Is Fairhaven Elementary a good school?

Fairhaven Elementary ranks 3981 st of 5862 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Fairhaven Elementary?

In the 2022-23 school year, 445 students attended Fairhaven Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Fairhaven Elementary?

Students at Fairhaven Elementary are 92% Hispanic, 3% White, 2% Asian, 1% Two or more races.

What schools do graduates of Fairhaven Elementary attend?

Students who attend Fairhaven Elementary usually go on to attend: Middle : Portola Middle High : Orange High

Fairhaven Elementary

Summary:

Fairhaven Elementary is a public elementary school in Santa Ana, California, serving 445 students in grades K-6. The school faces significant challenges, including high chronic absenteeism rates, underperformance on academic assessments compared to the district and state, and struggles to support its diverse student population.

Fairhaven Elementary has seen a sharp increase in chronic absenteeism, rising from 16.0% in 2017-2018 to 49.0% in 2021-2022, which is notably higher than the Orange Unified School District and state averages. Academically, the school consistently underperforms, with only 30.49% of students proficient or better in English Language Arts and 25.88% in Mathematics, compared to 57.53% and 45.47% for the district, respectively. Fairhaven also struggles to support its diverse student population, ranking in the bottom 40% of California elementary schools for male students and English Language Learners.

While Fairhaven Elementary performs better than some nearby schools in the Santa Ana Unified School District, such as Garfield Elementary and Sierra Preparatory Academy, it lags behind other schools within its own district, like La Veta Elementary and Sycamore Elementary, which consistently outperform Fairhaven in academic assessments and have lower chronic absenteeism rates. Addressing these challenges will be crucial for Fairhaven Elementary to provide a high-quality education for its students.

Detail:

Public K-6

1415 East Fairhaven Ave.
Santa Ana, CA 92705-6822

(714) 997-6178

District: Orange Unified

SchoolDigger Rank:
3981^st of 5,862 California Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $5,842

Students who attend Fairhaven Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Portola Middle
High:	Orange High

Student/teacher ratio: 23.6

Number of students: 445

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

91.7%

White:

3.4%

Asian:

2.0%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 64.5%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Fairhaven Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Fairhaven Elementary ranks worse than 67.9% of elementary schools in California. It also ranks 24^th among 27 ranked elementary schools in the Orange Unified School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 29.33. (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 (91.7%), White (3.4%), Asian (2%). (See more...)

Compare Details 64.5% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Fairhaven Elementary is 23.6, which is the 6^th best among 27 elementary schools in the Orange Unified School District. (See more...)

Compare Fairhaven Elementary employs 18.8 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Fairhaven Elementary is $5,842, which is the 4^th highest among 27 elementary schools in the Orange Unified School District.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Fairhaven Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Fairhaven Elementary 3981^st of 5862 California public elementary schools. (See Fairhaven 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:

Orange Unified:

SchoolDigger ranks Orange Unified 517^th of 1568 California school districts. (See district ranking list.)

Average Parent Rating:

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Rank History for Fairhaven Elementary

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Rank History for all students at Fairhaven Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2004	15.57	4302^nd	4809	10.5%
2005	12.82	4471^st	4822	7.3%
2006	14.11	4404^th	4818	8.6%
2007	11.47	4847^th	5113	5.2%
2008	10.56	4902^nd	5113	4.1%
2009	18.27	4554^th	5193	12.3%
2010	31.37	3749^th	5314	29.5%
2011	37.34	3437^th	5377	36.1%
2012	52.40	2474^th	5390	54.1%
2013	53.21	2496^th	5530	54.9%
2015	30.04	3699^th	5611	34.1%
2016	22.79	4366^th	5614	22.2%
2017	20.17	4680^th	5692	17.8%
2018	18.94	4767^th	5662	15.8%
2019	20.85	4720^th	5789	18.5%
2022	21.38	4706^th	5883	20.0%
2023	33.18	3628^th	5874	38.2%
2024	29.33	3981^st	5862	32.1%

See the entire list of California Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Fairhaven Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	29.84	2408^th	3246	25.8%
2019	32.91	2281^st	3275	30.4%
2022	41.36	1714^th	3311	48.2%
2023	32.85	2336^th	3250	28.1%
2024	32.82	2359^th	3160	25.3%

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

Rank History for Special Education students at Fairhaven Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	21.96	2108^th	2420	12.9%
2024	36.93	1468^th	2634	44.3%

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

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Fairhaven Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	27.52	3956^th	5084	22.2%
2019	27.38	4080^th	5173	21.1%
2022	32.78	3600^th	5264	31.6%
2023	48.14	2486^th	5374	53.7%
2024	35.17	3507^th	5511	36.4%

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

Rank History for Female students at Fairhaven Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	16.12	4834^th	5413	10.7%
2019	23.49	4343^rd	5492	20.9%
2022	25.04	4212^th	5635	25.3%
2023	36.07	3291^st	5617	41.4%
2024	30.60	3740^th	5605	33.3%

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

Rank History for Disabled students at Fairhaven Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	25.27	1683^rd	2128	20.9%
2019	23.91	2128^th	2585	17.7%
2022	19.93	2022^nd	2227	9.2%

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

Rank History for Male students at Fairhaven Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	22.65	4320^th	5431	20.5%
2019	19.90	4672^nd	5510	15.2%
2022	19.36	4774^th	5663	15.7%
2023	30.88	3701^st	5650	34.5%
2024	28.49	3953^rd	5636	29.9%

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

Rank History for Hispanic students at Fairhaven Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	23.15	4038^th	4830	16.4%
2019	27.39	3869^th	4963	22.0%
2022	28.92	3791^st	5084	25.4%
2023	46.62	2451^st	5098	51.9%
2024	40.56	2926^th	5102	42.6%

