Is Pioneer Elementary a good school?

Pioneer Elementary ranks 1667 th of 5862 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Pioneer Elementary?

In the 2022-23 school year, 502 students attended Pioneer Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Pioneer Elementary?

Students at Pioneer Elementary are 58% Hispanic, 30% White, 4% Asian, 4% African American, 3% Two or more races.

What schools do graduates of Pioneer Elementary attend?

Students who attend Pioneer Elementary usually go on to attend: Middle : Pioneer Middle High : Sierra Pacific High

Pioneer Elementary

Summary:

Pioneer Elementary is a public charter elementary school serving 502 students in grades K-5 in Hanford, California. It is part of the Pioneer Union Elementary District, which is ranked 398 out of 1,568 districts in the state and has a 4-star rating.

Pioneer Elementary consistently outperforms its district and the state of California in English Language Arts and Mathematics proficiency rates across grade levels. For example, in 2023-2024, 61.48% of Pioneer Elementary students were proficient or better in ELA End of Course, compared to 55.7% for the district and 47.04% for the state. In Mathematics, Pioneer Elementary had a 46.34% proficiency rate in End of Course, while the district was at 41.52% and the state at 35.54%. The school's science proficiency rates, as measured by the CAST assessment, are also higher than the district and state averages. However, Pioneer Elementary has seen an increase in chronic absenteeism rates, from 6.8% in 2017-2018 to 13.3% in 2022-2023, though this is still lower than the district's 2022-2023 rate of 20.9% and the state's 2022-2023 rate of 16.1%.

Comparing Pioneer Elementary to nearby schools, Frontier Elementary, another charter school in the same district, has similar high performance, while schools in the Hanford Elementary district, such as Roosevelt Elementary, George Washington Elementary, and Lincoln Elementary, generally have lower test scores and higher chronic absenteeism rates. However, Jefferson Academy, a K-8 public school in the Hanford Elementary district, stands out with exceptional performance, ranking among the top 20% of California elementary schools.

Detail:

Public, Charter K-5

8810 14th Ave.
Hanford, CA 93230-9677

(559) 584-8831

District: Pioneer Union Elementary

SchoolDigger Rank:
1667^th of 5,862 California Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $7,132

Students who attend Pioneer Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Pioneer Middle
High:	Sierra Pacific High

Student/teacher ratio: 22.8

Number of students: 502

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

58.0%

White:

30.5%

Asian:

4.2%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 49%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Pioneer Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Pioneer Elementary ranks better than 71.6% of elementary schools in California. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 68.27. (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 (58%), White (30.5%), Asian (4.2%). (See more...)

Compare Details 49% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Pioneer Elementary is 22.8. (See more...)

Compare Pioneer Elementary employs 22 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Pioneer Elementary is $7,132.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Pioneer Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Pioneer Elementary 1667^th of 5862 California public elementary schools. (See Pioneer Elementary in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

Hispanic students:

White students:

Pioneer Union Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Pioneer Union Elementary 398^th of 1568 California school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for Pioneer Elementary

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Rank History for all students at Pioneer Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2004	80.03	887^th	4809	81.6%
2005	77.22	1044^th	4822	78.3%
2006	72.64	1228^th	4818	74.5%
2007	67.59	1478^th	5113	71.1%
2008	65.23	1616^th	5113	68.4%
2009	81.45	927^th	5193	82.1%
2010	81.31	934^th	5314	82.4%
2011	73.10	1342^nd	5377	75.0%
2012	68.74	1591^st	5390	70.5%
2013	81.77	965^th	5530	82.5%
2015	63.35	1781^st	5611	68.3%
2016	65.95	1716^th	5614	69.4%
2017	68.91	1620^th	5692	71.5%
2018	66.32	1748^th	5662	69.1%
2019	62.41	1950^th	5789	66.3%
2021	66.24	433^rd	1417	69.4%
2022	67.45	1716^th	5883	70.8%
2023	60.64	2029^th	5874	65.5%
2024	68.27	1667^th	5862	71.6%

See the entire list of California Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Pioneer Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	74.42	957^th	5084	81.2%
2019	68.58	1257^th	5173	75.7%
2021	82.67	118^th	1110	89.4%
2022	78.74	805^th	5264	84.7%
2023	58.23	1859^th	5374	65.4%
2024	75.50	1031^st	5511	81.3%

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

Rank History for Female students at Pioneer Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	63.14	1838^th	5413	66.0%
2019	52.31	2373^rd	5492	56.8%
2021	58.72	463^rd	1267	63.5%
2022	64.50	1756^th	5635	68.8%
2023	63.08	1803^rd	5617	67.9%
2024	69.57	1509^th	5605	73.1%

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

Rank History for Disabled students at Pioneer Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2018	80.64	269^th	2128	87.4%

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

Rank History for Male students at Pioneer Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	66.20	1656^th	5431	69.5%
2019	69.06	1553^rd	5510	71.8%
2021	70.87	338^th	1272	73.4%
2022	67.88	1612^th	5663	71.5%
2023	55.97	2138^th	5650	62.2%
2024	64.03	1786^th	5636	68.3%

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

Rank History for Hispanic students at Pioneer Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	74.49	926^th	4830	80.8%
2019	61.58	1600^th	4963	67.8%
2022	77.12	853^rd	5084	83.2%
2023	69.13	1214^th	5098	76.2%
2024	77.90	807^th	5102	84.2%

