Is Nicholas Elementary a good school?

Nicholas Elementary ranks in the bottom 7.8% of California elementary schools.

How many students attend Nicholas Elementary?

In the 2023-24 school year, 474 students attended Nicholas Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Nicholas Elementary?

Students at Nicholas Elementary are 47% Hispanic, 25% Asian, 13% African American, 5% Two or more races, 5% Pacific Islander, 4% White.

What schools do graduates of Nicholas Elementary attend?

Students who attend Nicholas Elementary usually go on to attend: Middle : Fern Bacon Middle High : Hiram W. Johnson High

Nicholas Elementary

Summary:

Nicholas Elementary is a public elementary school located in Sacramento, California, serving grades K-6 with a total enrollment of 534 students. The school is part of the Sacramento City Unified School District, which is ranked 1000 out of 1568 districts in California and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Nicholas Elementary consistently ranks in the bottom 10% of California elementary schools, with rankings between 5,000-5,400 out of around 5,800 schools. The school's academic performance is significantly below the state and district averages across all grade levels and subject areas. For example, in the 2023-2024 school year, only 18.15% of Nicholas Elementary students were proficient or better in English Language Arts, compared to 47.04% statewide and 38.95% in the Sacramento City Unified School District. Similarly, in Mathematics, only 14.49% of Nicholas Elementary students were proficient or better, compared to 35.54% statewide and 29.38% in the district. Additionally, Nicholas Elementary has experienced a significant increase in chronic absenteeism, rising from 18.7% in 2017-2018 to 42.0% in 2022-2023, which is much higher than the district average.

The nearby schools within the same district, such as Mark Twain Elementary, Pacific Elementary, and Bowling Green Elementary, also perform poorly academically, with proficiency rates in the single digits to low 20s for both English Language Arts and Mathematics. However, Camellia Elementary, which is slightly further away but still within the Sacramento City Unified School District, stands out as a high-performing school, with proficiency rates well above the district and state averages. This suggests that there is significant variability in academic performance within the same school district, and factors beyond just the district-level policies and resources may be contributing to the differences.

Detail:

Public K-6

5100 El Paraiso Ave.
Sacramento, CA 95824-4006

(916) 395-4655

District: Sacramento City Unified

SchoolDigger Rank:
5404^th of 5,862 California Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $6,316

Students who attend Nicholas Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Fern Bacon Middle
High:	Hiram W. Johnson High

Student/teacher ratio: 20.6

Number of students: 474

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

46.8%

Asian:

25.3%

African American:

12.7%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 89.5%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Nicholas Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Nicholas Elementary ranks worse than 92.2% of elementary schools in California. It also ranks 40^th among 49 ranked elementary schools in the Sacramento City Unified School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 13.74. (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 Student population at Nicholas Elementary is diverse. Racial makeup is: Hispanic (46.8%), Asian (25.3%), African American (12.7%). (See more...)

Compare Details 89.5% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Nicholas Elementary is 20.6, which is the 11^th best among 49 elementary schools in the Sacramento City Unified School District. (See more...)

Compare Nicholas Elementary employs 22.9 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Nicholas Elementary is $6,316. 41 elementary schools in the Sacramento City Unified School District spend more per student.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Nicholas Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Nicholas Elementary 5404^th of 5862 California public elementary schools. (See Nicholas 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:

Asian students:

Hispanic students:

Sacramento City Unified:

SchoolDigger ranks Sacramento City Unified 1000^th of 1568 California school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for Nicholas Elementary

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Rank History for all students at Nicholas Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2004	21.15	3863^rd	4809	19.7%
2005	26.44	3521^st	4822	27.0%
2006	30.77	3254^th	4818	32.5%
2007	35.17	3219^th	5113	37.0%
2008	38.63	3022^nd	5113	40.9%
2009	36.37	3283^rd	5193	36.8%
2010	25.94	4156^th	5314	21.8%
2011	21.28	4587^th	5377	14.7%
2012	15.23	4946^th	5390	8.2%
2013	8.09	5374^th	5530	2.8%
2015	14.16	5194^th	5611	7.4%
2016	14.76	5058^th	5614	9.9%
2017	12.99	5274^th	5692	7.3%
2018	15.65	5035^th	5662	11.1%
2019	12.92	5385^th	5789	7.0%
2022	16.05	5261^st	5883	10.6%
2023	14.39	5373^rd	5874	8.5%
2024	13.74	5404^th	5862	7.8%

