Is Washington Elementary a good school?

Washington Elementary ranks in the bottom 20.3% of California elementary schools.

How many students attend Washington Elementary?

In the 2022-23 school year, 559 students attended Washington Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Washington Elementary?

Students at Washington Elementary are 97% Hispanic, 1% White, 1% African American.

What schools do graduates of Washington Elementary attend?

Students who attend Washington Elementary usually go on to attend: High : Saddleback High

Washington Elementary

Summary:

Washington Elementary is a public elementary school in Santa Ana, California, serving 559 students in grades K-5. The school faces significant challenges, including low academic performance, high rates of poverty, and increasing chronic absenteeism.

Washington Elementary has consistently ranked in the bottom quartile of California elementary schools, with test scores in English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science that are lower than the Santa Ana Unified School District and the state of California averages. For example, in 2023-2024, only 30.2% of Washington Elementary students were proficient or better in English Language Arts, compared to 30.96% in the district and 47.04% statewide. The school also has a very high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 76.4% to 91.44% over the past few years, which is significantly higher than nearby schools like Thomas A. Edison Elementary (71.87%) and Monroe Elementary (80%).

Another concerning trend at Washington Elementary is the sharp increase in chronic absenteeism, rising from 6.4% in 2017-2018 to 39.1% in 2021-2022, which is notably higher than the nearby schools. This high rate of chronic absenteeism, coupled with the school's low academic performance and high poverty levels, suggests that Washington Elementary faces significant socioeconomic challenges that may be impacting student achievement. Addressing these underlying issues could be crucial in improving student outcomes at the school.

Detail:

Public K-5

910 West Anahurst Pl.
Santa Ana, CA 92707-2501

(714) 440-5100

District: Santa Ana Unified

SchoolDigger Rank:
4674^th of 5,862 California Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $7,720

Students who attend Washington Elementary usually attend:

High:

Saddleback High

Student/teacher ratio: 18.9

Number of students: 559

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

96.6%

White:

1.1%

African American:

1.1%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 87.7%

See top rated California elementary schools

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Performance Trends

Compare Details Washington Elementary ranks worse than 79.7% of elementary schools in California. It also ranks 21^st among 34 ranked elementary schools in the Santa Ana Unified School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 21.97. (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 (96.6%), African American (1.1%), White (1.1%). (See more...)

Compare Details 87.7% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Washington Elementary is 18.9, which is the 8^th best among 34 elementary schools in the Santa Ana Unified School District. (See more...)

Compare Washington Elementary employs 29.4 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Washington Elementary is $7,720, which is the 13^th highest among 34 elementary schools in the Santa Ana Unified School District.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Washington Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Washington Elementary 4674^th of 5862 California public elementary schools. (See Washington 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:

Homeless 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.)

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Rank History for Washington Elementary

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Rank History for all students at Washington Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2004	27.49	3394^th	4809	29.4%
2005	19.30	4020^th	4822	16.6%
2006	9.75	4641^st	4818	3.7%
2007	16.58	4533^rd	5113	11.3%
2008	25.20	3951^st	5113	22.7%
2009	35.31	3345^th	5193	35.6%
2010	38.88	3239^th	5314	39.0%
2011	43.03	3024^th	5377	43.8%
2012	38.32	3368^th	5390	37.5%
2013	34.44	3713^th	5530	32.9%
2015	20.70	4555^th	5611	18.8%
2016	20.86	4546^th	5614	19.0%
2017	24.11	4332^nd	5692	23.9%
2018	20.33	4650^th	5662	17.9%
2019	12.28	5434^th	5789	6.1%
2022	19.20	4938^th	5883	16.1%
2023	24.04	4453^rd	5874	24.2%
2024	21.97	4674^th	5862	20.3%

See the entire list of California Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Washington Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	27.91	2533^rd	3246	22.0%
2019	25.18	2859^th	3275	12.7%
2022	37.89	1969^th	3311	40.5%
2023	34.39	2216^th	3250	31.8%
2024	28.36	2659^th	3160	15.9%

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

Rank History for Special Education students at Washington Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	41.09	1186^th	2420	51.0%
2024	30.12	1813^th	2634	31.2%

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

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Washington Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	30.19	3755^th	5084	26.1%
2019	17.32	4723^rd	5173	8.7%
2022	26.89	4087^th	5264	22.4%
2023	34.13	3554^th	5374	33.9%
2024	28.33	4112^th	5511	25.4%

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

Rank History for Homeless students at Washington Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2022	44.48	180^th	356	49.4%
2023	54.33	122^nd	336	63.7%
2024	52.36	149^th	364	59.1%

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

Rank History for Female students at Washington Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	21.35	4424^th	5413	18.3%
2019	11.44	5232^nd	5492	4.7%
2022	17.05	4995^th	5635	11.4%
2023	24.11	4318^th	5617	23.1%
2024	23.98	4346^th	5605	22.5%

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

Rank History for Disabled students at Washington Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	26.34	1626^th	2128	23.6%
2019	27.07	1949^th	2585	24.6%
2022	32.44	1371^st	2227	38.4%

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

Rank History for Male students at Washington Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	20.39	4529^th	5431	16.6%
2019	14.57	5084^th	5510	7.7%
2022	22.10	4502^nd	5663	20.5%
2023	25.07	4254^th	5650	24.7%
2024	21.50	4565^th	5636	19.0%

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

Rank History for Hispanic students at Washington Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	28.70	3645^th	4830	24.5%
2019	16.86	4569^th	4963	7.9%
2022	27.80	3888^th	5084	23.5%
2023	34.69	3341^st	5098	34.5%
2024	30.32	3714^th	5102	27.2%

