Is Ponderosa Elementary a good school?

Ponderosa Elementary ranks 1270 th of 5862 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Ponderosa Elementary?

In the 2022-23 school year, 501 students attended Ponderosa Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Ponderosa Elementary?

Students at Ponderosa Elementary are 45% Asian, 31% Hispanic, 19% White, 3% Two or more races, 1% African American.

What schools do graduates of Ponderosa Elementary attend?

Students who attend Ponderosa Elementary usually go on to attend: Middle : Marian A. Peterson Middle High : Adrian Wilcox High

Ponderosa Elementary

Summary:

Ponderosa Elementary is a public elementary school in Sunnyvale, California, serving 501 students in grades K-5. It is part of the Santa Clara Unified School District, which is ranked 406 out of 1,568 districts in the state.

Ponderosa Elementary consistently ranks in the top 25% of California elementary schools, with strong academic performance on state assessments that exceeds the district and state averages, particularly for its White and Asian student populations. However, the school faces challenges with increasing chronic absenteeism rates, which are higher than the district and state averages. Compared to nearby schools, Ponderosa outperforms most in the Santa Clara Unified district, but lags behind some top-performing schools in the Cupertino Union district, such as Louis E. Stocklmeir Elementary.

Ponderosa's relatively low percentage of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, around 30%, suggests a relatively affluent student population, which may contribute to the school's strong academic performance. The school maintains a student-teacher ratio of around 22:1, slightly higher than the district average. Addressing the chronic absenteeism issue and exploring strategies to support the academic growth of all student subgroups could be areas of focus for Ponderosa's continuous improvement efforts.

Detail:

Public K-5

804 Ponderosa Ave.
Sunnyvale, CA 94086-8612

(408) 423-4000

District: Santa Clara Unified

SchoolDigger Rank:
1270^th of 5,862 California Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $9,209

Students who attend Ponderosa Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Marian A. Peterson Middle
High:	Adrian Wilcox High

Student/teacher ratio: 22.0

Number of students: 501

Racial breakdown:

Asian:

45.1%

Hispanic:

31.1%

White:

19.0%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 31.5%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Ponderosa Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Ponderosa Elementary ranks better than 78.3% of elementary schools in California. It also ranks 7^th among 18 ranked elementary schools in the Santa Clara Unified School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 77.38. (See more...)

Chronic absenteeism in a high 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 Ponderosa Elementary is diverse. Racial makeup is: Asian (45.1%), Hispanic (31.1%), White (19%). (See more...)

Compare Details 31.5% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Ponderosa Elementary is 22. 14 elementary schools in the Santa Clara Unified School District have better student/teacher ratios. (See more...)

Compare Ponderosa Elementary employs 22.7 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Ponderosa Elementary is $9,209. 13 elementary schools in the Santa Clara Unified School District spend more per student.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Ponderosa Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Ponderosa Elementary 1270^th of 5862 California public elementary schools. (See Ponderosa 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:

Asian students:

Hispanic students:

White students:

Santa Clara Unified:

SchoolDigger ranks Santa Clara Unified 406^th of 1568 California school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for Ponderosa Elementary

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Rank History for all students at Ponderosa Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2004	82.81	801^st	4809	83.3%
2005	69.15	1374^th	4822	71.5%
2006	77.10	1066^th	4818	77.9%
2007	69.15	1408^th	5113	72.5%
2008	74.51	1214^th	5113	76.3%
2009	73.96	1256^th	5193	75.8%
2010	78.49	1074^th	5314	79.8%
2011	74.75	1267^th	5377	76.4%
2012	78.67	1102^nd	5390	79.6%
2013	79.05	1109^th	5530	79.9%
2015	82.61	1008^th	5611	82.0%
2016	80.92	1092^nd	5614	80.5%
2017	81.09	1083^rd	5692	81.0%
2018	85.21	876^th	5662	84.5%
2019	90.22	630^th	5789	89.1%
2022	83.61	1013^th	5883	82.8%
2023	80.16	1164^th	5874	80.2%
2024	77.38	1270^th	5862	78.3%

