Is Lowell Elementary a good school?

Lowell Elementary ranks in the bottom 2.9% of California elementary schools.

How many students attend Lowell Elementary?

In the 2022-23 school year, 476 students attended Lowell Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Lowell Elementary?

Students at Lowell Elementary are 99% Hispanic.

What schools do graduates of Lowell Elementary attend?

Students who attend Lowell Elementary usually go on to attend: Middle : Willard Intermediate High : Santa Ana High

Lowell Elementary

Summary:

Lowell Elementary is a public elementary school in Santa Ana, California, serving 476 students in grades K-5. The school is part of the Santa Ana Unified School District, which is ranked 1241 out of 1568 districts in the state and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Lowell Elementary consistently ranks in the bottom 5-10% of California elementary schools in statewide assessments, with proficiency rates well below the state and district averages in English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science. For example, in the 2023-2024 school year, only 15.11% of Lowell students were proficient or better in ELA, compared to 30.96% in the Santa Ana Unified district and 47.04% statewide. The school's performance is particularly low in 3rd grade ELA (5.48% proficient) and 5th grade Math (6.67% proficient). Lowell Elementary also has a high percentage of socioeconomically disadvantaged students (76.47%) and English Language Learners, ranking in the bottom 10% of California elementary schools for these student groups.

Nearby Franklin Elementary, Martin Elementary, and Martin R. Heninger Elementary generally perform better than Lowell Elementary on academic assessments, with higher proficiency rates in ELA and Math. Additionally, the nearby Edward B. Cole Academy and Orange County Educational Arts Academy charter schools also outperform Lowell Elementary, with proficiency rates closer to or above the state averages.

Detail:

Public K-5

700 South Flower St.
Santa Ana, CA 92703-4896

(714) 972-6300

District: Santa Ana Unified

SchoolDigger Rank:
5691^st of 5,862 California Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $7,652

Students who attend Lowell Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Willard Intermediate
High:	Santa Ana High

Student/teacher ratio: 19.8

Number of students: 476

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

98.7%

Asian:

0.6%

White:

0.2%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 76.5%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Lowell Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Lowell Elementary ranks worse than 97.1% of elementary schools in California. It also ranks 33^rd among 34 ranked elementary schools in the Santa Ana Unified School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 9.6. (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 (98.7%), Asian (0.6%), American Indian (0.2%). (See more...)

Compare Details 76.5% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Lowell Elementary is 19.8, which is the 16^th best among 34 elementary schools in the Santa Ana Unified School District. (See more...)

Compare Lowell Elementary employs 23.9 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Lowell Elementary is $7,652, which is the 17^th highest among 34 elementary schools in the Santa Ana Unified School District.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Lowell Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Lowell Elementary 5691^st of 5862 California public elementary schools. (See Lowell Elementary in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

English Language Learner students:

Special Education students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

Hispanic students:

Santa Ana Unified:

SchoolDigger ranks Santa Ana Unified 1241^st of 1568 California school districts. (See district ranking list.)

What do you think?

Your rating for Lowell Elementary?

(Ranking FAQ)

Rank History for Lowell Elementary

Compare

Rank History for all students at Lowell Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2004	7.42	4763^rd	4809	1.0%
2005	8.57	4712^th	4822	2.3%
2006	7.52	4718^th	4818	2.1%
2007	9.64	4932^nd	5113	3.5%
2008	11.34	4856^th	5113	5.0%
2009	14.64	4756^th	5193	8.4%
2010	16.17	4842^nd	5314	8.9%
2011	22.41	4513^th	5377	16.1%
2012	26.83	4175^th	5390	22.5%
2013	26.51	4309^th	5530	22.1%
2015	20.64	4560^th	5611	18.7%
2016	14.12	5119^th	5614	8.8%
2017	14.52	5158^th	5692	9.4%
2018	15.45	5055^th	5662	10.7%
2019	14.20	5296^th	5789	8.5%
2022	16.72	5193^rd	5883	11.7%
2023	9.59	5724^th	5874	2.6%
2024	9.60	5691^st	5862	2.9%

See the entire list of California Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Lowell Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	38.20	1860^th	3246	42.7%
2019	37.81	1933^rd	3275	41.0%
2022	32.50	2414^th	3311	27.1%
2023	23.05	2995^th	3250	7.8%
2024	22.89	2954^th	3160	6.5%

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

Rank History for Special Education students at Lowell Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	27.01	1797^th	2420	25.7%
2024	19.11	2437^th	2634	7.5%

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

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Lowell Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	21.13	4397^th	5084	13.5%
2019	19.80	4578^th	5173	11.5%
2022	21.92	4504^th	5264	14.4%
2023	10.70	5262^nd	5374	2.1%
2024	11.10	5344^th	5511	3.0%

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

Rank History for Homeless students at Lowell Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	9.81	334^th	336	0.6%

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

Rank History for Female students at Lowell Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	19.82	4557^th	5413	15.8%
2019	16.78	4891^st	5492	10.9%
2022	15.95	5097^th	5635	9.5%
2023	10.68	5471^st	5617	2.6%
2024	13.74	5214^th	5605	7.0%

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

Rank History for Disabled students at Lowell Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	26.40	1622^nd	2128	23.8%
2019	30.74	1757^th	2585	32.0%
2022	23.65	1822^nd	2227	18.2%

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

Rank History for Male students at Lowell Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	12.59	5114^th	5431	5.8%
2019	13.41	5157^th	5510	6.4%
2022	19.03	4803^rd	5663	15.2%
2023	10.08	5518^th	5650	2.3%
2024	7.67	5577^th	5636	1.0%

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

Rank History for Hispanic students at Lowell Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	21.96	4115^th	4830	14.8%
2019	20.29	4352^nd	4963	12.3%
2022	23.56	4234^th	5084	16.7%
2023	12.31	4942^nd	5098	3.1%
2024	12.75	4887^th	5102	4.2%

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

We're sorry, but no reviews have been submitted for Lowell Elementary.

