Is Tamarack Elementary a good school?

Tamarack Elementary ranks in the bottom 3.0% of California elementary schools.

How many students attend Tamarack Elementary?

In the 2023-24 school year, 456 students attended Tamarack Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Tamarack Elementary?

Students at Tamarack Elementary are 97% Hispanic, 1% Asian, 1% White.

What schools do graduates of Tamarack Elementary attend?

Students who attend Tamarack Elementary usually go on to attend: Middle : Reef Sunset Middle High : Avenal High

Tamarack Elementary

Summary:

Tamarack Elementary is a public elementary school located in Avenal, California, serving grades K-5 with a total enrollment of 442 students. The school is part of the Reef-Sunset Unified School District, which is ranked 1467 out of 1568 districts in California and has a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Tamarack Elementary consistently ranks among the lowest-performing elementary schools in California, with statewide rankings between 5300-5800 out of around 5,800 schools over the past several years. The school's performance on standardized tests is significantly below the state and district averages across all grade levels and subject areas. Additionally, Tamarack Elementary has experienced a concerning increase in chronic absenteeism, rising from 9.3% in 2017-2018 to 35.8% in 2022-2023, which is significantly higher than the state average and the surrounding schools in the Reef-Sunset Unified District. The school serves a high-poverty student population, with 95.25% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch in the 2022-2023 school year, and has a relatively high proportion of English Language Learner (ELL) students.

While the nearby Kettleman City Elementary and Avenal Elementary schools within the same district also perform below state averages, they generally outperform Tamarack Elementary on key metrics such as academic proficiency, chronic absenteeism, and socioeconomic status. This suggests that Tamarack Elementary faces unique challenges that the district may need to address more directly.

Detail:

Public K-5

1000 Union Ave.
Avenal, CA 93204-2046

(559) 386-4051

District: Reef-Sunset Unified

SchoolDigger Rank:
5684^th of 5,862 California Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $7,464

Students who attend Tamarack Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Reef Sunset Middle
High:	Avenal High

Student/teacher ratio: 21.2

Number of students: 456

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

96.9%

Asian:

1.3%

White:

1.1%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 96.5%

See top rated California elementary schools

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Performance Trends

Compare Details Tamarack Elementary ranks worse than 97% of elementary schools in California. It also ranks last among 3 ranked elementary schools in the Reef-Sunset Unified School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 9.94. (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 (96.9%), Asian (1.3%), White (1.1%). (See more...)

Compare Details 96.5% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Tamarack Elementary is 21.2, which is the 2^nd best among 3 elementary schools in the Reef-Sunset Unified School District. (See more...)

Compare Tamarack Elementary employs 21.5 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Tamarack Elementary is $7,464. 2 elementary schools in the Reef-Sunset Unified School District spend more per student.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Tamarack Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Tamarack Elementary 5684^th of 5862 California public elementary schools. (See Tamarack 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:

Hispanic students:

Reef-Sunset Unified:

SchoolDigger ranks Reef-Sunset Unified 1467^th of 1568 California school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for Tamarack Elementary

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Rank History for all students at Tamarack Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2004	6.44	4777^th	4809	0.7%
2005	5.98	4787^th	4822	0.7%
2006	3.58	4798^th	4818	0.4%
2011	7.67	5286^th	5377	1.7%
2012	5.76	5323^rd	5390	1.2%
2013	5.20	5470^th	5530	1.1%
2015	11.81	5360^th	5611	4.5%
2016	10.26	5424^th	5614	3.4%
2017	7.84	5596^th	5692	1.7%
2018	8.48	5508^th	5662	2.7%
2019	6.28	5718^th	5789	1.2%
2021	7.72	1404^th	1417	0.9%
2022	9.71	5742^nd	5883	2.4%
2023	8.47	5782^nd	5874	1.6%
2024	9.94	5684^th	5862	3.0%

See the entire list of California Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Tamarack Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	30.61	2352^nd	3246	27.5%
2019	20.76	3134^th	3275	4.3%
2021	23.63	581^st	602	3.5%
2022	26.43	2849^th	3311	14.0%
2023	36.79	2024^th	3250	37.7%
2024	36.98	2035^th	3160	35.6%

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

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Tamarack Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	11.19	4905^th	5084	3.5%
2019	7.93	5100^th	5173	1.4%
2021	9.86	1097^th	1110	1.2%
2022	12.51	5099^th	5264	3.1%
2023	9.29	5299^th	5374	1.4%
2024	13.24	5246^th	5511	4.8%

