Is Esther Bennett Elementary a good school?

Esther Bennett Elementary ranks in the bottom 6.9% of Nevada elementary schools.

How many students attend Esther Bennett Elementary?

In the 2023-24 school year, 557 students attended Esther Bennett Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Esther Bennett Elementary?

Students at Esther Bennett Elementary are 71% Hispanic, 22% White, 3% Two or more races, 1% African American, 1% American Indian, 1% Pacific Islander.

What schools do graduates of Esther Bennett Elementary attend?

Students who attend Esther Bennett Elementary usually go on to attend: High : Spanish Springs High School

Esther Bennett Elementary

Summary:

Esther Bennett Elementary is a public elementary school in Sparks, Nevada, serving 538 students in grades PK-5. The school is part of the Washoe County School District, which is ranked 5 out of 13 districts in the state and has a 4-star rating.

Esther Bennett Elementary has consistently ranked in the bottom half of Nevada elementary schools, with low performance on SBAC assessments in both mathematics and reading across all grade levels. For example, in the 2023-2024 school year, only 17% of Esther Bennett students were proficient or better in SBAC Mathematics, compared to 33.9% in Washoe County and 32.6% statewide. Similarly, in SBAC Reading, only 22.5% of Esther Bennett students were proficient or better, compared to 41.1% in Washoe County and 41.3% statewide. The school's performance is particularly low for certain student subgroups, such as White students and Special Education students.

Interestingly, the nearby schools, such as Lena Juniper Elementary, Lemmon Valley Elementary, and Rita Cannan Elementary, generally outperform Esther Bennett Elementary on academic measures, with higher SBAC proficiency rates and better overall rankings. This suggests that the challenges faced by Esther Bennett Elementary may be unique to the school, rather than a broader issue affecting the surrounding area. The school's high poverty rate, with 100% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, likely plays a significant role in these challenges, though the school's relative success with its English Language Learner (ELL) student population suggests that there may be opportunities to identify and build upon effective practices to drive improvement across the entire student body.

Detail:

Public PK, KG-5

5900 Sidehill Drive
Sparks, NV 89433

(775) 674-4444

District: Washoe County

SchoolDigger Rank:
351^st of 377 Nevada Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $13,688

Students who attend Esther Bennett Elementary usually attend:

High:

Spanish Springs High School

Student/teacher ratio: 16.8

Number of students: 557

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

70.7%

White:

22.3%

Two or more races:

2.9%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 100%

See top rated Nevada elementary schools

Compare Esther Bennett Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Esther Bennett Elementary ranks worse than 93.1% of elementary schools in Nevada. It also ranks 61^st among 63 ranked elementary schools in the Washoe County School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 11.01. (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 (70.7%), White (22.3%), two or more races (2.9%). (See more...)

Compare Details 100% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Esther Bennett Elementary is 16.8, which is the 18^th best among 63 elementary schools in the Washoe County School District. (See more...)

Compare Esther Bennett Elementary employs 33 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Esther Bennett Elementary is $13,688, which is the 10^th highest among 63 elementary schools in the Washoe County School District.

Schooldigger Rankings:

Esther Bennett Elementary was not ranked this year due to insufficient test score data.

Washoe County:

SchoolDigger ranks Washoe County 5^th of 13 Nevada school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Your rating for Esther Bennett Elementary?

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Rank History for Esther Bennett Elementary

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Rank History for all students at Esther Bennett Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	NV State Percentile
2006	24.98	180^th	246	26.8%
2008	35.41	183^rd	294	37.8%
2009	23.60	223^rd	292	23.6%
2010	38.96	175^th	300	41.7%
2011	42.36	184^th	318	42.1%
2012	30.15	234^th	328	28.7%
2016	30.76	230^th	347	33.7%
2017	27.91	248^th	351	29.3%
2018	28.87	242^nd	341	29.0%
2019	19.46	334^th	388	13.9%
2021	19.60	263^rd	324	18.8%
2022	12.09	352^nd	380	7.4%
2023	12.01	358^th	384	6.8%
2024	11.01	351^st	377	6.9%

See the entire list of Nevada Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Esther Bennett Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	NV State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2018	48.51	96^th	213	54.9%

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

Rank History for Special Education students at Esther Bennett Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	NV State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2018	26.36	180^th	227	20.7%

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

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Esther Bennett Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	NV State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2018	39.31	201^st	321	37.4%

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

Rank History for Female students at Esther Bennett Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	NV State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2018	39.25	196^th	330	40.6%

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

Rank History for Male students at Esther Bennett Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	NV State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2018	22.74	272^nd	332	18.1%

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

Rank History for Hispanic students at Esther Bennett Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	NV State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2018	40.58	181^st	308	41.2%

