Is Saul Martinez Elementary a good school?

Saul Martinez Elementary ranks in the bottom 20.1% of California elementary schools.

How many students attend Saul Martinez Elementary?

In the 2023-24 school year, 977 students attended Saul Martinez Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Saul Martinez Elementary?

Students at Saul Martinez Elementary are 99% Hispanic.

What schools do graduates of Saul Martinez Elementary attend?

Students who attend Saul Martinez Elementary usually go on to attend: Middle : Toro Canyon Middle High : Desert Mirage High

Saul Martinez Elementary

Summary:

Saul Martinez Elementary is a public elementary school in Mecca, California, serving 975 students in grades K-6. The school is part of the Coachella Valley Unified School District, which is ranked 1332 out of 1568 districts in the state and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Saul Martinez Elementary faces significant challenges, including a high chronic absenteeism rate of 40.6%, well above the state and district averages. The school also consistently performs below state and district averages on standardized tests, with only 26.96% of students proficient or better in English Language Arts/Literacy and 20.84% in Mathematics. Additionally, the school has an extremely high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 79.9% to 94.15%, indicating a high level of economic disadvantage among the student population.

Compared to nearby schools in the Coachella Valley Unified School District, such as Coral Mountain Academy, Cesar Chavez Elementary, and Peter Pendleton Elementary, Saul Martinez Elementary generally performs worse on key metrics like test scores and chronic absenteeism. For example, Peter Pendleton Elementary had significantly higher proficiency rates in English Language Arts/Literacy (40.07%) and Mathematics (43.27%) compared to Saul Martinez Elementary. Addressing these challenges will be crucial for improving the educational outcomes for the students at Saul Martinez Elementary.

Detail:

Public K-6

65-705 Johnson St.
Mecca, CA 92254-9367

(760) 396-1935

District: Coachella Valley Unified

SchoolDigger Rank:
4681^st of 5,862 California Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $12,748

Students who attend Saul Martinez Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Toro Canyon Middle
High:	Desert Mirage High

Student/teacher ratio: 21.0

Number of students: 977

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

98.7%

White:

0.6%

American Indian:

0.3%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 94.4%

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Performance Trends

Compare Details Saul Martinez Elementary ranks worse than 79.9% of elementary schools in California. It also ranks 8^th among 14 ranked elementary schools in the Coachella Valley Unified School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 21.88. (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 Saul Martinez Elementary has the largest elementary school student body size in the Coachella Valley Unified School District. Racial makeup is: Hispanic (98.7%), White (0.6%), American Indian (0.3%). (See more...)

Compare Details 94.4% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Saul Martinez Elementary is 21. 8 elementary schools in the Coachella Valley Unified School District have better student/teacher ratios. (See more...)

Compare Saul Martinez Elementary employs 46.4 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Saul Martinez Elementary is $12,748, which is the lowest among 14 elementary schools in the Coachella Valley Unified School District!

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Saul Martinez Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Saul Martinez Elementary 4681^st of 5862 California public elementary schools. (See Saul Martinez 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:

Migrant students:

Female students:

Male students:

Hispanic students:

Coachella Valley Unified:

SchoolDigger ranks Coachella Valley Unified 1332^nd of 1568 California school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for Saul Martinez Elementary

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Rank History for all students at Saul Martinez Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2004	14.78	4355^th	4809	9.4%
2005	8.43	4721^st	4822	2.1%
2006	9.25	4664^th	4818	3.2%
2007	9.20	4955^th	5113	3.1%
2008	9.09	4963^rd	5113	2.9%
2009	10.23	4990^th	5193	3.9%
2010	13.48	4983^rd	5314	6.2%
2011	21.76	4555^th	5377	15.3%
2012	26.78	4181^st	5390	22.4%
2013	31.87	3904^th	5530	29.4%
2015	19.39	4691^st	5611	16.4%
2016	17.25	4855^th	5614	13.5%
2017	23.95	4343^rd	5692	23.7%
2018	29.62	3856^th	5662	31.9%
2019	25.15	4347^th	5789	24.9%
2021	15.00	1290^th	1417	9.0%
2022	21.80	4666^th	5883	20.7%
2023	22.17	4637^th	5874	21.1%
2024	21.88	4681^st	5862	20.1%

See the entire list of California Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Saul Martinez Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	44.13	1563^rd	3246	51.8%
2019	49.38	1286^th	3275	60.7%
2021	28.91	495^th	602	17.8%
2022	44.79	1480^th	3311	55.3%
2023	36.00	2086^th	3250	35.8%
2024	44.11	1542^nd	3160	51.2%

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

Rank History for Special Education students at Saul Martinez Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	21.62	2119^th	2420	12.4%
2024	30.15	1808^th	2634	31.4%

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

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Saul Martinez Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	42.18	2874^th	5084	43.5%
2019	36.48	3389^th	5173	34.5%
2021	23.42	945^th	1110	14.9%
2022	30.70	3779^th	5264	28.2%
2023	29.36	3943^rd	5374	26.6%
2024	24.97	4380^th	5511	20.5%

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

Rank History for Migrant students at Saul Martinez Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	35.92	46^th	68	32.4%
2024	53.88	27^th	74	63.5%

