Is Whittier Elementary a good school?

Whittier Elementary ranks in the bottom 6.1% of California elementary schools.

How many students attend Whittier Elementary?

In the 2023-24 school year, 804 students attended Whittier Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Whittier Elementary?

Students at Whittier Elementary are 71% Hispanic, 12% African American, 10% White, 5% Two or more races.

What schools do graduates of Whittier Elementary attend?

Students who attend Whittier Elementary usually go on to attend: Middle : Diamond Valley Middle High : West Valley High

Whittier Elementary

Summary:

Whittier Elementary is a public elementary school located in Hemet, California, serving 886 students in grades K-5. The school is part of the Hemet Unified School District, which has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Whittier Elementary faces significant challenges, including a sharp increase in chronic absenteeism rates, from 20.3% in 2017-2018 to 49.2% in 2022-2023, which is notably higher than the nearby schools. Academically, the school consistently performs below the district and state averages in Smarter Balanced Assessments for English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science, with only 19.33% of students proficient or better in English Language Arts, compared to 32.17% for Hemet Unified and 47.04% for California. The school also struggles to support certain student subgroups, ranking low for African American, Hispanic, and English Language Learner students.

Additionally, Whittier Elementary has a very high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 91.65% to 95.39% over the past few years, significantly higher than the nearby schools. These socioeconomic factors may contribute to the school's challenges and should be considered when developing strategies to support student success. Addressing the issues at Whittier Elementary, such as improving instructional practices, implementing targeted interventions, and fostering a more equitable and supportive learning environment, will be crucial for improving outcomes for the students.

Detail:

Public K-5

400 West Whittier Ave.
Hemet, CA 92543-5940

(951) 765-1650

District: Hemet Unified

SchoolDigger Rank:
5504^th of 5,862 California Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $7,595

Students who attend Whittier Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Diamond Valley Middle
High:	West Valley High

Student/teacher ratio: 22.3

Number of students: 804

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

71.3%

African American:

11.6%

White:

10.1%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 92.3%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Whittier Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Whittier Elementary ranks worse than 93.9% of elementary schools in California. It also ranks 14^th among 15 ranked elementary schools in the Hemet Unified School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 12.6. (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 (71.3%), African American (11.6%), White (10.1%). (See more...)

Compare Details 92.3% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Whittier Elementary is 22.3, which is the 6^th best among 15 elementary schools in the Hemet Unified School District. (See more...)

Compare Whittier Elementary employs 36 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Whittier Elementary is $7,595. 9 elementary schools in the Hemet Unified School District spend more per student.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Whittier Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Whittier Elementary 5504^th of 5862 California public elementary schools. (See Whittier 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:

Female students:

Military Connected students:

Male students:

African American students:

Hispanic students:

White students:

Hemet Unified:

SchoolDigger ranks Hemet Unified 1185^th of 1568 California school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for Whittier Elementary

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Rank History for all students at Whittier Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2004	32.95	3073^rd	4809	36.1%
2005	23.78	3711^th	4822	23.0%
2006	32.40	3151^st	4818	34.6%
2007	28.15	3696^th	5113	27.7%
2008	31.07	3509^th	5113	31.4%
2009	19.73	4450^th	5193	14.3%
2010	30.19	3835^th	5314	27.8%
2011	17.78	4811^th	5377	10.5%
2012	17.13	4838^th	5390	10.2%
2013	11.04	5248^th	5530	5.1%
2015	16.35	4956^th	5611	11.7%
2016	17.90	4807^th	5614	14.4%
2017	18.14	4854^th	5692	14.7%
2018	11.89	5325^th	5662	6.0%
2019	10.36	5544^th	5789	4.2%
2022	10.63	5688^th	5883	3.3%
2023	11.91	5584^th	5874	4.9%
2024	12.60	5504^th	5862	6.1%

See the entire list of California Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Whittier Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	25.53	2686^th	3246	17.3%
2019	30.85	2424^th	3275	26.0%
2022	14.83	3305^th	3311	0.2%
2023	19.22	3176^th	3250	2.3%
2024	18.20	3125^th	3160	1.1%

