Is Mesquite Elementary a good school?

Mesquite Elementary ranks in the bottom 15.2% of California elementary schools.

How many students attend Mesquite Elementary?

In the 2023-24 school year, 618 students attended Mesquite Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Mesquite Elementary?

Students at Mesquite Elementary are 81% Hispanic, 9% African American, 6% White, 2% Two or more races.

What schools do graduates of Mesquite Elementary attend?

Students who attend Mesquite Elementary usually go on to attend: Middle : Cactus Medical Health and Technology Magnet Academy High : William J. (Pete) Knight High

Mesquite Elementary

Summary:

Mesquite Elementary is a public elementary school in Palmdale, California, serving 640 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.

Mesquite Elementary faces significant challenges, including high chronic absenteeism rates that have risen from 15.3% in 2018-2019 to 22.6% in 2021-2022, well above the state and district averages. Academically, the school consistently performs below the district and state averages in English Language Arts and Mathematics on Smarter Balanced Assessments, with only 24.29% of students proficient or better in ELA and 20.89% in Math. The school's performance also varies greatly across different student subgroups, with African American students performing relatively better but Hispanic students and English Language Learners performing significantly worse.

Compared to nearby schools in the Palmdale Elementary district, such as Manzanita Elementary, Chaparral Prep Academy, and Buena Vista Elementary, Mesquite Elementary's performance is generally lower. Addressing the school's challenges, including chronic absenteeism and the needs of underperforming student subgroups, will require a comprehensive, data-driven approach to improve student outcomes.

Detail:

Public K-5

37622 43rd St. East
Palmdale, CA 93552-3647

(661) 285-8376

District: Palmdale Elementary

SchoolDigger Rank:
4973^rd of 5,862 California Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $269

Students who attend Mesquite Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Cactus Medical Health and Technology Magnet Academy
High:	William J. (Pete) Knight High

Student/teacher ratio: 27.3

Number of students: 618

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

81.2%

African American:

8.7%

White:

5.5%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 85.3%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Mesquite Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Mesquite Elementary ranks worse than 84.8% of elementary schools in California. It also ranks 9^th among 20 ranked elementary schools in the Palmdale Elementary School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 18.53. (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 (81.2%), African American (8.7%), White (5.5%). (See more...)

Compare Details 85.3% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Mesquite Elementary is 27.3. 21 elementary schools in the Palmdale Elementary School District have better student/teacher ratios. (See more...)

Compare Mesquite Elementary employs 22.6 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Mesquite Elementary is $269. 19 elementary schools in the Palmdale Elementary School District spend more per student.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Mesquite Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Mesquite Elementary 4973^rd of 5862 California public elementary schools. (See Mesquite 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 Mesquite Elementary

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Rank History for all students at Mesquite Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2004	42.10	2538^th	4809	47.2%
2005	24.83	3631^st	4822	24.7%
2006	16.76	4234^th	4818	12.1%
2007	18.95	4378^th	5113	14.4%
2008	21.01	4271^st	5113	16.5%
2009	26.09	3972^nd	5193	23.5%
2010	31.47	3743^rd	5314	29.6%
2011	17.52	4827^th	5377	10.2%
2012	20.31	4629^th	5390	14.1%
2013	20.70	4692^nd	5530	15.2%
2015	30.80	3639^th	5611	35.1%
2016	25.68	4121^st	5614	26.6%
2017	22.83	4446^th	5692	21.9%
2018	22.85	4447^th	5662	21.5%
2019	25.67	4294^th	5789	25.8%
2022	16.84	5182^nd	5883	11.9%
2023	18.47	5003^rd	5874	14.8%
2024	18.53	4973^rd	5862	15.2%

See the entire list of California Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Mesquite Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	35.83	2014^th	3246	38.0%
2019	41.61	1689^th	3275	48.4%
2022	37.95	1963^rd	3311	40.7%
2023	49.90	1203^rd	3250	63.0%
2024	32.31	2394^th	3160	24.2%

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

Rank History for Special Education students at Mesquite Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	23.50	1999^th	2420	17.4%

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

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Mesquite Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	30.99	3695^th	5084	27.3%
2019	35.50	3468^th	5173	33.0%
2022	22.41	4473^rd	5264	15.0%
2023	24.72	4331^st	5374	19.4%
2024	22.02	4611^th	5511	16.3%

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

Rank History for Female students at Mesquite Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	19.83	4555^th	5413	15.9%
2019	28.51	3943^rd	5492	28.2%
2022	15.61	5134^th	5635	8.9%
2023	17.06	4962^nd	5617	11.7%
2024	15.52	5077^th	5605	9.4%

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

Rank History for Disabled students at Mesquite Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	27.69	1547^th	2128	27.3%
2019	28.40	1879^th	2585	27.3%
2022	42.35	1004^th	2227	54.9%

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

Rank History for Male students at Mesquite Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	28.80	3787^th	5431	30.3%
2019	24.36	4246^th	5510	22.9%
2022	20.46	4667^th	5663	17.6%
2023	21.30	4598^th	5650	18.6%
2024	22.79	4466^th	5636	20.8%

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

Rank History for African American students at Mesquite Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	40.49	385^th	700	45.0%
2019	27.38	568^th	747	24.0%
2022	32.33	437^th	663	34.1%
2023	22.85	562^nd	662	15.1%
2024	70.38	124^th	593	79.1%

