Is Vargas Elementary a good school?

Vargas Elementary ranks 3387 th of 5862 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Vargas Elementary?

In the 2022-23 school year, 411 students attended Vargas Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Vargas Elementary?

Students at Vargas Elementary are 52% Hispanic, 18% White, 18% Asian, 8% Two or more races, 2% American Indian.

What schools do graduates of Vargas Elementary attend?

Students who attend Vargas Elementary usually go on to attend: Middle : Sunnyvale Middle High : Homestead High

Vargas Elementary

Summary:

Vargas Elementary is a public elementary school in Sunnyvale, California, serving 411 students in grades K-5. The school is part of the Sunnyvale School District, which is ranked 492 out of 1,568 districts in the state.

Vargas Elementary faces significant challenges, with consistently low academic performance compared to the district and state averages. In 2023-2024, only 37.36% of Vargas students were proficient or better in English Language Arts/Literacy, compared to 54.86% for the Sunnyvale district and 47.04% for California. In mathematics, only 32.07% of Vargas students were proficient or better, compared to 49.63% for Sunnyvale and 35.54% for the state. The school's performance is particularly low for Hispanic and low socioeconomic status students, ranking in the bottom 20-25% of California elementary schools for these subgroups. Vargas Elementary also experiences high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 7.1% to 24.2% in recent years, significantly higher than the district and state averages.

Vargas Elementary's performance lags significantly behind other elementary schools in the Sunnyvale district, such as Ellis Elementary, Cumberland Elementary, and Cherry Chase Elementary, which consistently rank in the top 25-30% of California elementary schools. These higher-performing schools have much lower chronic absenteeism rates and lower percentages of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch. Vargas Elementary's declining statewide ranking over the past decade suggests the need for targeted interventions and support to improve student outcomes.

Detail:

Public K-5

1054 Carson Dr.
Sunnyvale, CA 94086-5806

(408) 522-8267

District: Sunnyvale

SchoolDigger Rank:
3387^th of 5,862 California Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $14,324

Students who attend Vargas Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Sunnyvale Middle
High:	Homestead High

Student/teacher ratio: 19.3

Number of students: 411

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

51.8%

White:

18.5%

Asian:

18.0%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 36.5%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Vargas Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Vargas Elementary ranks worse than 57.8% of elementary schools in California. It also ranks 7^th among 8 ranked elementary schools in the Sunnyvale School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 36.63. (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 Student population at Vargas Elementary is diverse. Racial makeup is: Hispanic (51.8%), White (18.5%), Asian (18%). (See more...)

Compare Details 36.5% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Vargas Elementary is 19.3, which is the 4^th best among 8 elementary schools in the Sunnyvale School District. (See more...)

Compare Vargas Elementary employs 21.2 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Vargas Elementary is $14,324, which is the 2^nd highest among 8 elementary schools in the Sunnyvale School District.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Vargas Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Vargas Elementary 3387^th of 5862 California public elementary schools. (See Vargas Elementary in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

English Language Learner students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

Hispanic students:

White students:

Sunnyvale:

SchoolDigger ranks Sunnyvale 492^nd of 1568 California school districts. (See district ranking list.)

Average Parent Rating:

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Rank History for Vargas Elementary

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Rank History for all students at Vargas Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2004	55.00	1924^th	4809	60.0%
2005	44.77	2453^rd	4822	49.1%
2006	43.55	2523^rd	4818	47.6%
2007	31.31	3473^rd	5113	32.1%
2008	32.14	3442^nd	5113	32.7%
2009	23.13	4201^st	5193	19.1%
2010	25.57	4186^th	5314	21.2%
2011	20.34	4661^st	5377	13.3%
2012	25.21	4298^th	5390	20.3%
2013	36.95	3531^st	5530	36.1%
2015	53.11	2284^th	5611	59.3%
2016	56.94	2132^nd	5614	62.0%
2017	44.22	2851^st	5692	49.9%
2018	44.42	2865^th	5662	49.4%
2019	39.54	3222^nd	5789	44.3%
2022	40.85	3038^th	5883	48.4%
2023	36.85	3366^th	5874	42.7%
2024	36.63	3387^th	5862	42.2%

See the entire list of California Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Vargas Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	36.52	1976^th	3246	39.1%
2019	36.30	2033^rd	3275	37.9%
2022	28.35	2730^th	3311	17.5%
2023	40.35	1786^th	3250	45.0%
2024	36.00	2111^th	3160	33.2%

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

Rank History for Special Education students at Vargas Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	23.62	1982^nd	2420	18.1%

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

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Vargas Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	44.92	2676^th	5084	47.4%
2019	26.45	4133^rd	5173	20.1%
2022	36.32	3313^th	5264	37.1%
2023	37.02	3316^th	5374	38.3%
2024	20.54	4743^rd	5511	13.9%

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

Rank History for Female students at Vargas Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	40.01	3083^rd	5413	43.0%
2019	44.58	2833^rd	5492	48.4%
2022	30.08	3725^th	5635	33.9%
2023	36.43	3269^th	5617	41.8%
2024	31.63	3667^th	5605	34.6%

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

Rank History for Disabled students at Vargas Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2018	56.58	651^st	2128	69.4%
2019	52.50	910^th	2585	64.8%

