Is Alta Sierra Elementary a good school?

Alta Sierra Elementary ranks 1645 th of 5862 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Alta Sierra Elementary?

In the 2023-24 school year, 331 students attended Alta Sierra Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Alta Sierra Elementary?

Students at Alta Sierra Elementary are 74% White, 14% Hispanic, 11% Two or more races.

What schools do graduates of Alta Sierra Elementary attend?

Students who attend Alta Sierra Elementary usually go on to attend: Middle : Magnolia Intermediate High : Bear River High

Alta Sierra Elementary

Summary:

Alta Sierra Elementary is a public elementary school located in Grass Valley, California, serving 319 students in grades K-5. It is part of the Pleasant Ridge Union Elementary School District, which is ranked 519 out of 1,568 districts in the state.

Alta Sierra Elementary consistently outperforms its district and the state of California in Smarter Balanced Assessments for English Language Arts/Literacy and Mathematics. In 2023-2024, 53.8% of its students were proficient or better in ELA/Literacy, compared to 47.05% for the district and 47.04% for the state. In Mathematics, 50% of Alta Sierra students were proficient or better, compared to 40.26% for the district and 35.54% for the state. The school performs particularly well for its female and low socioeconomic status students, ranking 1,600 and 1,258 out of 5,605 and 5,511 California elementary schools, respectively. However, the school's performance for white and multi-racial students is relatively lower.

While Alta Sierra Elementary is a strong-performing school within its district, it has seen a significant increase in chronic absenteeism, from 0% in 2017-2018 to 34.5% in 2022-2023, which is notably higher than the state average of 13.7% in 2020-2021. Nearby schools in the Grass Valley Elementary district, such as Grass Valley Charter and Bell Hill Academy, tend to outperform Alta Sierra in both ELA and Mathematics, suggesting that the school's performance may be more influenced by district-level factors.

Detail:

Public K-5

16607 Annie Dr.
Grass Valley, CA 95949-7147

(530) 272-2319

District: Pleasant Ridge Union Elementary

SchoolDigger Rank:
1645^th of 5,862 California Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $11,416

Students who attend Alta Sierra Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Magnolia Intermediate
High:	Bear River High

Student/teacher ratio: 22.0

Number of students: 331

Racial breakdown:

White:

74.0%

Hispanic:

13.6%

Two or more races:

11.2%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 36.3%

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Compare Alta Sierra Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Alta Sierra Elementary ranks better than 71.9% of elementary schools in California. It also ranks first among 3 ranked elementary schools in the Pleasant Ridge Union Elementary School District! (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 68.8. (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: White (74%), Hispanic (13.6%), two or more races (11.2%). (See more...)

Compare Details 36.3% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. This is the highest percentage in the Pleasant Ridge Union Elementary School District. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Alta Sierra Elementary is 22, which is the lowest among 3 elementary schools in the Pleasant Ridge Union Elementary School District! (See more...)

Compare Alta Sierra Elementary employs 15 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Alta Sierra Elementary is $11,416. 1 elementary schools in the Pleasant Ridge Union Elementary School District spend more per student.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Alta Sierra Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Alta Sierra Elementary 1645^th of 5862 California public elementary schools. (See Alta Sierra Elementary in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

White students:

Pleasant Ridge Union Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Pleasant Ridge Union Elementary 519^th of 1568 California school districts. (See district ranking list.)