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

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 4)

100%

by a parent
Saturday, September 1, 2012

Fairhaven has teachers who work hard to improve the scores. They turned the school around. Mr. Fisher and his secretary need manners training and one teacher talks to herself. Overall there have been improvements. Close Quote

Enrollment information for Fairhaven Elementary

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	246	42	37	131	1	n/a	n/a	0	457
1989	217	39	26	218	3	n/a	n/a	0	503
1990	166	29	13	286	4	n/a	n/a	0	498
1991	175	32	15	339	6	n/a	n/a	0	567
1992	162	34	17	488	1	n/a	n/a	0	702
1993	156	28	17	497	1	n/a	n/a	0	699
1994	129	31	20	540	6	n/a	n/a	0	726
1995	108	32	27	635	4	n/a	n/a	0	806
1996	108	32	27	635	4	n/a	n/a	0	806
1997	115	33	35	679	5	n/a	n/a	0	867
1998	80	33	25	672	4	n/a	n/a	0	814
1999	79	22	26	656	6	n/a	n/a	0	789
2000	81	22	22	609	5	n/a	n/a	0	739
2001	82	30	29	627	5	n/a	n/a	0	773
2002	60	18	34	646	25	n/a	n/a	2	785
2003	60	18	34	646	25	n/a	n/a	2	785
2004	49	9	33	644	18	n/a	n/a	7	760
2005	38	15	23	609	10	n/a	n/a	9	704
2006	43	8	17	567	6	n/a	n/a	12	653
2007	28	10	19	523	7	n/a	n/a	12	599
2008	16	7	28	502	4	n/a	n/a	0	557
2009	12	3	14	483	0	6	7	0	525
2010	17	7	19	531	0	5	4	0	583
2011	14	4	18	507	0	3	5	0	551
2012	21	4	13	478	1	0	1	0	518
2013	25	2	12	508	1	0	5	0	553
2014	28	3	13	542	1	0	4	0	591
2015	18	2	18	543	1	0	5	0	587
2016	20	3	11	542	1	0	7	0	584
2017	18	1	8	542	1	0	10	0	580
2018	21	3	8	512	1	0	6	0	551
2019	10	3	9	515	1	0	6	0	544
2020	8	2	8	488	1	1	9	0	517
2021	8	2	7	424	1	2	6	0	450
2022	13	2	9	421	2	1	6	0	454
2023	15	4	9	408	2	1	6	0	445

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 Fairhaven Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	457	17.4	26.2	n/a
1989	503	19.4	25.9	n/a
1990	498	19.8	25.1	n/a
1991	567	22.4	25.3	n/a
1992	702	22.8	30.7	58
1993	699	27.0	25.9	63.4
1994	726	28.5	25.5	69.8
1995	806	31.5	25.6	79
1996	806	31.5	25.6	79
1997	867	33.5	25.9	75.2
1998	814	34.0	23.9	80
1999	789	36.0	21.9	70.8
2000	739	37.0	20.0	70.8
2001	773	38.0	20.3	64.8
2002	785	37.0	21.2	69.6
2003	785	37.0	21.2	69.6
2004	760	39.0	19.5	75.4
2005	704	36.0	19.6	76.8
2006	653	33.0	19.8	76.4
2007	599	29.0	20.7	77.2
2008	557	32.5	17.1	67.1
2009	525	29.4	17.2	75.8
2010	583	29.9	19.4	78
2011	551	n/a	n/a	65.7
2012	518	27.0	19.1	99.4
2013	553	28.5	19.3	87.9
2014	591	28.0	21.1	85.3
2015	587	26.0	22.5	84.2
2016	584	21.0	27.8	84.4
2017	580	22.0	26.3	82.2
2018	551	22.0	25.0	85.8
2019	544	21.5	25.3	86
2020	517	n/a	n/a	78.5
2021	450	19.6	22.9	74.2
2022	454	18.1	25.0	69.2
2023	445	18.8	23.6	64.5

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 Fairhaven Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	457	17.4	26.2	n/a
1989	503	19.4	25.9	n/a
1990	498	19.8	25.1	n/a
1991	567	22.4	25.3	n/a
1992	702	22.8	30.7	58
1993	699	27.0	25.9	63.4
1994	726	28.5	25.5	69.8
1995	806	31.5	25.6	79
1996	806	31.5	25.6	79
1997	867	33.5	25.9	75.2
1998	814	34.0	23.9	80
1999	789	36.0	21.9	70.8
2000	739	37.0	20.0	70.8
2001	773	38.0	20.3	64.8
2002	785	37.0	21.2	69.6
2003	785	37.0	21.2	69.6
2004	760	39.0	19.5	75.4
2005	704	36.0	19.6	76.8
2006	653	33.0	19.8	76.4
2007	599	29.0	20.7	77.2
2008	557	32.5	17.1	67.1
2009	525	29.4	17.2	75.8
2010	583	29.9	19.4	78
2011	551	n/a	n/a	65.7
2012	518	27.0	19.1	99.4
2013	553	28.5	19.3	87.9
2014	591	28.0	21.1	85.3
2015	587	26.0	22.5	84.2
2016	584	21.0	27.8	84.4
2017	580	22.0	26.3	82.2
2018	551	22.0	25.0	85.8
2019	544	21.5	25.3	86
2020	517	n/a	n/a	78.5
2021	450	19.6	22.9	74.2
2022	454	18.1	25.0	69.2
2023	445	18.8	23.6	64.5

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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