Is W. R. Nelson Elementary a good school?

W. R. Nelson Elementary ranks in the bottom 23.3% of California elementary schools.

How many students attend W. R. Nelson Elementary?

In the 2023-24 school year, 463 students attended W. R. Nelson Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of W. R. Nelson Elementary?

Students at W. R. Nelson Elementary are 81% Hispanic, 7% Asian, 6% White, 3% Two or more races, 2% African American.

What schools do graduates of W. R. Nelson Elementary attend?

Students who attend W. R. Nelson Elementary usually go on to attend: High : Tustin High

W. R. Nelson Elementary

Summary:

W. R. Nelson Elementary is a public elementary school in Tustin, California, serving 471 students in grades K-5. It is part of the Tustin Unified School District, which is ranked 404 out of 1,568 districts in the state.

While the Tustin Unified School District and California as a whole perform reasonably well, W. R. Nelson Elementary consistently lags behind. Only 27.51% of its students were proficient or better in English Language Arts in 2023-2024, compared to 61.39% for the district and 47.04% for the state. The school's performance is particularly low for English Language Learners and Special Education students. Additionally, W. R. Nelson Elementary has experienced a significant increase in chronic absenteeism, rising from 6.7% in 2018-2019 to 31.5% in 2021-2022, much higher than the district and state averages. The school also has a high percentage of students from low-socioeconomic backgrounds, with 77.71% qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, compared to 52.22% at Tustin Ranch Elementary and 8.35% at Tustin Memorial Elementary.

Compared to other schools in the Tustin Unified School District and the neighboring Irvine Unified School District, W. R. Nelson Elementary's performance is significantly lower. For example, College Park Elementary and Greentree Elementary in Irvine have higher academic achievement and lower chronic absenteeism rates. Additionally, W. R. Nelson Elementary's statewide ranking has steadily declined over the past decade, from 1,943 out of 5,390 California elementary schools in 2011-2012 to 4,496 out of 5,862 in 2023-2024, indicating a concerning trend of declining academic performance.

Detail:

Public K-5

14392 Browning Ave.
Tustin, CA 92780-6338

(714) 730-7536

District: Tustin Unified

SchoolDigger Rank:
4496^th of 5,862 California Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $11,051

Students who attend W. R. Nelson Elementary usually attend:

High:

Tustin High

Student/teacher ratio: 25.7

Number of students: 463

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

81.2%

Asian:

7.3%

White:

6.3%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 82.3%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare W. R. Nelson Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details W. R. Nelson Elementary ranks worse than 76.7% of elementary schools in California. It also ranks 15^th among 18 ranked elementary schools in the Tustin Unified School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 23.66. (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 (81.2%), Asian (7.3%), White (6.3%). (See more...)

Compare Details 82.3% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at W. R. Nelson Elementary is 25.7, which is the 4^th best among 18 elementary schools in the Tustin Unified School District. (See more...)

Compare W. R. Nelson Elementary employs 18 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at W. R. Nelson Elementary is $11,051, which is the highest among 18 elementary schools in the Tustin Unified School District!

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

W. R. Nelson Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks W. R. Nelson Elementary 4496^th of 5862 California public elementary schools. (See W. R. Nelson 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:

Hispanic students:

Tustin Unified:

SchoolDigger ranks Tustin Unified 404^th of 1568 California school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for W. R. Nelson Elementary

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Rank History for all students at W. R. Nelson Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2004	69.58	1316^th	4809	72.6%
2005	74.62	1139^th	4822	76.4%
2006	72.19	1252^nd	4818	74.0%
2007	68.45	1435^th	5113	71.9%
2008	75.93	1145^th	5113	77.6%
2009	72.18	1340^th	5193	74.2%
2010	68.44	1541^st	5314	71.0%
2011	61.86	1910^th	5377	64.5%
2012	61.92	1943^rd	5390	64.0%
2013	55.58	2377^th	5530	57.0%
2015	45.64	2703^rd	5611	51.8%
2016	47.52	2629^th	5614	53.2%
2017	43.53	2894^th	5692	49.2%
2018	37.46	3308^th	5662	41.6%
2019	28.70	4038^th	5789	30.2%
2022	26.25	4228^th	5883	28.1%
2023	24.46	4414^th	5874	24.9%
2024	23.66	4496^th	5862	23.3%

See the entire list of California Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at W. R. Nelson Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	53.09	1121^st	3246	65.5%
2019	30.92	2417^th	3275	26.2%
2022	28.69	2706^th	3311	18.3%
2023	56.91	911^th	3250	72.0%
2024	27.51	2719^th	3160	14.0%

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

Rank History for Special Education students at W. R. Nelson Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	23.34	2006^th	2420	17.1%
2024	21.73	2305^th	2634	12.5%

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

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at W. R. Nelson Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	39.35	3065^th	5084	39.7%
2019	28.93	3936^th	5173	23.9%
2022	28.79	3937^th	5264	25.2%
2023	31.80	3752^nd	5374	30.2%
2024	24.53	4409^th	5511	20.0%

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

Rank History for Female students at W. R. Nelson Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	39.21	3137^th	5413	42.0%
2019	32.08	3661^st	5492	33.3%
2022	27.83	3946^th	5635	30.0%
2023	27.73	4002^nd	5617	28.8%
2024	27.19	4048^th	5605	27.8%

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

Rank History for Disabled students at W. R. Nelson Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2018	23.22	1802^nd	2128	15.3%
2019	18.06	2492^nd	2585	3.6%

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

Rank History for Male students at W. R. Nelson Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	36.64	3240^th	5431	40.3%
2019	27.24	4005^th	5510	27.3%
2022	25.75	4162^nd	5663	26.5%
2023	23.23	4423^rd	5650	21.7%
2024	21.81	4548^th	5636	19.3%

