Is Potter Valley Elementary a good school?

Potter Valley Elementary ranks 3253 rd of 5862 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Potter Valley Elementary?

In the 2023-24 school year, 153 students attended Potter Valley Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Potter Valley Elementary?

Students at Potter Valley Elementary are 61% White, 29% Hispanic, 5% American Indian, 5% Two or more races.

What schools do graduates of Potter Valley Elementary attend?

Students who attend Potter Valley Elementary usually go on to attend: Middle : Potter Valley Junior High High : Potter Valley High

Potter Valley Elementary

Summary:

Potter Valley Elementary is a public elementary school serving 145 students in grades K-6 in the rural community of Potter Valley, California. The school is part of the Potter Valley Community Unified School District, which is ranked 914 out of 1,568 districts in the state and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.

While Potter Valley Elementary has a relatively low student-teacher ratio of 13.8 students per teacher, the school faces several challenges. Chronic absenteeism rates have significantly increased from 14.5% in 2018-2019 to 29.7% in 2022-2023, notably higher than the state average. Additionally, the school's test scores are generally below the state and district averages across all grade levels and subject areas, with only 33.33% of students proficient or better in English Language Arts/Literacy and 37.04% in Mathematics, compared to the state averages of 47.04% and 35.54%, respectively.

The high percentage of students from low socioeconomic backgrounds, with 60% qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, may be a contributing factor to the school's lower academic performance. While the challenges faced by Potter Valley Elementary are concerning, it is important to note that many of the nearby schools in the Willits Unified, Ukiah Unified, and other local districts also struggle with low test scores and high chronic absenteeism rates, suggesting that these challenges may be reflective of broader regional trends.

Detail:

Public K-6

10401 Main St.
Potter Valley, CA 95469-0219

(707) 743-1115

District: Potter Valley Community Unified

SchoolDigger Rank:
3253^rd of 5,862 California Elementary Schools

Students who attend Potter Valley Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Potter Valley Junior High
High:	Potter Valley High

Student/teacher ratio: 17.4

Number of students: 153

Racial breakdown:

White:

60.8%

Hispanic:

29.4%

American Indian:

4.6%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 58.8%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Potter Valley Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Potter Valley Elementary ranks worse than 55.5% of elementary schools in California. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 38.71. (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 (60.8%), Hispanic (29.4%), American Indian (4.6%). (See more...)

Compare Details 58.8% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Compare Details

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Potter Valley Elementary is 17.4. (See more...)

Compare Potter Valley Elementary employs 8.7 full-time teachers.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Potter Valley Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Potter Valley Elementary 3253^rd of 5862 California public elementary schools. (See Potter Valley Elementary in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Male students:

White students:

Potter Valley Community Unified:

SchoolDigger ranks Potter Valley Community Unified 914^th of 1568 California school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Your rating for Potter Valley Elementary?

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Rank History for Potter Valley Elementary

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Rank History for all students at Potter Valley Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2004	59.47	1737^th	4809	63.9%
2005	52.91	2051^st	4822	57.5%
2006	55.17	1954^th	4818	59.4%
2007	50.66	2294^th	5113	55.1%
2008	37.15	3122^nd	5113	38.9%
2009	34.69	3387^th	5193	34.8%
2010	33.06	3617^th	5314	31.9%
2011	27.58	4153^rd	5377	22.8%
2012	26.63	4199^th	5390	22.1%
2013	22.21	4587^th	5530	17.1%
2015	28.54	3822^nd	5611	31.9%
2016	41.14	3008^th	5614	46.4%
2017	29.18	3901^st	5692	31.5%
2018	29.86	3837^th	5662	32.2%
2019	45.12	2869^th	5789	50.4%
2022	39.72	3114^th	5883	47.1%
2023	39.01	3207^th	5874	45.4%
2024	38.71	3253^rd	5862	44.5%

See the entire list of California Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Potter Valley Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	34.23	3455^th	5084	32.0%
2019	42.40	2943^rd	5173	43.1%
2023	38.71	3163^rd	5374	41.1%
2024	31.16	3834^th	5511	30.4%

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

Rank History for Female students at Potter Valley Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2019	59.66	1986^th	5492	63.8%

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

Rank History for Male students at Potter Valley Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	31.18	3613^th	5431	33.5%
2019	35.43	3369^th	5510	38.9%
2022	22.86	4443^rd	5663	21.5%
2023	43.28	2854^th	5650	49.5%
2024	47.87	2579^th	5636	54.2%

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

Rank History for White students at Potter Valley Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	17.34	2392^nd	2737	12.6%
2019	32.11	2089^th	2834	26.3%
2022	18.20	2319^th	2726	14.9%
2023	13.51	2390^th	2662	10.2%
2024	29.77	1964^th	2647	25.8%

