Is Junipero Serra Elementary a good school?

Junipero Serra Elementary ranks 2841 st of 5862 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Junipero Serra Elementary?

In the 2023-24 school year, 448 students attended Junipero Serra Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Junipero Serra Elementary?

Students at Junipero Serra Elementary are 51% Hispanic, 39% White, 5% Two or more races, 2% Asian, 2% African American.

What schools do graduates of Junipero Serra Elementary attend?

Students who attend Junipero Serra Elementary usually go on to attend: Middle : Balboa Middle High : Buena High

Junipero Serra Elementary

Summary:

Junipero Serra Elementary is a public elementary school in Ventura, California, serving 445 students in grades K-5 and part of the Ventura Unified School District. While the school outperforms some nearby schools in the Rio Elementary district, it faces several challenges, including high chronic absenteeism rates, declining academic performance over time, and persistent achievement gaps among student subgroups.

Junipero Serra Elementary has seen a significant increase in chronic absenteeism rates, rising from 3.6% in 2017-2018 to 20.7% in 2022-2023, which is notably higher than the nearby Portola Elementary (27.4%) and Mound Elementary (15.0%), as well as the district average of 20.6%. In terms of test scores, the school's proficiency rates in English Language Arts and Science are generally lower than the district and state averages, while its Mathematics performance is better in 3rd grade but lags behind in 4th and 5th grades.

Junipero Serra Elementary's performance varies significantly across different student subgroups, with female students and Hispanic students outperforming their male and White peers, respectively. However, students with disabilities and those from low socioeconomic backgrounds perform significantly worse than their peers, suggesting that the school may need to focus more on addressing equity and providing targeted support for these students. The school's statewide ranking has also steadily declined over the years, indicating that its performance has not kept pace with the state's overall improvement in academic achievement.

Detail:

Public K-5

8880 Halifax St.
Ventura, CA 93004-2623

(805) 672-2717

District: Ventura Unified

SchoolDigger Rank:
2841^st of 5,862 California Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $6,813

Students who attend Junipero Serra Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Balboa Middle
High:	Buena High

Student/teacher ratio: 26.3

Number of students: 448

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

51.1%

White:

39.1%

Two or more races:

5.1%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 50.7%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Junipero Serra Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Junipero Serra Elementary ranks better than 51.5% of elementary schools in California. It also ranks 10^th among 17 ranked elementary schools in the Ventura Unified School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 45.28. (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 (51.1%), White (39.1%), two or more races (5.1%). (See more...)

Compare Details 50.7% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Junipero Serra Elementary is 26.3. 12 elementary schools in the Ventura Unified School District have better student/teacher ratios. (See more...)

Compare Junipero Serra Elementary employs 17 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Junipero Serra Elementary is $6,813. 11 elementary schools in the Ventura Unified School District spend more per student.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Junipero Serra Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Junipero Serra Elementary 2841^st of 5862 California public elementary schools. (See Junipero Serra 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:

Ventura Unified:

SchoolDigger ranks Ventura Unified 652^nd of 1568 California school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for Junipero Serra Elementary

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Rank History for all students at Junipero Serra Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2004	78.24	969^th	4809	79.9%
2005	75.83	1097^th	4822	77.3%
2006	81.28	908^th	4818	81.2%
2007	78.89	1015^th	5113	80.1%
2008	77.78	1073^rd	5113	79.0%
2009	82.27	867^th	5193	83.3%
2010	74.60	1255^th	5314	76.4%
2011	69.75	1499^th	5377	72.1%
2012	74.00	1327^th	5390	75.4%
2013	73.60	1401^st	5530	74.7%
2015	76.74	1246^th	5611	77.8%
2016	72.59	1410^th	5614	74.9%
2017	75.33	1323^rd	5692	76.8%
2018	73.79	1412^th	5662	75.1%
2019	73.40	1453^rd	5789	74.9%
2021	71.76	370^th	1417	73.9%
2022	60.81	1991^st	5883	66.2%
2023	52.44	2412^th	5874	58.9%
2024	45.28	2841^st	5862	51.5%

See the entire list of California Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for Special Education students at Junipero Serra Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	34.53	1453^rd	2420	40.0%
2024	22.76	2248^th	2634	14.7%

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

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Junipero Serra Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	75.57	892^nd	5084	82.5%
2019	67.63	1299^th	5173	74.9%
2021	80.62	139^th	1110	87.5%
2022	56.24	1908^th	5264	63.8%
2023	37.46	3277^th	5374	39.0%
2024	30.36	3910^th	5511	29.1%

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

Rank History for Female students at Junipero Serra Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	71.91	1411^th	5413	73.9%
2019	74.04	1334^th	5492	75.7%
2021	77.73	258^th	1267	79.6%
2022	58.55	2004^th	5635	64.4%
2023	59.80	1955^th	5617	65.2%
2024	47.16	2570^th	5605	54.1%

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

Rank History for Disabled students at Junipero Serra Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2019	50.08	979^th	2585	62.1%
2021	45.50	119^th	293	59.4%

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

Rank History for Male students at Junipero Serra Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	73.23	1355^th	5431	75.1%
2019	70.76	1484^th	5510	73.1%
2021	60.07	449^th	1272	64.7%
2022	60.45	1938^th	5663	65.8%
2023	45.80	2690^th	5650	52.4%
2024	43.20	2863^rd	5636	49.2%

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

Rank History for Hispanic students at Junipero Serra Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	69.94	1142^nd	4830	76.4%
2019	74.41	945^th	4963	81.0%
2022	59.51	1661^st	5084	67.3%
2023	45.85	2505^th	5098	50.9%
2024	46.43	2509^th	5102	50.8%

