Is Willard Elementary a good school?

Willard Elementary ranks 1984 th of 5862 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Willard Elementary?

In the 2023-24 school year, 417 students attended Willard Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Willard Elementary?

Students at Willard Elementary are 66% Hispanic, 13% White, 8% African American, 8% Asian, 6% Two or more races.

What schools do graduates of Willard Elementary attend?

Students who attend Willard Elementary usually go on to attend: High : Pasadena High

Willard Elementary

Summary:

Willard Elementary is a public elementary school in Pasadena, California, serving 476 students in grades K-5 and part of the Pasadena Unified School District. This school consistently outperforms the district and state in academic assessments, with strong results across various student subgroups.

Willard Elementary's students excel in Smarter Balanced Assessments for English Language Arts/Literacy and Mathematics, with 51.78% and 41.12% of students, respectively, scoring proficient or better in the 2023-2024 school year, compared to 45.87% and 35.15% for the Pasadena Unified School District, and 47.04% and 35.54% for the state of California. The school also outperforms the district and state in CAST Science assessments, with 47.22% of 5th-grade students scoring proficient or better, compared to 38.4% for the district and 32.68% for the state. Willard Elementary's performance is particularly strong for male students, white students, and students with special education needs.

While Willard Elementary's academic achievements are impressive, the school has seen a concerning increase in chronic absenteeism, rising from 9.6% in 2017-2018 to 50.9% in 2021-2022, before slightly improving to 33.3% in 2022-2023. Compared to nearby schools, Willard Elementary generally outperforms other Pasadena Unified schools, but some schools outside the district, such as Wilson Elementary in San Gabriel Unified and Emperor Elementary in Temple City Unified, outperform Willard Elementary in both academic achievement and student subgroup performance.

Detail:

Public K-5

301 South Madre St.
Pasadena, CA 91107-4635

(626) 396-5690

District: Pasadena Unified

SchoolDigger Rank:
1984^th of 5,862 California Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $7,805

Students who attend Willard Elementary usually attend:

High:

Pasadena High

Student/teacher ratio: 20.8

Number of students: 417

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

65.7%

White:

12.7%

African American:

7.9%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 71.7%

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Performance Trends

Compare Details Willard Elementary ranks better than 66.2% of elementary schools in California. It also ranks 5^th among 14 ranked elementary schools in the Pasadena Unified School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 61.84. (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 (65.7%), White (12.7%), Asian (7.9%). (See more...)

Compare Details 71.7% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Willard Elementary is 20.8, which is the lowest among 14 elementary schools in the Pasadena Unified School District! (See more...)

Compare Willard Elementary employs 19.9 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Willard Elementary is $7,805, which is the 5^th highest among 14 elementary schools in the Pasadena Unified School District.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Willard Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Willard Elementary 1984^th of 5862 California public elementary schools. (See Willard 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:

Pasadena Unified:

SchoolDigger ranks Pasadena Unified 730^th of 1568 California school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for Willard Elementary

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Rank History for all students at Willard Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2004	54.72	1934^th	4809	59.8%
2005	52.15	2092^nd	4822	56.6%
2006	69.46	1362^nd	4818	71.7%
2007	67.63	1472^nd	5113	71.2%
2008	71.18	1349^th	5113	73.6%
2009	71.56	1371^st	5193	73.6%
2010	65.54	1694^th	5314	68.1%
2011	69.80	1496^th	5377	72.2%
2012	63.23	1879^th	5390	65.1%
2013	64.04	1888^th	5530	65.9%
2015	61.78	1866^th	5611	66.7%
2016	63.93	1812^th	5614	67.7%
2017	59.29	2049^th	5692	64.0%
2018	49.31	2606^th	5662	54.0%
2019	50.70	2566^th	5789	55.7%
2022	40.58	3052^nd	5883	48.1%
2023	54.72	2298^th	5874	60.9%
2024	61.84	1984^th	5862	66.2%

See the entire list of California Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Willard Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	25.59	2681^st	3246	17.4%
2019	45.93	1449^th	3275	55.8%
2022	35.99	2120^th	3311	36.0%
2023	36.03	2085^th	3250	35.8%

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

Rank History for Special Education students at Willard Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	22.21	2085^th	2420	13.8%
2024	82.72	298^th	2634	88.7%

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

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Willard Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	57.89	1864^th	5084	63.3%
2019	61.09	1701^st	5173	67.1%
2022	41.58	2866^th	5264	45.6%
2023	52.52	2195^th	5374	59.2%
2024	65.05	1496^th	5511	72.9%

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

Rank History for Female students at Willard Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	46.36	2699^th	5413	50.1%
2019	45.75	2744^th	5492	50.0%
2022	37.94	3126^th	5635	44.5%
2023	49.32	2447^th	5617	56.4%
2024	49.33	2443^rd	5605	56.4%

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

Rank History for Disabled students at Willard Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	84.03	231^st	2128	89.1%
2019	73.31	449^th	2585	82.6%
2022	25.41	1720^th	2227	22.8%

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

Rank History for Male students at Willard Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	50.43	2424^th	5431	55.4%
2019	54.29	2240^th	5510	59.3%
2022	43.23	2820^th	5663	50.2%
2023	57.64	2056^th	5650	63.6%
2024	70.29	1490^th	5636	73.6%

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

Rank History for Hispanic students at Willard Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	53.23	2018^th	4830	58.2%
2019	59.99	1685^th	4963	66.0%
2022	42.54	2707^th	5084	46.8%
2023	54.89	1952^nd	5098	61.7%
2024	56.95	1846^th	5102	63.8%