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 Potter Valley Elementary

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	207	0	1	39	3	n/a	n/a	0	250
1989	226	0	4	37	4	n/a	n/a	0	271
1990	232	0	6	40	5	n/a	n/a	0	283
1991	224	0	5	34	8	n/a	n/a	0	271
1992	202	0	5	36	8	n/a	n/a	0	251
1993	207	1	5	34	6	n/a	n/a	0	253
1994	202	1	3	34	6	n/a	n/a	0	246
1995	267	1	3	48	9	n/a	n/a	0	328
1996	267	1	3	48	9	n/a	n/a	0	328
1997	243	1	3	42	11	n/a	n/a	0	300
1998	222	1	1	44	14	n/a	n/a	0	282
1999	214	0	0	38	9	n/a	n/a	0	261
2000	194	1	0	36	4	n/a	n/a	0	235
2001	184	1	0	36	9	n/a	n/a	0	230
2002	153	0	0	29	17	n/a	n/a	0	199
2003	153	0	0	29	17	n/a	n/a	0	199
2004	147	0	0	27	15	n/a	n/a	0	189
2005	93	0	1	34	11	n/a	n/a	0	139
2006	93	0	0	43	9	n/a	n/a	0	145
2007	81	0	1	42	11	n/a	n/a	5	140
2008	69	n/a	1	44	13	n/a	n/a	0	127
2009	48	0	1	41	6	0	3	0	99
2010	48	0	0	48	5	0	3	0	104
2011	57	0	1	52	7	0	2	0	119
2012	57	0	1	60	5	0	7	0	130
2013	69	0	1	66	7	0	4	0	147
2014	64	0	0	61	5	0	8	0	138
2015	54	0	0	61	4	0	2	0	121
2016	73	1	0	77	4	0	4	0	159
2017	80	1	0	73	8	0	5	0	167
2018	89	0	0	61	6	0	4	0	160
2019	95	0	0	57	5	0	5	0	162
2020	95	0	0	57	10	0	6	0	168
2021	87	0	0	54	6	0	7	0	154
2022	83	0	0	50	10	0	5	0	148
2023	88	0	0	45	7	0	5	0	145
2024	93	1	0	45	7	0	7	0	153

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 Potter Valley Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	250	14.5	17.2	n/a
1989	271	14.5	18.6	n/a
1990	283	14.0	20.2	n/a
1991	271	15.0	18.0	n/a
1992	251	15.2	16.5	47.4
1993	253	13.6	18.6	44.7
1994	246	14.8	16.6	35
1995	328	15.6	21.0	29.6
1996	328	15.6	21.0	29.6
1997	300	19.1	15.7	44.3
1998	282	16.7	16.9	46.8
1999	261	16.7	15.6	47.9
2000	235	15.2	15.5	49.4
2001	230	12.1	19.0	49.1
2002	199	14.0	14.2	51.8
2003	199	14.0	14.2	51.8
2004	189	12.5	15.1	50.3
2005	139	12.2	11.4	52.5
2006	145	10.6	13.7	66.2
2007	140	10.0	14.0	67.4
2008	127	9.6	13.2	78.7
2009	99	8.5	11.6	0
2010	104	6.6	15.7	77.9
2011	119	n/a	n/a	80.7
2012	130	6.8	19.1	n/a
2013	147	7.7	19.0	75.5
2014	138	n/a	n/a	78.3
2015	121	7.0	17.2	71.9
2016	159	7.0	22.7	68.6
2017	167	8.0	20.8	65.3
2018	160	8.0	20.0	66.3
2019	162	7.0	23.1	61.1
2020	168	n/a	n/a	57.1
2021	154	7.0	22.0	54.5
2022	148	8.5	17.3	53.4
2023	145	10.5	13.8	60
2024	153	8.7	17.4	58.8

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 Potter Valley Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	250	14.5	17.2	n/a
1989	271	14.5	18.6	n/a
1990	283	14.0	20.2	n/a
1991	271	15.0	18.0	n/a
1992	251	15.2	16.5	47.4
1993	253	13.6	18.6	44.7
1994	246	14.8	16.6	35
1995	328	15.6	21.0	29.6
1996	328	15.6	21.0	29.6
1997	300	19.1	15.7	44.3
1998	282	16.7	16.9	46.8
1999	261	16.7	15.6	47.9
2000	235	15.2	15.5	49.4
2001	230	12.1	19.0	49.1
2002	199	14.0	14.2	51.8
2003	199	14.0	14.2	51.8
2004	189	12.5	15.1	50.3
2005	139	12.2	11.4	52.5
2006	145	10.6	13.7	66.2
2007	140	10.0	14.0	67.4
2008	127	9.6	13.2	78.7
2009	99	8.5	11.6	0
2010	104	6.6	15.7	77.9
2011	119	n/a	n/a	80.7
2012	130	6.8	19.1	n/a
2013	147	7.7	19.0	75.5
2014	138	n/a	n/a	78.3
2015	121	7.0	17.2	71.9
2016	159	7.0	22.7	68.6
2017	167	8.0	20.8	65.3
2018	160	8.0	20.0	66.3
2019	162	7.0	23.1	61.1
2020	168	n/a	n/a	57.1
2021	154	7.0	22.0	54.5
2022	148	8.5	17.3	53.4
2023	145	10.5	13.8	60
2024	153	8.7	17.4	58.8

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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