Is Faller Elementary a good school?

Faller Elementary ranks 3289 th of 5862 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Faller Elementary?

In the 2022-23 school year, 538 students attended Faller Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Faller Elementary?

Students at Faller Elementary are 52% White, 33% Hispanic, 8% Two or more races, 4% African American, 2% Asian.

What schools do graduates of Faller Elementary attend?

Students who attend Faller Elementary usually go on to attend: High : Burroughs High

Faller Elementary

Summary:

Faller Elementary is a public elementary school located in Ridgecrest, California, serving 538 students in grades K-5. The school is part of the Sierra Sands Unified School District, which is ranked 893 out of 1,568 districts in the state and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Faller Elementary faces several key challenges, including high chronic absenteeism rates, lower-than-average test scores in English Language Arts and Mathematics, and performance gaps among student subgroups. The school's chronic absenteeism rate has risen significantly from 7.7% in 2018-2019 to 27.4% in 2021-2022, notably higher than the state and district averages. Academically, Faller Elementary's test scores are generally lower than the district and state averages across all grade levels and subject areas, with its Hispanic and White students performing significantly below state averages for those subgroups. In contrast, the school's Special Education students performed relatively better, ranking in the top 18% of California elementary schools for this subgroup.

When comparing Faller Elementary to nearby schools within the Sierra Sands Unified School District, it becomes evident that the school is generally performing below the district and state averages. Schools like Inyokern Elementary, Gateway Elementary, and Richmond Elementary tend to outperform Faller Elementary on various metrics, including test scores and chronic absenteeism rates. Additionally, Faller Elementary's performance, as measured by its statewide ranking and SchoolDigger star rating, has declined over the past several years, dropping from a 3-star rating in 2018-2019 to a 2-star rating in recent years.

Detail:

Public K-5

1500 West Upjohn St.
Ridgecrest, CA 93555-4760

(760) 499-1690

District: Sierra Sands Unified

SchoolDigger Rank:
3289^th of 5,862 California Elementary Schools

Students who attend Faller Elementary usually attend:

High:

Burroughs High

Student/teacher ratio: 24.8

Number of students: 538

Racial breakdown:

White:

52.4%

Hispanic:

32.9%

Two or more races:

7.8%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 47.6%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Faller Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Faller Elementary ranks worse than 56.1% of elementary schools in California. It also ranks 5^th among 6 ranked elementary schools in the Sierra Sands Unified School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 38.16. (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 Faller Elementary has the largest elementary school student body size in the Sierra Sands Unified School District. Racial makeup is: White (52.4%), Hispanic (32.9%), two or more races (7.8%). (See more...)

Compare Details 47.6% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Compare Details

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Faller Elementary is 24.8. 4 elementary schools in the Sierra Sands Unified School District have better student/teacher ratios. (See more...)

Compare Faller Elementary employs 21.6 full-time teachers.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Faller Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Faller Elementary 3289^th of 5862 California public elementary schools. (See Faller Elementary in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Special Education students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

Hispanic students:

White students:

Sierra Sands Unified:

SchoolDigger ranks Sierra Sands Unified 893^rd of 1568 California school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for Faller Elementary

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Rank History for all students at Faller Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2004	62.55	1593^rd	4809	66.9%
2005	54.42	1984^th	4822	58.9%
2006	70.77	1298^th	4818	73.1%
2007	61.35	1752^nd	5113	65.7%
2008	61.23	1801^st	5113	64.8%
2009	55.93	2128^th	5193	59.0%
2010	59.59	2006^th	5314	62.3%
2011	53.11	2403^rd	5377	55.3%
2012	66.41	1704^th	5390	68.4%
2013	46.36	2901^st	5530	47.5%
2015	42.60	2877^th	5611	48.7%
2016	38.97	3140^th	5614	44.1%
2017	43.88	2870^th	5692	49.6%
2018	39.89	3147^th	5662	44.4%
2019	53.54	2401^st	5789	58.5%
2021	33.83	883^rd	1417	37.7%
2022	37.40	3266^th	5883	44.5%
2023	33.88	3585^th	5874	39.0%
2024	38.16	3289^th	5862	43.9%

See the entire list of California Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for Special Education students at Faller Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	60.09	656^th	2420	72.9%
2024	70.75	482^nd	2634	81.7%

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

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Faller Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	36.22	3297^th	5084	35.1%
2019	56.50	1979^th	5173	61.7%
2021	36.89	694^th	1110	37.5%
2022	29.72	3866^th	5264	26.6%
2023	23.77	4398^th	5374	18.2%
2024	41.09	3051^st	5511	44.6%

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

Rank History for Female students at Faller Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	35.84	3363^rd	5413	37.9%
2019	51.41	2415^th	5492	56.0%
2021	31.96	821^st	1267	35.2%
2022	39.77	3007^th	5635	46.6%
2023	34.14	3407^th	5617	39.3%
2024	36.71	3289^th	5605	41.3%

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

Rank History for Disabled students at Faller Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2021	34.22	155^th	293	47.1%
2022	51.40	769^th	2227	65.5%

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

Rank History for Male students at Faller Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	42.43	2896^th	5431	46.7%
2019	53.73	2275^th	5510	58.7%
2021	36.35	743^rd	1272	41.6%
2022	35.64	3302^nd	5663	41.7%
2023	33.95	3477^th	5650	38.5%
2024	39.24	3112^th	5636	44.8%

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

Rank History for Hispanic students at Faller Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	33.90	3278^th	4830	32.1%
2019	50.12	2277^th	4963	54.1%
2022	21.94	4363^rd	5084	14.2%
2023	23.25	4240^th	5098	16.8%
2024	27.50	3917^th	5102	23.2%

