Is Ponderosa Elementary a good school?

Ponderosa Elementary ranks 1909 th of 5862 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Ponderosa Elementary?

In the 2022-23 school year, 351 students attended Ponderosa Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Ponderosa Elementary?

Students at Ponderosa Elementary are 44% Hispanic, 27% Asian, 17% White, 11% Two or more races, 1% Pacific Islander.

What schools do graduates of Ponderosa Elementary attend?

Students who attend Ponderosa Elementary usually go on to attend: Middle : Alta Loma Middle High : South San Francisco High

Ponderosa Elementary

Summary:

Ponderosa Elementary is a public elementary school in South San Francisco, California, serving 351 students from kindergarten to 5th grade. This school consistently outperforms the South San Francisco Unified School District and the state of California in academic achievement, with particularly strong performance in 3rd and 5th grade English Language Arts.

Ponderosa Elementary's Asian student population and English Language Learners perform exceptionally well, ranking among the top California elementary schools in these subgroups. However, the school's performance with its low-income students is relatively weaker, ranking in the bottom half of California elementary schools in this category. Additionally, Ponderosa has experienced a significant increase in chronic absenteeism, rising from 5.2% to 27.5% in the past two years, which is a concerning trend that requires attention.

Compared to nearby schools, Ponderosa generally outperforms other elementary schools in the South San Francisco Unified School District, but Buri Buri Elementary and Monte Verde Elementary demonstrate even stronger academic performance. Additionally, Ponderosa's relatively low percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch suggests a more affluent student population, which may contribute to its academic success.

Detail:

Public K-5

295 Ponderosa Rd.
South San Francisco, CA 94080-4218

(650) 877-8825

District: South San Francisco Unified

SchoolDigger Rank:
1909^th of 5,862 California Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $4,978

Students who attend Ponderosa Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Alta Loma Middle
High:	South San Francisco High

Student/teacher ratio: 19.4

Number of students: 351

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

43.9%

Asian:

27.4%

White:

16.5%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 28.5%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Ponderosa Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Ponderosa Elementary ranks better than 67.4% of elementary schools in California. It also ranks 5^th among 9 ranked elementary schools in the South San Francisco Unified School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 63.37. (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: Hispanic (43.9%), Asian (27.4%), White (16.5%). (See more...)

Compare Details 28.5% 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 19.4, which is the lowest among 10 elementary schools in the South San Francisco Unified School District! (See more...)

Compare Ponderosa Elementary employs 18 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Ponderosa Elementary is $4,978. 7 elementary schools in the South San Francisco Unified School District spend more per student.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Ponderosa Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Ponderosa Elementary 1909^th of 5862 California public elementary schools. (See Ponderosa Elementary in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

Asian students:

Hispanic students:

South San Francisco Unified:

SchoolDigger ranks South San Francisco Unified 650^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	61.01	1664^th	4809	65.4%
2005	75.71	1104^th	4822	77.1%
2006	74.58	1155^th	4818	76.0%
2007	65.51	1571^st	5113	69.3%
2008	55.34	2089^th	5113	59.1%
2009	63.20	1758^th	5193	66.1%
2010	78.52	1071^st	5314	79.8%
2011	76.35	1188^th	5377	77.9%
2012	75.24	1258^th	5390	76.7%
2013	75.14	1316^th	5530	76.2%
2015	54.24	2229^th	5611	60.3%
2016	59.05	2039^th	5614	63.7%
2017	53.94	2330^th	5692	59.1%
2018	67.68	1697^th	5662	70.0%
2019	59.96	2079^th	5789	64.1%
2021	61.65	487^th	1417	65.6%
2022	69.25	1634^th	5883	72.2%
2023	66.21	1751^st	5874	70.2%
2024	63.37	1909^th	5862	67.4%

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	79.41	348^th	3246	89.3%
2022	72.31	446^th	3311	86.5%
2023	52.38	1078^th	3250	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	49.09	942^nd	2420	61.1%

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	74.85	927^th	5084	81.8%
2019	58.78	1845^th	5173	64.3%
2021	48.35	504^th	1110	54.6%
2022	80.02	759^th	5264	85.6%
2023	67.03	1389^th	5374	74.2%
2024	41.19	3044^th	5511	44.8%

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	73.19	1361^st	5413	74.9%
2019	62.63	1862^nd	5492	66.1%
2021	54.40	519^th	1267	59.0%
2022	82.19	1006^th	5635	82.1%
2023	68.17	1586^th	5617	71.8%
2024	64.49	1736^th	5605	69.0%

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	78.41	304^th	2128	85.7%
2019	48.90	1010^th	2585	60.9%
2022	41.79	1016^th	2227	54.4%

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	57.46	2047^th	5431	62.3%
2019	54.80	2210^th	5510	59.9%
2021	64.53	405^th	1272	68.2%
2022	52.48	2316^th	5663	59.1%
2023	62.49	1837^th	5650	67.5%
2024	59.67	1996^th	5636	64.6%

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	SchoolDigger Rating
2024	80.24	157^th	1203	86.9%

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	70.24	1132^nd	4830	76.6%
2019	57.98	1794^th	4963	63.9%
2022	63.71	1442^nd	5084	71.6%
2023	47.54	2386^th	5098	53.2%
2024	47.09	2458^th	5102	51.8%