See the entire list of California Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Ponderosa Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	81.05	323^rd	3246	90.0%
2019	87.05	217^th	3275	93.4%
2022	58.38	824^th	3311	75.1%
2023	56.65	925^th	3250	71.5%
2024	52.55	1048^th	3160	66.8%

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

Rank History for Special Education students at Ponderosa Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	48.81	945^th	2420	61.0%
2024	56.82	794^th	2634	69.9%

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

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Ponderosa Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	48.17	2480^th	5084	51.2%
2019	69.06	1235^th	5173	76.1%
2022	55.03	1975^th	5264	62.5%
2023	57.86	1889^th	5374	64.8%
2024	47.60	2555^th	5511	53.6%

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

Rank History for Female students at Ponderosa Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	80.71	1002^nd	5413	81.5%
2019	88.80	630^th	5492	88.5%
2022	88.31	725^th	5635	87.1%
2023	91.18	552^nd	5617	90.2%
2024	74.69	1301^st	5605	76.8%

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

Rank History for Disabled students at Ponderosa Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	40.48	1023^rd	2128	51.9%
2019	50.30	974^th	2585	62.3%
2022	62.34	549^th	2227	75.3%

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

Rank History for Male students at Ponderosa Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	86.93	743^rd	5431	86.3%
2019	89.34	619^th	5510	88.8%
2022	76.23	1274^th	5663	77.5%
2023	60.63	1922^nd	5650	66.0%
2024	74.71	1287^th	5636	77.2%

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

Rank History for Asian students at Ponderosa Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	65.29	451^st	1071	57.9%
2019	69.69	384^th	1149	66.6%
2022	61.29	570^th	1154	50.6%
2023	57.15	646^th	1190	45.7%
2024	53.48	708^th	1203	41.1%

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

Rank History for Hispanic students at Ponderosa Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	44.51	2583^rd	4830	46.5%
2019	52.12	2144^th	4963	56.8%
2022	48.67	2294^th	5084	54.9%
2023	40.38	2876^th	5098	43.6%
2024	49.10	2329^th	5102	54.4%

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

Rank History for White students at Ponderosa Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	86.57	197^th	2737	92.8%
2019	89.56	109^th	2834	96.2%
2022	91.50	67^th	2726	97.5%
2023	86.40	206^th	2662	92.3%
2024	87.70	152^nd	2647	94.3%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for White 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 Ponderosa Elementary

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	350	9	178	36	0	n/a	n/a	0	573
1989	286	12	177	41	1	n/a	n/a	0	517
1990	322	16	183	41	1	n/a	n/a	0	563
1991	317	22	190	46	1	n/a	n/a	0	576
1992	330	37	202	51	1	n/a	n/a	0	621
1993	227	32	178	68	3	n/a	n/a	0	508
1994	231	24	170	78	6	n/a	n/a	0	509
1995	245	35	170	78	3	n/a	n/a	0	531
1996	245	35	170	78	3	n/a	n/a	0	531
1997	225	32	200	90	5	n/a	n/a	0	552
1998	210	39	215	79	5	n/a	n/a	0	548
1999	220	25	213	93	5	n/a	n/a	1	557
2000	204	26	225	78	7	n/a	n/a	0	540
2001	186	14	216	87	6	n/a	n/a	6	515
2002	150	11	226	92	5	n/a	n/a	16	500
2003	150	11	226	92	5	n/a	n/a	16	500
2004	152	12	204	106	3	n/a	n/a	36	513
2005	149	11	171	117	2	n/a	n/a	54	504
2006	137	13	185	118	2	n/a	n/a	55	510
2007	125	11	190	113	2	n/a	n/a	63	504
2008	124	11	179	118	2	n/a	n/a	0	434
2009	135	12	185	136	3	2	68	0	541
2010	135	11	202	153	4	3	37	0	545
2011	146	13	209	169	4	2	24	0	567
2012	144	11	211	169	5	2	16	0	558
2013	143	13	199	171	4	5	15	0	550
2014	142	19	193	201	3	5	13	0	576
2015	142	18	213	177	0	5	15	0	570
2016	148	14	217	176	0	5	10	0	570
2017	157	18	245	165	0	3	8	0	596
2018	174	13	269	175	0	3	8	0	642
2019	154	6	266	161	0	1	2	0	590
2020	140	4	262	151	0	0	5	0	562
2021	122	6	259	149	0	1	5	0	542
2022	107	6	239	156	0	1	9	0	518
2023	95	6	226	156	3	1	14	0	501

