Is La Joya Elementary a good school?

La Joya Elementary ranks in the bottom 19.7% of California elementary schools.

How many students attend La Joya Elementary?

In the 2023-24 school year, 519 students attended La Joya Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of La Joya Elementary?

Students at La Joya Elementary are 92% Hispanic, 6% White.

What schools do graduates of La Joya Elementary attend?

Students who attend La Joya Elementary usually go on to attend: Middle : John Gutierrez Middle High : Everett Alvarez High

La Joya Elementary

Summary:

La Joya Elementary is a public elementary school in Salinas, California, serving 542 students in grades K-5 and part of the Santa Rita Union Elementary School District.

La Joya Elementary faces significant challenges, including high chronic absenteeism rates that have risen from 6.1% in 2018-2019 to 32.5% in 2021-2022, notably higher than nearby McKinnon (26.8%) and Santa Rita Elementary (20.5%). Academically, La Joya's proficiency rates in English Language Arts and Mathematics are consistently lower than the Santa Rita Union Elementary District and the state of California averages. In 2023-2024, only 25.69% of La Joya students were proficient or better in ELA, compared to 25.76% for the district and 47.04% for the state, while in Mathematics, the proficiency rate was 20.39% for La Jolla, 15.27% for the district, and 35.54% for the state.

La Joya Elementary's student subgroups, such as Hispanic students, English Language Learners, and students with disabilities, generally perform below their peers at the state level. Additionally, the school has a very high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, reaching 84.32% in 2022-2023, significantly higher than nearby McKinnon (76.06%) and Santa Rita Elementary (83.33%). While La Joya appears to be relatively stronger in supporting its homeless and disabled student populations, the overall performance of the school and the surrounding Santa Rita Union Elementary School District suggests the need for targeted interventions and support to address the underlying factors contributing to these challenges.

Detail:

Public K-5

55 Rogge Rd.
Salinas, CA 93906-1301

(831) 443-7216

District: Santa Rita Union Elementary

SchoolDigger Rank:
4709^th of 5,862 California Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $5,778

Students who attend La Joya Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	John Gutierrez Middle
High:	Everett Alvarez High

Student/teacher ratio: 22.5

Number of students: 519

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

92.1%

White:

5.8%

Asian:

1.0%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 77.3%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare La Joya Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details La Joya Elementary ranks worse than 80.3% of elementary schools in California. It also ranks 2^nd among 4 ranked elementary schools in the Santa Rita Union Elementary School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 21.52. (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 (92.1%), White (5.8%), Asian (1%). (See more...)

Compare Details 77.3% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at La Joya Elementary is 22.5. 2 elementary schools in the Santa Rita Union Elementary School District have better student/teacher ratios. (See more...)

Compare La Joya Elementary employs 23 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at La Joya Elementary is $5,778, which is the 2^nd highest among 4 elementary schools in the Santa Rita Union Elementary School District.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

La Joya Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks La Joya Elementary 4709^th of 5862 California public elementary schools. (See La Joya Elementary in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

English Language Learner students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Homeless students:

Female students:

Male students:

Hispanic students:

Santa Rita Union Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Santa Rita Union Elementary 1402^nd of 1568 California school districts. (See district ranking list.)

Average Parent Rating:

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Rank History for La Joya Elementary

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Rank History for all students at La Joya Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2004	25.96	3492^nd	4809	27.4%
2005	39.01	2780^th	4822	42.3%
2006	34.04	3052^nd	4818	36.7%
2007	38.38	3017^th	5113	41.0%
2008	29.59	3622^nd	5113	29.2%
2009	31.41	3597^th	5193	30.7%
2010	46.68	2759^th	5314	48.1%
2011	34.97	3621^st	5377	32.7%
2012	17.89	4788^th	5390	11.2%
2013	20.05	4733^rd	5530	14.4%
2015	28.40	3834^th	5611	31.7%
2016	21.60	4462^nd	5614	20.5%
2017	19.33	4757^th	5692	16.4%
2018	25.13	4228^th	5662	25.3%
2019	28.58	4055^th	5789	30.0%
2022	21.03	4747^th	5883	19.3%
2023	20.56	4802^nd	5874	18.2%
2024	21.52	4709^th	5862	19.7%