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

Rank History for White students at Esther Bennett Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	NV State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2018	12.07	227^th	247	8.1%

See the entire list of Best Nevada Elementary Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: Nevada 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: Nevada Department of Education

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Enrollment information for Esther Bennett Elementary

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1999	303	9	1	85	14	n/a	n/a	0	412
2000	335	25	3	106	14	n/a	n/a	0	483
2001	374	10	6	138	22	n/a	n/a	0	550
2002	379	17	11	204	22	n/a	n/a	0	633
2003	379	17	11	204	22	n/a	n/a	0	633
2004	375	14	9	212	24	n/a	n/a	0	634
2005	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	586	586
2006	279	22	5	219	23	n/a	n/a	0	548
2007	268	20	5	230	25	n/a	n/a	0	548
2008	254	22	9	250	23	n/a	n/a	0	558
2009	221	20	6	249	18	n/a	n/a	0	514
2010	194	19	6	246	20	n/a	n/a	0	485
2011	194	11	3	280	6	2	20	0	516
2012	178	10	6	301	3	5	24	0	527
2013	176	7	4	289	5	2	21	0	504
2014	182	8	3	316	9	1	26	0	545
2015	180	12	3	299	12	1	23	0	530
2016	180	6	8	306	8	2	18	0	528
2017	192	6	4	316	6	4	22	0	550
2018	179	7	1	309	1	12	27	0	536
2019	169	5	3	318	1	9	18	0	523
2020	134	4	0	284	1	3	12	0	438
2021	130	6	0	259	4	2	9	0	410
2022	109	5	1	278	4	0	12	0	409
2023	146	3	3	359	5	2	20	0	538
2024	124	7	4	394	6	6	16	0	557

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 Esther Bennett Elementary

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1999	412	22.0	18.7	51.9
2000	483	26.0	18.6	50.1
2001	550	31.5	17.5	58.9
2002	633	34.0	18.6	60.2
2003	633	34.0	18.6	60.2
2004	634	36.0	17.6	60.4
2005	586	n/a	n/a	n/a
2006	548	34.0	16.1	n/a
2007	548	35.5	15.4	n/a
2008	558	35.0	15.9	64.3
2009	514	34.0	15.1	67.5
2010	485	32.0	15.1	77.9
2011	516	32.5	15.8	79.8
2012	527	31.0	17.0	77.4
2013	504	32.0	15.7	80.2
2014	545	31.0	17.5	82
2015	530	34.0	15.5	77.9
2016	528	35.0	15.0	78.6
2017	550	34.0	16.1	72.5
2018	536	35.0	15.3	70.1
2019	523	34.0	15.3	73.2
2020	438	30.0	14.6	100
2021	410	27.0	15.1	100
2022	409	n/a	n/a	100
2023	538	32.1	16.7	100
2024	557	33.0	16.8	100

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 Esther Bennett Elementary

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1999	412	22.0	18.7	51.9
2000	483	26.0	18.6	50.1
2001	550	31.5	17.5	58.9
2002	633	34.0	18.6	60.2
2003	633	34.0	18.6	60.2
2004	634	36.0	17.6	60.4
2005	586	n/a	n/a	n/a
2006	548	34.0	16.1	n/a
2007	548	35.5	15.4	n/a
2008	558	35.0	15.9	64.3
2009	514	34.0	15.1	67.5
2010	485	32.0	15.1	77.9
2011	516	32.5	15.8	79.8
2012	527	31.0	17.0	77.4
2013	504	32.0	15.7	80.2
2014	545	31.0	17.5	82
2015	530	34.0	15.5	77.9
2016	528	35.0	15.0	78.6
2017	550	34.0	16.1	72.5
2018	536	35.0	15.3	70.1
2019	523	34.0	15.3	73.2
2020	438	30.0	14.6	100
2021	410	27.0	15.1	100
2022	409	n/a	n/a	100
2023	538	32.1	16.7	100
2024	557	33.0	16.8	100

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.

Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for Esther Bennett Elementary

Year	Expenditures from Federal Funds	Expenditures from State and Local Funds	Total Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019	$1,120 (9.9%)	$10,161 (90.1%)	$11,281
2020	$939 (7.6%)	$11,456 (92.4%)	$12,395
2021	$1,319 (10.8%)	$10,902 (89.2%)	$12,221
2022	$1,577 (11.5%)	$12,111 (88.5%)	$13,688

Data source: Nevada Department of Education

Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Esther Bennett Elementary

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Rankings

Rank Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Rank Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Ranks 334^th of 388 Elementary schools	Ranks 358^th of 384 Elementary schools	7.1%

Test Scores

	% proficient Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	% proficient Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
3rd Grade Mathematics (Esther Bennett Elementary)	21.9	28.6	6.7%
3rd Grade Mathematics (Washoe County)	47.8	43.4	4.4%
3rd Grade Mathematics (Nevada)	47.8	41.4	6.4%
3rd Grade Reading (Esther Bennett Elementary)	26.6	18.5	8.1%
3rd Grade Reading (Washoe County)	44.5	40.8	3.7%
3rd Grade Reading (Nevada)	46.3	40.9	5.4%
4th Grade Mathematics (Esther Bennett Elementary)	40.6	19.6	21%
4th Grade Mathematics (Washoe County)	45.4	41.3	4.1%
4th Grade Mathematics (Nevada)	43.9	37.6	6.3%
4th Grade Reading (Esther Bennett Elementary)	34.8	17	17.8%
4th Grade Reading (Washoe County)	47.9	42.5	5.4%
4th Grade Reading (Nevada)	49.2	41.7	7.5%
5th Grade Reading (Esther Bennett Elementary)	24.7	15.4	9.3%
5th Grade Reading (Washoe County)	49.6	45.6	4%
5th Grade Reading (Nevada)	51.9	43.7	8.2%
All Grades Mathematics (Esther Bennett Elementary)	25.6	20	5.6%
All Grades Mathematics (Washoe County)	40.8	33.6	7.2%
All Grades Mathematics (Nevada)	37.5	31.3	6.2%
All Grades Reading (Esther Bennett Elementary)	32	17.1	14.9%
All Grades Reading (Washoe County)	49.3	41.2	8.1%
All Grades Reading (Nevada)	48.5	41	7.5%

Student Body

	Number of students Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Number of students Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Total Students	523	538	2.9%
African American	5	3	40%
American Indian	1	5	400%
Asian	3	3
Hispanic	318	359	12.9%
Pacific Islander	9	2	77.8%
White	169	146	13.6%
Two or More Races	18	20	11.1%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	73.2%	100%	26.8%