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 Ponderosa Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	573	21.5	26.6	n/a
1989	517	20.0	25.8	n/a
1990	563	22.0	25.5	n/a
1991	576	22.0	26.1	n/a
1992	621	22.4	27.7	12.9
1993	508	20.0	25.4	19.7
1994	509	20.0	25.4	18.5
1995	531	22.0	24.1	25.6
1996	531	22.0	24.1	25.6
1997	552	24.0	23.0	30.4
1998	548	26.6	20.6	30.8
1999	557	29.6	18.8	23.2
2000	540	29.5	18.3	25.6
2001	515	30.3	17.0	24.8
2002	500	28.3	17.7	28.9
2003	500	28.3	17.7	28.9
2004	513	28.2	18.2	37.3
2005	504	25.8	19.5	41.6
2006	510	24.8	20.6	41.1
2007	504	24.9	20.2	35.6
2008	434	28.3	15.3	33.6
2009	541	25.6	19.6	29
2010	545	26.2	20.8	29.5
2011	567	n/a	n/a	31.7
2012	558	22.5	24.8	n/a
2013	550	21.0	26.1	31.6
2014	576	22.0	26.1	35.8
2015	570	23.0	24.7	29.8
2016	570	22.0	25.9	29.3
2017	596	24.2	24.6	25.8
2018	642	25.3	25.3	31
2019	590	25.2	23.4	26.4
2020	562	n/a	n/a	27.4
2021	542	24.7	21.9	26.4
2022	518	23.7	21.8	22.4
2023	501	22.7	22.0	31.5

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 Ponderosa Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	573	21.5	26.6	n/a
1989	517	20.0	25.8	n/a
1990	563	22.0	25.5	n/a
1991	576	22.0	26.1	n/a
1992	621	22.4	27.7	12.9
1993	508	20.0	25.4	19.7
1994	509	20.0	25.4	18.5
1995	531	22.0	24.1	25.6
1996	531	22.0	24.1	25.6
1997	552	24.0	23.0	30.4
1998	548	26.6	20.6	30.8
1999	557	29.6	18.8	23.2
2000	540	29.5	18.3	25.6
2001	515	30.3	17.0	24.8
2002	500	28.3	17.7	28.9
2003	500	28.3	17.7	28.9
2004	513	28.2	18.2	37.3
2005	504	25.8	19.5	41.6
2006	510	24.8	20.6	41.1
2007	504	24.9	20.2	35.6
2008	434	28.3	15.3	33.6
2009	541	25.6	19.6	29
2010	545	26.2	20.8	29.5
2011	567	n/a	n/a	31.7
2012	558	22.5	24.8	n/a
2013	550	21.0	26.1	31.6
2014	576	22.0	26.1	35.8
2015	570	23.0	24.7	29.8
2016	570	22.0	25.9	29.3
2017	596	24.2	24.6	25.8
2018	642	25.3	25.3	31
2019	590	25.2	23.4	26.4
2020	562	n/a	n/a	27.4
2021	542	24.7	21.9	26.4
2022	518	23.7	21.8	22.4
2023	501	22.7	22.0	31.5

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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