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

Rank History for Female students at Tamarack Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	11.81	5142^nd	5413	5.0%
2019	5.79	5458^th	5492	0.6%
2021	7.21	1264^th	1267	0.2%
2022	7.96	5600^th	5635	0.6%
2023	6.12	5606^th	5617	0.2%
2024	8.42	5525^th	5605	1.4%

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

Rank History for Disabled students at Tamarack Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2019	32.31	1660^th	2585	35.8%

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

Rank History for Male students at Tamarack Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	7.01	5376^th	5431	1.0%
2019	8.12	5415^th	5510	1.7%
2021	10.39	1247^th	1272	2.0%
2022	12.62	5406^th	5663	4.5%
2023	12.35	5353^rd	5650	5.3%
2024	12.63	5332^nd	5636	5.4%

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

Rank History for Hispanic students at Tamarack Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	11.51	4669^th	4830	3.3%
2019	8.19	4897^th	4963	1.3%
2022	12.33	4935^th	5084	2.9%
2023	10.67	4998^th	5098	2.0%
2024	13.55	4847^th	5102	5.0%

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 Tamarack Elementary

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
2002	23	7	1	368	1	n/a	n/a	0	400
2003	23	7	1	368	1	n/a	n/a	0	400
2004	29	10	3	356	0	n/a	n/a	0	398
2005	29	12	1	403	0	n/a	n/a	0	445
2006	15	224	0	219	0	n/a	n/a	24	482
2007	17	1	0	345	0	n/a	n/a	0	363
2008	17	6	1	319	n/a	n/a	n/a	0	343
2009	12	1	2	320	0	0	2	0	337
2010	15	0	3	314	0	0	1	0	333
2011	18	1	5	390	0	0	0	0	414
2012	13	1	5	494	0	0	0	0	513
2013	9	1	4	503	1	0	0	0	518
2014	8	1	6	535	1	0	0	0	551
2015	6	1	8	487	1	0	0	0	503
2016	15	1	0	508	1	0	1	0	526
2017	10	0	2	391	0	0	0	0	403
2018	12	0	5	426	0	0	0	0	443
2019	8	0	2	458	0	0	0	0	468
2020	5	0	2	451	0	0	0	0	458
2021	4	0	2	420	0	2	0	0	428
2022	5	0	3	404	1	3	0	0	416
2023	4	0	3	432	1	2	0	0	442
2024	5	0	6	442	1	2	0	0	456

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 Tamarack Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2002	400	22.0	18.2	99.3
2003	400	22.0	18.2	99.3
2004	398	20.0	19.9	97.7
2005	445	22.8	19.5	99.3
2006	482	23.0	21.0	104.6
2007	363	21.0	17.3	n/a
2008	343	21.0	16.3	89.8
2009	337	18.0	17.7	91.1
2010	333	16.0	20.8	96.7
2011	414	n/a	n/a	99.3
2012	513	19.0	27.0	n/a
2013	518	18.0	28.7	92.7
2014	551	21.0	26.2	80.4
2015	503	22.0	22.8	87.7
2016	526	21.0	25.0	89.9
2017	403	17.0	23.7	97
2018	443	17.0	26.0	97.1
2019	468	18.0	26.0	91
2020	458	n/a	n/a	93.7
2021	428	18.7	22.7	96
2022	416	18.6	22.2	96.9
2023	442	20.0	22.1	95.2
2024	456	21.5	21.2	96.5

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 Tamarack Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2002	400	22.0	18.2	99.3
2003	400	22.0	18.2	99.3
2004	398	20.0	19.9	97.7
2005	445	22.8	19.5	99.3
2006	482	23.0	21.0	104.6
2007	363	21.0	17.3	n/a
2008	343	21.0	16.3	89.8
2009	337	18.0	17.7	91.1
2010	333	16.0	20.8	96.7
2011	414	n/a	n/a	99.3
2012	513	19.0	27.0	n/a
2013	518	18.0	28.7	92.7
2014	551	21.0	26.2	80.4
2015	503	22.0	22.8	87.7
2016	526	21.0	25.0	89.9
2017	403	17.0	23.7	97
2018	443	17.0	26.0	97.1
2019	468	18.0	26.0	91
2020	458	n/a	n/a	93.7
2021	428	18.7	22.7	96
2022	416	18.6	22.2	96.9
2023	442	20.0	22.1	95.2
2024	456	21.5	21.2	96.5

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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