Is Pine Grove Elementary a good school?

Pine Grove Elementary ranks 1646 th of 5862 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Pine Grove Elementary?

In the 2023-24 school year, 547 students attended Pine Grove Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Pine Grove Elementary?

Students at Pine Grove Elementary are 51% Hispanic, 34% White, 11% Two or more races, 3% Asian, 1% African American.

What schools do graduates of Pine Grove Elementary attend?

Students who attend Pine Grove Elementary usually go on to attend: Middle : Orcutt Junior High High : Ernest Righetti High

Pine Grove Elementary

Summary:

Pine Grove Elementary is a public elementary school in Santa Maria, California, serving 510 students in grades K-6 as part of the Orcutt Union Elementary School District. This high-performing school consistently outperforms the district and state averages in academic achievement, particularly for its Hispanic and Special Education student populations.

Pine Grove Elementary's academic performance is impressive, with 49.68% of students proficient or better in English Language Arts and 53.04% in Mathematics, compared to the district averages of 46.82% and 38.51%, respectively. The school also excels in Science, with 53.95% of students proficient or better, far exceeding the district and state averages. This strong academic performance extends to the school's Hispanic and Special Education student populations, which rank in the top 25% and top 5% of California elementary schools, respectively, in these subgroups.

While Pine Grove Elementary's academic achievements are commendable, the school faces some challenges, including a significant increase in chronic absenteeism, from 5.7% in 2018-2019 to 18.3% in 2022-2023, which is higher than the district average. Additionally, the percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch has increased from 29.51% in 2021-2022 to 38.24% in 2022-2023, indicating a growing population of economically disadvantaged students. The school and district should address these issues to ensure continued student success.

Detail:

Public K-6

1050 East Rice Ranch Rd.
Santa Maria, CA 93455-5068

(805) 938-8800

District: Orcutt Union Elementary

SchoolDigger Rank:
1646^th of 5,862 California Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $6,715

Students who attend Pine Grove Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Orcutt Junior High
High:	Ernest Righetti High

Student/teacher ratio: 24.8

Number of students: 547

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

50.6%

White:

34.2%

Two or more races:

10.8%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 44.4%

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Performance Trends

Compare Details Pine Grove Elementary ranks better than 71.9% of elementary schools in California. It also ranks 2^nd among 6 ranked elementary schools in the Orcutt Union Elementary School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 68.8. (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 (50.6%), White (34.2%), two or more races (10.8%). (See more...)

Compare Details 44.4% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Pine Grove Elementary is 24.8, which is the 3^rd best among 6 elementary schools in the Orcutt Union Elementary School District. (See more...)

Compare Pine Grove Elementary employs 22 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Pine Grove Elementary is $6,715. 3 elementary schools in the Orcutt Union Elementary School District spend more per student.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Pine Grove Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Pine Grove Elementary 1646^th of 5862 California public elementary schools. (See Pine Grove Elementary in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Special Education students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

Hispanic students:

White students:

Orcutt Union Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Orcutt Union Elementary 584^th of 1568 California school districts. (See district ranking list.)

Average Parent Rating:

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Rank History for Pine Grove Elementary

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Rank History for all students at Pine Grove Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2004	71.35	1259^th	4809	73.8%
2005	59.48	1770^th	4822	63.3%
2006	66.83	1474^th	4818	69.4%
2007	67.28	1499^th	5113	70.7%
2008	69.44	1429^th	5113	72.1%
2009	60.77	1887^th	5193	63.7%
2010	43.22	2972^nd	5314	44.1%
2011	39.52	3275^th	5377	39.1%
2012	52.21	2489^th	5390	53.8%
2013	57.75	2251^st	5530	59.3%
2015	56.53	2098^th	5611	62.6%
2016	66.28	1700^th	5614	69.7%
2017	73.07	1423^rd	5692	75.0%
2018	75.20	1350^th	5662	76.2%
2019	66.63	1764^th	5789	69.5%
2022	65.56	1797^th	5883	69.5%
2023	67.56	1692^nd	5874	71.2%
2024	68.80	1646^th	5862	71.9%

See the entire list of California Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for Special Education students at Pine Grove Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	67.85	505^th	2420	79.1%
2024	88.75	208^th	2634	92.1%

