Is Pio Pico Elementary a good school?

Pio Pico Elementary ranks in the bottom 3.9% of California elementary schools.

How many students attend Pio Pico Elementary?

In the 2022-23 school year, 436 students attended Pio Pico Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Pio Pico Elementary?

Students at Pio Pico Elementary are 99% Hispanic.

What schools do graduates of Pio Pico Elementary attend?

Students who attend Pio Pico Elementary usually go on to attend: Middle : Julia C. Lathrop Intermediate High : Santa Ana High

Pio Pico Elementary

Summary:

Pio Pico Elementary is a public elementary school in Santa Ana, California, serving 436 students in grades K-7. The school is part of the Santa Ana Unified School District, which has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Pio Pico Elementary consistently ranks in the bottom 5% 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 2023-2024, only 14.75% of Pio Pico students were proficient or better in English Language Arts, compared to 30.96% for the district and 47.04% for the state. The school also has a high rate of chronic absenteeism, rising from 4.1% in 2018-2019 to 22.5% in 2022-2023, which is notably higher than the district average and nearby schools like Franklin Elementary and Heroes Elementary. Additionally, Pio Pico has a very high percentage of students from low-socioeconomic backgrounds, with 90.14% qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, significantly higher than the district average and nearby schools.

Compared to nearby schools within the Santa Ana Unified School District, Pio Pico Elementary's performance is notably worse across various metrics, including academic achievement, chronic absenteeism, and socioeconomic status. The school's declining performance over the years, with its statewide ranking dropping from around the 4,000s in 2016-2017 to the 5,600s in 2023-2024, is a cause for concern and suggests that the school may be facing significant challenges in addressing the educational needs of its students, particularly for subgroups like English Language Learners and students with disabilities.

Detail:

Public K-7

931 West Highland
Santa Ana, CA 92703-4809

(714) 972-7500

District: Santa Ana Unified

SchoolDigger Rank:
5632^nd of 5,862 California Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $7,941

Students who attend Pio Pico Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Julia C. Lathrop Intermediate
High:	Santa Ana High

Student/teacher ratio: 21.7

Number of students: 436

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

99.3%

White:

0.2%

African American:

0.2%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 90.1%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Pio Pico Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Pio Pico Elementary ranks worse than 96.1% of elementary schools in California. It also ranks 32^nd among 34 ranked elementary schools in the Santa Ana Unified School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 10.81. (See more...)

Compare Details Pio Pico Elementary ranks worse than 97.9% of middle schools in California. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 7.49. (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 Pio Pico Elementary has the largest elementary school student body size in the Santa Ana Unified School District. (See more...)

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Teachers

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Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Pio Pico Elementary is $7,941, which is the 9^th highest among 34 elementary schools in the Santa Ana Unified School District.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Pio Pico Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Pio Pico Elementary 5632^nd of 5862 California public elementary schools. (See Pio Pico 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:

SchoolDigger ranks Pio Pico Elementary 2719^th of 2777 California public middle schools. (See Pio Pico Elementary in the ranking list.)

Middle School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Low Socio Economic Status 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 Pio Pico Elementary

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Rank History for all elementary school students at Pio Pico Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2004	16.53	4221^st	4809	12.2%
2005	15.15	4325^th	4822	10.3%
2006	15.30	4336^th	4818	10.0%
2007	16.72	4523^rd	5113	11.5%
2008	15.58	4623^rd	5113	9.6%
2009	25.15	4055^th	5193	21.9%
2010	22.39	4431^st	5314	16.6%
2011	13.95	5005^th	5377	6.9%
2012	15.62	4920^th	5390	8.7%
2013	16.52	4957^th	5530	10.4%
2015	23.90	4245^th	5611	24.3%
2016	22.02	4425^th	5614	21.2%
2017	28.49	3962^nd	5692	30.4%
2018	26.02	4156^th	5662	26.6%
2019	24.21	4435^th	5789	23.4%
2022	15.21	5347^th	5883	9.1%
2023	13.76	5425^th	5874	7.6%
2024	10.81	5632^nd	5862	3.9%

See the entire list of California Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for elementary school English Language Learner students at Pio Pico Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	36.24	1987^th	3246	38.8%
2019	36.01	2054^th	3275	37.3%
2022	35.39	2174^th	3311	34.3%
2023	28.73	2616^th	3250	19.5%
2024	22.38	2981^st	3160	5.7%

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

Rank History for elementary school Special Education students at Pio Pico Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	23.61	1990^th	2420	17.8%
2024	28.68	1905^th	2634	27.7%

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

Rank History for elementary school Low Socio Economic Status students at Pio Pico Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	35.70	3342^nd	5084	34.3%
2019	33.83	3579^th	5173	30.8%
2022	21.23	4558^th	5264	13.4%
2023	18.37	4820^th	5374	10.3%
2024	13.79	5213^th	5511	5.4%

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

Rank History for elementary school Female students at Pio Pico Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	27.74	3944^th	5413	27.1%
2019	27.87	4001^st	5492	27.1%
2022	13.80	5289^th	5635	6.1%
2023	14.30	5214^th	5617	7.2%
2024	12.96	5281^st	5605	5.8%

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

Rank History for elementary school Disabled students at Pio Pico Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2018	24.15	1755^th	2128	17.5%
2022	29.38	1521^st	2227	31.7%

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

Rank History for elementary school Male students at Pio Pico Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	25.46	4065^th	5431	25.2%
2019	21.47	4521^st	5510	17.9%
2022	18.40	4888^th	5663	13.7%
2023	12.49	5344^th	5650	5.4%
2024	10.55	5447^th	5636	3.4%