See the entire list of California Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Nicholas Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	29.33	2440^th	3246	24.8%
2019	33.29	2254^th	3275	31.2%
2022	35.48	2169^th	3311	34.5%
2023	36.65	2034^th	3250	37.4%
2024	34.82	2191^st	3160	30.7%

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

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Nicholas Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	20.97	4410^th	5084	13.3%
2019	17.69	4708^th	5173	9.0%
2022	23.66	4360^th	5264	17.2%
2023	17.08	4900^th	5374	8.8%
2024	17.85	4949^th	5511	10.2%

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

Rank History for Female students at Nicholas Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	19.79	4562^nd	5413	15.7%
2019	15.64	4981^st	5492	9.3%
2022	16.83	5015^th	5635	11.0%
2023	14.91	5150^th	5617	8.3%
2024	13.46	5243^rd	5605	6.5%

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

Rank History for Disabled students at Nicholas Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	31.45	1363^rd	2128	35.9%
2019	31.46	1715^th	2585	33.7%
2022	24.51	1762^nd	2227	20.9%

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

Rank History for Male students at Nicholas Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	12.95	5095^th	5431	6.2%
2019	11.86	5267^th	5510	4.4%
2022	16.63	5061^st	5663	10.6%
2023	15.44	5130^th	5650	9.2%
2024	16.14	5064^th	5636	10.1%

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

Rank History for Asian students at Nicholas Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	5.47	1011^th	1071	5.6%
2019	1.67	1123^rd	1149	2.3%
2022	1.98	1121^st	1154	2.9%
2023	4.30	1120^th	1190	5.9%
2024	3.55	1148^th	1203	4.6%

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

Rank History for African American students at Nicholas Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	18.27	650^th	700	7.1%
2019	36.86	459^th	747	38.6%
2022	41.52	341^st	663	48.6%
2023	29.82	471^st	662	28.9%

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

Rank History for Hispanic students at Nicholas Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	18.67	4332^nd	4830	10.3%
2019	13.81	4717^th	4963	5.0%
2022	20.62	4465^th	5084	12.2%
2023	15.30	4778^th	5098	6.3%
2024	17.32	4638^th	5102	9.1%

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 Nicholas Elementary

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	189	164	196	101	10	n/a	n/a	0	660
1989	176	170	234	104	11	n/a	n/a	0	695
1990	177	151	223	126	8	n/a	n/a	0	685
1991	202	148	239	124	4	n/a	n/a	0	717
1992	186	144	269	120	10	n/a	n/a	0	729
1993	153	141	248	126	10	n/a	n/a	0	678
1994	135	150	243	121	5	n/a	n/a	0	654
1995	125	128	212	131	5	n/a	n/a	0	601
1996	125	128	212	131	5	n/a	n/a	0	601
1997	114	166	203	165	8	n/a	n/a	0	656
1998	109	137	152	169	5	n/a	n/a	0	572
1999	96	159	140	216	10	n/a	n/a	0	621
2000	78	151	140	234	8	n/a	n/a	3	614
2001	72	185	159	245	12	n/a	n/a	13	686
2002	51	161	165	287	8	n/a	n/a	0	672
2003	51	161	165	287	8	n/a	n/a	0	672
2004	44	157	128	298	10	n/a	n/a	7	644
2005	54	152	121	300	15	n/a	n/a	0	642
2006	63	148	144	276	7	n/a	n/a	6	644
2007	59	148	131	280	7	n/a	n/a	11	636
2008	60	118	116	319	2	n/a	n/a	0	615
2009	45	130	124	311	6	5	0	0	621
2010	28	115	155	307	1	2	27	0	635
2011	31	125	122	298	1	6	33	0	616
2012	28	120	116	303	3	11	35	0	616
2013	34	120	136	313	5	11	41	0	660
2014	30	108	119	337	2	13	43	0	652
2015	25	112	122	325	1	13	38	0	636
2016	21	105	133	346	1	3	44	0	653
2017	20	90	162	335	1	6	41	0	655
2018	15	110	162	318	1	9	36	0	651
2019	13	105	155	315	0	7	41	0	636
2020	16	101	152	289	0	18	42	0	618
2021	17	74	157	268	0	20	35	0	571
2022	18	88	138	258	2	11	26	0	541
2023	21	73	137	247	1	24	31	0	534
2024	21	60	120	222	2	23	26	0	474

