Is Martin Luther King Junior Elementary a good school?

Martin Luther King Junior Elementary ranks in the bottom 6.3% of California elementary schools.

How many students attend Martin Luther King Junior Elementary?

In the 2022-23 school year, 481 students attended Martin Luther King Junior Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Martin Luther King Junior Elementary?

Students at Martin Luther King Junior Elementary are 99% Hispanic, 1% Asian.

What schools do graduates of Martin Luther King Junior Elementary attend?

Students who attend Martin Luther King Junior Elementary usually go on to attend: Middle : Gerald P. Carr Intermediate High : Valley High

Martin Luther King Junior Elementary

Summary:

Martin Luther King Junior Elementary is a public elementary school in Santa Ana, California, serving 481 students from kindergarten to 5th grade. 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.

Martin Luther King Junior Elementary consistently ranks in the bottom 10-15% of California elementary schools, with significantly lower academic performance than the district and state averages across all grade levels and subject areas. For example, in the 2023-2024 school year, only 19.4% of 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 high chronic absenteeism rate of 15.5%, notably higher than the district's 30.6%. Additionally, 84.62% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a high percentage of students from low-socioeconomic backgrounds.

Compared to nearby schools like Lowell Elementary, Monte Vista Elementary, and Martin Elementary, Martin Luther King Junior Elementary performs significantly worse academically, has higher chronic absenteeism, and serves a higher percentage of students from low-income families. The school's performance has also generally declined over the past several years, in contrast to the district and state trends.

Detail:

Public K-5

1001 South Graham Ln.
Santa Ana, CA 92703-4726

(714) 972-6000

District: Santa Ana Unified

SchoolDigger Rank:
5491^st of 5,862 California Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $7,068

Students who attend Martin Luther King Junior Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Gerald P. Carr Intermediate
High:	Valley High

Student/teacher ratio: 18.2

Number of students: 481

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

98.5%

Asian:

1.2%

White:

0.2%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 84.6%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Martin Luther King Junior Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Martin Luther King Junior Elementary ranks worse than 93.7% of elementary schools in California. It also ranks 29^th among 34 ranked elementary schools in the Santa Ana Unified School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 12.79. (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 (98.5%), Asian (1.2%), White (0.2%). (See more...)

Compare Details 84.6% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Martin Luther King Junior Elementary is 18.2, which is the 5^th best among 34 elementary schools in the Santa Ana Unified School District. (See more...)

Compare Martin Luther King Junior Elementary employs 26.3 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Martin Luther King Junior Elementary is $7,068. 27 elementary schools in the Santa Ana Unified School District spend more per student.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Martin Luther King Junior Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Martin Luther King Junior Elementary 5491^st of 5862 California public elementary schools. (See Martin Luther King Junior 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 Martin Luther King Junior Elementary

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Rank History for all students at Martin Luther King Junior Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2004	11.09	4611^th	4809	4.1%
2005	10.27	4644^th	4822	3.7%
2006	9.18	4667^th	4818	3.1%
2007	12.85	4782^nd	5113	6.5%
2008	37.78	3084^th	5113	39.7%
2009	50.83	2437^th	5193	53.1%
2010	41.30	3090^th	5314	41.9%
2011	48.12	2718^th	5377	49.5%
2012	51.86	2505^th	5390	53.5%
2013	40.48	3289^th	5530	40.5%
2015	13.85	5219^th	5611	7.0%
2016	11.61	5334^th	5614	5.0%
2017	14.16	5186^th	5692	8.9%
2018	16.82	4942^nd	5662	12.7%
2019	14.75	5257^th	5789	9.2%
2022	14.49	5405^th	5883	8.1%
2023	15.26	5300^th	5874	9.8%
2024	12.79	5491^st	5862	6.3%

See the entire list of California Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Martin Luther King Junior Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	26.55	2626^th	3246	19.1%
2019	19.22	3218^th	3275	1.7%
2022	33.50	2321^st	3311	29.9%
2023	34.01	2243^rd	3250	31.0%
2024	34.37	2224^th	3160	29.6%

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

Rank History for Special Education students at Martin Luther King Junior Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	19.43	2219^th	2420	8.3%
2024	22.67	2260^th	2634	14.2%

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

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Martin Luther King Junior Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	23.97	4192^nd	5084	17.5%
2019	20.81	4514^th	5173	12.7%
2022	20.47	4618^th	5264	12.3%
2023	20.72	4655^th	5374	13.4%
2024	15.37	5118^th	5511	7.1%

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

Rank History for Homeless students at Martin Luther King Junior Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2022	41.32	202^nd	356	43.3%
2023	40.28	192^nd	336	42.9%
2024	22.20	324^th	364	11.0%

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

Rank History for Female students at Martin Luther King Junior Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	12.50	5102^nd	5413	5.7%
2019	15.26	5014^th	5492	8.7%
2022	16.07	5086^th	5635	9.7%
2023	19.59	4736^th	5617	15.7%
2024	14.46	5165^th	5605	7.9%