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

Rank History for elementary school Hispanic students at Pio Pico Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	36.67	3099^th	4830	35.8%
2019	33.06	3468^th	4963	30.1%
2022	21.10	4430^th	5084	12.9%
2023	18.42	4588^th	5098	10.0%
2024	14.00	4817^th	5102	5.6%

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

Data source: test scores: California Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

Rank History for Pio Pico Elementary

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Rank History for all middle school students at Pio Pico Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2024	7.49	2719^th	2777	2.1%

See the entire list of California Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for middle school Low Socio Economic Status students at Pio Pico Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2024	8.64	2521^st	2575	2.1%

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

Rank History for middle school Hispanic students at Pio Pico Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2024	8.92	2331^st	2383	2.2%

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 Pio Pico Elementary

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1992	1	0	3	315	0	n/a	n/a	0	319
1993	0	1	4	323	0	n/a	n/a	0	328
1994	1	1	2	318	0	n/a	n/a	0	322
1995	4	1	3	881	0	n/a	n/a	0	889
1996	4	1	3	881	0	n/a	n/a	0	889
1997	2	1	0	862	0	n/a	n/a	0	865
1998	2	1	0	887	0	n/a	n/a	0	890
1999	0	0	0	891	0	n/a	n/a	0	891
2000	0	1	0	938	0	n/a	n/a	9	948
2001	0	1	0	977	0	n/a	n/a	0	978
2002	0	1	0	890	0	n/a	n/a	0	891
2003	0	1	0	890	0	n/a	n/a	0	891
2004	0	1	0	822	0	n/a	n/a	5	828
2005	0	0	1	843	0	n/a	n/a	4	848
2006	1	0	1	842	0	n/a	n/a	4	848
2007	1	0	1	786	0	n/a	n/a	2	790
2008	1	n/a	1	720	n/a	n/a	n/a	0	722
2009	3	0	1	729	0	0	4	0	737
2010	1	0	1	698	0	0	0	0	700
2011	1	0	0	684	0	0	0	0	685
2012	1	0	0	692	0	0	0	0	693
2013	0	0	0	633	0	0	0	0	633
2014	0	0	1	632	0	0	1	0	634
2015	0	0	2	610	1	0	1	0	614
2016	0	0	5	614	1	0	0	0	620
2017	0	0	5	583	1	0	0	0	589
2018	0	0	3	538	1	0	0	0	542
2019	0	0	3	558	2	0	0	0	563
2020	0	0	3	507	2	0	0	0	512
2021	0	0	3	468	3	0	0	0	474
2022	0	1	1	449	1	0	0	0	452
2023	1	1	0	433	1	0	0	0	436

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 Pio Pico Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1992	319	n/a	n/a	88.7
1993	328	9.5	34.5	95.1
1994	322	11.0	29.3	94.7
1995	889	31.0	28.7	90.9
1996	889	31.0	28.7	90.9
1997	865	34.2	25.3	93.4
1998	890	39.8	22.4	93.4
1999	891	41.0	21.7	94.9
2000	948	42.0	22.6	90.9
2001	978	46.0	21.3	94.2
2002	891	43.0	20.7	93.3
2003	891	43.0	20.7	93.3
2004	828	41.0	20.2	94
2005	848	40.0	21.2	93.5
2006	848	40.0	21.2	88
2007	790	35.0	22.6	94.7
2008	722	34.5	20.9	98.5
2009	737	34.0	21.1	96.7
2010	700	29.0	24.1	97
2011	685	n/a	n/a	97.7
2012	693	26.0	26.6	n/a
2013	633	20.5	30.8	97.8
2014	634	21.5	29.4	98.1
2015	614	22.0	27.9	90.1
2016	620	23.0	26.9	93.7
2017	589	22.5	26.1	91.2
2018	542	20.0	27.1	88.9
2019	563	22.0	25.5	85.8
2020	512	n/a	n/a	86.9
2021	474	19.0	24.9	87.1
2022	452	21.4	21.0	62.2
2023	436	20.0	21.7	90.1

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 Pio Pico Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1992	319	n/a	n/a	88.7
1993	328	9.5	34.5	95.1
1994	322	11.0	29.3	94.7
1995	889	31.0	28.7	90.9
1996	889	31.0	28.7	90.9
1997	865	34.2	25.3	93.4
1998	890	39.8	22.4	93.4
1999	891	41.0	21.7	94.9
2000	948	42.0	22.6	90.9
2001	978	46.0	21.3	94.2
2002	891	43.0	20.7	93.3
2003	891	43.0	20.7	93.3
2004	828	41.0	20.2	94
2005	848	40.0	21.2	93.5
2006	848	40.0	21.2	88
2007	790	35.0	22.6	94.7
2008	722	34.5	20.9	98.5
2009	737	34.0	21.1	96.7
2010	700	29.0	24.1	97
2011	685	n/a	n/a	97.7
2012	693	26.0	26.6	n/a
2013	633	20.5	30.8	97.8
2014	634	21.5	29.4	98.1
2015	614	22.0	27.9	90.1
2016	620	23.0	26.9	93.7
2017	589	22.5	26.1	91.2
2018	542	20.0	27.1	88.9
2019	563	22.0	25.5	85.8
2020	512	n/a	n/a	86.9
2021	474	19.0	24.9	87.1
2022	452	21.4	21.0	62.2
2023	436	20.0	21.7	90.1

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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