If you have first-hand knowledge about Lowell Elementary, submit a rating!

Reviews:
No reviews have been submitted!

Enrollment information for Lowell Elementary

Compare

Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	30	19	14	1221	0	n/a	n/a	0	1284
1989	12	5	12	1322	0	n/a	n/a	0	1351
1990	17	3	0	1298	0	n/a	n/a	0	1318
1991	17	3	5	1287	0	n/a	n/a	0	1312
1992	8	6	5	1345	0	n/a	n/a	0	1364
1993	6	2	6	1090	0	n/a	n/a	0	1104
1994	3	0	6	1176	0	n/a	n/a	0	1185
1995	4	0	1	984	0	n/a	n/a	0	989
1996	4	0	1	984	0	n/a	n/a	0	989
1997	4	2	0	1058	0	n/a	n/a	0	1064
1998	9	0	0	1018	0	n/a	n/a	0	1027
1999	4	0	1	1013	0	n/a	n/a	3	1021
2000	1	0	2	1044	0	n/a	n/a	9	1056
2001	1	0	1	1054	0	n/a	n/a	3	1059
2002	1	0	1	1090	0	n/a	n/a	0	1092
2003	1	0	1	1090	0	n/a	n/a	0	1092
2004	0	0	0	1048	0	n/a	n/a	0	1048
2005	5	1	1	995	0	n/a	n/a	27	1029
2006	2	1	1	927	0	n/a	n/a	0	931
2007	1	1	0	903	0	n/a	n/a	2	907
2008	4	n/a	n/a	904	n/a	n/a	n/a	0	908
2009	3	0	0	887	0	0	2	0	892
2010	2	0	0	879	0	0	0	0	881
2011	1	0	0	885	0	0	0	0	886
2012	0	0	2	882	0	0	0	0	884
2013	0	1	1	862	0	0	0	0	864
2014	0	0	2	897	1	0	0	0	900
2015	0	0	1	913	1	0	0	0	915
2016	4	0	0	921	2	0	0	0	927
2017	3	0	1	842	1	0	0	0	847
2018	2	2	1	772	1	0	1	0	779
2019	1	2	3	700	2	0	1	0	709
2020	1	3	2	622	1	0	1	0	630
2021	2	3	3	564	0	0	1	0	573
2022	1	1	2	521	3	0	1	0	529
2023	1	1	3	470	1	0	0	0	476

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 Lowell Elementary

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	1284	48.0	26.7	n/a
1989	1351	45.5	29.6	n/a
1990	1318	49.0	26.8	n/a
1991	1312	48.0	27.3	n/a
1992	1364	48.8	27.9	73.8
1993	1104	39.0	28.3	82.2
1994	1185	43.0	27.6	86.6
1995	989	37.0	26.7	91
1996	989	37.0	26.7	91
1997	1064	42.0	25.3	87.8
1998	1027	49.6	20.7	89.4
1999	1021	47.6	21.4	89.4
2000	1056	48.0	22.0	91.7
2001	1059	53.0	20.0	87.5
2002	1092	55.0	19.9	92.8
2003	1092	55.0	19.9	92.8
2004	1048	51.0	20.5	96
2005	1029	47.0	21.9	96.5
2006	931	44.0	21.2	90.9
2007	907	41.5	21.9	90.6
2008	908	48.0	18.9	94.1
2009	892	44.6	19.6	97.4
2010	881	40.0	22.0	96.9
2011	886	n/a	n/a	96.3
2012	884	36.0	24.5	n/a
2013	864	30.0	28.8	99.2
2014	900	32.0	28.1	97.3
2015	915	35.0	26.1	89.9
2016	927	35.0	26.4	95
2017	847	33.0	25.6	90.8
2018	779	31.0	25.1	88.6
2019	709	28.0	25.3	86.5
2020	630	n/a	n/a	88.3
2021	573	25.0	22.9	89.5
2022	529	26.8	19.6	59.5
2023	476	23.9	19.8	76.5

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 Lowell Elementary

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	1284	48.0	26.7	n/a
1989	1351	45.5	29.6	n/a
1990	1318	49.0	26.8	n/a
1991	1312	48.0	27.3	n/a
1992	1364	48.8	27.9	73.8
1993	1104	39.0	28.3	82.2
1994	1185	43.0	27.6	86.6
1995	989	37.0	26.7	91
1996	989	37.0	26.7	91
1997	1064	42.0	25.3	87.8
1998	1027	49.6	20.7	89.4
1999	1021	47.6	21.4	89.4
2000	1056	48.0	22.0	91.7
2001	1059	53.0	20.0	87.5
2002	1092	55.0	19.9	92.8
2003	1092	55.0	19.9	92.8
2004	1048	51.0	20.5	96
2005	1029	47.0	21.9	96.5
2006	931	44.0	21.2	90.9
2007	907	41.5	21.9	90.6
2008	908	48.0	18.9	94.1
2009	892	44.6	19.6	97.4
2010	881	40.0	22.0	96.9
2011	886	n/a	n/a	96.3
2012	884	36.0	24.5	n/a
2013	864	30.0	28.8	99.2
2014	900	32.0	28.1	97.3
2015	915	35.0	26.1	89.9
2016	927	35.0	26.4	95
2017	847	33.0	25.6	90.8
2018	779	31.0	25.1	88.6
2019	709	28.0	25.3	86.5
2020	630	n/a	n/a	88.3
2021	573	25.0	22.9	89.5
2022	529	26.8	19.6	59.5
2023	476	23.9	19.8	76.5

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.

Kindergarten Immunization Rates