Is Joshua Hills Elementary a good school?

Joshua Hills Elementary ranks in the bottom 5.7% of California elementary schools.

How many students attend Joshua Hills Elementary?

In the 2023-24 school year, 559 students attended Joshua Hills Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Joshua Hills Elementary?

Students at Joshua Hills Elementary are 81% Hispanic, 12% African American, 3% White, 3% Two or more races.

What schools do graduates of Joshua Hills Elementary attend?

Students who attend Joshua Hills Elementary usually go on to attend: High : Palmdale High

Joshua Hills Elementary

Summary:

Joshua Hills Elementary is a public elementary school in Palmdale, California, serving 548 students in grades K-5. The school is part of the Palmdale Elementary School District, which is ranked 1346 out of 1568 districts in the state and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Joshua Hills Elementary consistently ranks in the bottom 10-15% of California elementary schools based on the statewide SchoolDigger ranking. The school's performance on standardized tests is significantly lower than the Palmdale Elementary district and the state averages across all grade levels and subject areas. For example, in 2023-2024, only 16.72% of Joshua Hills students were proficient or better in English Language Arts/Literacy, compared to 27.55% for the district and 47.04% for the state. Similarly, in Mathematics, only 13.13% of Joshua Hills students were proficient or better, compared to 16.62% for the district and 35.54% for the state. The school also struggles to support its student subgroups, with many ranking in the bottom 10-20% of California schools for their respective subgroups.

Interestingly, the nearby schools within the Palmdale Elementary district, such as Cimarron Elementary, Mesquite Elementary, and Barrel Springs Elementary, generally perform better than Joshua Hills Elementary on academic measures, with higher proficiency rates and better SchoolDigger rankings. Additionally, Innovations Academy of Palmdale, a virtual public school within the Palmdale Elementary district, also serves students in the Joshua Hills Elementary attendance area and outperforms the school, particularly in English Language Arts.

Detail:

Public K-5

3030 Fairfield
Palmdale, CA 93550-8300

(661) 265-9992

District: Palmdale Elementary

SchoolDigger Rank:
5530^th of 5,862 California Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $278

Students who attend Joshua Hills Elementary usually attend:

High:

Palmdale High

Student/teacher ratio: 25.3

Number of students: 559

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

80.9%

African American:

12.3%

White:

3.0%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 93.4%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Joshua Hills Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Joshua Hills Elementary ranks worse than 94.3% of elementary schools in California. It also ranks 16^th among 20 ranked elementary schools in the Palmdale Elementary School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 12.24. (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 (80.9%), African American (12.3%), White (3%). (See more...)

Compare Details 93.4% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Joshua Hills Elementary is 25.3, which is the 11^th best among 20 elementary schools in the Palmdale Elementary School District. (See more...)

Compare Joshua Hills Elementary employs 22 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Joshua Hills Elementary is $278. 16 elementary schools in the Palmdale Elementary School District spend more per student.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Joshua Hills Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Joshua Hills Elementary 5530^th of 5862 California public elementary schools. (See Joshua Hills 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 Joshua Hills Elementary

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Rank History for all students at Joshua Hills Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2004	25.24	3544^th	4809	26.3%
2005	26.39	3522^nd	4822	27.0%
2006	24.79	3666^th	4818	23.9%
2007	28.73	3660^th	5113	28.4%
2008	25.60	3920^th	5113	23.3%
2009	37.76	3193^rd	5193	38.5%
2010	28.52	3964^th	5314	25.4%
2011	24.69	4356^th	5377	19.0%
2012	27.46	4135^th	5390	23.3%
2013	23.46	4499^th	5530	18.6%
2015	24.67	4157^th	5611	25.9%
2016	25.54	4134^th	5614	26.4%
2017	21.03	4590^th	5692	19.4%
2018	17.39	4904^th	5662	13.4%
2019	16.09	5155^th	5789	11.0%
2022	17.14	5146^th	5883	12.5%
2023	12.64	5515^th	5874	6.1%
2024	12.24	5530^th	5862	5.7%

See the entire list of California Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Joshua Hills Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	19.19	3097^th	3246	4.6%
2019	25.69	2812^th	3275	14.1%
2022	43.68	1555^th	3311	53.0%
2023	31.48	2427^th	3250	25.3%
2024	33.01	2335^th	3160	26.1%

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

Rank History for Special Education students at Joshua Hills Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	17.91	2334^th	2420	3.6%
2024	22.13	2282^nd	2634	13.4%

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

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Joshua Hills Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	22.14	4324^th	5084	14.9%
2019	20.04	4565^th	5173	11.8%
2022	23.76	4349^th	5264	17.4%
2023	16.10	4967^th	5374	7.6%
2024	15.52	5106^th	5511	7.3%

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

Rank History for Female students at Joshua Hills Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	20.81	4467^th	5413	17.5%
2019	20.98	4538^th	5492	17.4%
2022	17.64	4927^th	5635	12.6%
2023	14.65	5177^th	5617	7.8%
2024	17.64	4909^th	5605	12.4%

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

Rank History for Disabled students at Joshua Hills Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	20.56	1946^th	2128	8.6%
2019	20.76	2309^th	2585	10.7%
2022	19.17	2043^rd	2227	8.3%

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

Rank History for Male students at Joshua Hills Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	16.75	4841^st	5431	10.9%
2019	14.89	5060^th	5510	8.2%
2022	18.05	4926^th	5663	13.0%
2023	12.12	5375^th	5650	4.9%
2024	9.54	5516^th	5636	2.1%

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

Rank History for African American students at Joshua Hills Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	44.66	346^th	700	50.6%
2019	31.02	534^th	747	28.5%
2022	48.79	274^th	663	58.7%
2023	34.31	409^th	662	38.2%
2024	18.77	543^rd	593	8.4%