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

Rank History for Female students at Saul Martinez Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	26.38	4054^th	5413	25.1%
2019	21.83	4472^nd	5492	18.6%
2021	17.31	1114^th	1267	12.1%
2022	23.94	4320^th	5635	23.3%
2023	22.15	4518^th	5617	19.6%
2024	20.39	4666^th	5605	16.8%

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

Rank History for Disabled students at Saul Martinez Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	24.27	1745^th	2128	18.0%
2019	23.84	2129^th	2585	17.6%
2021	17.29	291^st	293	0.7%
2022	27.92	1597^th	2227	28.3%

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

Rank History for Male students at Saul Martinez Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	33.70	3422^nd	5431	37.0%
2019	29.32	3844^th	5510	30.2%
2021	14.47	1172^nd	1272	7.9%
2022	21.00	4622^nd	5663	18.4%
2023	23.14	4434^th	5650	21.5%
2024	24.68	4297^th	5636	23.8%

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

Rank History for Hispanic students at Saul Martinez Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	40.92	2797^th	4830	42.1%
2019	35.68	3265^th	4963	34.2%
2022	30.62	3650^th	5084	28.2%
2023	31.13	3618^th	5098	29.0%
2024	31.06	3660^th	5102	28.3%

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 Saul Martinez Elementary

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1999	10	0	3	674	0	n/a	n/a	0	687
2000	8	1	1	683	0	n/a	n/a	0	693
2001	3	0	1	744	0	n/a	n/a	1	749
2002	5	0	4	759	0	n/a	n/a	0	768
2003	5	0	4	759	0	n/a	n/a	0	768
2004	2	0	3	736	0	n/a	n/a	1	742
2005	1	3	2	812	0	n/a	n/a	0	818
2006	2	2	1	930	0	n/a	n/a	0	935
2007	0	0	1	954	0	n/a	n/a	0	955
2008	3	1	2	1004	n/a	n/a	n/a	0	1010
2009	3	1	2	1036	0	0	8	0	1050
2010	3	2	1	1060	1	0	1	0	1068
2011	3	1	1	1060	0	0	8	0	1073
2012	9	1	0	1124	1	0	18	0	1153
2013	8	1	0	1092	1	0	16	0	1118
2014	6	1	0	1118	2	0	15	0	1142
2015	4	0	0	1101	2	0	14	0	1121
2016	5	0	0	1106	3	0	11	0	1125
2017	5	0	0	1053	5	0	12	0	1075
2018	6	0	0	1064	6	0	11	0	1087
2019	5	0	0	1028	6	0	6	0	1045
2020	7	0	1	1019	7	0	6	0	1040
2021	6	0	1	982	6	0	8	0	1003
2022	7	0	1	959	6	0	7	0	980
2023	8	0	1	954	5	0	7	0	975
2024	6	0	1	964	3	0	3	0	977

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 Saul Martinez Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1999	687	33.0	20.8	87.6
2000	693	36.0	19.3	95.8
2001	749	40.0	18.7	88.4
2002	768	43.0	17.9	91.1
2003	768	43.0	17.9	91.1
2004	742	37.0	20.1	96.6
2005	818	41.0	20.0	87.5
2006	935	39.0	24.0	97.8
2007	955	46.0	20.8	98.8
2008	1010	55.0	18.4	99.7
2009	1050	55.0	18.4	99.7
2010	1068	51.0	20.9	99.7
2011	1073	n/a	n/a	99.1
2012	1153	44.2	26.0	94.7
2013	1118	44.2	25.2	n/a
2014	1142	44.0	25.9	81
2015	1121	44.0	25.4	96.3
2016	1125	48.0	23.4	95.1
2017	1075	48.0	22.3	97
2018	1087	47.0	23.1	90.5
2019	1045	47.0	22.2	95.2
2020	1040	n/a	n/a	92
2021	1003	43.0	23.3	93.5
2022	980	41.3	23.7	79.9
2023	975	41.7	23.3	94.2
2024	977	46.4	21.0	94.4

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 Saul Martinez Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1999	687	33.0	20.8	87.6
2000	693	36.0	19.3	95.8
2001	749	40.0	18.7	88.4
2002	768	43.0	17.9	91.1
2003	768	43.0	17.9	91.1
2004	742	37.0	20.1	96.6
2005	818	41.0	20.0	87.5
2006	935	39.0	24.0	97.8
2007	955	46.0	20.8	98.8
2008	1010	55.0	18.4	99.7
2009	1050	55.0	18.4	99.7
2010	1068	51.0	20.9	99.7
2011	1073	n/a	n/a	99.1
2012	1153	44.2	26.0	94.7
2013	1118	44.2	25.2	n/a
2014	1142	44.0	25.9	81
2015	1121	44.0	25.4	96.3
2016	1125	48.0	23.4	95.1
2017	1075	48.0	22.3	97
2018	1087	47.0	23.1	90.5
2019	1045	47.0	22.2	95.2
2020	1040	n/a	n/a	92
2021	1003	43.0	23.3	93.5
2022	980	41.3	23.7	79.9
2023	975	41.7	23.3	94.2
2024	977	46.4	21.0	94.4

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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