Is Sierra Elementary a good school?

Sierra Elementary ranks in the bottom 4.2% of California elementary schools.

How many students attend Sierra Elementary?

In the 2023-24 school year, 711 students attended Sierra Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Sierra Elementary?

Students at Sierra Elementary are 36% Hispanic, 32% African American, 22% White, 7% Two or more races, 2% Asian.

What schools do graduates of Sierra Elementary attend?

Students who attend Sierra Elementary usually go on to attend: High : Antelope Valley High

Sierra Elementary

Summary:

Sierra Elementary is a public elementary school located in Lancaster, California, serving grades K-5 with a total enrollment of 691 students. It 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.

Sierra Elementary faces significant challenges, particularly in terms of chronic absenteeism, which has ranged from 22.9% in 2017-2018 to 58.2% in 2021-2022, significantly higher than the state average and nearby schools in the district. The school's test scores are also consistently lower than the state and district averages across all grade levels and subject areas, with only 19.15% of students proficient or better in English Language Arts/Literacy in 2023-2024, compared to 22.8% in the Lancaster Elementary district and 47.04% statewide. The performance of specific student subgroups, such as African American, Hispanic, and English Language Learner students, is particularly low at Sierra Elementary, with the school's African American students ranking 554 out of 593 California elementary schools, with a 0-star rating.

While Sierra Elementary struggles academically, some nearby schools within the same district, such as Sunnydale Elementary and John and Jacquelyn Miller Elementary, perform significantly better on test scores and have lower chronic absenteeism rates. Additionally, the data includes information on nearby virtual and charter schools, such as Lancaster Alternative and Virtual Academies and iLEAD Lancaster Charter, which generally perform better than Sierra Elementary on academic measures, providing alternative educational options for families in the area.

Detail:

Public K-5

747 West Avenue J-12
Lancaster, CA 93534-4933

(661) 942-9536

District: Lancaster Elementary

SchoolDigger Rank:
5616^th of 5,862 California Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $8,419

Students who attend Sierra Elementary usually attend:

High:

Antelope Valley High

Student/teacher ratio: 28.4

Number of students: 711

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

35.9%

African American:

31.6%

White:

22.2%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 83.8%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Sierra Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Sierra Elementary ranks worse than 95.8% of elementary schools in California. It also ranks 13^th among 15 ranked elementary schools in the Lancaster Elementary School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 11.02. (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 Sierra Elementary is diverse. Racial makeup is: Hispanic (35.9%), African American (31.6%), White (22.2%). (See more...)

Compare Details 83.8% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Sierra Elementary is 28.4, which is the highest among 16 elementary schools in the Lancaster Elementary School District! (See more...)

Compare Sierra Elementary employs 25 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Sierra Elementary is $8,419. 9 elementary schools in the Lancaster Elementary School District spend more per student.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Sierra Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Sierra Elementary 5616^th of 5862 California public elementary schools. (See Sierra 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:

Homeless 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 Sierra Elementary

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Rank History for all students at Sierra Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2004	10.56	4641^st	4809	3.5%
2005	11.89	4540^th	4822	5.8%
2006	9.50	4656^th	4818	3.4%
2007	16.84	4509^th	5113	11.8%
2008	19.47	4377^th	5113	14.4%
2009	14.81	4746^th	5193	8.6%
2010	6.37	5246^th	5314	1.3%
2011	7.19	5301^st	5377	1.4%
2012	9.07	5226^th	5390	3.0%
2013	15.77	5002^nd	5530	9.5%
2015	11.88	5358^th	5611	4.5%
2016	8.81	5500^th	5614	2.0%
2017	10.30	5475^th	5692	3.8%
2018	9.10	5482^nd	5662	3.2%
2019	10.15	5554^th	5789	4.1%
2022	13.74	5473^rd	5883	7.0%
2023	12.97	5491^st	5874	6.5%
2024	11.02	5616^th	5862	4.2%

