Is Rancho Elementary a good school?

Rancho Elementary ranks 1142 nd of 5862 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Rancho Elementary?

In the 2023-24 school year, 349 students attended Rancho Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Rancho Elementary?

Students at Rancho Elementary are 45% Hispanic, 37% White, 9% Two or more races, 7% Asian, 2% African American.

What schools do graduates of Rancho Elementary attend?

Students who attend Rancho Elementary usually go on to attend: Middle : San Jose Middle High : Novato High

Rancho Elementary

Summary:

Rancho Elementary is a public elementary school located in Novato, California, serving grades K-5 with a total enrollment of 344 students. It is part of the Novato Unified School District, which is ranked 530 out of 1,568 districts in California and has a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Rancho Elementary consistently outperforms the Novato Unified School District and the state of California in standardized test scores across all grade levels and subject areas. For example, in the 2023-2024 school year, Rancho Elementary had 61.14% of students proficient or better in English Language Arts/Literacy, compared to 53.52% for Novato Unified and 47.04% for California. In Mathematics, Rancho Elementary had 60% of students proficient or better, compared to 40.82% for Novato Unified and 35.54% for California. Additionally, Rancho Elementary has relatively low chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 3.7% to 14.1% over the past several years, which is lower than the district and state averages.

While Rancho Elementary excels in overall academic performance, there are notable disparities in the performance of different student subgroups. The school's white students and low socioeconomic status students perform significantly better than their Hispanic and English Language Learner counterparts. Rancho Elementary's academic performance is also notably higher than some of the nearby schools within the Novato Unified School District, such as Hamilton Tk-8 and Lynwood Elementary, which have lower test scores and higher chronic absenteeism rates.

Detail:

Public K-5

1430 Johnson St.
Novato, CA 94947-4459

(415) 897-3101

District: Novato Unified

SchoolDigger Rank:
1142^nd of 5,862 California Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $6,734

Students who attend Rancho Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	San Jose Middle
High:	Novato High

Student/teacher ratio: 23.2

Number of students: 349

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

44.7%

White:

37.0%

Two or more races:

9.5%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 39.3%

See top rated California elementary schools

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Performance Trends

Compare Details Rancho Elementary ranks better than 80.5% of elementary schools in California. It also ranks 2^nd among 8 ranked elementary schools in the Novato Unified School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 80.16. (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 (44.7%), White (37%), two or more races (9.5%). (See more...)

Compare Details 39.3% 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 23.2. 5 elementary schools in the Novato Unified School District have better student/teacher ratios. (See more...)

Compare Rancho Elementary employs 15 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Rancho Elementary is $6,734, which is the 4^th highest among 8 elementary schools in the Novato Unified School District.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Rancho Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Rancho Elementary 1142^nd 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:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

Hispanic students:

White students:

Novato Unified:

SchoolDigger ranks Novato Unified 530^th of 1568 California school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for Rancho Elementary

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Rank History for all students at Rancho Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2004	97.80	87^th	4809	98.2%
2005	97.89	59^th	4822	98.8%
2006	97.39	84^th	4818	98.3%
2007	98.41	29^th	5113	99.4%
2008	96.28	113^th	5113	97.8%
2009	95.56	126^th	5193	97.6%
2010	94.62	157^th	5314	97.0%
2011	94.49	154^th	5377	97.1%
2012	92.94	221^st	5390	95.9%
2013	88.73	545^th	5530	90.1%
2015	92.42	479^th	5611	91.5%
2016	82.48	1026^th	5614	81.7%
2017	78.18	1198^th	5692	79.0%
2018	74.19	1390^th	5662	75.5%
2019	70.16	1598^th	5789	72.4%
2021	73.77	343^rd	1417	75.8%
2022	74.38	1430^th	5883	75.7%
2023	74.52	1401^st	5874	76.1%
2024	80.16	1142^nd	5862	80.5%

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	SchoolDigger Rating
2024	48.10	1292^nd	3160	59.1%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for English Language Learner 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	45.61	2638^th	5084	48.1%
2019	43.10	2888^th	5173	44.2%
2021	52.94	442^nd	1110	60.2%
2022	64.26	1455^th	5264	72.4%
2023	60.76	1706^th	5374	68.3%
2024	56.82	1978^th	5511	64.1%

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	78.05	1129^th	5413	79.1%
2019	57.58	2078^th	5492	62.2%
2021	72.41	319^th	1267	74.8%
2022	76.13	1279^th	5635	77.3%
2023	74.61	1302^nd	5617	76.8%
2024	75.41	1270^th	5605	77.3%

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	67.61	1581^st	5431	70.9%
2019	77.64	1192^nd	5510	78.4%
2021	69.56	348^th	1272	72.6%
2022	70.64	1493^rd	5663	73.6%
2023	71.49	1438^th	5650	74.5%
2024	75.60	1253^rd	5636	77.8%

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	46.60	2431^st	4830	49.7%
2019	43.54	2712^th	4963	45.4%
2022	47.73	2352^nd	5084	53.7%
2023	57.11	1817^th	5098	64.4%
2024	54.80	1964^th	5102	61.5%

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

Rank History for White students at Rancho Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	64.82	1012^th	2737	63.0%
2019	59.98	1212^th	2834	57.2%
2022	78.90	487^th	2726	82.1%
2023	76.56	561^st	2662	78.9%
2024	88.77	119^th	2647	95.5%