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

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Pine Grove Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	78.05	772^nd	5084	84.8%
2019	59.03	1831^st	5173	64.6%
2022	68.55	1238^th	5264	76.5%
2023	64.53	1499^th	5374	72.1%
2024	68.24	1342^nd	5511	75.6%

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

Rank History for Female students at Pine Grove Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	75.05	1290^th	5413	76.2%
2019	69.33	1529^th	5492	72.2%
2022	56.31	2087^th	5635	63.0%
2023	59.43	1972^nd	5617	64.9%
2024	66.36	1634^th	5605	70.8%

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

Rank History for Disabled students at Pine Grove Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2018	93.17	119^th	2128	94.4%
2019	93.26	121^st	2585	95.3%

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

Rank History for Male students at Pine Grove Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	71.69	1411^th	5431	74.0%
2019	60.77	1922^nd	5510	65.1%
2022	71.11	1470^th	5663	74.0%
2023	71.86	1419^th	5650	74.9%
2024	69.13	1554^th	5636	72.4%

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

Rank History for Hispanic students at Pine Grove Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	81.30	629^th	4830	87.0%
2019	72.39	1045^th	4963	78.9%
2022	61.82	1534^th	5084	69.8%
2023	70.96	1137^th	5098	77.7%
2024	71.24	1128^th	5102	77.9%

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

Rank History for White students at Pine Grove Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	56.02	1330^th	2737	51.4%
2019	47.24	1646^th	2834	41.9%
2022	56.41	1276^th	2726	53.2%
2023	53.94	1323^rd	2662	50.3%
2024	61.31	1084^th	2647	59.0%

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

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 1)

100%

Reviews:

by a parent
Friday, July 10, 2020

Way too many students in each classroom. They put my child in a combo first second grade classroom. She was a first grader. I feel like she went from kindergarten to second grade into the land of iPad use most of the day. Thankfully my child was not a victim of bullying, but she witnessed so much drama that she was getting frequent stomach aches. All the teachers she had were pretty great, though 2 retired. Music class was never fun, because if a child was not listening, no one got to touch the instruments. The fundraisers were always the same and so boring. I’m so glad I pulled all my children to homeschool. California public schools should hire more teachers and pay them. 1 teacher should never ever have 30 students and 2 grades to teach at once. It’s basically a day full of chaos and distractions. So sad for this generation of children. Close Quote

by a parent
Saturday, January 30, 2016

This school is awful. I only have one child, and am so glad I don't have to go through all the same garbage if I had more children. It started in 2nd grade, got worse in 4th (his male teacher was a bully), 6th grade was a nightmare. In general I would say the problem is the "attitude" of state employed teachers. They have this mentality that they are "all supreme" or untouchable. Many of them believe that since they are teachers they know everything...they don't. They may be knowledgeable on their subject, but that's about it. For some reason they hold the belief that they can do as they please with your child in their classroom. They seem to forget they are a tate paid employee, my tax dollars pay their over-inflated union wages, therefore they work for me the taxpayer! I am so disgusted with the experience at the elementary level, that I will begin homeschooling my child the rest of his education at home. Close Quote

Enrollment information for Pine Grove Elementary

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	355	7	9	28	0	n/a	n/a	0	399
1989	373	9	15	31	0	n/a	n/a	0	428
1990	411	13	17	31	0	n/a	n/a	0	472
1991	429	8	14	46	2	n/a	n/a	0	499
1992	376	9	18	56	2	n/a	n/a	0	461
1993	403	8	2	72	0	n/a	n/a	0	485
1994	380	15	15	72	6	n/a	n/a	0	488
1995	385	27	21	92	2	n/a	n/a	0	527
1996	385	27	21	92	2	n/a	n/a	0	527
1997	363	15	21	105	17	n/a	n/a	0	521
1998	359	18	17	80	4	n/a	n/a	0	478
1999	347	17	21	81	3	n/a	n/a	0	469
2000	350	10	28	95	5	n/a	n/a	0	488
2001	345	2	35	95	13	n/a	n/a	1	491
2002	323	13	31	89	4	n/a	n/a	4	464
2003	323	13	31	89	4	n/a	n/a	4	464
2004	295	11	31	89	2	n/a	n/a	2	430
2005	288	19	30	74	4	n/a	n/a	2	417
2006	279	13	29	96	4	n/a	n/a	2	423
2007	284	13	21	103	5	n/a	n/a	3	429
2008	271	11	18	96	5	n/a	n/a	0	401
2009	241	11	18	97	5	2	15	0	389
2010	208	12	11	103	2	1	9	0	346
2011	223	10	11	135	3	1	15	0	398
2012	346	12	11	197	4	2	32	0	604
2013	297	8	9	189	4	1	30	0	538
2014	294	7	10	214	7	1	32	0	565
2015	270	7	12	236	4	1	38	0	568
2016	300	2	8	236	3	2	38	0	589
2017	254	3	13	237	2	1	45	0	555
2018	235	1	14	228	1	2	46	0	527
2019	226	2	18	230	2	1	49	0	528
2020	244	2	16	224	2	1	52	0	541
2021	195	1	14	217	0	1	50	0	478
2022	196	1	12	227	1	1	50	0	488
2023	184	9	13	251	1	0	52	0	510
2024	187	8	15	277	1	0	59	0	547

