71	2962^nd	3160	6.3%

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

Rank History for Special Education students at Joshua Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	16.14	2394^th	2420	1.1%

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

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Joshua Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	4.48	5070^th	5084	0.3%
2019	4.96	5149^th	5173	0.5%
2022	8.28	5221^st	5264	0.8%
2023	7.65	5339^th	5374	0.7%
2024	6.62	5489^th	5511	0.4%

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

Rank History for Homeless students at Joshua Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	7.67	336^th	336	0.0%

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

Rank History for Female students at Joshua Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	5.05	5391^st	5413	0.4%
2019	4.77	5477^th	5492	0.3%
2022	7.21	5616^th	5635	0.3%
2023	6.20	5605^th	5617	0.2%
2024	6.21	5586^th	5605	0.3%

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

Rank History for Disabled students at Joshua Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	17.68	2078^th	2128	2.3%
2019	21.10	2286^th	2585	11.6%
2022	19.60	2033^rd	2227	8.7%

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

Rank History for Male students at Joshua Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	5.38	5405^th	5431	0.5%
2019	6.37	5467^th	5510	0.8%
2022	7.89	5614^th	5663	0.9%
2023	7.83	5600^th	5650	0.9%
2024	6.43	5611^th	5636	0.4%

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

Rank History for African American students at Joshua Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	11.56	694^th	700	0.9%
2019	13.55	732^nd	747	2.0%
2022	15.97	646^th	663	2.6%
2023	13.25	653^rd	662	1.4%
2024	16.60	556^th	593	6.2%

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

Rank History for Hispanic students at Joshua Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	6.66	4795^th	4830	0.7%
2019	7.32	4916^th	4963	0.9%
2022	12.13	4945^th	5084	2.7%
2023	11.76	4963^rd	5098	2.6%
2024	12.62	4895^th	5102	4.1%

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

Rank History for White students at Joshua Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2024	0.67	2647^th	2647	0.0%

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 Joshua Elementary

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	886	98	36	140	5	n/a	n/a	0	1165
1989	921	120	35	167	7	n/a	n/a	0	1250
1990	591	95	28	147	7	n/a	n/a	0	868
1991	616	97	29	153	8	n/a	n/a	0	903
1992	657	90	34	195	7	n/a	n/a	0	983
1993	626	101	37	233	4	n/a	n/a	0	1001
1994	609	147	33	240	3	n/a	n/a	0	1032
1995	542	210	29	248	3	n/a	n/a	0	1032
1996	542	210	29	248	3	n/a	n/a	0	1032
1997	465	198	27	250	7	n/a	n/a	0	947
1998	446	231	19	244	11	n/a	n/a	0	951
1999	402	271	24	232	8	n/a	n/a	0	937
2000	369	250	28	295	6	n/a	n/a	0	948
2001	339	294	23	336	11	n/a	n/a	0	1003
2002	245	317	21	360	2	n/a	n/a	0	945
2003	245	317	21	360	2	n/a	n/a	0	945
2004	215	318	19	388	1	n/a	n/a	0	941
2005	200	356	22	410	2	n/a	n/a	0	990
2006	177	374	25	435	6	n/a	n/a	9	1026
2007	145	364	19	486	7	n/a	n/a	12	1033
2008	113	314	14	469	7	n/a	n/a	0	917
2009	111	286	15	391	5	1	14	0	823
2010	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
2011	76	286	13	350	0	2	12	0	739
2012	72	276	12	317	0	2	13	0	692
2013	71	265	7	311	3	1	13	0	671
2014	63	257	6	332	7	1	16	0	682
2015	69	257	4	352	6	0	14	0	702
2016	62	238	3	346	3	0	19	0	671
2017	57	221	4	345	7	0	13	0	647
2018	47	200	8	268	4	0	17	0	544
2019	36	203	5	276	2	0	19	0	541
2020	31	236	6	301	4	2	20	0	600
2021	29	219	3	288	4	1	21	0	565
2022	20	155	3	267	6	2	20	0	473
2023	16	213	6	271	7	1	28	0	542
2024	150	216	15	139	15	4	35	0	574

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 Joshua Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	1165	42.0	27.7	n/a
1989	1250	45.0	27.7	n/a
1990	868	32.0	27.1	n/a
1991	903	32.0	28.2	n/a
1992	983	32.5	30.2	24.1
1993	1001	35.0	28.6	36.8
1994	1032	35.0	29.5	40.3
1995	1032	37.0	27.9	48.5
1996	1032	37.0	27.9	48.5
1997	947	34.0	27.9	54.4
1998	951	45.0	21.1	66.1
1999	937	46.5	20.2	63.7
2000	948	47.5	20.0	61.9
2001	1003	46.0	21.8	47.6
2002	945	45.0	21.0	67.8
2003	945	45.0	21.0	67.8
2004	941	46.1	20.4	68.4
2005	990	46.0	21.5	75.1
2006	1026	48.0	21.4	70.4
2007	1033	49.0	21.1	72.5
2008	917	51.0	18.0	67.8
2009	823	37.0	21.1	75.1
2010	0	28.0	0.0	n/a
2011	739	n/a	n/a	78.2
2012	692	25.5	27.1	n/a
2013	671	23.9	28.0	89.7
2014	682	23.9	28.5	89.4
2015	702	26.0	27.0	88.5
2016	671	26.0	25.8	92.8
2017	647	24.0	26.9	91.7
2018	544	23.0	23.6	91.9
2019	541	24.0	22.5	93.9
2020	600	n/a	n/a	95.3
2021	565	23.0	24.5	97.3
2022	473	20.4	23.1	93.9
2023	542	20.0	27.1	95.2
2024	574	21.0	27.3	93.7

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 Joshua Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	1165	42.0	27.7	n/a
1989	1250	45.0	27.7	n/a
1990	868	32.0	27.1	n/a
1991	903	32.0	28.2	n/a
1992	983	32.5	30.2	24.1
1993	1001	35.0	28.6	36.8
1994	1032	35.0	29.5	40.3
1995	1032	37.0	27.9	48.5
1996	1032	37.0	27.9	48.5
1997	947	34.0	27.9	54.4
1998	951	45.0	21.1	66.1
1999	937	46.5	20.2	63.7
2000	948	47.5	20.0	61.9
2001	1003	46.0	21.8	47.6
2002	945	45.0	21.0	67.8
2003	945	45.0	21.0	67.8
2004	941	46.1	20.4	68.4
2005	990	46.0	21.5	75.1
2006	1026	48.0	21.4	70.4
2007	1033	49.0	21.1	72.5
2008	917	51.0	18.0	67.8
2009	823	37.0	21.1	75.1
2010	0	28.0	0.0	n/a
2011	739	n/a	n/a	78.2
2012	692	25.5	27.1	n/a
2013	671	23.9	28.0	89.7
2014	682	23.9	28.5	89.4
2015	702	26.0	27.0	88.5
2016	671	26.0	25.8	92.8
2017	647	24.0	26.9	91.7
2018	544	23.0	23.6	91.9
2019	541	24.0	22.5	93.9
2020	600	n/a	n/a	95.3
2021	565	23.0	24.5	97.3
2022	473	20.4	23.1	93.9
2023	542	20.0	27.1	95.2
2024	574	21.0	27.3	93.7

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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