Schools Near Esther Bennett Elementary

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2024)				Ranking (2023)				SBAC Mathematics (2024)				SBAC Reading (2024)				SBAC Science (2024)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2022)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	SchoolDigger Rating (2024)	Average Standard Score (2023)	Statewide Rank (2023)	State Percentile (2023)	Rank Change from Previous Year	SBAC Mathematics 3rd Grade	SBAC Mathematics 4th Grade	SBAC Mathematics 5th Grade	SBAC Mathematics All Grades	SBAC Reading 3rd Grade	SBAC Reading 4th Grade	SBAC Reading 5th Grade	SBAC Reading All Grades	SBAC Science 5th Grade	SBAC Science All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Esther Bennett Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	5900 Sidehill Drive	Sparks	89433	Washoe County	Washoe County	No	No	No	Yes	(775) 674-4444	557	33	16.8	100.0%	124 (22.3%)	7 (1.3%)	394 (70.7%)	4 (0.7%)	6 (1.1%)	6 (1.1%)	16 (2.9%)	11	351^st of 377 public elementary schools	6.9%		12	358^th of 384 public elementary schools	6.8%	7	24.1	18.1	9.8	17.0	18.4	29.8	19.4	22.5			$13,688	$1,577	$12,111
Sun Valley Elementary	Public	K-5	5490 Leon Drive	Sparks	89433	Washoe County	Washoe County	No	No	No	Yes	(775) 674-4420	482	26	18.5	100.4%	57 (11.8%)	3 (0.6%)	404 (83.8%)	2 (0.4%)	3 (0.6%)	1 (0.2%)	12 (2.5%)	13	343^rd of 377 public elementary schools	9.0%		9.1	372^nd of 384 public elementary schools	3.1%	29	25.6	25.9		19.2	28.2	16.1	15.6	19.5			$11,283	$1,332	$9,950
Virginia Palmer Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	5890 Klondike	Sparks	89433	Washoe County	Washoe County	No	No	No	Yes	(775) 674-4400	408	26	15.6	100.0%	93 (22.8%)	6 (1.5%)	282 (69.1%)	5 (1.2%)	3 (0.7%)	4 (1.0%)	15 (3.7%)	37.3	210^th of 377 public elementary schools	44.3%		26.7	266^th of 384 public elementary schools	30.7%	56	32.8	41.9		31.7	24.6	47.7	23.1	34.2			$12,230	$1,536	$10,694
Lois Allen Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	5155 McGuffy Road	Sparks	89433	Washoe County	Washoe County	No	No	No	Yes	(775) 674-4430	446	23	19.3	100.0%	73 (16.4%)	21 (4.7%)	316 (70.9%)	5 (1.1%)	3 (0.7%)	18 (4.0%)	10 (2.2%)	8.3	367^th of 377 public elementary schools	2.7%		8.4	377^th of 384 public elementary schools	1.8%	10	19.2			13.5	16.5	21.4	21.0	19.6			$11,625	$1,634	$9,991
Alice Smith Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1070 Beckwourth Drive	Reno	89506	Washoe County	Washoe County	No	No	No	Yes	(775) 677-5410	532	28	19.0	100.0%	163 (30.6%)	17 (3.2%)	287 (53.9%)	19 (3.6%)	3 (0.6%)	7 (1.3%)	36 (6.8%)	18.7	306^th of 377 public elementary schools	18.8%		41.6	188^th of 384 public elementary schools	51.0%	118	20.0	27.8	23.0	23.6	15.6	28.9	36.8	27.0	12.5	12.5	$11,051	$1,295	$9,757
John Bohach Elementary School	Public	K-5	1100 Windmill Farms Pkwy	Sparks	89436	Washoe County	Washoe County	No	No	No	No	(775) 626-0062	835	41	20.3	17.2%	374 (44.8%)	33 (4.0%)	273 (32.7%)	73 (8.7%)	4 (0.5%)	8 (1.0%)	70 (8.4%)	78.7	61^st of 377 public elementary schools	83.8%		81.6	55^th of 384 public elementary schools	85.7%	6	56.7	50.0	64.0	57.0	44.2	54.2	60.9	52.8	41.4	41.4	$8,357	$455	$7,902
Miguel Sepulveda Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	5075 Ion Drive	Sparks	89436	Washoe County	Washoe County	No	No	No	No	(775) 626-5257	551	29	19.0	27.9%	231 (41.9%)	17 (3.1%)	203 (36.8%)	26 (4.7%)	11 (2.0%)	11 (2.0%)	52 (9.4%)	45.3	172^nd of 377 public elementary schools	54.4%		44.5	180^th of 384 public elementary schools	53.1%	8	44.8	53.0	27.2	41.4	37.2	50.0	37.9	41.9	12.6	12.6	$10,200	$503	$9,697
Jesse Hall Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	185 Shelby Drive	Sparks	89436	Washoe County	Washoe County	No	No	No	No	(775) 425-7755	456	25	18.2	25.0%	269 (59.0%)	3 (0.7%)	103 (22.6%)	3 (0.7%)	44 (9.6%)	1 (0.2%)	33 (7.2%)	56.3	138^th of 377 public elementary schools	63.4%		65.2	111^th of 384 public elementary schools	71.1%	27	44.0	54.1	41.0	46.8	30.8	44.7	55.7	42.2			$10,088	$595	$9,493
Lena Juniper Elementary	Public	K-5	225 Queen Way	Sparks	89431	Washoe County	Washoe County	No	No	No	No	(775) 353-5540	375	22	17.0	33.1%	148 (39.5%)	5 (1.3%)	186 (49.6%)	4 (1.1%)	3 (0.8%)	5 (1.3%)	24 (6.4%)	44.4	180^th of 377 public elementary schools	52.3%		45.8	176^th of 384 public elementary schools	54.2%	4	36.0	30.1	41.1	35.2	42.0	38.4	48.2	42.5			$10,550	$949	$9,602
Lemmon Valley Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	255 W Patrician Drive	Reno	89506	Washoe County	Washoe County	No	No	No	Yes	(775) 677-5460	642	35	18.3	100.0%	210 (32.7%)	14 (2.2%)	329 (51.2%)	34 (5.3%)	5 (0.8%)	16 (2.5%)	34 (5.3%)	12.7	346^th of 377 public elementary schools	8.2%		15.5	337^th of 384 public elementary schools	12.2%	9	25.5	12.2		14.1	27.6	27.6	17.9	24.5			$10,363	$1,207	$9,156

Esther Bennett Elementary

Washoe County:

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Rank History for Esther Bennett Elementary

Rank History for all students at Esther Bennett Elementary

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Esther Bennett Elementary

Rank History for Special Education students at Esther Bennett Elementary

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Esther Bennett Elementary

Rank History for Female students at Esther Bennett Elementary

Rank History for Male students at Esther Bennett Elementary

Rank History for Hispanic students at Esther Bennett Elementary

Rank History for White students at Esther Bennett Elementary

Enrollment information for Esther Bennett Elementary

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Esther Bennett Elementary

Student/Teacher Ratio Esther Bennett Elementary

Per Pupil Expenditures for Esther Bennett Elementary

Impact of COVID-19 on Esther Bennett Elementary

Rankings

Test Scores

Student Body

Schools Near Esther Bennett Elementary