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

Rank History for Hispanic students at Joshua Hills Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	24.18	3963^rd	4830	18.0%
2019	24.12	4102^nd	4963	17.3%
2022	27.05	3949^th	5084	22.3%
2023	17.92	4621^st	5098	9.4%
2024	18.62	4542^nd	5102	11.0%

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 Joshua Hills Elementary

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	430	27	9	72	9	n/a	n/a	0	547
1989	537	28	19	122	7	n/a	n/a	0	713
1990	572	23	37	160	7	n/a	n/a	0	799
1991	614	41	35	174	10	n/a	n/a	0	874
1992	747	61	53	246	21	n/a	n/a	0	1128
1993	811	113	55	294	15	n/a	n/a	0	1288
1994	453	77	43	205	13	n/a	n/a	0	791
1995	482	116	37	299	12	n/a	n/a	0	946
1996	482	116	37	299	12	n/a	n/a	0	946
1997	457	145	48	348	11	n/a	n/a	0	1009
1998	416	140	45	334	6	n/a	n/a	0	941
1999	404	166	37	365	8	n/a	n/a	0	980
2000	395	161	49	370	7	n/a	n/a	0	982
2001	370	178	40	435	12	n/a	n/a	7	1042
2002	257	170	26	434	10	n/a	n/a	8	905
2003	257	170	26	434	10	n/a	n/a	8	905
2004	204	173	19	484	7	n/a	n/a	8	895
2005	159	176	23	532	2	n/a	n/a	42	934
2006	117	184	13	564	2	n/a	n/a	30	910
2007	102	152	22	546	3	n/a	n/a	15	840
2008	92	158	25	576	4	n/a	n/a	0	855
2009	90	131	17	535	7	2	31	0	813
2010	69	134	10	551	4	2	9	0	779
2011	72	154	15	787	5	2	28	0	1063
2012	69	157	10	765	11	8	23	0	1043
2013	56	146	6	719	8	10	18	0	963
2014	53	148	4	680	10	7	21	0	923
2015	40	131	9	607	9	6	5	0	807
2016	31	107	4	596	9	6	5	0	758
2017	25	111	2	587	5	6	8	0	744
2018	16	76	3	495	5	2	7	0	604
2019	18	78	4	482	3	1	9	0	595
2020	13	84	5	477	1	1	11	0	592
2021	10	72	5	435	4	2	14	0	542
2022	12	73	3	429	5	0	15	0	537
2023	13	73	2	442	3	0	15	0	548
2024	17	69	2	452	3	1	15	0	559

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 Joshua Hills Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	547	21.0	26.0	n/a
1989	713	26.0	27.4	n/a
1990	799	29.0	27.5	n/a
1991	874	32.0	27.3	n/a
1992	1128	32.5	34.7	19.1
1993	1288	49.0	26.3	22.8
1994	791	31.0	25.5	27.7
1995	946	34.0	27.8	32
1996	946	34.0	27.8	32
1997	1009	35.0	28.8	35.3
1998	941	43.0	21.9	41.9
1999	980	45.0	21.8	44.6
2000	982	49.0	20.0	51.6
2001	1042	50.0	20.8	51.1
2002	905	44.0	20.6	58.6
2003	905	44.0	20.6	58.6
2004	895	34.0	26.3	57.9
2005	934	36.0	25.9	57
2006	910	37.0	24.6	60.5
2007	840	36.0	23.3	76.7
2008	855	35.0	24.4	71.3
2009	813	33.0	22.0	75.9
2010	779	32.0	24.3	81.9
2011	1063	n/a	n/a	76.5
2012	1043	36.0	28.9	n/a
2013	963	35.0	27.5	88.6
2014	923	33.0	27.9	90
2015	807	29.0	27.8	87.6
2016	758	27.0	28.0	91.8
2017	744	28.5	26.1	89.5
2018	604	24.5	24.6	90.2
2019	595	23.5	25.3	88.1
2020	592	n/a	n/a	94.4
2021	542	22.5	24.0	92.6
2022	537	21.6	24.7	94
2023	548	21.9	24.9	93.2
2024	559	22.0	25.3	93.4

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 Joshua Hills Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	547	21.0	26.0	n/a
1989	713	26.0	27.4	n/a
1990	799	29.0	27.5	n/a
1991	874	32.0	27.3	n/a
1992	1128	32.5	34.7	19.1
1993	1288	49.0	26.3	22.8
1994	791	31.0	25.5	27.7
1995	946	34.0	27.8	32
1996	946	34.0	27.8	32
1997	1009	35.0	28.8	35.3
1998	941	43.0	21.9	41.9
1999	980	45.0	21.8	44.6
2000	982	49.0	20.0	51.6
2001	1042	50.0	20.8	51.1
2002	905	44.0	20.6	58.6
2003	905	44.0	20.6	58.6
2004	895	34.0	26.3	57.9
2005	934	36.0	25.9	57
2006	910	37.0	24.6	60.5
2007	840	36.0	23.3	76.7
2008	855	35.0	24.4	71.3
2009	813	33.0	22.0	75.9
2010	779	32.0	24.3	81.9
2011	1063	n/a	n/a	76.5
2012	1043	36.0	28.9	n/a
2013	963	35.0	27.5	88.6
2014	923	33.0	27.9	90
2015	807	29.0	27.8	87.6
2016	758	27.0	28.0	91.8
2017	744	28.5	26.1	89.5
2018	604	24.5	24.6	90.2
2019	595	23.5	25.3	88.1
2020	592	n/a	n/a	94.4
2021	542	22.5	24.0	92.6
2022	537	21.6	24.7	94
2023	548	21.9	24.9	93.2
2024	559	22.0	25.3	93.4

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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