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

Rank History for Special Education students at Whittier Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	17.49	2344^th	2420	3.1%
2024	19.51	2415^th	2634	8.3%

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

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Whittier Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	14.88	4751^st	5084	6.5%
2019	13.63	4906^th	5173	5.2%
2022	13.87	5029^th	5264	4.5%
2023	15.66	4993^rd	5374	7.1%
2024	16.45	5044^th	5511	8.5%

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

Rank History for Female students at Whittier Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	13.58	5019^th	5413	7.3%
2019	12.29	5183^rd	5492	5.6%
2022	13.59	5310^th	5635	5.8%
2023	14.48	5194^th	5617	7.5%
2024	16.85	4972^nd	5605	11.3%

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

Rank History for Disabled students at Whittier Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	30.85	1400^th	2128	34.2%
2019	29.16	1848^th	2585	28.5%
2022	17.68	2174^th	2227	2.4%

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

Rank History for Military Connected students at Whittier Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2022	11.59	119^th	130	8.5%
2023	11.55	126^th	140	10.0%
2024	11.80	112^th	118	5.1%

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

Rank History for Male students at Whittier Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	11.40	5196^th	5431	4.3%
2019	10.34	5338^th	5510	3.1%
2022	9.16	5579^th	5663	1.5%
2023	10.59	5494^th	5650	2.8%
2024	10.85	5435^th	5636	3.6%

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

Rank History for African American students at Whittier Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	35.53	432^nd	700	38.3%
2019	24.40	604^th	747	19.1%
2022	22.74	580^th	663	12.5%
2023	19.53	595^th	662	10.1%
2024	38.66	331^st	593	44.2%

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

Rank History for Hispanic students at Whittier Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	13.85	4563^rd	4830	5.5%
2019	14.35	4694^th	4963	5.4%
2022	13.49	4881^st	5084	4.0%
2023	17.43	4659^th	5098	8.6%
2024	16.84	4666^th	5102	8.5%

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

Rank History for White students at Whittier Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	6.77	2625^th	2737	4.1%
2019	2.88	2794^th	2834	1.4%
2022	3.84	2677^th	2726	1.8%
2023	3.51	2622^nd	2662	1.5%
2024	5.74	2558^th	2647	3.4%

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 Whittier Elementary

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	654	9	11	182	4	n/a	n/a	0	860
1989	846	11	20	308	8	n/a	n/a	0	1193
1990	824	15	12	288	12	n/a	n/a	0	1151
1991	921	12	16	315	12	n/a	n/a	0	1276
1992	730	12	24	243	13	n/a	n/a	0	1022
1993	718	28	31	289	11	n/a	n/a	0	1077
1994	756	34	19	307	7	n/a	n/a	0	1123
1995	735	53	26	372	16	n/a	n/a	0	1202
1996	735	53	26	372	16	n/a	n/a	0	1202
1997	746	37	22	396	21	n/a	n/a	0	1222
1998	678	47	24	361	21	n/a	n/a	0	1131
1999	703	60	20	396	18	n/a	n/a	0	1197
2000	699	68	30	387	14	n/a	n/a	0	1198
2001	639	55	24	446	15	n/a	n/a	0	1179
2002	606	69	57	492	14	n/a	n/a	9	1247
2003	606	69	57	492	14	n/a	n/a	9	1247
2004	353	127	118	357	11	n/a	n/a	24	990
2005	381	84	37	469	17	n/a	n/a	29	1017
2006	370	77	35	521	15	n/a	n/a	36	1054
2007	346	76	28	540	18	n/a	n/a	31	1039
2008	305	83	33	550	21	n/a	n/a	0	992
2009	297	96	14	481	12	8	7	0	915
2010	231	66	14	474	8	4	18	0	815
2011	309	78	15	714	10	5	30	0	1161
2012	264	79	10	680	7	10	32	0	1082
2013	220	105	10	707	8	9	39	0	1098
2014	207	93	9	705	5	2	62	0	1083
2015	187	104	8	696	8	1	64	0	1068
2016	158	106	14	701	8	2	58	0	1047
2017	169	92	16	705	9	3	53	0	1047
2018	128	94	6	527	6	7	45	0	813
2019	121	114	3	517	0	6	37	0	798
2020	119	127	3	512	1	12	62	0	836
2021	120	111	7	519	2	12	54	0	825
2022	103	104	7	574	3	3	52	0	846
2023	97	98	5	635	3	5	43	0	886
2024	81	93	8	573	4	3	42	0	804