Average Parent Rating:

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Rank History for Alta Sierra Elementary

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Rank History for all students at Alta Sierra Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2004	90.22	503^rd	4809	89.5%
2005	93.11	320^th	4822	93.4%
2006	89.45	511^th	4818	89.4%
2007	89.09	560^th	5113	89.0%
2008	85.06	748^th	5113	85.4%
2009	81.09	950^th	5193	81.7%
2010	77.04	1129^th	5314	78.8%
2011	79.05	1060^th	5377	80.3%
2012	79.09	1075^th	5390	80.1%
2013	81.34	990^th	5530	82.1%
2015	81.86	1041^st	5611	81.4%
2016	68.34	1601^st	5614	71.5%
2017	60.72	1979^th	5692	65.2%
2018	68.25	1658^th	5662	70.7%
2019	67.80	1705^th	5789	70.5%
2021	75.21	327^th	1417	76.9%
2022	68.97	1647^th	5883	72.0%
2023	69.62	1595^th	5874	72.8%
2024	68.80	1645^th	5862	71.9%

See the entire list of California Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for Multi-racial students at Alta Sierra Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2022	26.00	479^th	610	21.5%
2023	33.55	490^th	669	26.8%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Multi-racial Students!

Rank History for Special Education students at Alta Sierra Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	85.68	222^nd	2420	90.8%

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

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Alta Sierra Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	61.64	1652^nd	5084	67.5%
2019	73.77	982^nd	5173	81.0%
2021	54.01	427^th	1110	61.5%
2022	72.94	1037^th	5264	80.3%
2023	70.31	1216^th	5374	77.4%
2024	70.19	1258^th	5511	77.2%

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

Rank History for Female students at Alta Sierra Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	66.07	1708^th	5413	68.4%
2019	67.65	1623^rd	5492	70.4%
2021	74.72	292^nd	1267	77.0%
2022	75.08	1318^th	5635	76.6%
2023	69.75	1502^nd	5617	73.3%
2024	67.26	1600^th	5605	71.5%

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

Rank History for Disabled students at Alta Sierra Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2021	57.54	87^th	293	70.3%
2022	66.84	474^th	2227	78.7%

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

Rank History for Male students at Alta Sierra Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	66.53	1640^th	5431	69.8%
2019	65.04	1722^nd	5510	68.7%
2021	72.81	316^th	1272	75.2%
2022	59.87	1962^nd	5663	65.4%
2023	67.11	1640^th	5650	71.0%
2024	66.68	1671^st	5636	70.4%

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

Rank History for White students at Alta Sierra Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	34.18	1978^th	2737	27.7%
2019	34.02	2045^th	2834	27.8%
2022	35.99	1848^th	2726	32.2%
2023	46.45	1529^th	2662	42.6%
2024	40.35	1697^th	2647	35.9%

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

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 5)

100%

Reviews:

by a parent
Thursday, August 29, 2013

Besides a wonderful academic atmosphere, Alta Sierra school offers a caring, respectful and family type environs for all of the students. Close Quote

Enrollment information for Alta Sierra Elementary

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	445	2	3	7	2	n/a	n/a	0	459
1989	482	0	7	5	1	n/a	n/a	0	495
1990	527	2	9	7	1	n/a	n/a	0	546
1991	528	4	8	10	2	n/a	n/a	0	552
1992	492	5	9	8	2	n/a	n/a	0	516
1993	505	5	6	11	2	n/a	n/a	0	529
1994	530	5	9	18	0	n/a	n/a	0	562
1995	486	4	7	17	3	n/a	n/a	0	517
1996	486	4	7	17	3	n/a	n/a	0	517
1997	450	7	6	17	7	n/a	n/a	0	487
1998	431	6	9	18	5	n/a	n/a	0	469
1999	421	7	10	17	2	n/a	n/a	0	457
2000	431	5	10	17	1	n/a	n/a	0	464
2001	398	6	9	13	3	n/a	n/a	0	429
2002	374	5	12	23	6	n/a	n/a	0	420
2003	374	5	12	23	6	n/a	n/a	0	420
2004	391	7	4	21	3	n/a	n/a	0	426
2005	310	5	5	20	9	n/a	n/a	57	406
2006	327	6	5	18	1	n/a	n/a	42	399
2007	309	5	1	23	0	n/a	n/a	17	355
2008	292	2	1	14	n/a	n/a	n/a	0	309
2009	303	8	2	14	0	0	0	0	327
2010	252	4	2	26	0	0	7	0	291
2011	266	1	4	24	2	0	27	0	324
2012	264	1	2	23	3	0	18	0	311
2013	289	1	2	16	2	1	17	0	328
2014	260	1	2	12	3	2	13	0	293
2015	254	2	2	16	1	2	12	0	289
2016	291	0	3	17	2	2	10	0	325
2017	275	0	3	15	1	1	9	0	304
2018	275	2	2	16	1	1	7	0	304
2019	227	1	4	23	1	1	51	0	308
2020	222	1	3	31	0	1	77	0	335
2021	191	1	0	22	1	0	111	0	326
2022	137	1	1	28	0	0	160	0	327
2023	111	0	0	38	0	0	170	0	319
2024	245	2	1	45	1	0	37	0	331

