Is Tamarisk Elementary a good school?

Tamarisk Elementary ranks in the bottom 4.5% of California elementary schools.

How many students attend Tamarisk Elementary?

In the 2023-24 school year, 738 students attended Tamarisk Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Tamarisk Elementary?

Students at Tamarisk Elementary are 74% Hispanic, 20% African American, 4% White, 2% Two or more races.

What schools do graduates of Tamarisk Elementary attend?

Students who attend Tamarisk Elementary usually go on to attend: Middle : Space Aeronautics Gateway to Exploration Magnet Academy High : Palmdale High

Tamarisk Elementary

Summary:

Tamarisk Elementary is a public elementary school in Palmdale, California, serving 737 students in grades K-5. The school is part of the Palmdale Elementary District, which has a 1-star rating out of 5 from SchoolDigger.

Tamarisk Elementary has consistently ranked in the bottom 5% of California elementary schools, with a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger. The school struggles with high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 21.8% to 35.6%, significantly higher than the state average. Academically, Tamarisk students perform well below state and district averages in English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science. For example, in 2023-2024, only 16.96% of Tamarisk students were proficient or better in ELA, compared to 27.55% in the Palmdale Elementary District and 47.04% statewide. The school also struggles to support the academic achievement of various student subgroups, including female, male, African American, Hispanic, English Learner, and low-socioeconomic status students.

Interestingly, the nearby schools in the Palmdale Elementary District, such as Oak Tree Community Day, Innovations Academy of Palmdale, and Mesquite Elementary, also struggle with low academic performance, high chronic absenteeism, and high rates of economic disadvantage. However, some schools, like Palmdale Learning Plaza and Palm Tree Elementary, perform significantly better than Tamarisk and the district average, suggesting that there is potential for improvement within the district.

Detail:

Public K-5

1843 East Ave. Q5
Palmdale, CA 93550-2218

(661) 225-9647

District: Palmdale Elementary

SchoolDigger Rank:
5599^th of 5,862 California Elementary Schools

Students who attend Tamarisk Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Space Aeronautics Gateway to Exploration Magnet Academy
High:	Palmdale High

Student/teacher ratio: 26.0

Number of students: 738

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

73.6%

African American:

19.6%

White:

3.5%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 91.1%

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Compare Tamarisk Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Tamarisk Elementary ranks worse than 95.5% of elementary schools in California. It also ranks 18^th among 20 ranked elementary schools in the Palmdale Elementary School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 11.19. (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 (73.6%), African American (19.6%), White (3.5%). (See more...)

Compare Details 91.1% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Compare Details

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Tamarisk Elementary is 26. 14 elementary schools in the Palmdale Elementary School District have better student/teacher ratios. (See more...)

Compare Tamarisk Elementary employs 28.3 full-time teachers.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Tamarisk Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Tamarisk Elementary 5599^th of 5862 California public elementary schools. (See Tamarisk 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:

African American students:

Hispanic students:

Palmdale Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Palmdale Elementary 1346^th of 1568 California school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for Tamarisk Elementary

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Rank History for all students at Tamarisk Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2017	9.27	5529^th	5692	2.9%
2018	9.98	5438^th	5662	4.0%
2019	5.05	5757^th	5789	0.6%
2022	12.93	5536^th	5883	5.9%
2023	11.59	5607^th	5874	4.5%
2024	11.19	5599^th	5862	4.5%

See the entire list of California Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Tamarisk Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	23.45	2819^th	3246	13.2%
2019	22.10	3072^nd	3275	6.2%
2022	41.25	1724^th	3311	47.9%
2023	43.17	1605^th	3250	50.6%
2024	28.12	2676^th	3160	15.3%

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

Rank History for Special Education students at Tamarisk Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	19.29	2223^rd	2420	8.1%
2024	17.22	2568^th	2634	2.5%

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

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Tamarisk Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	13.10	4827^th	5084	5.1%
2019	6.11	5135^th	5173	0.7%
2022	18.69	4741^st	5264	9.9%
2023	15.70	4991^st	5374	7.1%
2024	14.92	5150^th	5511	6.6%

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

Rank History for Female students at Tamarisk Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	6.83	5363^rd	5413	0.9%
2019	4.45	5483^rd	5492	0.2%
2022	12.20	5416^th	5635	3.9%
2023	9.48	5520^th	5617	1.7%
2024	9.21	5497^th	5605	1.9%

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

Rank History for Disabled students at Tamarisk Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	47.44	839^th	2128	60.6%
2019	21.47	2267^th	2585	12.3%
2022	28.74	1552^nd	2227	30.3%

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

Rank History for Male students at Tamarisk Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	14.86	4973^rd	5431	8.4%
2019	7.28	5441^st	5510	1.3%
2022	14.96	5216^th	5663	7.9%
2023	15.15	5159^th	5650	8.7%
2024	14.50	5191^st	5636	7.9%

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

Rank History for African American students at Tamarisk Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	24.32	568^th	700	18.9%
2019	14.71	724^th	747	3.1%
2022	23.31	573^rd	663	13.6%
2023	16.38	636^th	662	3.9%
2024	18.97	541^st	593	8.8%

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

Rank History for Hispanic students at Tamarisk Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	14.15	4545^th	4830	5.9%
2019	6.46	4927^th	4963	0.7%
2022	21.50	4399^th	5084	13.5%
2023	18.17	4602^nd	5098	9.7%
2024	17.52	4626^th	5102	9.3%

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

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Enrollment information for Tamarisk Elementary

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Total
2015	27	245	3	513	13	1	10	812
2016	23	217	7	566	9	1	8	831
2017	24	210	4	642	8	0	23	911
2018	22	153	5	570	4	0	23	777
2019	22	173	5	558	6	5	16	785
2020	15	174	3	537	2	5	15	751
2021	21	161	5	497	1	2	17	704
2022	24	153	3	525	4	2	19	730
2023	28	155	3	531	4	3	13	737
2024	26	145	2	543	5	0	17	738

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 Tamarisk Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2015	812	29.0	28.0	94.7
2016	831	30.0	27.7	99.2
2017	911	33.3	27.3	97.5
2018	777	29.3	26.4	98.1
2019	785	29.0	27.0	97.3
2020	751	n/a	n/a	99.2
2021	704	28.0	25.1	98.6
2022	730	28.2	25.8	95.6
2023	737	29.2	25.1	92.4
2024	738	28.3	26.0	91.1

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 Tamarisk Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2015	812	29.0	28.0	94.7
2016	831	30.0	27.7	99.2
2017	911	33.3	27.3	97.5
2018	777	29.3	26.4	98.1
2019	785	29.0	27.0	97.3
2020	751	n/a	n/a	99.2
2021	704	28.0	25.1	98.6
2022	730	28.2	25.8	95.6
2023	737	29.2	25.1	92.4
2024	738	28.3	26.0	91.1

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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