See the entire list of California Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Sierra Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	23.73	2805^th	3246	13.6%
2019	38.68	1866^th	3275	43.0%
2022	21.21	3141^st	3311	5.1%
2023	53.49	1031^st	3250	68.3%
2024	24.88	2847^th	3160	9.9%

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

Rank History for Special Education students at Sierra Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	22.35	2076^th	2420	14.2%
2024	17.40	2563^rd	2634	2.7%

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

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Sierra Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	10.74	4925^th	5084	3.1%
2019	14.43	4870^th	5173	5.9%
2022	16.15	4898^th	5264	7.0%
2023	16.44	4943^rd	5374	8.0%
2024	13.26	5244^th	5511	4.8%

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

Rank History for Homeless students at Sierra Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	14.70	325^th	336	3.3%
2024	40.03	220^th	364	39.6%

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

Rank History for Female students at Sierra Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	9.37	5254^th	5413	2.9%
2019	10.21	5302^nd	5492	3.5%
2022	18.82	4821^st	5635	14.4%
2023	16.05	5048^th	5617	10.1%
2024	14.40	5168^th	5605	7.8%

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

Rank History for Disabled students at Sierra Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2018	23.89	1773^rd	2128	16.7%

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

Rank History for Male students at Sierra Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	10.19	5262^nd	5431	3.1%
2019	11.49	5291^st	5510	4.0%
2022	10.52	5528^th	5663	2.4%
2023	11.44	5416^th	5650	4.1%
2024	9.94	5488^th	5636	2.6%

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

Rank History for African American students at Sierra Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	20.31	624^th	700	10.9%
2019	22.81	625^th	747	16.3%
2022	20.23	608^th	663	8.3%
2023	19.87	592^nd	662	10.6%
2024	16.72	554^th	593	6.6%

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

Rank History for Hispanic students at Sierra Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	15.90	4470^th	4830	7.5%
2019	18.00	4506^th	4963	9.2%
2022	21.95	4361^st	5084	14.2%
2023	25.64	4055^th	5098	20.5%
2024	35.64	3301^st	5102	35.3%

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

Rank History for White students at Sierra Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	2.07	2724^th	2737	0.5%
2019	5.71	2737^th	2834	3.4%
2022	19.09	2296^th	2726	15.8%
2023	4.61	2592^nd	2662	2.6%
2024	3.35	2607^th	2647	1.5%

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 Sierra Elementary

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	743	44	46	101	3	n/a	n/a	0	937
1989	860	79	51	112	3	n/a	n/a	0	1105
1990	616	76	19	105	6	n/a	n/a	0	822
1991	564	89	24	122	5	n/a	n/a	0	804
1992	568	134	16	142	8	n/a	n/a	0	868
1993	576	129	21	168	15	n/a	n/a	0	909
1994	519	138	23	175	10	n/a	n/a	0	865
1995	470	188	27	161	8	n/a	n/a	0	854
1996	470	188	27	161	8	n/a	n/a	0	854
1997	462	238	23	192	17	n/a	n/a	0	932
1998	457	245	15	193	19	n/a	n/a	0	929
1999	429	272	16	217	17	n/a	n/a	0	951
2000	370	269	33	234	13	n/a	n/a	0	919
2001	366	305	32	221	10	n/a	n/a	0	934
2002	274	257	24	220	13	n/a	n/a	0	788
2003	274	257	24	220	13	n/a	n/a	0	788
2004	260	290	26	314	9	n/a	n/a	0	899
2005	251	264	29	345	12	n/a	n/a	3	904
2006	189	266	30	421	12	n/a	n/a	5	923
2007	212	258	34	464	6	n/a	n/a	8	982
2008	168	237	35	439	8	n/a	n/a	0	887
2009	155	259	20	423	3	5	4	0	869
2010	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
2011	118	272	20	407	6	5	22	0	850
2012	107	269	18	418	7	3	30	0	852
2013	66	238	15	371	4	0	28	0	722
2014	69	231	17	354	2	0	24	0	697
2015	69	210	14	362	4	0	34	0	693
2016	76	195	8	356	5	1	25	0	666
2017	73	170	14	325	4	5	29	0	620
2018	97	182	17	291	2	3	24	0	616
2019	88	175	13	316	1	2	25	0	620
2020	82	185	13	306	1	1	36	0	624
2021	75	156	8	325	1	0	36	0	601
2022	54	156	8	338	0	0	42	0	598
2023	54	212	6	374	1	1	43	0	691
2024	158	225	14	255	4	5	49	1	711