See the entire list of California Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at La Joya Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	45.04	1501^st	3246	53.8%
2019	24.29	2917^th	3275	10.9%
2022	29.88	2619^th	3311	20.9%
2023	38.96	1895^th	3250	41.7%
2024	40.41	1785^th	3160	43.5%

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

Rank History for Special Education students at La Joya Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	17.92	2273^rd	2420	6.1%

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

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at La Joya Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	34.61	3431^st	5084	32.5%
2019	39.46	3163^rd	5173	38.9%
2022	22.71	4443^rd	5264	15.6%
2023	24.81	4325^th	5374	19.5%
2024	26.26	4274^th	5511	22.4%

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

Rank History for Homeless students at La Joya Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2024	68.66	72^nd	364	80.2%

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

Rank History for Female students at La Joya Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	30.51	3725^th	5413	31.2%
2019	26.83	4089^th	5492	25.5%
2022	20.38	4685^th	5635	16.9%
2023	20.66	4639^th	5617	17.4%
2024	21.32	4570^th	5605	18.5%

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

Rank History for Disabled students at La Joya Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2018	39.46	1053^rd	2128	50.5%
2019	64.48	614^th	2585	76.2%

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

Rank History for Male students at La Joya Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	22.31	4352^nd	5431	19.9%
2019	31.65	3652^nd	5510	33.7%
2022	23.07	4423^rd	5663	21.9%
2023	22.32	4517^th	5650	20.1%
2024	23.00	4442^nd	5636	21.2%

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

Rank History for Hispanic students at La Joya Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	34.15	3262^nd	4830	32.5%
2019	40.22	2950^th	4963	40.6%
2022	26.30	4007^th	5084	21.2%
2023	25.19	4100^th	5098	19.6%
2024	28.79	3809^th	5102	25.3%

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

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 4.5)

50%

Reviews:

by a citizen
Monday, March 13, 2017

I volunteer at this school and both my kids attended this school. This school is filled with caring and talented staff who work hard to serve this diverse community. Parents are encouraged and welcome to participate in their child's education & school events. The office staff is friendly and accommodating. Love this school! Close Quote

Enrollment information for La Joya Elementary

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	244	16	62	215	4	n/a	n/a	0	541
1989	254	19	60	196	1	n/a	n/a	0	530
1990	284	25	52	223	2	n/a	n/a	0	586
1991	262	24	42	256	7	n/a	n/a	0	591
1992	273	29	49	238	2	n/a	n/a	0	591
1993	290	26	68	235	0	n/a	n/a	0	619
1994	246	22	64	251	4	n/a	n/a	0	587
1995	268	26	88	367	1	n/a	n/a	0	750
1996	268	26	88	367	1	n/a	n/a	0	750
1997	271	31	84	403	2	n/a	n/a	0	791
1998	287	33	97	518	3	n/a	n/a	0	938
1999	251	30	94	482	3	n/a	n/a	77	937
2000	245	39	142	525	7	n/a	n/a	43	1001
2001	179	28	104	495	3	n/a	n/a	27	836
2002	140	27	62	499	15	n/a	n/a	0	743
2003	140	27	62	499	15	n/a	n/a	0	743
2004	123	19	56	486	8	n/a	n/a	0	692
2005	91	10	27	334	6	n/a	n/a	0	468
2006	89	9	21	329	3	n/a	n/a	2	453
2007	66	9	20	334	6	n/a	n/a	8	443
2008	62	3	23	337	2	n/a	n/a	0	427
2009	60	4	20	349	1	1	4	0	439
2010	118	4	14	312	0	2	7	0	457
2011	113	3	12	355	1	2	6	0	492
2012	226	3	10	253	2	0	0	0	494
2013	60	4	4	437	1	0	0	0	506
2014	59	4	1	448	0	1	0	0	513
2015	62	4	2	429	0	1	0	0	498
2016	60	4	1	437	0	1	0	0	503
2017	56	4	2	453	2	2	6	0	525
2018	64	5	2	464	2	2	5	0	544
2019	59	4	4	487	1	3	6	0	564
2020	55	6	7	503	1	1	7	0	580
2021	44	2	5	492	0	1	6	0	550
2022	33	2	8	480	0	1	3	0	527
2023	29	3	4	504	0	1	1	0	542
2024	30	3	5	478	1	0	2	0	519