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

Rank History for White students at Junipero Serra Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	62.63	1093^rd	2737	60.1%
2019	58.67	1260^th	2834	55.5%
2022	48.62	1504^th	2726	44.8%
2023	44.07	1592^nd	2662	40.2%
2024	31.07	1919^th	2647	27.5%

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 Junipero Serra Elementary

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	707	1	14	127	0	n/a	n/a	0	849
1989	595	1	5	135	8	n/a	n/a	0	744
1990	571	3	18	143	1	n/a	n/a	0	736
1991	614	5	24	136	1	n/a	n/a	0	780
1992	615	8	25	144	2	n/a	n/a	0	794
1993	613	7	22	154	6	n/a	n/a	0	802
1994	615	9	26	152	6	n/a	n/a	0	808
1995	593	16	23	190	8	n/a	n/a	0	830
1996	593	16	23	190	8	n/a	n/a	0	830
1997	585	22	23	222	7	n/a	n/a	0	859
1998	561	26	27	210	6	n/a	n/a	0	830
1999	576	22	28	214	5	n/a	n/a	1	846
2000	464	19	22	130	4	n/a	n/a	1	640
2001	430	23	28	169	2	n/a	n/a	6	658
2002	388	14	22	142	7	n/a	n/a	0	573
2003	388	14	22	142	7	n/a	n/a	0	573
2004	344	7	14	147	8	n/a	n/a	34	554
2005	323	6	11	149	5	n/a	n/a	42	536
2006	329	7	12	164	5	n/a	n/a	46	563
2007	319	3	11	163	5	n/a	n/a	43	544
2008	282	2	10	163	6	n/a	n/a	0	463
2009	282	1	11	190	5	0	66	0	555
2010	283	1	10	222	6	0	9	0	531
2011	271	2	11	226	6	1	15	0	532
2012	266	2	12	224	5	1	23	0	533
2013	279	3	16	234	4	2	21	0	559
2014	309	8	17	257	3	2	25	0	621
2015	301	9	20	261	4	3	25	0	623
2016	277	12	12	273	1	1	28	0	604
2017	279	11	14	260	2	1	25	0	592
2018	248	8	14	242	2	1	23	0	538
2019	249	7	16	237	2	0	25	0	536
2020	222	6	13	226	2	0	26	0	495
2021	178	6	11	231	2	0	15	0	443
2022	184	6	10	221	0	1	17	0	439
2023	170	9	12	230	0	1	23	0	445
2024	175	9	10	229	1	1	23	0	448

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 Junipero Serra Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	849	32.0	26.5	n/a
1989	744	27.0	27.5	n/a
1990	736	28.5	25.8	n/a
1991	780	29.0	26.8	n/a
1992	794	29.5	26.9	16.4
1993	802	26.0	30.8	22.1
1994	808	29.0	27.9	24
1995	830	29.3	28.3	27.8
1996	830	29.3	28.3	27.8
1997	859	33.5	25.6	26.8
1998	830	35.3	23.5	23.7
1999	846	39.3	21.5	23.8
2000	640	28.5	22.5	19.4
2001	658	30.0	21.9	21.6
2002	573	26.3	21.8	20.9
2003	573	26.3	21.8	20.9
2004	554	26.0	21.3	23.1
2005	536	26.0	20.6	32.6
2006	563	29.0	19.4	31.7
2007	544	28.0	19.4	32.7
2008	463	27.2	17.0	37.4
2009	555	28.9	18.6	36.4
2010	531	25.6	20.7	40.3
2011	532	n/a	n/a	38.9
2012	533	22.4	23.7	n/a
2013	559	23.5	23.7	42.2
2014	621	25.0	24.8	43.8
2015	623	25.0	24.9	40.1
2016	604	26.0	23.2	40.4
2017	592	24.2	24.4	48.3
2018	538	22.9	23.4	51.3
2019	536	22.5	23.8	46.1
2020	495	n/a	n/a	47.3
2021	443	19.5	22.7	49.4
2022	439	19.0	23.1	48.5
2023	445	19.0	23.4	47.9
2024	448	17.0	26.3	50.7

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 Junipero Serra Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	849	32.0	26.5	n/a
1989	744	27.0	27.5	n/a
1990	736	28.5	25.8	n/a
1991	780	29.0	26.8	n/a
1992	794	29.5	26.9	16.4
1993	802	26.0	30.8	22.1
1994	808	29.0	27.9	24
1995	830	29.3	28.3	27.8
1996	830	29.3	28.3	27.8
1997	859	33.5	25.6	26.8
1998	830	35.3	23.5	23.7
1999	846	39.3	21.5	23.8
2000	640	28.5	22.5	19.4
2001	658	30.0	21.9	21.6
2002	573	26.3	21.8	20.9
2003	573	26.3	21.8	20.9
2004	554	26.0	21.3	23.1
2005	536	26.0	20.6	32.6
2006	563	29.0	19.4	31.7
2007	544	28.0	19.4	32.7
2008	463	27.2	17.0	37.4
2009	555	28.9	18.6	36.4
2010	531	25.6	20.7	40.3
2011	532	n/a	n/a	38.9
2012	533	22.4	23.7	n/a
2013	559	23.5	23.7	42.2
2014	621	25.0	24.8	43.8
2015	623	25.0	24.9	40.1
2016	604	26.0	23.2	40.4
2017	592	24.2	24.4	48.3
2018	538	22.9	23.4	51.3
2019	536	22.5	23.8	46.1
2020	495	n/a	n/a	47.3
2021	443	19.5	22.7	49.4
2022	439	19.0	23.1	48.5
2023	445	19.0	23.4	47.9
2024	448	17.0	26.3	50.7

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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