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

Rank History for White students at Willard Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	65.41	990^th	2737	63.8%
2019	83.46	319^th	2834	88.7%
2022	57.29	1245^th	2726	54.3%
2023	73.00	697^th	2662	73.8%

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

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Enrollment information for Willard Elementary

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	99	240	52	271	2	n/a	n/a	0	664
1989	111	219	46	287	2	n/a	n/a	0	665
1990	114	223	48	314	2	n/a	n/a	0	701
1991	102	192	51	385	3	n/a	n/a	0	733
1992	104	204	60	417	3	n/a	n/a	0	788
1993	100	166	54	432	3	n/a	n/a	0	755
1994	83	147	60	477	3	n/a	n/a	0	770
1995	65	154	46	527	1	n/a	n/a	0	793
1996	65	154	46	527	1	n/a	n/a	0	793
1997	72	121	41	534	1	n/a	n/a	0	769
1998	76	111	46	485	0	n/a	n/a	0	718
1999	74	99	38	492	1	n/a	n/a	0	704
2000	83	107	37	519	0	n/a	n/a	0	746
2001	74	88	35	538	2	n/a	n/a	0	737
2002	60	79	47	457	1	n/a	n/a	0	644
2003	60	79	47	457	1	n/a	n/a	0	644
2004	61	73	51	432	2	n/a	n/a	1	620
2005	73	68	58	429	0	n/a	n/a	2	630
2006	66	73	49	399	0	n/a	n/a	0	587
2007	64	74	47	407	1	n/a	n/a	23	616
2008	90	70	54	415	1	n/a	n/a	0	630
2009	87	63	56	418	1	1	5	0	631
2010	83	52	56	414	2	0	30	0	637
2011	94	55	54	425	2	0	20	0	650
2012	99	42	55	464	2	0	30	0	692
2013	91	37	51	448	1	0	16	0	644
2014	81	42	50	439	1	0	11	0	624
2015	68	60	58	451	3	0	9	0	649
2016	64	54	55	459	3	0	5	0	640
2017	58	45	42	442	3	0	8	0	598
2018	79	48	44	447	2	0	20	0	640
2019	97	39	43	426	2	0	27	0	634
2020	87	44	32	397	3	0	29	0	592
2021	85	50	33	375	4	0	30	0	577
2022	79	37	22	310	2	0	25	0	475
2023	67	34	27	312	1	0	35	0	476
2024	53	33	33	274	0	0	24	0	417

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 Willard Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	664	28.7	23.1	n/a
1989	665	28.6	23.2	n/a
1990	701	30.5	22.9	n/a
1991	733	30.7	23.8	n/a
1992	788	31.2	25.2	77.4
1993	755	30.7	24.6	82.8
1994	770	29.9	25.8	75.5
1995	793	28.0	28.3	82.2
1996	793	28.0	28.3	82.2
1997	769	32.0	24.0	84.3
1998	718	34.0	21.1	80.5
1999	704	33.0	21.3	85.4
2000	746	37.0	20.2	75.9
2001	737	37.0	19.9	78.7
2002	644	35.0	18.4	73.6
2003	644	35.0	18.4	73.6
2004	620	34.0	18.2	78.2
2005	630	33.0	19.1	83.8
2006	587	34.0	17.3	75.8
2007	616	34.0	18.1	72.3
2008	630	37.3	16.9	64.9
2009	631	34.6	17.2	55.8
2010	637	34.6	18.4	64.7
2011	650	n/a	n/a	65.8
2012	692	30.0	23.0	n/a
2013	644	26.5	24.3	65.7
2014	624	23.7	26.2	71.8
2015	649	28.0	23.1	70.9
2016	640	26.0	24.6	69.1
2017	598	24.2	24.6	68.7
2018	640	25.7	24.8	67.2
2019	634	26.5	23.9	66.1
2020	592	n/a	n/a	73.3
2021	577	26.0	22.1	64.5
2022	475	25.0	19.0	63.8
2023	476	22.0	21.6	68.3
2024	417	19.9	20.8	71.7

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 Willard Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	664	28.7	23.1	n/a
1989	665	28.6	23.2	n/a
1990	701	30.5	22.9	n/a
1991	733	30.7	23.8	n/a
1992	788	31.2	25.2	77.4
1993	755	30.7	24.6	82.8
1994	770	29.9	25.8	75.5
1995	793	28.0	28.3	82.2
1996	793	28.0	28.3	82.2
1997	769	32.0	24.0	84.3
1998	718	34.0	21.1	80.5
1999	704	33.0	21.3	85.4
2000	746	37.0	20.2	75.9
2001	737	37.0	19.9	78.7
2002	644	35.0	18.4	73.6
2003	644	35.0	18.4	73.6
2004	620	34.0	18.2	78.2
2005	630	33.0	19.1	83.8
2006	587	34.0	17.3	75.8
2007	616	34.0	18.1	72.3
2008	630	37.3	16.9	64.9
2009	631	34.6	17.2	55.8
2010	637	34.6	18.4	64.7
2011	650	n/a	n/a	65.8
2012	692	30.0	23.0	n/a
2013	644	26.5	24.3	65.7
2014	624	23.7	26.2	71.8
2015	649	28.0	23.1	70.9
2016	640	26.0	24.6	69.1
2017	598	24.2	24.6	68.7
2018	640	25.7	24.8	67.2
2019	634	26.5	23.9	66.1
2020	592	n/a	n/a	73.3
2021	577	26.0	22.1	64.5
2022	475	25.0	19.0	63.8
2023	476	22.0	21.6	68.3
2024	417	19.9	20.8	71.7

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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