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 Sierra Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	937	33.0	28.3	n/a
1989	1105	39.0	28.3	n/a
1990	822	31.0	26.5	n/a
1991	804	29.0	27.7	n/a
1992	868	29.5	29.4	37
1993	909	32.0	28.4	45.7
1994	865	33.0	26.2	46.4
1995	854	31.0	27.5	54.1
1996	854	31.0	27.5	54.1
1997	932	33.0	28.2	59.8
1998	929	43.5	21.4	61.8
1999	951	44.0	21.6	65.5
2000	919	45.0	20.4	66.8
2001	934	43.0	21.7	42
2002	788	39.0	20.2	63.2
2003	788	39.0	20.2	63.2
2004	899	42.0	21.4	67.6
2005	904	43.0	21.0	72.7
2006	923	40.2	23.0	70.9
2007	982	46.2	21.3	69.4
2008	887	48.2	18.4	67.9
2009	869	38.2	22.2	80.6
2010	0	29.0	0.0	n/a
2011	850	n/a	n/a	76.5
2012	852	29.0	29.3	n/a
2013	722	26.9	26.8	89.9
2014	697	24.0	29.0	85.9
2015	693	25.0	27.7	88
2016	666	26.0	25.6	88.6
2017	620	25.0	24.8	88.9
2018	616	26.0	23.6	90.7
2019	620	24.0	25.8	91.1
2020	624	n/a	n/a	92.9
2021	601	25.0	24.0	92.5
2022	598	24.5	24.3	92.3
2023	691	28.0	24.6	93.2
2024	711	25.0	28.4	83.8

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 Sierra Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	937	33.0	28.3	n/a
1989	1105	39.0	28.3	n/a
1990	822	31.0	26.5	n/a
1991	804	29.0	27.7	n/a
1992	868	29.5	29.4	37
1993	909	32.0	28.4	45.7
1994	865	33.0	26.2	46.4
1995	854	31.0	27.5	54.1
1996	854	31.0	27.5	54.1
1997	932	33.0	28.2	59.8
1998	929	43.5	21.4	61.8
1999	951	44.0	21.6	65.5
2000	919	45.0	20.4	66.8
2001	934	43.0	21.7	42
2002	788	39.0	20.2	63.2
2003	788	39.0	20.2	63.2
2004	899	42.0	21.4	67.6
2005	904	43.0	21.0	72.7
2006	923	40.2	23.0	70.9
2007	982	46.2	21.3	69.4
2008	887	48.2	18.4	67.9
2009	869	38.2	22.2	80.6
2010	0	29.0	0.0	n/a
2011	850	n/a	n/a	76.5
2012	852	29.0	29.3	n/a
2013	722	26.9	26.8	89.9
2014	697	24.0	29.0	85.9
2015	693	25.0	27.7	88
2016	666	26.0	25.6	88.6
2017	620	25.0	24.8	88.9
2018	616	26.0	23.6	90.7
2019	620	24.0	25.8	91.1
2020	624	n/a	n/a	92.9
2021	601	25.0	24.0	92.5
2022	598	24.5	24.3	92.3
2023	691	28.0	24.6	93.2
2024	711	25.0	28.4	83.8

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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