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

Rank History for Hispanic students at Mesquite Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	32.22	3398^th	4830	29.6%
2019	42.98	2756^th	4963	44.5%
2022	25.59	4070^th	5084	19.9%
2023	31.15	3617^th	5098	29.1%
2024	23.98	4188^th	5102	17.9%

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 Mesquite Elementary

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1990	401	27	20	114	10	n/a	n/a	0	572
1991	432	25	29	137	15	n/a	n/a	0	638
1992	490	27	35	182	19	n/a	n/a	0	753
1993	645	53	56	286	21	n/a	n/a	0	1061
1994	575	73	57	275	22	n/a	n/a	0	1002
1995	592	130	62	309	24	n/a	n/a	0	1117
1996	592	130	62	309	24	n/a	n/a	0	1117
1997	568	152	46	351	27	n/a	n/a	0	1144
1998	518	164	46	395	27	n/a	n/a	0	1150
1999	464	169	50	387	23	n/a	n/a	0	1093
2000	399	231	55	383	18	n/a	n/a	0	1086
2001	395	221	27	433	13	n/a	n/a	14	1103
2002	270	180	23	502	14	n/a	n/a	0	989
2003	270	180	23	502	14	n/a	n/a	0	989
2004	238	188	29	565	10	n/a	n/a	5	1035
2005	190	198	16	627	8	n/a	n/a	9	1048
2006	138	203	18	691	4	n/a	n/a	21	1075
2007	106	178	9	680	4	n/a	n/a	23	1000
2008	79	186	14	702	5	n/a	n/a	0	986
2009	62	138	13	662	1	1	26	0	903
2010	60	161	12	679	0	0	15	0	927
2011	80	161	21	756	1	0	20	0	1039
2012	75	170	16	676	2	0	21	0	960
2013	79	165	17	656	2	0	17	0	936
2014	67	147	17	678	4	0	15	0	928
2015	62	142	13	655	5	0	7	0	884
2016	47	146	14	663	6	0	9	0	885
2017	62	126	13	695	6	0	13	0	915
2018	44	130	8	609	3	2	13	0	809
2019	33	121	11	614	2	0	14	0	795
2020	27	93	8	545	6	1	13	0	693
2021	26	80	6	550	10	1	16	0	689
2022	32	64	7	520	6	1	17	0	647
2023	38	65	5	511	5	1	15	0	640
2024	34	54	6	502	6	1	15	0	618

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 Mesquite Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1990	572	23.0	24.8	n/a
1991	638	25.0	25.5	n/a
1992	753	25.4	29.6	16.6
1993	1061	39.0	27.2	23.6
1994	1002	37.0	27.1	29
1995	1117	41.0	27.2	25
1996	1117	41.0	27.2	25
1997	1144	41.0	27.9	39.9
1998	1150	50.0	23.0	35.7
1999	1093	49.5	22.1	40.3
2000	1086	49.0	22.2	57.1
2001	1103	56.0	19.7	56.7
2002	989	45.0	22.0	66.3
2003	989	45.0	22.0	66.3
2004	1035	39.0	26.5	64.4
2005	1048	39.0	26.9	68.5
2006	1075	39.0	27.6	68.9
2007	1000	38.0	26.3	77.1
2008	986	41.0	24.0	73.1
2009	903	36.0	23.2	79.6
2010	927	38.5	24.0	81.7
2011	1039	n/a	n/a	75.6
2012	960	33.0	29.0	n/a
2013	936	33.0	28.2	86.1
2014	928	33.0	28.1	89
2015	884	31.0	28.5	84.6
2016	885	31.0	28.5	88.7
2017	915	32.5	28.1	88.9
2018	809	29.7	27.1	90.6
2019	795	31.7	25.0	90.2
2020	693	n/a	n/a	95.2
2021	689	27.5	25.0	90.1
2022	647	24.6	26.2	92
2023	640	23.4	27.3	89.2
2024	618	22.6	27.3	85.3

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 Mesquite Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1990	572	23.0	24.8	n/a
1991	638	25.0	25.5	n/a
1992	753	25.4	29.6	16.6
1993	1061	39.0	27.2	23.6
1994	1002	37.0	27.1	29
1995	1117	41.0	27.2	25
1996	1117	41.0	27.2	25
1997	1144	41.0	27.9	39.9
1998	1150	50.0	23.0	35.7
1999	1093	49.5	22.1	40.3
2000	1086	49.0	22.2	57.1
2001	1103	56.0	19.7	56.7
2002	989	45.0	22.0	66.3
2003	989	45.0	22.0	66.3
2004	1035	39.0	26.5	64.4
2005	1048	39.0	26.9	68.5
2006	1075	39.0	27.6	68.9
2007	1000	38.0	26.3	77.1
2008	986	41.0	24.0	73.1
2009	903	36.0	23.2	79.6
2010	927	38.5	24.0	81.7
2011	1039	n/a	n/a	75.6
2012	960	33.0	29.0	n/a
2013	936	33.0	28.2	86.1
2014	928	33.0	28.1	89
2015	884	31.0	28.5	84.6
2016	885	31.0	28.5	88.7
2017	915	32.5	28.1	88.9
2018	809	29.7	27.1	90.6
2019	795	31.7	25.0	90.2
2020	693	n/a	n/a	95.2
2021	689	27.5	25.0	90.1
2022	647	24.6	26.2	92
2023	640	23.4	27.3	89.2
2024	618	22.6	27.3	85.3

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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