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

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Enrollment information for Washington Elementary

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	82	6	106	817	0	n/a	n/a	0	1011
1989	69	2	91	911	0	n/a	n/a	0	1073
1990	47	1	72	996	0	n/a	n/a	0	1116
1991	24	1	67	1050	0	n/a	n/a	0	1142
1992	34	2	65	1003	0	n/a	n/a	0	1104
1993	45	1	44	1047	0	n/a	n/a	0	1137
1994	47	3	58	982	0	n/a	n/a	0	1090
1995	23	1	42	1012	0	n/a	n/a	0	1078
1996	23	1	42	1012	0	n/a	n/a	0	1078
1997	23	2	33	1133	0	n/a	n/a	0	1191
1998	13	0	29	1251	0	n/a	n/a	0	1293
1999	10	0	28	1309	0	n/a	n/a	0	1347
2000	4	0	23	1288	0	n/a	n/a	12	1327
2001	3	2	30	1281	0	n/a	n/a	3	1319
2002	3	0	19	1330	1	n/a	n/a	1	1354
2003	3	0	19	1330	1	n/a	n/a	1	1354
2004	7	1	24	1282	0	n/a	n/a	6	1320
2005	11	0	37	1299	0	n/a	n/a	0	1347
2006	7	1	35	1194	0	n/a	n/a	4	1241
2007	10	0	33	1166	0	n/a	n/a	0	1209
2008	8	n/a	21	1123	n/a	n/a	n/a	0	1152
2009	6	0	13	1109	0	7	2	0	1137
2010	10	0	9	1027	0	9	0	0	1055
2011	9	1	10	980	1	6	1	0	1008
2012	3	4	4	951	1	2	1	0	966
2013	1	2	4	951	1	3	2	0	964
2014	3	1	7	937	1	3	6	0	958
2015	5	3	6	890	0	4	0	0	908
2016	3	0	8	869	0	1	0	0	881
2017	4	0	11	806	0	2	0	0	823
2018	6	1	10	783	0	3	4	0	807
2019	4	1	9	730	0	1	5	0	750
2020	4	1	7	671	1	1	5	0	690
2021	4	1	5	614	0	2	5	0	631
2022	8	1	4	574	1	1	0	0	589
2023	6	6	5	540	0	1	1	0	559

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 Washington Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	1011	35.0	28.8	n/a
1989	1073	38.0	28.2	n/a
1990	1116	38.0	29.3	n/a
1991	1142	40.0	28.5	n/a
1992	1104	40.6	27.1	72.7
1993	1137	39.3	28.9	73.5
1994	1090	37.0	29.5	76.1
1995	1078	40.0	27.0	74.7
1996	1078	40.0	27.0	74.7
1997	1191	48.0	24.8	76.4
1998	1293	53.8	24.0	78.6
1999	1347	57.8	23.3	82
2000	1327	60.8	21.8	79
2001	1319	67.3	19.6	78.1
2002	1354	67.0	20.2	82.4
2003	1354	67.0	20.2	82.4
2004	1320	62.8	21.0	87
2005	1347	60.4	22.3	85.7
2006	1241	57.0	21.8	58.6
2007	1209	52.5	23.0	81.8
2008	1152	54.0	21.3	88.5
2009	1137	50.8	21.9	92.7
2010	1055	42.0	25.1	92.3
2011	1008	n/a	n/a	92.1
2012	966	36.1	26.7	n/a
2013	964	34.6	27.8	98.5
2014	958	33.8	28.3	95.3
2015	908	38.0	23.8	89.5
2016	881	35.0	25.1	94
2017	823	32.0	25.7	90.6
2018	807	30.0	26.9	90.5
2019	750	30.0	25.0	92.1
2020	690	n/a	n/a	92.2
2021	631	28.0	22.5	91.4
2022	589	27.6	21.2	76.4
2023	559	29.4	18.9	87.7

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 Washington Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	1011	35.0	28.8	n/a
1989	1073	38.0	28.2	n/a
1990	1116	38.0	29.3	n/a
1991	1142	40.0	28.5	n/a
1992	1104	40.6	27.1	72.7
1993	1137	39.3	28.9	73.5
1994	1090	37.0	29.5	76.1
1995	1078	40.0	27.0	74.7
1996	1078	40.0	27.0	74.7
1997	1191	48.0	24.8	76.4
1998	1293	53.8	24.0	78.6
1999	1347	57.8	23.3	82
2000	1327	60.8	21.8	79
2001	1319	67.3	19.6	78.1
2002	1354	67.0	20.2	82.4
2003	1354	67.0	20.2	82.4
2004	1320	62.8	21.0	87
2005	1347	60.4	22.3	85.7
2006	1241	57.0	21.8	58.6
2007	1209	52.5	23.0	81.8
2008	1152	54.0	21.3	88.5
2009	1137	50.8	21.9	92.7
2010	1055	42.0	25.1	92.3
2011	1008	n/a	n/a	92.1
2012	966	36.1	26.7	n/a
2013	964	34.6	27.8	98.5
2014	958	33.8	28.3	95.3
2015	908	38.0	23.8	89.5
2016	881	35.0	25.1	94
2017	823	32.0	25.7	90.6
2018	807	30.0	26.9	90.5
2019	750	30.0	25.0	92.1
2020	690	n/a	n/a	92.2
2021	631	28.0	22.5	91.4
2022	589	27.6	21.2	76.4
2023	559	29.4	18.9	87.7

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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