Is Nystrom Elementary a good school?

Nystrom Elementary ranks in the bottom 12.3% of California elementary schools.

How many students attend Nystrom Elementary?

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

What is the racial makeup of Nystrom Elementary?

Students at Nystrom Elementary are 71% Hispanic, 18% African American, 4% Two or more races, 3% White, 2% Asian, 1% Pacific Islander.

What schools do graduates of Nystrom Elementary attend?

Students who attend Nystrom Elementary usually go on to attend: Middle : Lovonya DeJean Middle High : John F. Kennedy High

Nystrom Elementary

Summary:

Nystrom Elementary is a public elementary school in Richmond, CA, serving 444 students in grades K-6. It is part of the West Contra Costa Unified School District, which is ranked 1129 out of 1568 districts in California and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger. Nystrom Elementary has consistently ranked in the bottom 10-15% of California elementary schools over the past decade, with a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger for most years.

Nystrom Elementary faces significant challenges, including very high chronic absenteeism rates, poor student performance on standardized tests compared to the district and state, and large achievement gaps between its subgroups and state averages. For example, in 2023-2024, only 25% of Nystrom students were proficient or better in ELA and 14.66% were proficient or better in Math, compared to 32.53% and 23.33% for the district, and 47.04% and 35.54% for the state. The school also has a high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a high-need student population. Nearby schools, such as Martin Luther King Junior Elementary and Coronado Elementary, also struggle, but Nystrom is consistently among the lowest-performing.

The persistent low performance of Nystrom Elementary, despite being part of the West Contra Costa Unified School District, suggests a need for significant, sustained intervention and support to turn the school around. Additionally, the success of nearby charter schools, such as Voices College-Bound Language Academy and Richmond College Preparatory, which outperform Nystrom and the district, indicates that alternative school models may be more effective in serving the needs of this community.

Detail:

Public K-6

230 Harbour Way South
Richmond, CA 94804-2428

(510) 231-1406

District: West Contra Costa Unified

SchoolDigger Rank:
5142^nd of 5,862 California Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $5,695

Students who attend Nystrom Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Lovonya DeJean Middle
High:	John F. Kennedy High

Student/teacher ratio: 22.5

Number of students: 417

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

71.2%

African American:

18.2%

Two or more races:

3.6%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 62.8%

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Compare Nystrom Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Nystrom Elementary ranks worse than 87.7% of elementary schools in California. It also ranks 22^nd among 37 ranked elementary schools in the West Contra Costa Unified School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 16.75. (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 (71.2%), African American (18.2%), two or more races (3.6%). (See more...)

Compare Details 62.8% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Nystrom Elementary is 22.5, which is the 19^th best among 37 elementary schools in the West Contra Costa Unified School District. (See more...)

Compare Nystrom Elementary employs 18.5 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Nystrom Elementary is $5,695. 32 elementary schools in the West Contra Costa Unified School District spend more per student.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Nystrom Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Nystrom Elementary 5142^nd of 5862 California public elementary schools. (See Nystrom 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:

African American students:

Hispanic students:

West Contra Costa Unified:

SchoolDigger ranks West Contra Costa Unified 1129^th of 1568 California school districts. (See district ranking list.)

Average Parent Rating:

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Rank History for Nystrom Elementary

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Rank History for all students at Nystrom Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2004	9.62	4688^th	4809	2.5%
2005	26.22	3538^th	4822	26.6%
2006	31.14	3230^th	4818	33.0%
2007	39.61	2926^th	5113	42.8%
2008	29.40	3635^th	5113	28.9%
2009	30.28	3695^th	5193	28.8%
2010	7.28	5229^th	5314	1.6%
2011	6.31	5315^th	5377	1.2%
2012	10.79	5165^th	5390	4.2%
2013	2.08	5514^th	5530	0.3%
2015	6.81	5590^th	5611	0.4%
2016	6.32	5576^th	5614	0.7%
2017	8.37	5574^th	5692	2.1%
2018	7.73	5546^th	5662	2.0%
2019	11.24	5500^th	5789	5.0%
2022	15.97	5271^st	5883	10.4%
2023	12.60	5518^th	5874	6.1%
2024	16.75	5142^nd	5862	12.3%

See the entire list of California Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Nystrom Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	24.42	2762^nd	3246	14.9%
2019	23.41	2978^th	3275	9.1%
2022	38.81	1887^th	3311	43.0%
2023	33.20	2304^th	3250	29.1%
2024	44.42	1517^th	3160	52.0%

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

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Nystrom Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	9.39	4977^th	5084	2.1%
2019	13.53	4910^th	5173	5.1%
2022	24.95	4251^st	5264	19.2%
2023	17.38	4885^th	5374	9.1%
2024	22.63	4562^nd	5511	17.2%

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

Rank History for Female students at Nystrom Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	7.26	5349^th	5413	1.2%
2019	10.64	5281^st	5492	3.8%
2022	14.18	5253^rd	5635	6.8%
2023	13.10	5315^th	5617	5.4%
2024	14.59	5150^th	5605	8.1%

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

Rank History for Male students at Nystrom Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	9.86	5278^th	5431	2.8%
2019	13.91	5126^th	5510	7.0%
2022	19.88	4728^th	5663	16.5%
2023	14.81	5187^th	5650	8.2%
2024	22.46	4489^th	5636	20.4%

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

Rank History for African American students at Nystrom Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	39.58	394^th	700	43.7%
2019	29.69	550^th	747	26.4%
2023	27.16	507^th	662	23.4%
2024	11.79	591^st	593	0.3%

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

Rank History for Hispanic students at Nystrom Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	9.95	4729^th	4830	2.1%
2019	16.08	4609^th	4963	7.1%
2022	23.62	4228^th	5084	16.8%
2023	19.99	4501^st	5098	11.7%
2024	24.83	4116^th	5102	19.3%

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

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 4)

100%

Reviews:
No reviews have been submitted!

