Is Ponderosa Elementary a good school?

Ponderosa Elementary ranks 267 th of 1168 Washington elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Ponderosa Elementary?

In the 2023-24 school year, 372 students attended Ponderosa Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Ponderosa Elementary?

Students at Ponderosa Elementary are 80% White, 8% Hispanic, 7% Two or more races, 3% African American, 1% American Indian.

What schools do graduates of Ponderosa Elementary attend?

Students who attend Ponderosa Elementary usually go on to attend: Middle : Horizon Middle School High : University High School

Ponderosa Elementary

Summary:

Ponderosa Elementary is a public elementary school in Spokane Valley, Washington, serving 415 students in grades PK-5. It is part of the Central Valley School District, which is ranked 71 out of 247 school districts in the state and has a 4-star rating.

Ponderosa Elementary consistently outperforms the district and state averages in academic achievement. In the 2023-2024 school year, 59.9% of Ponderosa students were proficient or better in ELA, and 63.45% were proficient or better in Math, compared to the district's 57.85% in ELA and 47.27% in Math, and the state's 52.63% in ELA and 41.68% in Math. Ponderosa's 5th-grade students also outperformed the district and state in science, with 68% proficient or better compared to the district's 63.5% and the state's 56.86%. This strong academic performance has earned Ponderosa a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger and a ranking in the top 50% of Washington elementary schools.

While Ponderosa has a higher percentage of White students (79.76%) compared to nearby schools, which range from 64.17% to 87.04% White, the school's performance is strong across all racial groups. Additionally, Ponderosa serves a more affluent student population, with a lower percentage of free and reduced-price lunch recipients (36.63%) compared to the surrounding schools, which range from 23.56% to 65.62%. This higher socioeconomic status may contribute to the school's academic success, but Ponderosa still maintains a high level of performance for its low-income students, ranking in the top 25% of Washington elementary schools for this subgroup. The school's higher per-student spending of $17,158, compared to the district average of $16,165 and the state average of $13,232, may also be a factor in its strong academic performance.

Detail:

Public PK, KG-5

10105 E Cimmaron Dr
Spokane Valley, WA 99206-9670

(509) 558-6450

District: Central Valley School District

SchoolDigger Rank:
267^th of 1,168 Washington Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $17,158

Students who attend Ponderosa Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Horizon Middle School
High:	University High School

Student/teacher ratio: 14.5

Number of students: 372

Racial breakdown:

White:

80.4%

Hispanic:

7.8%

Two or more races:

7.0%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 46.5%

See top rated Washington elementary schools

Compare Ponderosa Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Ponderosa Elementary ranks better than 77.1% of elementary schools in Washington. It also ranks 5^th among 15 ranked elementary schools in the Central Valley School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 75.57. (See more...)

Student Body

Compare Details Racial makeup is: White (80.4%), Hispanic (7.8%), two or more races (7%). (See more...)

Compare Details 46.5% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Ponderosa Elementary is 14.5, which is the 8^th best among 15 elementary schools in the Central Valley School District. (See more...)

Compare Ponderosa Elementary employs 25.5 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Ponderosa Elementary is $17,158. 9 elementary schools in the Central Valley School District spend more per student.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Ponderosa Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Ponderosa Elementary 267^th of 1168 Washington public elementary schools. (See Ponderosa 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:

White students:

Central Valley School District:

SchoolDigger ranks Central Valley School District 71^st of 247 Washington school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for Ponderosa Elementary

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Rank History for all students at Ponderosa Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WA State Percentile
2004	61.52	364^th	1026	64.5%
2005	61.57	389^th	1031	62.3%
2006	64.40	353^rd	1051	66.4%
2007	55.90	478^th	1069	55.3%
2008	57.99	461^st	1067	56.8%
2009	65.29	361^st	1072	66.3%
2010	76.72	200^th	1088	81.6%
2011	74.03	229^th	1092	79.0%
2012	72.08	270^th	1097	75.4%
2013	64.01	402^nd	1106	63.7%
2015	54.88	465^th	1067	56.4%
2016	45.92	587^th	1053	44.3%
2017	57.39	456^th	1056	56.8%
2018	73.53	272^nd	1054	74.2%
2019	75.09	266^th	1130	76.5%
2021	57.35	441^st	1107	60.2%
2022	53.52	505^th	1169	56.8%
2023	60.82	427^th	1169	63.5%
2024	75.57	267^th	1168	77.1%

See the entire list of Washington Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for Special Education students at Ponderosa Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	63.26	162^nd	637	74.6%
2019	58.36	174^th	566	69.3%
2022	33.05	331^st	478	30.8%
2024	35.37	234^th	339	31.0%

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

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Ponderosa Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	62.28	277^th	835	66.8%
2019	61.23	342^nd	979	65.1%
2021	57.34	286^th	854	66.5%
2022	45.76	537^th	1019	47.3%
2023	47.03	538^th	1013	46.9%
2024	76.53	160^th	1024	84.4%

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

Rank History for Female students at Ponderosa Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	64.55	356^th	1004	64.5%
2019	71.20	297^th	1068	72.2%
2021	57.36	394^th	1008	60.9%
2022	55.04	463^rd	1100	57.9%
2023	64.69	359^th	1094	67.2%
2024	83.53	158^th	1093	85.5%

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

Rank History for Male students at Ponderosa Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	79.31	204^th	999	79.6%
2019	75.18	253^rd	1075	76.5%
2021	54.81	408^th	1025	60.2%
2022	51.65	498^th	1113	55.3%
2023	54.71	455^th	1099	58.6%
2024	66.56	344^th	1099	68.7%

