Is Ponderosa Elementary a good school?

Ponderosa Elementary ranks in the bottom 4.5% of California elementary schools.

How many students attend Ponderosa Elementary?

In the 2023-24 school year, 842 students attended Ponderosa Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Ponderosa Elementary?

Students at Ponderosa Elementary are 89% Hispanic, 4% Two or more races, 3% Asian, 2% White.

What schools do graduates of Ponderosa Elementary attend?

Students who attend Ponderosa Elementary usually go on to attend: Middle : South Junior High High : Katella High

Ponderosa Elementary

Summary:

Ponderosa Elementary is a public elementary school in Anaheim, California, serving 856 students in grades K-6. The school is part of the Anaheim Elementary District, which has a 1-star rating out of 5 from SchoolDigger.

Ponderosa Elementary has consistently ranked in the bottom 5% of California elementary schools over the past several years, with a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger. The school struggles with high chronic absenteeism rates, significantly lower test scores compared to the district and state averages, and poor performance for various student subgroups like English Language Learners and Special Education students. For example, in 2023-2024, only 18.18% of Ponderosa students were proficient or better in English Language Arts/Literacy, compared to 28.2% for the Anaheim Elementary district and 47.04% for the state.

While the nearby Stoddard (Alexander J.) Elementary and Orange Grove Elementary schools in the Anaheim Elementary District perform better than Ponderosa, they still lag behind the higher-performing schools in the Garden Grove Unified School District, such as Parkview Elementary and Genevieve M. Crosby Elementary. Addressing the challenges at Ponderosa Elementary will require a comprehensive and sustained effort to improve the educational outcomes for its students.

Detail:

Public K-6

2135 South Mountain View Ave.
Anaheim, CA 92802-4917

(714) 517-8926

District: Anaheim Elementary

SchoolDigger Rank:
5601^st of 5,862 California Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $6,332

Students who attend Ponderosa Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	South Junior High
High:	Katella High

Student/teacher ratio: 24.0

Number of students: 842

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

89.1%

Two or more races:

3.7%

Asian:

3.2%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 71.7%

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Performance Trends

Compare Details Ponderosa Elementary ranks worse than 95.5% of elementary schools in California. It also ranks last among 23 ranked elementary schools in the Anaheim Elementary School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 11.17. (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 Ponderosa Elementary has the largest elementary school student body size in the Anaheim Elementary School District. Racial makeup is: Hispanic (89.1%), two or more races (3.7%), Asian (3.2%). (See more...)

Compare Details 71.7% 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 24. 20 elementary schools in the Anaheim Elementary School District have better student/teacher ratios. (See more...)

Compare Ponderosa Elementary employs 35 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Ponderosa Elementary is $6,332. 21 elementary schools in the Anaheim Elementary School District spend more per student.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Ponderosa Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Ponderosa Elementary 5601^st of 5862 California public elementary schools. (See Ponderosa 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:

Homeless students:

Female students:

Male students:

Hispanic students:

Anaheim Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Anaheim Elementary 1218^th of 1568 California 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	CA State Percentile
2011	15.47	4924^th	5377	8.4%
2012	23.57	4409^th	5390	18.2%
2013	31.61	3923^rd	5530	29.1%
2015	22.25	4403^rd	5611	21.5%
2016	15.84	4972^nd	5614	11.4%
2017	11.50	5401^st	5692	5.1%
2018	10.69	5403^rd	5662	4.6%
2019	8.42	5649^th	5789	2.4%
2022	13.37	5501^st	5883	6.5%
2023	12.22	5550^th	5874	5.5%
2024	11.17	5601^st	5862	4.5%

See the entire list of California Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Ponderosa Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	21.07	2986^th	3246	8.0%
2019	24.48	2906^th	3275	11.3%
2022	22.03	3106^th	3311	6.2%
2023	21.64	3064^th	3250	5.7%
2024	25.30	2823^rd	3160	10.7%

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

Rank History for Special Education students at Ponderosa Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	25.29	1892^nd	2420	21.8%
2024	26.21	2044^th	2634	22.4%

See the entire list of Best California 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	CA State Percentile
2018	14.09	4786^th	5084	5.9%
2019	10.83	5029^th	5173	2.8%
2022	16.63	4872^nd	5264	7.4%
2023	13.78	5125^th	5374	4.6%
2024	12.57	5289^th	5511	4.0%

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

Rank History for Homeless students at Ponderosa Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2022	27.41	292^nd	356	18.0%
2023	17.39	319^th	336	5.1%
2024	21.32	327^th	364	10.2%

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

Rank History for Female students at Ponderosa Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	12.50	5101^st	5413	5.8%
2019	8.98	5358^th	5492	2.4%
2022	13.71	5298^th	5635	6.0%
2023	15.77	5082^nd	5617	9.5%
2024	13.86	5197^th	5605	7.3%

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

Rank History for Disabled students at Ponderosa Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	25.76	1659^th	2128	22.0%
2019	29.90	1803^rd	2585	30.3%
2022	26.52	1662^nd	2227	25.4%

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

Rank History for Male students at Ponderosa Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	10.51	5243^rd	5431	3.5%
2019	9.10	5380^th	5510	2.4%
2022	14.47	5257^th	5663	7.2%
2023	10.08	5517^th	5650	2.4%
2024	10.16	5472^nd	5636	2.9%

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

Rank History for Hispanic students at Ponderosa Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	12.30	4628^th	4830	4.2%
2019	10.05	4860^th	4963	2.1%
2022	15.84	4757^th	5084	6.4%
2023	15.39	4768^th	5098	6.5%
2024	14.12	4809^th	5102	5.7%

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 Ponderosa Elementary

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Total
2011	36	14	29	980	2	8	3	1072
2012	28	10	46	1066	1	13	1	1165
2013	22	8	46	1044	1	13	11	1145
2014	18	7	40	991	1	7	2	1066
2015	13	5	32	1010	1	9	4	1074
2016	20	3	34	955	3	13	4	1032
2017	24	15	28	967	2	10	13	1059
2018	22	3	22	958	2	12	12	1031
2019	22	2	24	923	4	6	14	995
2020	23	2	23	924	2	8	15	997
2021	26	4	28	837	5	9	13	922
2022	21	3	24	779	0	7	16	850
2023	17	5	20	780	0	8	26	856
2024	21	5	27	750	1	7	31	842

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
2011	1072	n/a	n/a	98.5
2012	1165	42.7	27.2	n/a
2013	1145	42.9	26.6	93.8
2014	1066	35.5	30.0	95.2
2015	1074	36.0	29.8	96.2
2016	1032	38.0	27.1	91.7
2017	1059	39.0	27.1	95
2018	1031	37.5	27.4	95.3
2019	995	38.1	26.0	92.9
2020	997	n/a	n/a	91.7
2021	922	37.0	24.9	90.5
2022	850	38.0	22.3	79.4
2023	856	36.0	23.7	80.6
2024	842	35.0	24.0	71.7

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 Ponderosa Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2011	1072	n/a	n/a	98.5
2012	1165	42.7	27.2	n/a
2013	1145	42.9	26.6	93.8
2014	1066	35.5	30.0	95.2
2015	1074	36.0	29.8	96.2
2016	1032	38.0	27.1	91.7
2017	1059	39.0	27.1	95
2018	1031	37.5	27.4	95.3
2019	995	38.1	26.0	92.9
2020	997	n/a	n/a	91.7
2021	922	37.0	24.9	90.5
2022	850	38.0	22.3	79.4
2023	856	36.0	23.7	80.6
2024	842	35.0	24.0	71.7

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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