Is Sierra Avenue Elementary a good school?

Sierra Avenue Elementary ranks in the bottom 15.4% of California elementary schools.

How many students attend Sierra Avenue Elementary?

In the 2023-24 school year, 358 students attended Sierra Avenue Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Sierra Avenue Elementary?

Students at Sierra Avenue Elementary are 40% White, 25% Asian, 16% Hispanic, 13% Two or more races, 3% American Indian, 2% African American.

What schools do graduates of Sierra Avenue Elementary attend?

Students who attend Sierra Avenue Elementary usually go on to attend: Middle : Nelson Avenue Middle High : Oroville High

Sierra Avenue Elementary

Summary:

Sierra Avenue Elementary is a public elementary school in Oroville, California, serving 403 students in grades K-5. The school is part of the Thermalito Union Elementary School District, which is ranked 1271 out of 1568 districts in the state and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Sierra Avenue Elementary faces several key challenges, including consistently low academic performance, significant achievement gaps for certain student subgroups, and high chronic absenteeism rates. The school consistently underperforms compared to the district and state in Smarter Balanced Assessments for English Language Arts/Literacy and Mathematics, as well as the California Science Test (CAST). For example, in 2023-2024, only 19.69% of Sierra Avenue students were proficient or better in ELA/Literacy, compared to 28.11% for the district and 47.04% for the state. Additionally, the school ranks in the bottom 20% of California elementary schools for Asian, White, and Disabled students, indicating substantial achievement gaps for these populations. The school's chronic absenteeism rates have been consistently high, ranging from 12.2% in 2018-2019 to 48.2% in 2021-2022, which is significantly higher than the state and district averages.

When comparing Sierra Avenue Elementary to other nearby schools in the Thermalito Union Elementary School District, it becomes clear that the school is an outlier in terms of performance. Both Plumas Avenue Elementary and Poplar Avenue Elementary outperform Sierra Avenue on most academic measures, suggesting that factors specific to Sierra Avenue may be contributing to its struggles. Additionally, the school's high percentage of students from low-income backgrounds, combined with its relatively high student-to-teacher ratio, may indicate that Sierra Avenue lacks the necessary resources and staffing to effectively support its student population.

Detail:

Public K-5

1050 Sierra Ave.
Oroville, CA 95965-4238

(530) 538-2920

District: Thermalito Union Elementary

SchoolDigger Rank:
4958^th of 5,862 California Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $8,093

Students who attend Sierra Avenue Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Nelson Avenue Middle
High:	Oroville High

Student/teacher ratio: 19.6

Number of students: 358

Racial breakdown:

White:

40.2%

Asian:

25.4%

Hispanic:

15.9%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 86.9%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Sierra Avenue Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Sierra Avenue Elementary ranks worse than 84.6% of elementary schools in California. It also ranks last among 3 ranked elementary schools in the Thermalito Union Elementary School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 18.68. (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 Sierra Avenue Elementary has the largest elementary school student body size in the Thermalito Union Elementary School District. Student population at Sierra Avenue Elementary is diverse. Racial makeup is: White (40.2%), Asian (25.4%), Hispanic (15.9%). (See more...)

Compare Details 86.9% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Sierra Avenue Elementary is 19.6, which is the lowest among 3 elementary schools in the Thermalito Union Elementary School District! (See more...)

Compare Sierra Avenue Elementary employs 18.2 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Sierra Avenue Elementary is $8,093. 1 elementary schools in the Thermalito Union Elementary School District spend more per student.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Sierra Avenue Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Sierra Avenue Elementary 4958^th of 5862 California public elementary schools. (See Sierra Avenue 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:

Thermalito Union Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Thermalito Union Elementary 1271^st of 1568 California school districts. (See district ranking list.)

What do you think?

Your rating for Sierra Avenue Elementary?