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 Alta Sierra Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	459	19.0	24.1	n/a
1989	495	19.7	25.1	n/a
1990	546	23.0	23.7	n/a
1991	552	24.0	23.0	n/a
1992	516	24.4	21.1	13.8
1993	529	24.0	22.0	14.6
1994	562	23.5	23.9	15.1
1995	517	21.0	24.6	14.7
1996	517	21.0	24.6	14.7
1997	487	25.0	19.5	15.2
1998	469	23.8	19.7	16.2
1999	457	23.8	19.2	14.9
2000	464	23.0	20.2	17.2
2001	429	21.8	19.7	10
2002	420	20.8	20.2	14.5
2003	420	20.8	20.2	14.5
2004	426	20.5	20.8	13.4
2005	406	20.7	19.6	13.2
2006	399	19.7	20.3	11.2
2007	355	20.0	17.8	9.5
2008	309	19.0	16.3	11.7
2009	327	16.0	19.2	15
2010	291	14.0	20.7	20.6
2011	324	n/a	n/a	29.6
2012	311	16.0	19.4	n/a
2013	328	17.0	19.2	29.9
2014	293	15.6	18.7	32.4
2015	289	14.0	20.6	28
2016	325	16.0	20.3	29.8
2017	304	16.0	19.0	30.3
2018	304	16.0	19.0	42.4
2019	308	14.0	22.0	35.4
2020	335	n/a	n/a	33.7
2021	326	15.0	21.7	29.8
2022	327	16.1	20.2	26.3
2023	319	15.0	21.2	34.5
2024	331	15.0	22.0	36.3

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 Alta Sierra Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	459	19.0	24.1	n/a
1989	495	19.7	25.1	n/a
1990	546	23.0	23.7	n/a
1991	552	24.0	23.0	n/a
1992	516	24.4	21.1	13.8
1993	529	24.0	22.0	14.6
1994	562	23.5	23.9	15.1
1995	517	21.0	24.6	14.7
1996	517	21.0	24.6	14.7
1997	487	25.0	19.5	15.2
1998	469	23.8	19.7	16.2
1999	457	23.8	19.2	14.9
2000	464	23.0	20.2	17.2
2001	429	21.8	19.7	10
2002	420	20.8	20.2	14.5
2003	420	20.8	20.2	14.5
2004	426	20.5	20.8	13.4
2005	406	20.7	19.6	13.2
2006	399	19.7	20.3	11.2
2007	355	20.0	17.8	9.5
2008	309	19.0	16.3	11.7
2009	327	16.0	19.2	15
2010	291	14.0	20.7	20.6
2011	324	n/a	n/a	29.6
2012	311	16.0	19.4	n/a
2013	328	17.0	19.2	29.9
2014	293	15.6	18.7	32.4
2015	289	14.0	20.6	28
2016	325	16.0	20.3	29.8
2017	304	16.0	19.0	30.3
2018	304	16.0	19.0	42.4
2019	308	14.0	22.0	35.4
2020	335	n/a	n/a	33.7
2021	326	15.0	21.7	29.8
2022	327	16.1	20.2	26.3
2023	319	15.0	21.2	34.5
2024	331	15.0	22.0	36.3

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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