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 Pine Grove Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	399	16.0	24.9	n/a
1989	428	16.0	26.7	n/a
1990	472	16.0	29.5	n/a
1991	499	19.0	26.2	n/a
1992	461	19.3	23.8	10.4
1993	485	18.0	26.9	15.3
1994	488	21.0	23.2	18
1995	527	22.0	24.0	24.5
1996	527	22.0	24.0	24.5
1997	521	23.0	22.7	29.8
1998	478	24.0	19.9	26.6
1999	469	23.5	20.0	26.2
2000	488	24.0	20.3	26.2
2001	491	24.0	20.5	29
2002	464	23.0	20.2	23.9
2003	464	23.0	20.2	23.9
2004	430	19.2	22.4	25.7
2005	417	19.0	21.9	27
2006	423	19.0	22.3	28.5
2007	429	20.0	21.5	27.9
2008	401	21.0	19.1	31.2
2009	389	17.0	21.6	32.1
2010	346	13.0	26.6	32.1
2011	398	n/a	n/a	25.6
2012	604	21.0	28.7	n/a
2013	538	19.0	28.3	38.3
2014	565	19.0	29.7	36.8
2015	568	19.0	29.8	34
2016	589	20.0	29.4	33.4
2017	555	19.0	29.2	33.3
2018	527	19.0	27.7	34.2
2019	528	19.0	27.7	33
2020	541	n/a	n/a	33.3
2021	478	19.0	25.1	32.4
2022	488	18.0	27.1	29.5
2023	510	20.0	25.5	38.2
2024	547	22.0	24.8	44.4

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 Pine Grove Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	399	16.0	24.9	n/a
1989	428	16.0	26.7	n/a
1990	472	16.0	29.5	n/a
1991	499	19.0	26.2	n/a
1992	461	19.3	23.8	10.4
1993	485	18.0	26.9	15.3
1994	488	21.0	23.2	18
1995	527	22.0	24.0	24.5
1996	527	22.0	24.0	24.5
1997	521	23.0	22.7	29.8
1998	478	24.0	19.9	26.6
1999	469	23.5	20.0	26.2
2000	488	24.0	20.3	26.2
2001	491	24.0	20.5	29
2002	464	23.0	20.2	23.9
2003	464	23.0	20.2	23.9
2004	430	19.2	22.4	25.7
2005	417	19.0	21.9	27
2006	423	19.0	22.3	28.5
2007	429	20.0	21.5	27.9
2008	401	21.0	19.1	31.2
2009	389	17.0	21.6	32.1
2010	346	13.0	26.6	32.1
2011	398	n/a	n/a	25.6
2012	604	21.0	28.7	n/a
2013	538	19.0	28.3	38.3
2014	565	19.0	29.7	36.8
2015	568	19.0	29.8	34
2016	589	20.0	29.4	33.4
2017	555	19.0	29.2	33.3
2018	527	19.0	27.7	34.2
2019	528	19.0	27.7	33
2020	541	n/a	n/a	33.3
2021	478	19.0	25.1	32.4
2022	488	18.0	27.1	29.5
2023	510	20.0	25.5	38.2
2024	547	22.0	24.8	44.4

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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