(Ranking FAQ)

Rank History for Sierra Avenue Elementary

Compare

Rank History for all students at Sierra Avenue Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2004	22.89	3717^th	4809	22.7%
2005	30.30	3256^th	4822	32.5%
2006	32.79	3121^st	4818	35.2%
2007	44.58	2643^rd	5113	48.3%
2008	33.36	3370^th	5113	34.1%
2009	27.03	3909^th	5193	24.7%
2010	40.53	3142^nd	5314	40.9%
2011	43.96	2953^rd	5377	45.1%
2012	38.44	3359^th	5390	37.7%
2013	31.57	3925^th	5530	29.0%
2015	20.06	4617^th	5611	17.7%
2016	31.34	3663^rd	5614	34.8%
2017	30.64	3788^th	5692	33.5%
2018	27.63	4024^th	5662	28.9%
2019	19.37	4859^th	5789	16.1%
2021	17.85	1210^th	1417	14.6%
2022	23.39	4512^th	5883	23.3%
2023	19.98	4861^st	5874	17.2%
2024	18.68	4958^th	5862	15.4%

See the entire list of California Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Sierra Avenue Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	53.16	1113^th	3246	65.7%
2021	18.63	599^th	602	0.5%
2022	31.05	2524^th	3311	23.8%
2023	37.80	1959^th	3250	39.7%
2024	49.42	1210^th	3160	61.7%

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

Rank History for Special Education students at Sierra Avenue Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2024	27.28	1979^th	2634	24.9%

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

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Sierra Avenue Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	32.84	3569^th	5084	29.8%
2019	25.19	4210^th	5173	18.6%
2021	31.56	791^st	1110	28.7%
2022	32.51	3625^th	5264	31.1%
2023	26.98	4163^rd	5374	22.5%
2024	25.11	4368^th	5511	20.7%

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

Rank History for Female students at Sierra Avenue Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	28.39	3884^th	5413	28.2%
2019	20.73	4556^th	5492	17.0%
2021	20.65	1038^th	1267	18.1%
2022	25.93	4131^st	5635	26.7%
2023	22.93	4436^th	5617	21.0%
2024	18.54	4831^st	5605	13.8%

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

Rank History for Disabled students at Sierra Avenue Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2018	25.03	1702^nd	2128	20.0%
2019	19.50	2376^th	2585	8.1%

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

Rank History for Male students at Sierra Avenue Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	28.29	3841^st	5431	29.3%
2019	20.48	4625^th	5510	16.1%
2021	17.29	1098^th	1272	13.7%
2022	22.91	4441^st	5663	21.6%
2023	18.21	4890^th	5650	13.5%
2024	20.54	4658^th	5636	17.4%

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

Rank History for Asian students at Sierra Avenue Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	3.80	1030^th	1071	3.8%
2019	2.07	1114^th	1149	3.0%
2022	1.77	1125^th	1154	2.5%
2023	1.47	1161^st	1190	2.4%
2024	2.12	1160^th	1203	3.6%

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

Rank History for Hispanic students at Sierra Avenue Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	30.10	3548^th	4830	26.5%
2019	29.26	3740^th	4963	24.6%
2024	19.20	4511^th	5102	11.6%

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

Rank History for White students at Sierra Avenue Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	6.40	2639^th	2737	3.6%
2019	3.84	2778^th	2834	2.0%
2022	8.19	2567^th	2726	5.8%
2023	5.49	2572^nd	2662	3.4%
2024	6.16	2548^th	2647	3.7%

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

We're sorry, but no reviews have been submitted for Sierra Avenue Elementary.

If you have first-hand knowledge about Sierra Avenue Elementary, submit a rating!

Reviews:
No reviews have been submitted!

Enrollment information for Sierra Avenue Elementary

Compare

Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	315	7	18	14	22	n/a	n/a	0	376
1989	351	4	28	27	28	n/a	n/a	0	438
1990	307	7	120	23	18	n/a	n/a	0	475
1991	285	2	151	19	26	n/a	n/a	0	483
1992	259	6	118	17	10	n/a	n/a	0	410
1993	266	10	108	30	32	n/a	n/a	0	446
1994	275	9	146	27	2	n/a	n/a	0	459
1995	293	4	129	26	11	n/a	n/a	0	463
1996	293	4	129	26	11	n/a	n/a	0	463
1997	287	9	140	20	20	n/a	n/a	0	476
1998	296	16	141	15	6	n/a	n/a	0	474
1999	309	15	139	17	6	n/a	n/a	0	486
2000	300	12	167	31	13	n/a	n/a	0	523
2001	286	4	186	29	11	n/a	n/a	1	517
2002	284	14	180	31	21	n/a	n/a	1	531
2003	284	14	180	31	21	n/a	n/a	1	531
2004	247	11	152	25	14	n/a	n/a	39	488
2005	160	2	90	17	12	n/a	n/a	26	307
2006	153	0	87	17	9	n/a	n/a	35	301
2007	145	2	77	32	15	n/a	n/a	27	298
2008	151	n/a	72	26	13	n/a	n/a	0	262
2009	160	3	79	22	10	0	42	0	316
2010	156	4	78	15	21	3	21	0	298
2011	204	14	105	44	20	5	23	0	415
2012	216	13	109	51	31	4	28	0	452
2013	230	17	109	69	20	4	43	0	492
2014	223	12	102	61	20	4	25	0	447
2015	226	8	109	62	18	3	37	0	463
2016	218	7	114	69	16	4	35	0	463
2017	223	8	120	72	17	4	33	0	477
2018	206	10	112	77	16	2	33	0	456
2019	178	10	111	62	16	2	35	0	414
2020	193	7	100	59	20	2	33	0	414
2021	194	12	93	53	17	2	36	0	407
2022	204	14	86	50	12	1	43	0	410
2023	177	14	93	58	14	2	45	0	403
2024	144	8	91	57	10	2	46	0	358

