Is Buena Vista Elementary a good school?

Buena Vista Elementary ranks in the bottom 13.8% of California elementary schools.

How many students attend Buena Vista Elementary?

In the 2023-24 school year, 574 students attended Buena Vista Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Buena Vista Elementary?

Students at Buena Vista Elementary are 78% Hispanic, 14% African American, 5% White, 2% Two or more races, 1% American Indian.

What schools do graduates of Buena Vista Elementary attend?

Students who attend Buena Vista Elementary usually go on to attend: Middle : Desert Willow Fine Arts Sci and Technical Magnet Academy High : William J. (Pete) Knight High

Buena Vista Elementary

Summary:

Buena Vista Elementary is a public elementary school in Palmdale, California, serving 574 students in grades K-5. The school is part of the Palmdale Elementary District, which is ranked 1346 out of 1568 districts in the state and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Buena Vista Elementary faces significant challenges, including high chronic absenteeism rates that have risen from 16.0% in 2017-2018 to 34.7% in 2022-2023, well above the state and district averages. Academically, the school consistently performs below the Palmdale Elementary District and the state averages in Smarter Balanced Assessments for English Language Arts and Mathematics across all grade levels. For example, in 2023-2024, only 25.6% of Buena Vista students were proficient or better in ELA, compared to 27.55% in the district and 47.04% statewide. In Mathematics, only 17.2% of Buena Vista students were proficient or better, compared to 16.62% in the district and 35.54% statewide. The school also has a high percentage of students from low-socioeconomic backgrounds, with 85.54% qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch in 2022-2023.

Interestingly, Buena Vista Elementary performs significantly worse than the nearby Los Amigos - Dual Immersion school, which is ranked much higher and has better academic outcomes across all subjects and grade levels. Other nearby schools, such as Barrel Springs Elementary and Chaparral Prep Academy, also outperform Buena Vista Elementary in academic achievement. The high chronic absenteeism rates at Buena Vista Elementary appear to be closely linked to the school's poor academic performance, as students who are frequently absent are less likely to receive the necessary instruction and support to succeed academically.

Detail:

Public K-5

37005 Hillcrest Dr.
Palmdale, CA 93552-5347

(661) 285-4158

District: Palmdale Elementary

SchoolDigger Rank:
5052^nd of 5,862 California Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $294

Students who attend Buena Vista Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Desert Willow Fine Arts Sci and Technical Magnet Academy
High:	William J. (Pete) Knight High

Student/teacher ratio: 21.4

Number of students: 574

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

77.5%

African American:

14.1%

White:

4.9%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 83.8%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Buena Vista Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Buena Vista Elementary ranks worse than 86.2% of elementary schools in California. It also ranks 10^th among 20 ranked elementary schools in the Palmdale Elementary School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 17.68. (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 (77.5%), African American (14.1%), White (4.9%). (See more...)

Compare Details 83.8% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Buena Vista Elementary is 21.4, which is the 4^th best among 20 elementary schools in the Palmdale Elementary School District. (See more...)

Compare Buena Vista Elementary employs 26.7 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Buena Vista Elementary is $294. 13 elementary schools in the Palmdale Elementary School District spend more per student.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Buena Vista Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Buena Vista Elementary 5052^nd of 5862 California public elementary schools. (See Buena Vista 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:

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 Buena Vista Elementary

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Rank History for all students at Buena Vista Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2004	29.85	3255^th	4809	32.3%
2005	33.97	3055^th	4822	36.6%
2006	35.46	2966^th	4818	38.4%
2007	46.19	2541^st	5113	50.3%
2008	23.30	4096^th	5113	19.9%
2009	32.60	3524^th	5193	32.1%
2010	27.96	4010^th	5314	24.5%
2011	26.14	4254^th	5377	20.9%
2012	23.33	4427^th	5390	17.9%
2013	35.62	3627^th	5530	34.4%
2015	31.75	3567^th	5611	36.4%
2016	25.82	4111^th	5614	26.8%
2017	20.04	4689^th	5692	17.6%
2018	17.51	4893^rd	5662	13.6%
2019	17.42	5038^th	5789	13.0%
2022	16.71	5194^th	5883	11.7%
2023	20.21	4828^th	5874	17.8%
2024	17.68	5052^nd	5862	13.8%

See the entire list of California Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Buena Vista Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	25.72	2670^th	3246	17.7%
2019	35.27	2105^th	3275	35.7%
2022	41.28	1720^th	3311	48.1%
2023	36.16	2075^th	3250	36.2%
2024	30.11	2541^st	3160	19.6%

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

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Buena Vista Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	23.69	4214^th	5084	17.1%
2019	21.79	4441^st	5173	14.2%
2022	23.74	4352^nd	5264	17.3%
2023	28.72	4007^th	5374	25.4%
2024	21.91	4625^th	5511	16.1%

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

Rank History for Female students at Buena Vista Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	18.42	4669^th	5413	13.7%
2019	13.62	5114^th	5492	6.9%
2022	13.13	5351^st	5635	5.0%
2023	19.15	4781^st	5617	14.9%
2024	17.54	4915^th	5605	12.3%

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

Rank History for Disabled students at Buena Vista Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2019	18.56	2422^nd	2585	6.3%

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

Rank History for Male students at Buena Vista Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	19.39	4628^th	5431	14.8%
2019	23.03	4384^th	5510	20.4%
2022	21.68	4547^th	5663	19.7%
2023	23.42	4404^th	5650	22.1%
2024	19.38	4784^th	5636	15.1%