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

Rank History for White students at Pioneer Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	50.30	1515^th	2737	44.6%
2019	51.84	1498^th	2834	47.1%
2022	57.84	1230^th	2726	54.9%
2023	42.32	1652^nd	2662	37.9%
2024	49.77	1414^th	2647	46.6%

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 Pioneer Elementary

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	238	15	10	69	0	n/a	n/a	0	332
1989	258	11	9	87	0	n/a	n/a	0	365
1990	337	7	2	107	0	n/a	n/a	0	453
1991	399	9	14	102	0	n/a	n/a	0	524
1992	236	8	12	69	1	n/a	n/a	0	326
1993	246	6	8	71	0	n/a	n/a	0	331
1994	246	12	9	98	2	n/a	n/a	0	367
1995	267	12	18	104	1	n/a	n/a	0	402
1996	267	12	18	104	1	n/a	n/a	0	402
1997	309	8	16	120	2	n/a	n/a	0	455
1998	297	12	15	97	2	n/a	n/a	0	423
1999	302	16	16	94	2	n/a	n/a	8	438
2000	469	26	26	161	0	n/a	n/a	3	685
2001	487	37	26	176	0	n/a	n/a	8	734
2002	457	25	43	231	10	n/a	n/a	2	768
2003	457	25	43	231	10	n/a	n/a	2	768
2004	486	26	44	194	12	n/a	n/a	52	814
2005	511	33	57	194	12	n/a	n/a	67	874
2006	516	31	82	235	10	n/a	n/a	65	939
2007	526	40	95	287	14	n/a	n/a	64	1026
2008	433	31	81	246	9	n/a	n/a	0	800
2009	355	28	38	170	6	1	73	0	671
2010	338	26	35	211	6	2	19	0	637
2011	305	25	31	203	5	2	25	0	596
2012	296	35	33	215	7	1	18	0	605
2013	281	38	31	217	2	3	10	0	582
2014	280	44	32	242	1	3	10	0	612
2015	250	34	35	252	5	5	10	0	591
2016	239	31	33	264	2	5	7	0	581
2017	259	31	25	274	6	7	7	0	609
2018	228	33	27	286	4	6	8	0	592
2019	214	31	28	278	2	2	16	0	571
2020	187	22	23	270	2	0	23	0	527
2021	154	21	20	287	4	0	24	0	510
2022	156	21	17	290	4	0	22	0	510
2023	153	18	21	291	3	0	16	0	502

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 Pioneer Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	332	12.1	27.4	n/a
1989	365	13.4	27.2	n/a
1990	453	18.0	25.1	n/a
1991	524	22.0	23.8	n/a
1992	326	22.4	14.5	24.2
1993	331	11.4	29.0	31.4
1994	367	12.0	30.6	58.9
1995	402	14.5	27.7	32.3
1996	402	14.5	27.7	32.3
1997	455	21.0	21.7	24.6
1998	423	24.0	17.6	21.5
1999	438	24.0	18.3	40.9
2000	685	34.0	20.1	25.1
2001	734	37.6	19.5	23.4
2002	768	36.0	21.3	22.5
2003	768	36.0	21.3	22.5
2004	814	37.0	22.0	24.7
2005	874	40.8	21.4	28.3
2006	939	43.8	21.4	28
2007	1026	49.5	20.7	28.9
2008	800	46.0	17.4	33.3
2009	671	32.0	19.7	29.8
2010	637	28.5	22.3	33.4
2011	596	n/a	n/a	32.2
2012	605	23.0	26.3	n/a
2013	582	22.0	26.4	36.1
2014	612	23.0	26.6	38.6
2015	591	24.0	24.6	38.1
2016	581	24.0	24.2	47.8
2017	609	23.0	26.4	47.1
2018	592	24.0	24.6	51.2
2019	571	22.0	25.9	45.4
2020	527	n/a	n/a	48.8
2021	510	22.0	23.1	51.2
2022	510	23.0	22.1	44.1
2023	502	22.0	22.8	49

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 Pioneer Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	332	12.1	27.4	n/a
1989	365	13.4	27.2	n/a
1990	453	18.0	25.1	n/a
1991	524	22.0	23.8	n/a
1992	326	22.4	14.5	24.2
1993	331	11.4	29.0	31.4
1994	367	12.0	30.6	58.9
1995	402	14.5	27.7	32.3
1996	402	14.5	27.7	32.3
1997	455	21.0	21.7	24.6
1998	423	24.0	17.6	21.5
1999	438	24.0	18.3	40.9
2000	685	34.0	20.1	25.1
2001	734	37.6	19.5	23.4
2002	768	36.0	21.3	22.5
2003	768	36.0	21.3	22.5
2004	814	37.0	22.0	24.7
2005	874	40.8	21.4	28.3
2006	939	43.8	21.4	28
2007	1026	49.5	20.7	28.9
2008	800	46.0	17.4	33.3
2009	671	32.0	19.7	29.8
2010	637	28.5	22.3	33.4
2011	596	n/a	n/a	32.2
2012	605	23.0	26.3	n/a
2013	582	22.0	26.4	36.1
2014	612	23.0	26.6	38.6
2015	591	24.0	24.6	38.1
2016	581	24.0	24.2	47.8
2017	609	23.0	26.4	47.1
2018	592	24.0	24.6	51.2
2019	571	22.0	25.9	45.4
2020	527	n/a	n/a	48.8
2021	510	22.0	23.1	51.2
2022	510	23.0	22.1	44.1
2023	502	22.0	22.8	49

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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