Enrollment information for Nystrom Elementary

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	3	503	38	24	0	n/a	n/a	0	568
1989	6	544	24	19	0	n/a	n/a	0	593
1990	2	531	16	17	0	n/a	n/a	0	566
1991	4	502	22	24	0	n/a	n/a	0	552
1992	3	445	23	27	0	n/a	n/a	0	498
1993	4	435	23	35	0	n/a	n/a	0	497
1994	4	472	22	47	0	n/a	n/a	0	545
1995	4	412	17	51	0	n/a	n/a	0	484
1996	4	412	17	51	0	n/a	n/a	0	484
1997	3	422	22	78	0	n/a	n/a	0	525
1998	9	480	19	124	0	n/a	n/a	0	632
1999	12	486	25	159	0	n/a	n/a	0	682
2000	15	458	24	196	0	n/a	n/a	0	693
2001	5	429	31	231	0	n/a	n/a	2	698
2002	3	338	49	284	0	n/a	n/a	7	681
2003	3	338	49	284	0	n/a	n/a	7	681
2004	2	269	32	239	0	n/a	n/a	2	544
2005	3	235	31	195	0	n/a	n/a	12	476
2006	4	188	28	224	9	n/a	n/a	0	453
2007	3	152	26	207	0	n/a	n/a	5	393
2008	9	134	18	206	n/a	n/a	n/a	0	367
2009	5	112	7	214	0	8	5	0	351
2010	4	128	5	262	1	8	2	0	410
2011	3	55	5	301	1	6	91	0	462
2012	1	107	6	304	0	11	0	0	429
2013	0	115	3	319	0	10	4	0	451
2014	3	107	6	374	0	5	5	0	500
2015	8	96	5	382	0	7	7	0	505
2016	7	96	8	356	0	13	7	0	487
2017	6	86	15	383	0	8	5	0	503
2018	13	83	12	379	0	18	7	0	512
2019	17	92	16	377	0	9	9	0	520
2020	21	82	14	365	0	4	4	0	490
2021	26	79	13	365	0	4	5	0	492
2022	13	85	11	329	1	1	11	0	451
2023	10	75	11	334	2	2	10	0	444
2024	14	76	8	297	2	5	15	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 Nystrom Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	568	24.0	23.6	n/a
1989	593	25.6	23.1	n/a
1990	566	27.3	20.7	n/a
1991	552	20.4	27.0	n/a
1992	498	20.7	24.0	93.4
1993	497	21.0	23.7	86.5
1994	545	22.0	24.8	91.2
1995	484	18.0	26.9	94.8
1996	484	18.0	26.9	94.8
1997	525	18.0	29.2	94.9
1998	632	24.0	26.3	90.3
1999	682	25.0	27.3	94.9
2000	693	29.0	23.9	87.9
2001	698	34.5	20.2	90.5
2002	681	35.0	19.5	85.5
2003	681	35.0	19.5	85.5
2004	544	30.8	17.7	97
2005	476	28.0	17.0	101.9
2006	453	24.0	18.9	89.4
2007	393	23.0	17.1	100.5
2008	367	22.0	16.7	99.2
2009	351	21.0	15.3	99.1
2010	410	22.0	18.6	99.3
2011	462	n/a	n/a	80.1
2012	429	20.5	20.9	n/a
2013	451	16.0	28.1	99.3
2014	500	20.0	25.0	95.8
2015	505	22.0	22.9	87.5
2016	487	20.0	24.3	91.4
2017	503	20.0	25.1	95.8
2018	512	20.0	25.6	90.4
2019	520	18.0	28.8	93.1
2020	490	n/a	n/a	94.1
2021	492	20.0	24.6	93.1
2022	451	20.0	22.5	61.2
2023	444	19.6	22.5	58.6
2024	417	18.5	22.5	62.8

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 Nystrom Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	568	24.0	23.6	n/a
1989	593	25.6	23.1	n/a
1990	566	27.3	20.7	n/a
1991	552	20.4	27.0	n/a
1992	498	20.7	24.0	93.4
1993	497	21.0	23.7	86.5
1994	545	22.0	24.8	91.2
1995	484	18.0	26.9	94.8
1996	484	18.0	26.9	94.8
1997	525	18.0	29.2	94.9
1998	632	24.0	26.3	90.3
1999	682	25.0	27.3	94.9
2000	693	29.0	23.9	87.9
2001	698	34.5	20.2	90.5
2002	681	35.0	19.5	85.5
2003	681	35.0	19.5	85.5
2004	544	30.8	17.7	97
2005	476	28.0	17.0	101.9
2006	453	24.0	18.9	89.4
2007	393	23.0	17.1	100.5
2008	367	22.0	16.7	99.2
2009	351	21.0	15.3	99.1
2010	410	22.0	18.6	99.3
2011	462	n/a	n/a	80.1
2012	429	20.5	20.9	n/a
2013	451	16.0	28.1	99.3
2014	500	20.0	25.0	95.8
2015	505	22.0	22.9	87.5
2016	487	20.0	24.3	91.4
2017	503	20.0	25.1	95.8
2018	512	20.0	25.6	90.4
2019	520	18.0	28.8	93.1
2020	490	n/a	n/a	94.1
2021	492	20.0	24.6	93.1
2022	451	20.0	22.5	61.2
2023	444	19.6	22.5	58.6
2024	417	18.5	22.5	62.8

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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