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 Rancho Elementary

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	514	8	30	9	3	n/a	n/a	0	564
1989	487	11	33	10	3	n/a	n/a	0	544
1990	493	3	22	10	0	n/a	n/a	0	528
1991	469	1	36	14	1	n/a	n/a	0	521
1992	409	1	31	16	1	n/a	n/a	0	458
1993	401	3	35	16	0	n/a	n/a	0	455
1994	423	6	29	21	0	n/a	n/a	0	479
1995	468	4	30	19	0	n/a	n/a	0	521
1996	468	4	30	19	0	n/a	n/a	0	521
1997	458	2	30	17	0	n/a	n/a	0	507
1998	460	4	34	12	0	n/a	n/a	0	510
1999	459	3	20	12	1	n/a	n/a	6	501
2000	445	2	30	10	1	n/a	n/a	8	496
2001	443	2	27	11	0	n/a	n/a	8	491
2002	421	2	33	18	0	n/a	n/a	24	498
2003	421	2	33	18	0	n/a	n/a	24	498
2004	397	5	31	16	0	n/a	n/a	40	489
2005	374	5	39	15	1	n/a	n/a	47	481
2006	382	6	41	16	1	n/a	n/a	52	498
2007	388	6	37	17	0	n/a	n/a	51	499
2008	403	6	54	30	2	n/a	n/a	0	495
2009	412	5	42	26	3	3	9	0	500
2010	399	4	48	32	2	1	9	0	495
2011	389	3	51	28	2	1	20	0	494
2012	370	1	47	27	2	1	20	0	468
2013	359	1	58	55	4	1	32	0	510
2014	330	1	64	71	3	1	28	0	498
2015	288	3	66	94	3	1	30	0	485
2016	246	6	61	97	5	1	24	0	440
2017	194	4	66	114	2	0	17	0	397
2018	151	3	70	123	1	0	21	0	369
2019	124	4	60	114	2	0	27	0	331
2020	132	4	58	117	1	0	32	0	344
2021	131	4	54	125	1	0	29	0	344
2022	133	6	42	128	0	0	43	0	352
2023	129	4	29	145	0	1	36	0	344
2024	129	6	24	156	0	1	33	0	349

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

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	564	20.3	27.7	n/a
1989	544	20.3	26.7	n/a
1990	528	20.4	25.8	n/a
1991	521	18.4	28.3	n/a
1992	458	18.7	24.4	3.3
1993	455	20.0	22.8	5.5
1994	479	20.4	23.5	5.2
1995	521	19.5	26.7	5.6
1996	521	19.5	26.7	5.6
1997	507	23.6	21.5	4.3
1998	510	24.0	21.3	4.3
1999	501	24.0	20.9	3.2
2000	496	23.0	21.6	2.5
2001	491	23.0	21.3	1.9
2002	498	24.0	20.8	4.4
2003	498	24.0	20.8	4.4
2004	489	23.4	20.9	4.7
2005	481	23.0	20.9	3.5
2006	498	23.4	21.3	1.8
2007	499	23.0	21.7	3.8
2008	495	25.6	19.3	3.8
2009	500	23.0	19.5	4.6
2010	495	24.0	20.6	5.5
2011	494	n/a	n/a	6.3
2012	468	24.7	18.9	n/a
2013	510	24.7	20.6	13.3
2014	498	22.0	22.6	15.9
2015	485	21.0	23.0	19.4
2016	440	19.0	23.1	23.9
2017	397	17.0	23.3	28.2
2018	369	16.0	23.0	30.9
2019	331	14.0	23.6	30.5
2020	344	n/a	n/a	31.7
2021	344	15.0	22.9	31.7
2022	352	16.0	22.0	30.7
2023	344	14.0	24.5	32.6
2024	349	15.0	23.2	39.3

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 Rancho Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	564	20.3	27.7	n/a
1989	544	20.3	26.7	n/a
1990	528	20.4	25.8	n/a
1991	521	18.4	28.3	n/a
1992	458	18.7	24.4	3.3
1993	455	20.0	22.8	5.5
1994	479	20.4	23.5	5.2
1995	521	19.5	26.7	5.6
1996	521	19.5	26.7	5.6
1997	507	23.6	21.5	4.3
1998	510	24.0	21.3	4.3
1999	501	24.0	20.9	3.2
2000	496	23.0	21.6	2.5
2001	491	23.0	21.3	1.9
2002	498	24.0	20.8	4.4
2003	498	24.0	20.8	4.4
2004	489	23.4	20.9	4.7
2005	481	23.0	20.9	3.5
2006	498	23.4	21.3	1.8
2007	499	23.0	21.7	3.8
2008	495	25.6	19.3	3.8
2009	500	23.0	19.5	4.6
2010	495	24.0	20.6	5.5
2011	494	n/a	n/a	6.3
2012	468	24.7	18.9	n/a
2013	510	24.7	20.6	13.3
2014	498	22.0	22.6	15.9
2015	485	21.0	23.0	19.4
2016	440	19.0	23.1	23.9
2017	397	17.0	23.3	28.2
2018	369	16.0	23.0	30.9
2019	331	14.0	23.6	30.5
2020	344	n/a	n/a	31.7
2021	344	15.0	22.9	31.7
2022	352	16.0	22.0	30.7
2023	344	14.0	24.5	32.6
2024	349	15.0	23.2	39.3

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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