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

Rank History for African American students at Buena Vista Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	34.38	448^th	700	36.0%
2019	43.76	376^th	747	49.7%
2022	48.51	276^th	663	58.4%
2023	38.37	384^th	662	42.0%
2024	46.56	271^st	593	54.3%

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

Rank History for Hispanic students at Buena Vista Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	22.14	4094^th	4830	15.2%
2019	20.28	4353^rd	4963	12.3%
2022	20.77	4458^th	5084	12.3%
2023	29.09	3789^th	5098	25.7%
2024	24.63	4132^nd	5102	19.0%

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 Buena Vista Elementary

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1990	77	9	9	47	1	n/a	n/a	0	143
1991	446	21	29	148	2	n/a	n/a	0	646
1992	451	44	23	192	3	n/a	n/a	0	713
1993	379	46	24	234	2	n/a	n/a	0	685
1994	500	56	67	347	10	n/a	n/a	0	980
1995	492	118	65	453	14	n/a	n/a	0	1142
1996	492	118	65	453	14	n/a	n/a	0	1142
1997	460	170	63	570	9	n/a	n/a	0	1272
1998	340	135	32	446	7	n/a	n/a	0	960
1999	235	96	35	376	6	n/a	n/a	0	748
2000	181	103	19	364	3	n/a	n/a	0	670
2001	169	154	30	414	3	n/a	n/a	0	770
2002	160	199	30	546	6	n/a	n/a	0	941
2003	160	199	30	546	6	n/a	n/a	0	941
2004	132	172	26	532	7	n/a	n/a	29	898
2005	130	150	27	554	7	n/a	n/a	31	899
2006	110	149	25	578	4	n/a	n/a	30	896
2007	109	148	29	594	5	n/a	n/a	30	915
2008	62	105	24	502	2	n/a	n/a	0	695
2009	59	82	33	509	0	1	27	0	711
2010	50	95	28	493	0	2	22	0	690
2011	38	119	27	537	2	2	17	0	742
2012	35	134	23	516	6	0	7	0	721
2013	36	134	18	488	3	0	11	0	690
2014	36	110	14	477	2	2	11	0	652
2015	39	137	11	600	3	2	2	0	794
2016	37	121	11	568	2	1	3	0	743
2017	40	113	8	565	2	2	6	0	736
2018	38	103	10	506	2	2	9	0	670
2019	41	99	9	523	3	2	10	0	687
2020	38	107	5	513	5	1	13	0	682
2021	37	90	4	477	7	2	14	0	631
2022	37	86	6	421	9	0	7	0	566
2023	30	88	4	437	7	0	8	0	574
2024	28	81	3	445	7	0	10	0	574

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 Buena Vista Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1990	143	8.0	17.8	n/a
1991	646	20.0	32.3	n/a
1992	713	20.3	35.1	18.9
1993	685	23.0	29.8	32.6
1994	980	31.5	31.1	31.8
1995	1142	34.0	33.6	37.3
1996	1142	34.0	33.6	37.3
1997	1272	38.0	33.5	36.1
1998	960	37.0	25.9	40.6
1999	748	29.0	25.8	39.4
2000	670	28.0	23.9	69.4
2001	770	36.0	21.4	62.1
2002	941	49.0	19.2	72.2
2003	941	49.0	19.2	72.2
2004	898	41.0	21.9	66.6
2005	899	41.0	21.9	69
2006	896	41.0	21.9	71.7
2007	915	43.0	21.3	73.4
2008	695	41.0	17.0	74.2
2009	711	32.0	19.2	76.9
2010	690	33.0	20.9	79.7
2011	742	n/a	n/a	73.7
2012	721	29.0	24.8	n/a
2013	690	29.0	23.7	80.3
2014	652	28.0	23.2	80.4
2015	794	32.0	24.8	84.4
2016	743	31.0	23.9	83.8
2017	736	30.5	24.0	75.5
2018	670	26.0	25.7	81.9
2019	687	27.8	24.6	85.9
2020	682	n/a	n/a	91.8
2021	631	28.1	22.3	87.8
2022	566	24.8	22.7	89.2
2023	574	27.2	21.0	85.5
2024	574	26.7	21.4	83.8

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 Buena Vista Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1990	143	8.0	17.8	n/a
1991	646	20.0	32.3	n/a
1992	713	20.3	35.1	18.9
1993	685	23.0	29.8	32.6
1994	980	31.5	31.1	31.8
1995	1142	34.0	33.6	37.3
1996	1142	34.0	33.6	37.3
1997	1272	38.0	33.5	36.1
1998	960	37.0	25.9	40.6
1999	748	29.0	25.8	39.4
2000	670	28.0	23.9	69.4
2001	770	36.0	21.4	62.1
2002	941	49.0	19.2	72.2
2003	941	49.0	19.2	72.2
2004	898	41.0	21.9	66.6
2005	899	41.0	21.9	69
2006	896	41.0	21.9	71.7
2007	915	43.0	21.3	73.4
2008	695	41.0	17.0	74.2
2009	711	32.0	19.2	76.9
2010	690	33.0	20.9	79.7
2011	742	n/a	n/a	73.7
2012	721	29.0	24.8	n/a
2013	690	29.0	23.7	80.3
2014	652	28.0	23.2	80.4
2015	794	32.0	24.8	84.4
2016	743	31.0	23.9	83.8
2017	736	30.5	24.0	75.5
2018	670	26.0	25.7	81.9
2019	687	27.8	24.6	85.9
2020	682	n/a	n/a	91.8
2021	631	28.1	22.3	87.8
2022	566	24.8	22.7	89.2
2023	574	27.2	21.0	85.5
2024	574	26.7	21.4	83.8

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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