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 Ponderosa Elementary

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	254	20	44	68	3	n/a	n/a	0	389
1989	244	18	45	67	3	n/a	n/a	0	377
1990	230	26	46	83	1	n/a	n/a	0	386
1991	235	23	42	91	1	n/a	n/a	0	392
1992	251	28	46	101	0	n/a	n/a	0	426
1993	213	25	51	108	3	n/a	n/a	0	400
1994	219	22	56	104	0	n/a	n/a	0	401
1995	196	16	70	92	3	n/a	n/a	0	377
1996	196	16	70	92	3	n/a	n/a	0	377
1997	207	14	70	96	2	n/a	n/a	0	389
1998	201	16	81	70	1	n/a	n/a	0	369
1999	187	16	76	82	1	n/a	n/a	2	364
2000	188	9	93	83	1	n/a	n/a	0	374
2001	183	9	77	102	1	n/a	n/a	0	372
2002	137	12	99	125	1	n/a	n/a	0	374
2003	137	12	99	125	1	n/a	n/a	0	374
2004	117	18	108	133	3	n/a	n/a	0	379
2005	112	22	112	133	2	n/a	n/a	4	385
2006	103	21	114	135	1	n/a	n/a	6	380
2007	96	22	114	140	1	n/a	n/a	7	380
2008	95	21	117	149	1	n/a	n/a	0	383
2009	105	18	117	159	1	13	0	0	413
2010	62	8	32	197	0	5	111	0	415
2011	72	2	48	209	1	6	97	0	435
2012	68	4	64	221	0	10	74	0	441
2013	57	1	75	227	1	6	74	0	441
2014	64	5	86	215	1	8	61	0	440
2015	59	5	106	221	1	14	35	0	441
2016	59	3	118	204	1	13	34	0	432
2017	51	5	117	212	1	10	32	0	428
2018	48	4	115	201	1	8	38	0	415
2019	51	5	122	188	0	7	38	0	411
2020	58	5	113	181	0	9	34	0	400
2021	59	4	111	166	0	5	36	0	381
2022	61	4	108	160	0	3	37	0	373
2023	58	0	96	154	0	5	38	0	351

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	389	16.0	24.3	n/a
1989	377	17.0	22.1	n/a
1990	386	17.0	22.7	n/a
1991	392	17.0	23.0	n/a
1992	426	17.3	24.6	15.3
1993	400	17.0	23.5	17.8
1994	401	15.0	26.7	24.9
1995	377	15.0	25.1	24.7
1996	377	15.0	25.1	24.7
1997	389	16.0	24.3	26.7
1998	369	20.8	17.7	24.7
1999	364	20.0	18.2	11.3
2000	374	20.0	18.7	15.8
2001	372	19.0	19.6	15.3
2002	374	18.5	20.2	20.1
2003	374	18.5	20.2	20.1
2004	379	18.5	20.5	22.2
2005	385	18.5	20.8	16.8
2006	380	19.6	19.4	21.4
2007	380	20.6	18.4	n/a
2008	383	21.5	17.8	18.3
2009	413	19.5	20.1	25.7
2010	415	21.0	19.7	25.3
2011	435	n/a	n/a	30.6
2012	441	19.5	22.6	n/a
2013	441	20.0	22.0	29
2014	440	20.0	22.0	24.1
2015	441	20.0	22.0	25.9
2016	432	20.0	21.6	25.2
2017	428	19.0	22.5	22.4
2018	415	19.0	21.8	31.3
2019	411	19.0	21.6	31.1
2020	400	n/a	n/a	29
2021	381	19.0	20.0	24.4
2022	373	19.0	19.6	25.7
2023	351	18.0	19.4	28.5

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	389	16.0	24.3	n/a
1989	377	17.0	22.1	n/a
1990	386	17.0	22.7	n/a
1991	392	17.0	23.0	n/a
1992	426	17.3	24.6	15.3
1993	400	17.0	23.5	17.8
1994	401	15.0	26.7	24.9
1995	377	15.0	25.1	24.7
1996	377	15.0	25.1	24.7
1997	389	16.0	24.3	26.7
1998	369	20.8	17.7	24.7
1999	364	20.0	18.2	11.3
2000	374	20.0	18.7	15.8
2001	372	19.0	19.6	15.3
2002	374	18.5	20.2	20.1
2003	374	18.5	20.2	20.1
2004	379	18.5	20.5	22.2
2005	385	18.5	20.8	16.8
2006	380	19.6	19.4	21.4
2007	380	20.6	18.4	n/a
2008	383	21.5	17.8	18.3
2009	413	19.5	20.1	25.7
2010	415	21.0	19.7	25.3
2011	435	n/a	n/a	30.6
2012	441	19.5	22.6	n/a
2013	441	20.0	22.0	29
2014	440	20.0	22.0	24.1
2015	441	20.0	22.0	25.9
2016	432	20.0	21.6	25.2
2017	428	19.0	22.5	22.4
2018	415	19.0	21.8	31.3
2019	411	19.0	21.6	31.1
2020	400	n/a	n/a	29
2021	381	19.0	20.0	24.4
2022	373	19.0	19.6	25.7
2023	351	18.0	19.4	28.5

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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