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 Whittier Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	860	35.0	24.5	n/a
1989	1193	46.0	25.9	n/a
1990	1151	47.4	24.2	n/a
1991	1276	48.6	26.2	n/a
1992	1022	49.4	20.6	52
1993	1077	43.0	25.0	56.8
1994	1123	46.0	24.4	58.2
1995	1202	47.5	25.3	74.8
1996	1202	47.5	25.3	74.8
1997	1222	49.0	24.9	76.8
1998	1131	53.0	21.3	81.9
1999	1197	60.0	20.0	78.3
2000	1198	62.0	19.3	81
2001	1179	63.5	18.6	83.5
2002	1247	64.0	19.5	69.9
2003	1247	64.0	19.5	69.9
2004	990	61.0	16.2	88.4
2005	1017	53.0	19.2	80.3
2006	1054	52.0	20.3	69.3
2007	1039	52.0	20.0	79.5
2008	992	55.0	18.0	73.8
2009	915	45.0	19.5	86.1
2010	815	41.0	19.8	94.7
2011	1161	n/a	n/a	86.5
2012	1082	43.5	24.8	n/a
2013	1098	42.5	25.8	91
2014	1083	39.8	27.2	92.4
2015	1068	42.0	25.4	92.9
2016	1047	43.0	24.3	91.2
2017	1047	39.0	26.8	90
2018	813	32.0	25.4	91.8
2019	798	33.0	24.1	94.1
2020	836	n/a	n/a	89.6
2021	825	36.0	22.9	95.4
2022	846	35.0	24.1	92.7
2023	886	37.0	23.9	91.6
2024	804	36.0	22.3	92.3

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 Whittier Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	860	35.0	24.5	n/a
1989	1193	46.0	25.9	n/a
1990	1151	47.4	24.2	n/a
1991	1276	48.6	26.2	n/a
1992	1022	49.4	20.6	52
1993	1077	43.0	25.0	56.8
1994	1123	46.0	24.4	58.2
1995	1202	47.5	25.3	74.8
1996	1202	47.5	25.3	74.8
1997	1222	49.0	24.9	76.8
1998	1131	53.0	21.3	81.9
1999	1197	60.0	20.0	78.3
2000	1198	62.0	19.3	81
2001	1179	63.5	18.6	83.5
2002	1247	64.0	19.5	69.9
2003	1247	64.0	19.5	69.9
2004	990	61.0	16.2	88.4
2005	1017	53.0	19.2	80.3
2006	1054	52.0	20.3	69.3
2007	1039	52.0	20.0	79.5
2008	992	55.0	18.0	73.8
2009	915	45.0	19.5	86.1
2010	815	41.0	19.8	94.7
2011	1161	n/a	n/a	86.5
2012	1082	43.5	24.8	n/a
2013	1098	42.5	25.8	91
2014	1083	39.8	27.2	92.4
2015	1068	42.0	25.4	92.9
2016	1047	43.0	24.3	91.2
2017	1047	39.0	26.8	90
2018	813	32.0	25.4	91.8
2019	798	33.0	24.1	94.1
2020	836	n/a	n/a	89.6
2021	825	36.0	22.9	95.4
2022	846	35.0	24.1	92.7
2023	886	37.0	23.9	91.6
2024	804	36.0	22.3	92.3

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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