Is Lange (Dorothea) Elementary a good school?

Lange (Dorothea) Elementary ranks 3097 th of 5862 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Lange (Dorothea) Elementary?

In the 2023-24 school year, 566 students attended Lange (Dorothea) Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Lange (Dorothea) Elementary?

Students at Lange (Dorothea) Elementary are 54% Hispanic, 41% White, 5% Two or more races.

What schools do graduates of Lange (Dorothea) Elementary attend?

Students who attend Lange (Dorothea) Elementary usually go on to attend: Middle : Mesa Middle High : Central Coast New Technical High High : Nipomo High

Lange (Dorothea) Elementary

Summary:

Lange (Dorothea) Elementary is a public elementary school located in Nipomo, California, serving 594 students in grades K-6. The school is part of the Lucia Mar Unified School District, which is ranked 587 out of 1568 districts in the state and has a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Lange (Dorothea) Elementary faces several challenges, including a significant increase in chronic absenteeism rates, from 5.4% in 2018-2019 to 21.3% in 2021-2022, which is notably higher than the district average of 17.1% in 2022-2023. Academically, the school consistently underperforms the district and state averages across all grade levels and subject areas, with proficiency rates ranging from 33.73% to 47.89% in English Language Arts and 27.5% to 36.14% in Mathematics, compared to the district's 45.95% to 58.69% and 36.08% to 46.31%, respectively. The school's performance is particularly concerning for its English Language Learner students, who ranked 2878 out of 3160 in 2023-2024 (0 stars).

Interestingly, Lange (Dorothea) Elementary's performance is generally lower than the nearby Nipomo Elementary and Dana Elementary, which are also part of the Lucia Mar Unified School District. The high chronic absenteeism rates and the school's high percentage of students from low socioeconomic backgrounds (66.84% qualify for free or reduced-price lunch) may be contributing factors to the lower academic performance, suggesting a need for targeted interventions and support to address the achievement gaps.

Detail:

Public K-6

1661 Via Alta Mesa
Nipomo, CA 93444-9344

(805) 474-3670

District: Lucia Mar Unified

SchoolDigger Rank:
3097^th of 5,862 California Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $4,606

Students who attend Lange (Dorothea) Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Mesa Middle
High:	Central Coast New Technical High
	Nipomo High

Student/teacher ratio: 21.5

Number of students: 566

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

54.2%

White:

40.6%

Two or more races:

4.8%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 67%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Lange (Dorothea) Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Lange (Dorothea) Elementary ranks worse than 52.8% of elementary schools in California. It also ranks 7^th among 11 ranked elementary schools in the Lucia Mar Unified School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 41.34. (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 (54.2%), White (40.6%), two or more races (4.8%). (See more...)

Compare Details 67% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Lange (Dorothea) Elementary is 21.5. 9 elementary schools in the Lucia Mar Unified School District have better student/teacher ratios. (See more...)

Compare Lange (Dorothea) Elementary employs 26.2 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Lange (Dorothea) Elementary is $4,606. 8 elementary schools in the Lucia Mar Unified School District spend more per student.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Lange (Dorothea) Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Lange (Dorothea) Elementary 3097^th of 5862 California public elementary schools. (See Lange (Dorothea) 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:

Hispanic students:

White students:

Lucia Mar Unified:

SchoolDigger ranks Lucia Mar Unified 587^th of 1568 California school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for Lange (Dorothea) Elementary

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Rank History for all students at Lange (Dorothea) Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2007	59.48	1851^st	5113	63.8%
2008	37.17	3117^th	5113	39.0%
2009	48.84	2557^th	5193	50.8%
2010	39.22	3218^th	5314	39.4%
2011	51.86	2486^th	5377	53.8%
2012	56.94	2215^th	5390	58.9%
2013	49.99	2692^nd	5530	51.3%
2015	51.33	2371^st	5611	57.7%
2016	52.24	2382^nd	5614	57.6%
2017	45.30	2785^th	5692	51.1%
2018	39.49	3189^th	5662	43.7%
2019	44.56	2904^th	5789	49.8%
2022	41.69	2975^th	5883	49.4%
2023	46.90	2704^th	5874	54.0%
2024	41.34	3097^th	5862	47.2%

See the entire list of California Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Lange (Dorothea) Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2019	29.63	2522^nd	3275	23.0%
2022	46.83	1376^th	3311	58.4%
2023	33.45	2281^st	3250	29.8%
2024	24.36	2878^th	3160	8.9%