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

Rank History for White students at Faller Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	28.36	2120^th	2737	22.5%
2019	40.58	1835^th	2834	35.3%
2022	23.24	2198^th	2726	19.4%
2023	19.47	2242^nd	2662	15.8%
2024	31.24	1913^th	2647	27.7%

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 Faller Elementary

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	379	10	10	27	1	n/a	n/a	0	427
1989	358	6	10	30	3	n/a	n/a	0	407
1990	378	12	9	38	2	n/a	n/a	0	439
1991	471	14	15	44	3	n/a	n/a	0	547
1992	467	15	15	35	6	n/a	n/a	0	538
1993	352	9	14	39	16	n/a	n/a	0	430
1994	363	9	13	43	2	n/a	n/a	0	430
1995	411	21	13	44	8	n/a	n/a	0	497
1996	411	21	13	44	8	n/a	n/a	0	497
1997	380	7	12	51	0	n/a	n/a	0	450
1998	309	5	12	57	10	n/a	n/a	0	393
1999	276	4	7	61	8	n/a	n/a	13	369
2000	348	7	19	76	15	n/a	n/a	13	478
2001	321	16	13	64	15	n/a	n/a	23	452
2002	309	17	17	64	9	n/a	n/a	8	424
2003	309	17	17	64	9	n/a	n/a	8	424
2004	307	22	14	68	9	n/a	n/a	16	436
2005	299	34	16	84	12	n/a	n/a	13	458
2006	260	60	15	95	10	n/a	n/a	14	454
2007	293	44	16	106	10	n/a	n/a	20	489
2008	279	25	26	100	9	n/a	n/a	0	439
2009	279	28	21	122	10	6	24	0	490
2010	263	32	22	140	8	6	8	0	479
2011	257	37	21	143	8	3	10	0	479
2012	282	27	25	146	4	4	15	0	503
2013	259	14	23	147	6	4	13	0	466
2014	226	15	23	160	7	4	13	0	448
2015	240	19	26	143	5	8	11	0	452
2016	220	27	18	158	5	6	14	0	448
2017	213	19	14	167	3	3	21	0	440
2018	231	18	16	164	2	4	19	0	454
2019	262	20	14	160	0	4	21	0	481
2020	290	22	15	167	3	4	21	0	522
2021	247	17	9	179	0	5	29	0	486
2022	278	18	14	189	0	2	42	0	543
2023	282	20	13	177	2	2	42	0	538

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 Faller Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	427	14.2	30.0	n/a
1989	407	14.2	28.6	n/a
1990	439	14.0	31.3	n/a
1991	547	21.0	26.0	n/a
1992	538	21.3	25.2	21.7
1993	430	15.0	28.7	35.6
1994	430	15.0	28.7	33.5
1995	497	19.0	26.2	39.2
1996	497	19.0	26.2	39.2
1997	450	19.0	23.7	44.4
1998	393	19.0	20.7	49.6
1999	369	18.0	20.5	46.9
2000	478	22.0	21.7	47.5
2001	452	21.0	21.5	53.4
2002	424	20.0	21.2	54.6
2003	424	20.0	21.2	54.6
2004	436	22.4	19.5	49.5
2005	458	22.4	20.4	57.1
2006	454	22.8	19.9	53
2007	489	23.8	20.5	58
2008	439	24.8	17.7	55.8
2009	490	25.0	18.8	56.9
2010	479	18.0	26.6	59.7
2011	479	n/a	n/a	58.9
2012	503	18.5	27.1	n/a
2013	466	18.5	25.1	63.9
2014	448	16.0	28.0	62.7
2015	452	18.0	25.1	64.4
2016	448	17.0	26.3	65.6
2017	440	17.0	25.8	62.7
2018	454	18.0	25.2	71.8
2019	481	21.0	22.9	69.4
2020	522	n/a	n/a	63.2
2021	486	21.0	23.1	65.4
2022	543	22.6	23.9	53.2
2023	538	21.6	24.8	47.6

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 Faller Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	427	14.2	30.0	n/a
1989	407	14.2	28.6	n/a
1990	439	14.0	31.3	n/a
1991	547	21.0	26.0	n/a
1992	538	21.3	25.2	21.7
1993	430	15.0	28.7	35.6
1994	430	15.0	28.7	33.5
1995	497	19.0	26.2	39.2
1996	497	19.0	26.2	39.2
1997	450	19.0	23.7	44.4
1998	393	19.0	20.7	49.6
1999	369	18.0	20.5	46.9
2000	478	22.0	21.7	47.5
2001	452	21.0	21.5	53.4
2002	424	20.0	21.2	54.6
2003	424	20.0	21.2	54.6
2004	436	22.4	19.5	49.5
2005	458	22.4	20.4	57.1
2006	454	22.8	19.9	53
2007	489	23.8	20.5	58
2008	439	24.8	17.7	55.8
2009	490	25.0	18.8	56.9
2010	479	18.0	26.6	59.7
2011	479	n/a	n/a	58.9
2012	503	18.5	27.1	n/a
2013	466	18.5	25.1	63.9
2014	448	16.0	28.0	62.7
2015	452	18.0	25.1	64.4
2016	448	17.0	26.3	65.6
2017	440	17.0	25.8	62.7
2018	454	18.0	25.2	71.8
2019	481	21.0	22.9	69.4
2020	522	n/a	n/a	63.2
2021	486	21.0	23.1	65.4
2022	543	22.6	23.9	53.2
2023	538	21.6	24.8	47.6

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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