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 Sierra Avenue Elementary

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	376	16.9	22.2	n/a
1989	438	21.4	20.4	n/a
1990	475	22.5	21.1	n/a
1991	483	21.5	22.4	n/a
1992	410	21.8	18.8	76.6
1993	446	19.0	23.5	85.7
1994	459	22.0	20.9	78.4
1995	463	20.8	22.3	88.3
1996	463	20.8	22.3	88.3
1997	476	20.8	22.9	79.8
1998	474	21.4	22.1	89.5
1999	486	23.0	21.1	79
2000	523	28.2	18.5	94.1
2001	517	27.0	19.1	94.8
2002	531	26.0	20.4	94.5
2003	531	26.0	20.4	94.5
2004	488	26.3	18.6	102
2005	307	18.1	17.0	89
2006	301	18.3	16.4	87.6
2007	298	17.8	16.7	95.2
2008	262	18.2	14.4	90.1
2009	316	17.2	17.4	80.1
2010	298	16.7	17.8	88.6
2011	415	n/a	n/a	88.9
2012	452	19.0	23.7	91.4
2013	492	18.0	27.2	93.9
2014	447	17.6	25.3	93.3
2015	463	18.0	25.7	89
2016	463	17.0	27.2	94.4
2017	477	19.5	24.3	94.3
2018	456	18.6	24.5	87.1
2019	414	17.1	24.1	89.1
2020	414	n/a	n/a	90.1
2021	407	18.5	21.9	87
2022	410	18.0	22.6	86.6
2023	403	17.2	23.3	87.3
2024	358	18.2	19.6	86.9

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 Sierra Avenue Elementary

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	376	16.9	22.2	n/a
1989	438	21.4	20.4	n/a
1990	475	22.5	21.1	n/a
1991	483	21.5	22.4	n/a
1992	410	21.8	18.8	76.6
1993	446	19.0	23.5	85.7
1994	459	22.0	20.9	78.4
1995	463	20.8	22.3	88.3
1996	463	20.8	22.3	88.3
1997	476	20.8	22.9	79.8
1998	474	21.4	22.1	89.5
1999	486	23.0	21.1	79
2000	523	28.2	18.5	94.1
2001	517	27.0	19.1	94.8
2002	531	26.0	20.4	94.5
2003	531	26.0	20.4	94.5
2004	488	26.3	18.6	102
2005	307	18.1	17.0	89
2006	301	18.3	16.4	87.6
2007	298	17.8	16.7	95.2
2008	262	18.2	14.4	90.1
2009	316	17.2	17.4	80.1
2010	298	16.7	17.8	88.6
2011	415	n/a	n/a	88.9
2012	452	19.0	23.7	91.4
2013	492	18.0	27.2	93.9
2014	447	17.6	25.3	93.3
2015	463	18.0	25.7	89
2016	463	17.0	27.2	94.4
2017	477	19.5	24.3	94.3
2018	456	18.6	24.5	87.1
2019	414	17.1	24.1	89.1
2020	414	n/a	n/a	90.1
2021	407	18.5	21.9	87
2022	410	18.0	22.6	86.6
2023	403	17.2	23.3	87.3
2024	358	18.2	19.6	86.9

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.

Kindergarten Immunization Rates