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 La Joya Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	541	22.9	23.6	n/a
1989	530	23.5	22.5	n/a
1990	586	23.0	25.4	n/a
1991	591	24.4	24.2	n/a
1992	591	24.8	23.8	35.7
1993	619	26.5	23.4	35.4
1994	587	26.5	22.2	37.1
1995	750	29.5	25.4	45.5
1996	750	29.5	25.4	45.5
1997	791	32.0	24.7	48.5
1998	938	40.0	23.5	46.5
1999	937	43.1	21.7	53.3
2000	1001	42.1	23.8	52.9
2001	836	41.8	20.0	44
2002	743	37.5	19.8	45.8
2003	743	37.5	19.8	45.8
2004	692	31.6	21.9	42.9
2005	468	21.0	22.3	56.8
2006	453	20.0	22.7	0
2007	443	18.0	24.6	68.3
2008	427	21.0	20.3	66.5
2009	439	18.0	20.9	83.8
2010	457	20.0	22.8	81.4
2011	492	n/a	n/a	76.4
2012	494	15.0	32.9	n/a
2013	506	16.0	31.6	58.1
2014	513	17.0	30.1	62.6
2015	498	18.0	27.6	62.9
2016	503	21.0	23.9	65.6
2017	525	20.0	26.2	59.6
2018	544	20.0	27.2	76.7
2019	564	19.0	29.6	70.7
2020	580	n/a	n/a	70.2
2021	550	25.5	21.5	71.5
2022	527	24.4	21.5	73.1
2023	542	24.0	22.5	84.3
2024	519	23.0	22.5	77.3

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 La Joya Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	541	22.9	23.6	n/a
1989	530	23.5	22.5	n/a
1990	586	23.0	25.4	n/a
1991	591	24.4	24.2	n/a
1992	591	24.8	23.8	35.7
1993	619	26.5	23.4	35.4
1994	587	26.5	22.2	37.1
1995	750	29.5	25.4	45.5
1996	750	29.5	25.4	45.5
1997	791	32.0	24.7	48.5
1998	938	40.0	23.5	46.5
1999	937	43.1	21.7	53.3
2000	1001	42.1	23.8	52.9
2001	836	41.8	20.0	44
2002	743	37.5	19.8	45.8
2003	743	37.5	19.8	45.8
2004	692	31.6	21.9	42.9
2005	468	21.0	22.3	56.8
2006	453	20.0	22.7	0
2007	443	18.0	24.6	68.3
2008	427	21.0	20.3	66.5
2009	439	18.0	20.9	83.8
2010	457	20.0	22.8	81.4
2011	492	n/a	n/a	76.4
2012	494	15.0	32.9	n/a
2013	506	16.0	31.6	58.1
2014	513	17.0	30.1	62.6
2015	498	18.0	27.6	62.9
2016	503	21.0	23.9	65.6
2017	525	20.0	26.2	59.6
2018	544	20.0	27.2	76.7
2019	564	19.0	29.6	70.7
2020	580	n/a	n/a	70.2
2021	550	25.5	21.5	71.5
2022	527	24.4	21.5	73.1
2023	542	24.0	22.5	84.3
2024	519	23.0	22.5	77.3

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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