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

Rank History for White students at Ponderosa Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WA State Percentile
2019	65.83	354^th	1027	65.5%
2021	44.78	515^th	943	45.4%
2022	42.80	594^th	1031	42.4%
2023	51.83	478^th	1011	52.7%
2024	70.41	286^th	1009	71.7%

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

Data source: test scores: Washington Office of Superindentent of Public Instruction, 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: Washington State Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction

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Enrollment information for Ponderosa Elementary

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	376	2	7	4	1	n/a	n/a	0	390
1989	421	2	6	2	2	n/a	n/a	0	433
1990	408	3	9	5	1	n/a	n/a	0	426
1991	449	3	7	10	2	n/a	n/a	0	471
1992	397	3	7	3	1	n/a	n/a	0	411
1993	400	7	9	4	6	n/a	n/a	0	426
1994	409	3	11	4	4	n/a	n/a	0	431
1995	415	1	1	2	1	n/a	n/a	0	420
1996	415	1	1	2	1	n/a	n/a	0	420
1997	393	0	2	4	0	n/a	n/a	0	399
1998	465	1	4	2	0	n/a	n/a	0	472
1999	439	1	5	3	2	n/a	n/a	0	450
2000	436	1	2	3	1	n/a	n/a	0	443
2001	460	3	2	5	0	n/a	n/a	0	470
2002	335	5	6	8	1	n/a	n/a	0	355
2003	335	5	6	8	1	n/a	n/a	0	355
2004	315	4	6	7	4	n/a	n/a	0	336
2005	320	3	4	8	5	n/a	n/a	0	340
2006	323	3	3	6	9	n/a	n/a	0	344
2007	380	8	7	8	13	n/a	n/a	0	416
2008	371	0	5	10	12	n/a	n/a	25	423
2009	325	0	3	5	13	n/a	n/a	14	360
2010	334	0	4	9	3	n/a	n/a	17	367
2011	326	1	4	14	1	0	5	0	351
2012	297	1	3	11	0	0	7	0	319
2013	311	0	0	18	0	0	6	0	335
2014	300	1	0	20	1	2	4	0	328
2015	321	1	0	20	1	1	2	0	346
2016	367	2	0	27	4	1	4	0	405
2017	368	8	2	21	3	2	8	0	412
2018	369	13	1	22	4	1	17	0	427
2019	380	15	1	2	4	1	18	0	421
2020	399	13	1	13	6	2	20	0	454
2021	326	9	0	20	9	2	23	0	389
2022	345	11	0	28	4	2	23	0	413
2023	331	15	0	29	9	4	27	0	415
2024	299	11	1	29	4	2	26	0	372

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 Ponderosa Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	390	19.0	20.5	0
1989	433	22.0	19.6	n/a
1990	426	20.7	20.5	0
1991	471	22.0	21.4	n/a
1992	411	21.4	19.2	n/a
1993	426	23.6	18.1	n/a
1994	431	22.4	19.2	n/a
1995	420	19.7	21.3	n/a
1996	420	19.7	21.3	n/a
1997	399	17.9	22.3	n/a
1998	472	21.2	22.3	n/a
1999	450	21.3	21.1	n/a
2000	443	20.9	21.2	n/a
2001	470	24.7	19.0	n/a
2002	355	19.2	18.5	27.3
2003	355	19.2	18.5	27.3
2004	336	19.0	17.7	19.6
2005	340	18.7	18.2	21.2
2006	344	18.6	18.5	25.6
2007	416	19.8	21.0	32.2
2008	423	20.9	20.2	30.4
2009	360	20.9	17.2	26
2010	367	17.5	20.9	30
2011	351	17.5	20.0	27.4
2012	319	15.0	21.2	31.3
2013	335	14.5	23.1	23.3
2014	328	n/a	n/a	28
2015	346	21.0	16.4	30.9
2016	405	22.0	18.4	30.4
2017	412	25.0	16.4	26
2018	427	29.0	14.7	24.8
2019	421	28.0	15.0	9.3
2020	454	28.0	16.2	28
2021	389	28.0	13.8	27.5
2022	413	31.5	13.0	30.8
2023	415	31.5	13.1	36.6
2024	372	25.5	14.5	46.5

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 Ponderosa Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	390	19.0	20.5	0
1989	433	22.0	19.6	n/a
1990	426	20.7	20.5	0
1991	471	22.0	21.4	n/a
1992	411	21.4	19.2	n/a
1993	426	23.6	18.1	n/a
1994	431	22.4	19.2	n/a
1995	420	19.7	21.3	n/a
1996	420	19.7	21.3	n/a
1997	399	17.9	22.3	n/a
1998	472	21.2	22.3	n/a
1999	450	21.3	21.1	n/a
2000	443	20.9	21.2	n/a
2001	470	24.7	19.0	n/a
2002	355	19.2	18.5	27.3
2003	355	19.2	18.5	27.3
2004	336	19.0	17.7	19.6
2005	340	18.7	18.2	21.2
2006	344	18.6	18.5	25.6
2007	416	19.8	21.0	32.2
2008	423	20.9	20.2	30.4
2009	360	20.9	17.2	26
2010	367	17.5	20.9	30
2011	351	17.5	20.0	27.4
2012	319	15.0	21.2	31.3
2013	335	14.5	23.1	23.3
2014	328	n/a	n/a	28
2015	346	21.0	16.4	30.9
2016	405	22.0	18.4	30.4
2017	412	25.0	16.4	26
2018	427	29.0	14.7	24.8
2019	421	28.0	15.0	9.3
2020	454	28.0	16.2	28
2021	389	28.0	13.8	27.5
2022	413	31.5	13.0	30.8
2023	415	31.5	13.1	36.6
2024	372	25.5	14.5	46.5

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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