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

Rank History for Hispanic students at W. R. Nelson Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	40.18	2848^th	4830	41.0%
2019	31.63	3581^st	4963	27.8%
2022	27.07	3948^th	5084	22.3%
2023	29.23	3780^th	5098	25.9%
2024	27.75	3894^th	5102	23.7%

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 W. R. Nelson Elementary

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	369	22	105	71	1	n/a	n/a	0	568
1989	400	44	114	105	4	n/a	n/a	0	667
1990	408	57	146	102	2	n/a	n/a	0	715
1991	427	44	137	121	8	n/a	n/a	0	737
1992	431	69	140	119	0	n/a	n/a	0	759
1993	407	68	117	138	6	n/a	n/a	0	736
1994	367	73	120	164	3	n/a	n/a	0	727
1995	342	82	132	200	3	n/a	n/a	0	759
1996	342	82	132	200	3	n/a	n/a	0	759
1997	251	49	128	199	3	n/a	n/a	0	630
1998	276	32	136	183	6	n/a	n/a	0	633
1999	266	33	118	185	4	n/a	n/a	0	606
2000	257	30	118	212	5	n/a	n/a	0	622
2001	241	23	113	229	3	n/a	n/a	1	610
2002	195	20	108	229	0	n/a	n/a	7	559
2003	195	20	108	229	0	n/a	n/a	7	559
2004	186	16	103	234	0	n/a	n/a	14	553
2005	165	21	105	266	0	n/a	n/a	19	576
2006	169	12	102	296	0	n/a	n/a	26	605
2007	156	16	94	292	1	n/a	n/a	23	582
2008	138	19	94	321	1	n/a	n/a	0	573
2009	125	18	80	329	1	3	30	0	586
2010	121	20	88	369	3	6	9	0	616
2011	120	18	88	381	2	5	14	0	628
2012	107	14	93	421	0	3	12	0	650
2013	107	20	71	425	1	3	9	0	636
2014	87	17	63	427	1	1	15	0	611
2015	71	19	75	461	0	1	16	0	643
2016	61	28	71	444	1	0	12	0	617
2017	47	18	62	404	1	0	9	0	541
2018	31	11	53	382	0	0	7	0	484
2019	30	8	45	383	1	0	8	0	475
2020	37	11	54	415	1	2	10	1	531
2021	36	10	50	392	1	3	8	1	501
2022	38	8	46	392	2	0	11	1	498
2023	31	8	36	385	1	0	10	0	471
2024	29	8	34	376	0	2	14	0	463

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 W. R. Nelson Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	568	20.0	28.4	n/a
1989	667	24.0	27.7	n/a
1990	715	25.0	28.6	n/a
1991	737	26.0	28.3	n/a
1992	759	26.4	28.7	23.5
1993	736	26.0	28.3	26.1
1994	727	26.0	28.0	29
1995	759	26.0	29.2	24.6
1996	759	26.0	29.2	24.6
1997	630	28.0	22.5	36.3
1998	633	28.7	22.1	33.8
1999	606	28.8	21.0	23.3
2000	622	29.0	21.4	26.7
2001	610	28.2	21.6	28.1
2002	559	27.0	20.7	29.9
2003	559	27.0	20.7	29.9
2004	553	25.0	22.1	29.9
2005	576	25.0	23.0	34.6
2006	605	27.0	22.4	32.8
2007	582	27.0	21.6	41
2008	573	28.0	20.5	45.9
2009	586	27.0	20.9	51
2010	616	23.5	26.2	55
2011	628	n/a	n/a	59.2
2012	650	22.0	29.5	n/a
2013	636	20.5	31.0	62.9
2014	611	19.8	30.8	57.3
2015	643	22.0	29.2	59.6
2016	617	21.0	29.3	62.1
2017	541	18.0	30.0	63.2
2018	484	17.5	27.6	72.9
2019	475	18.0	26.3	67.8
2020	531	n/a	n/a	74
2021	501	19.0	26.3	68.5
2022	498	19.0	26.2	58.2
2023	471	19.0	24.7	77.7
2024	463	18.0	25.7	82.3

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 W. R. Nelson Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	568	20.0	28.4	n/a
1989	667	24.0	27.7	n/a
1990	715	25.0	28.6	n/a
1991	737	26.0	28.3	n/a
1992	759	26.4	28.7	23.5
1993	736	26.0	28.3	26.1
1994	727	26.0	28.0	29
1995	759	26.0	29.2	24.6
1996	759	26.0	29.2	24.6
1997	630	28.0	22.5	36.3
1998	633	28.7	22.1	33.8
1999	606	28.8	21.0	23.3
2000	622	29.0	21.4	26.7
2001	610	28.2	21.6	28.1
2002	559	27.0	20.7	29.9
2003	559	27.0	20.7	29.9
2004	553	25.0	22.1	29.9
2005	576	25.0	23.0	34.6
2006	605	27.0	22.4	32.8
2007	582	27.0	21.6	41
2008	573	28.0	20.5	45.9
2009	586	27.0	20.9	51
2010	616	23.5	26.2	55
2011	628	n/a	n/a	59.2
2012	650	22.0	29.5	n/a
2013	636	20.5	31.0	62.9
2014	611	19.8	30.8	57.3
2015	643	22.0	29.2	59.6
2016	617	21.0	29.3	62.1
2017	541	18.0	30.0	63.2
2018	484	17.5	27.6	72.9
2019	475	18.0	26.3	67.8
2020	531	n/a	n/a	74
2021	501	19.0	26.3	68.5
2022	498	19.0	26.2	58.2
2023	471	19.0	24.7	77.7
2024	463	18.0	25.7	82.3

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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