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

Rank History for Male students at Vargas Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	47.44	2606^th	5431	52.0%
2019	33.61	3491^st	5510	36.6%
2022	51.74	2354^th	5663	58.4%
2023	39.60	3085^th	5650	45.4%
2024	44.10	2807^th	5636	50.2%

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

Rank History for Asian students at Vargas Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	31.81	843^rd	1071	21.3%
2019	21.86	967^th	1149	15.8%
2022	61.94	561^st	1154	51.4%

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

Rank History for Hispanic students at Vargas Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	43.66	2635^th	4830	45.4%
2019	31.98	3554^th	4963	28.4%
2022	27.15	3941^st	5084	22.5%
2023	20.68	4444^th	5098	12.8%
2024	21.71	4353^rd	5102	14.7%

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

Rank History for White students at Vargas Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2022	15.40	2385^th	2726	12.5%
2023	30.57	1969^th	2662	26.0%
2024	24.72	2095^th	2647	20.9%

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

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 5)

100%

Reviews:
No reviews have been submitted!

Enrollment information for Vargas Elementary

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1994	214	47	149	153	6	n/a	n/a	0	569
1995	181	53	117	180	5	n/a	n/a	0	536
1996	181	53	117	180	5	n/a	n/a	0	536
1997	161	39	118	154	5	n/a	n/a	0	477
1998	156	35	138	179	1	n/a	n/a	0	509
1999	140	32	128	213	2	n/a	n/a	0	515
2000	137	32	128	244	3	n/a	n/a	0	544
2001	130	23	122	235	8	n/a	n/a	10	528
2002	127	24	137	254	5	n/a	n/a	0	547
2003	127	24	137	254	5	n/a	n/a	0	547
2004	125	20	131	271	2	n/a	n/a	0	549
2005	128	25	113	283	0	n/a	n/a	7	556
2006	130	30	104	291	2	n/a	n/a	3	560
2007	92	29	118	296	1	n/a	n/a	2	538
2008	90	29	122	314	1	n/a	n/a	0	556
2009	78	26	105	326	1	13	6	0	555
2010	73	19	107	339	1	15	7	0	561
2011	74	19	90	364	0	12	13	0	572
2012	75	22	99	380	4	7	15	0	602
2013	75	25	91	357	0	6	24	0	578
2014	71	15	77	345	1	5	24	0	538
2015	72	15	74	342	5	4	28	0	540
2016	83	9	114	305	0	3	31	0	545
2017	72	4	93	238	13	2	70	0	492
2018	94	2	103	211	16	3	49	0	478
2019	114	5	100	195	25	4	41	0	484
2020	107	2	81	196	25	4	37	0	452
2021	89	2	97	176	22	3	37	0	426
2022	91	3	69	185	18	2	28	0	396
2023	76	4	74	213	10	3	31	0	411

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 Vargas Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1994	569	21.0	27.1	37.6
1995	536	22.0	24.4	37.9
1996	536	22.0	24.4	37.9
1997	477	21.8	21.9	33.1
1998	509	24.6	20.7	36
1999	515	24.0	21.5	39.8
2000	544	29.0	18.8	35.1
2001	528	29.0	18.2	40
2002	547	28.0	19.5	41.9
2003	547	28.0	19.5	41.9
2004	549	28.0	19.6	51.2
2005	556	28.8	19.3	53.7
2006	560	31.0	18.1	50.8
2007	538	31.0	17.4	63.6
2008	556	32.0	17.4	58.5
2009	555	32.0	16.8	61.4
2010	561	30.0	18.7	65.1
2011	572	n/a	n/a	74.5
2012	602	27.5	21.8	n/a
2013	578	26.2	22.0	69.9
2014	538	24.7	21.7	68.4
2015	540	25.0	21.6	68.1
2016	545	27.0	20.1	56.5
2017	492	25.2	19.5	52.6
2018	478	21.2	22.5	52.9
2019	484	22.2	21.8	51.4
2020	452	n/a	n/a	45.8
2021	426	20.4	20.8	34
2022	396	21.2	18.6	29
2023	411	21.2	19.3	36.5

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 Vargas Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1994	569	21.0	27.1	37.6
1995	536	22.0	24.4	37.9
1996	536	22.0	24.4	37.9
1997	477	21.8	21.9	33.1
1998	509	24.6	20.7	36
1999	515	24.0	21.5	39.8
2000	544	29.0	18.8	35.1
2001	528	29.0	18.2	40
2002	547	28.0	19.5	41.9
2003	547	28.0	19.5	41.9
2004	549	28.0	19.6	51.2
2005	556	28.8	19.3	53.7
2006	560	31.0	18.1	50.8
2007	538	31.0	17.4	63.6
2008	556	32.0	17.4	58.5
2009	555	32.0	16.8	61.4
2010	561	30.0	18.7	65.1
2011	572	n/a	n/a	74.5
2012	602	27.5	21.8	n/a
2013	578	26.2	22.0	69.9
2014	538	24.7	21.7	68.4
2015	540	25.0	21.6	68.1
2016	545	27.0	20.1	56.5
2017	492	25.2	19.5	52.6
2018	478	21.2	22.5	52.9
2019	484	22.2	21.8	51.4
2020	452	n/a	n/a	45.8
2021	426	20.4	20.8	34
2022	396	21.2	18.6	29
2023	411	21.2	19.3	36.5

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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