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

Rank History for Special Education students at Lange (Dorothea) Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2024	34.67	1576^th	2634	40.2%

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

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Lange (Dorothea) Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	37.94	3172^nd	5084	37.6%
2019	40.55	3065^th	5173	40.8%
2022	38.88	3102^nd	5264	41.1%
2023	42.00	2908^th	5374	45.9%
2024	44.81	2758^th	5511	50.0%

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

Rank History for Homeless students at Lange (Dorothea) Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2022	50.70	141^st	356	60.4%
2023	43.87	181^st	336	46.1%
2024	44.18	196^th	364	46.2%

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

Rank History for Female students at Lange (Dorothea) Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	32.06	3600^th	5413	33.5%
2019	47.44	2648^th	5492	51.8%
2022	47.40	2557^th	5635	54.6%
2023	50.16	2398^th	5617	57.3%
2024	43.11	2846^th	5605	49.2%

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

Rank History for Disabled students at Lange (Dorothea) Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2018	38.52	1080^th	2128	49.2%

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

Rank History for Male students at Lange (Dorothea) Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	46.43	2653^rd	5431	51.2%
2019	41.99	2915^th	5510	47.1%
2022	36.34	3244^th	5663	42.7%
2023	42.88	2876^th	5650	49.1%
2024	39.95	3070^th	5636	45.5%

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

Rank History for Hispanic students at Lange (Dorothea) Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	29.59	3582^nd	4830	25.8%
2019	34.78	3332^nd	4963	32.9%
2022	35.70	3241^st	5084	36.3%
2023	32.14	3538^th	5098	30.6%
2024	32.49	3539^th	5102	30.6%

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

Rank History for White students at Lange (Dorothea) Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	42.58	1736^th	2737	36.6%
2019	44.02	1727^th	2834	39.1%
2022	38.63	1780^th	2726	34.7%
2023	50.74	1406^th	2662	47.2%
2024	37.62	1762^nd	2647	33.4%

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 Lange (Dorothea) Elementary

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
2007	228	8	10	276	1	n/a	n/a	49	572
2008	228	3	7	287	n/a	n/a	n/a	0	525
2009	225	1	5	294	0	3	58	0	586
2010	252	1	6	324	1	4	9	0	597
2011	237	2	6	325	1	4	9	0	584
2012	230	4	8	325	1	4	9	0	581
2013	229	3	9	318	2	2	10	0	573
2014	241	3	14	293	2	4	13	0	570
2015	223	3	13	307	2	4	12	0	564
2016	221	4	8	308	4	1	11	0	557
2017	217	3	5	318	2	0	13	0	558
2018	231	2	2	307	2	0	19	0	563
2019	238	1	4	323	3	0	20	0	589
2020	224	2	2	328	2	0	24	0	582
2021	186	1	1	316	2	0	22	0	528
2022	201	1	0	324	1	0	21	0	548
2023	238	0	1	330	1	0	24	0	594
2024	230	0	1	307	1	0	27	0	566

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 Lange (Dorothea) Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2007	572	25.0	22.9	60.4
2008	525	28.0	18.8	56.8
2009	586	28.0	20.2	48.6
2010	597	25.0	23.8	58.1
2011	584	n/a	n/a	57.9
2012	581	21.5	27.0	n/a
2013	573	20.5	27.9	59.3
2014	570	21.0	27.1	62.3
2015	564	22.0	25.6	59.4
2016	557	22.0	25.3	60
2017	558	22.0	25.3	54.7
2018	563	22.1	25.4	55.8
2019	589	22.5	26.1	56.4
2020	582	n/a	n/a	55.5
2021	528	24.3	21.6	67.8
2022	548	25.4	21.5	66.6
2023	594	27.3	21.7	66.8
2024	566	26.2	21.5	67

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 Lange (Dorothea) Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2007	572	25.0	22.9	60.4
2008	525	28.0	18.8	56.8
2009	586	28.0	20.2	48.6
2010	597	25.0	23.8	58.1
2011	584	n/a	n/a	57.9
2012	581	21.5	27.0	n/a
2013	573	20.5	27.9	59.3
2014	570	21.0	27.1	62.3
2015	564	22.0	25.6	59.4
2016	557	22.0	25.3	60
2017	558	22.0	25.3	54.7
2018	563	22.1	25.4	55.8
2019	589	22.5	26.1	56.4
2020	582	n/a	n/a	55.5
2021	528	24.3	21.6	67.8
2022	548	25.4	21.5	66.6
2023	594	27.3	21.7	66.8
2024	566	26.2	21.5	67

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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