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

Rank History for Disabled students at Martin Luther King Junior Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	36.32	1168^th	2128	45.1%
2019	29.53	1823^rd	2585	29.5%
2022	19.70	2029^th	2227	8.9%

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

Rank History for Male students at Martin Luther King Junior Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	22.76	4307^th	5431	20.7%
2019	15.74	4999^th	5510	9.3%
2022	14.39	5269^th	5663	7.0%
2023	13.12	5307^th	5650	6.1%
2024	12.73	5321^st	5636	5.6%

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

Rank History for Hispanic students at Martin Luther King Junior Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	23.79	3994^th	4830	17.3%
2019	20.68	4326^th	4963	12.8%
2022	19.93	4504^th	5084	11.4%
2023	21.35	4389^th	5098	13.9%
2024	16.44	4688^th	5102	8.1%

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 Martin Luther King Junior Elementary

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1997	6	16	11	764	0	n/a	n/a	0	797
1998	2	8	15	885	0	n/a	n/a	0	910
1999	2	7	10	1004	0	n/a	n/a	0	1023
2000	4	8	15	1028	0	n/a	n/a	1	1056
2001	2	6	12	1061	0	n/a	n/a	0	1081
2002	0	8	8	1014	0	n/a	n/a	1	1031
2003	0	8	8	1014	0	n/a	n/a	1	1031
2004	0	6	8	960	0	n/a	n/a	24	998
2005	0	4	8	929	0	n/a	n/a	2	943
2006	1	6	5	885	1	n/a	n/a	0	898
2007	4	3	4	856	0	n/a	n/a	2	869
2008	4	5	2	813	n/a	n/a	n/a	0	824
2009	4	4	0	812	0	1	1	0	822
2010	3	2	0	847	0	0	0	0	852
2011	1	3	0	824	1	0	0	0	829
2012	3	3	1	825	1	0	0	0	833
2013	2	1	1	836	1	0	0	0	841
2014	0	2	2	826	1	0	0	0	831
2015	0	1	2	798	0	0	0	0	801
2016	2	1	2	743	5	1	0	0	754
2017	2	0	2	735	5	0	0	0	744
2018	2	0	2	681	5	0	0	0	690
2019	2	0	2	630	6	0	0	0	640
2020	2	0	3	598	6	0	0	0	609
2021	0	0	4	550	5	0	1	0	560
2022	0	0	4	497	4	0	1	0	506
2023	1	0	6	474	0	0	0	0	481

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 Martin Luther King Junior Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1997	797	31.2	25.5	87.6
1998	910	40.4	22.5	90.8
1999	1023	44.4	23.0	86.4
2000	1056	51.4	20.5	93.1
2001	1081	54.0	20.0	90.8
2002	1031	54.0	19.1	91.8
2003	1031	54.0	19.1	91.8
2004	998	52.0	19.2	96
2005	943	43.0	21.9	91.6
2006	898	43.0	20.9	89.9
2007	869	43.5	20.0	87.2
2008	824	42.0	19.6	94.1
2009	822	38.0	20.6	96.4
2010	852	32.0	26.6	97.3
2011	829	n/a	n/a	96.7
2012	833	31.0	26.8	n/a
2013	841	29.5	28.5	99.6
2014	831	29.5	28.1	97.8
2015	801	30.0	26.7	90
2016	754	30.0	25.1	96.8
2017	744	29.0	25.6	93.7
2018	690	27.0	25.5	92.2
2019	640	26.0	24.6	93.1
2020	609	n/a	n/a	91.8
2021	560	24.0	23.3	88.8
2022	506	26.2	19.2	69.2
2023	481	26.3	18.2	84.6

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 Martin Luther King Junior Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1997	797	31.2	25.5	87.6
1998	910	40.4	22.5	90.8
1999	1023	44.4	23.0	86.4
2000	1056	51.4	20.5	93.1
2001	1081	54.0	20.0	90.8
2002	1031	54.0	19.1	91.8
2003	1031	54.0	19.1	91.8
2004	998	52.0	19.2	96
2005	943	43.0	21.9	91.6
2006	898	43.0	20.9	89.9
2007	869	43.5	20.0	87.2
2008	824	42.0	19.6	94.1
2009	822	38.0	20.6	96.4
2010	852	32.0	26.6	97.3
2011	829	n/a	n/a	96.7
2012	833	31.0	26.8	n/a
2013	841	29.5	28.5	99.6
2014	831	29.5	28.1	97.8
2015	801	30.0	26.7	90
2016	754	30.0	25.1	96.8
2017	744	29.0	25.6	93.7
2018	690	27.0	25.5	92.2
2019	640	26.0	24.6	93.1
2020	609	n/a	n/a	91.8
2021	560	24.0	23.3	88.8
2022	506	26.2	19.2	69.2
2023	481	26.3	18.2	84.6

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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