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 Nicholas Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	660	23.0	28.6	n/a
1989	695	26.0	26.7	n/a
1990	685	27.5	24.9	n/a
1991	717	28.0	25.6	n/a
1992	729	28.5	25.5	89.7
1993	678	26.0	26.1	88.2
1994	654	25.0	26.2	93
1995	601	22.0	27.3	88.7
1996	601	22.0	27.3	88.7
1997	656	27.7	23.7	86
1998	572	30.2	18.9	94.9
1999	621	28.9	21.5	90
2000	614	30.0	20.5	91.5
2001	686	30.0	22.9	89
2002	672	34.5	19.5	77.7
2003	672	34.5	19.5	77.7
2004	644	32.0	20.1	95.1
2005	642	34.6	18.6	93.3
2006	644	34.8	18.5	93.9
2007	636	33.0	19.3	96.6
2008	615	35.0	17.6	90.6
2009	621	28.0	18.9	87.6
2010	635	28.0	22.6	96.7
2011	616	n/a	n/a	95.1
2012	616	22.2	27.7	n/a
2013	660	22.0	30.0	99.5
2014	652	23.0	28.3	88.7
2015	636	22.0	28.9	73.4
2016	653	24.0	27.2	83.9
2017	655	27.0	24.2	90.2
2018	651	27.0	24.1	89.1
2019	636	27.4	23.2	95.4
2020	618	n/a	n/a	95.3
2021	571	25.2	22.6	94.9
2022	541	24.7	21.8	90.4
2023	534	23.4	22.8	93.1
2024	474	22.9	20.6	89.5

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 Nicholas Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	660	23.0	28.6	n/a
1989	695	26.0	26.7	n/a
1990	685	27.5	24.9	n/a
1991	717	28.0	25.6	n/a
1992	729	28.5	25.5	89.7
1993	678	26.0	26.1	88.2
1994	654	25.0	26.2	93
1995	601	22.0	27.3	88.7
1996	601	22.0	27.3	88.7
1997	656	27.7	23.7	86
1998	572	30.2	18.9	94.9
1999	621	28.9	21.5	90
2000	614	30.0	20.5	91.5
2001	686	30.0	22.9	89
2002	672	34.5	19.5	77.7
2003	672	34.5	19.5	77.7
2004	644	32.0	20.1	95.1
2005	642	34.6	18.6	93.3
2006	644	34.8	18.5	93.9
2007	636	33.0	19.3	96.6
2008	615	35.0	17.6	90.6
2009	621	28.0	18.9	87.6
2010	635	28.0	22.6	96.7
2011	616	n/a	n/a	95.1
2012	616	22.2	27.7	n/a
2013	660	22.0	30.0	99.5
2014	652	23.0	28.3	88.7
2015	636	22.0	28.9	73.4
2016	653	24.0	27.2	83.9
2017	655	27.0	24.2	90.2
2018	651	27.0	24.1	89.1
2019	636	27.4	23.2	95.4
2020	618	n/a	n/a	95.3
2021	571	25.2	22.6	94.9
2022	541	24.7	21.8	90.4
2023	534	23.4	22.8	93.1
2024	474	22.9	20.6	89.5

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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