Is Sunnydale Elementary a good school?

Sunnydale Elementary ranks in the bottom 13.9% of California elementary schools.

How many students attend Sunnydale Elementary?

In the 2023-24 school year, 504 students attended Sunnydale Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Sunnydale Elementary?

Students at Sunnydale Elementary are 37% White, 31% African American, 19% Hispanic, 7% Two or more races, 3% Asian, 2% American Indian, 1% Pacific Islander.

What schools do graduates of Sunnydale Elementary attend?

Students who attend Sunnydale Elementary usually go on to attend: Middle : Amargosa Creek Middle High : Lancaster High

Sunnydale Elementary

Summary:

Sunnydale Elementary is a public elementary school in Lancaster, California, serving 513 students in grades K-6. The school is part of the Lancaster Elementary District, which is ranked 1436 out of 1568 districts in the state and has a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Sunnydale Elementary faces significant challenges, including a sharp increase in chronic absenteeism rates, consistently low academic performance across subjects compared to state and district averages, and struggles to support its diverse student population. For example, in 2023-2024, only 24.51% of Sunnydale students were proficient or better in English Language Arts, compared to 47.04% statewide and 22.8% in the Lancaster Elementary District. The school's performance in Mathematics and Science is also well below state and district levels. Sunnydale's high concentration of students from low-socioeconomic backgrounds, with over 92% receiving free or reduced-price lunch, may contribute to these academic challenges.

While Sunnydale Elementary's struggles are more pronounced than other schools in the Lancaster Elementary District, such as El Dorado Elementary and Sierra Elementary, the data suggests opportunities for improvement. Addressing chronic absenteeism, strengthening academic instruction and support, and providing more targeted assistance for underperforming student subgroups could help Sunnydale make progress and better serve its diverse community.

Detail:

Public K-6

1233 West Avenue J-8
Lancaster, CA 93534-4770

(661) 948-2636

District: Lancaster Elementary

SchoolDigger Rank:
5047^th of 5,862 California Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $8,421

Students who attend Sunnydale Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Amargosa Creek Middle
High:	Lancaster High

Student/teacher ratio: 26.5

Number of students: 504

Racial breakdown:

White:

36.7%

African American:

30.6%

Hispanic:

18.8%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 91.9%

See top rated California elementary schools

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Performance Trends

Compare Details Sunnydale Elementary ranks worse than 86.1% of elementary schools in California. It also ranks 6^th among 15 ranked elementary schools in the Lancaster Elementary School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 17.72. (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 Student population at Sunnydale Elementary is diverse. Racial makeup is: White (36.7%), African American (30.6%), Hispanic (18.8%). (See more...)

Compare Details 91.9% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Sunnydale Elementary is 26.5. 13 elementary schools in the Lancaster Elementary School District have better student/teacher ratios. (See more...)

Compare Sunnydale Elementary employs 19 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Sunnydale Elementary is $8,421. 8 elementary schools in the Lancaster Elementary School District spend more per student.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Sunnydale Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Sunnydale Elementary 5047^th of 5862 California public elementary schools. (See Sunnydale Elementary in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

African American students:

Hispanic students:

White students:

Lancaster Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Lancaster Elementary 1436^th of 1568 California school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for Sunnydale Elementary

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Rank History for all students at Sunnydale Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2004	21.54	3830^th	4809	20.4%
2005	21.62	3853^rd	4822	20.1%
2006	19.33	4051^st	4818	15.9%
2007	19.40	4341^st	5113	15.1%
2008	15.20	4650^th	5113	9.1%
2009	19.88	4441^st	5193	14.5%
2010	23.00	4381^st	5314	17.6%
2011	28.46	4095^th	5377	23.8%
2012	19.20	4697^th	5390	12.9%
2013	21.25	4638^th	5530	16.1%
2015	18.85	4744^th	5611	15.5%
2016	23.65	4286^th	5614	23.7%
2017	23.20	4409^th	5692	22.5%
2018	26.28	4139^th	5662	26.9%
2019	20.60	4743^rd	5789	18.1%
2022	11.12	5664^th	5883	3.7%
2023	13.51	5450^th	5874	7.2%
2024	17.72	5047^th	5862	13.9%

See the entire list of California Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Sunnydale Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2019	63.18	731^st	3275	77.7%
2022	32.65	2399^th	3311	27.5%

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

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Sunnydale Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	36.56	3272^nd	5084	35.6%
2019	27.40	4077^th	5173	21.2%
2022	13.89	5027^th	5264	4.5%
2023	17.50	4872^nd	5374	9.3%
2024	21.76	4641^st	5511	15.8%

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

Rank History for Female students at Sunnydale Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	26.63	4042^nd	5413	25.3%
2019	20.69	4558^th	5492	17.0%
2022	11.36	5459^th	5635	3.1%
2023	11.68	5406^th	5617	3.8%
2024	17.35	4929^th	5605	12.1%

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

Rank History for Disabled students at Sunnydale Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	23.99	1766^th	2128	17.0%
2019	25.59	2022^nd	2585	21.8%
2022	18.57	2137^th	2227	4.0%

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

Rank History for Male students at Sunnydale Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	26.41	3990^th	5431	26.5%
2019	21.98	4473^rd	5510	18.8%
2022	12.44	5414^th	5663	4.4%
2023	17.73	4938^th	5650	12.6%
2024	19.68	4753^rd	5636	15.7%

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

Rank History for African American students at Sunnydale Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	42.54	367^th	700	47.6%
2019	32.60	514^th	747	31.2%
2022	26.86	511^th	663	22.9%
2023	27.72	501^st	662	24.3%
2024	31.29	402^nd	593	32.2%

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

Rank History for Hispanic students at Sunnydale Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	40.72	2809^th	4830	41.8%
2019	28.49	3804^th	4963	23.4%
2022	14.23	4843^rd	5084	4.7%
2023	20.25	4479^th	5098	12.1%
2024	21.48	4373^rd	5102	14.3%

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

Rank History for White students at Sunnydale Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	13.42	2472^nd	2737	9.7%
2019	30.48	2142^nd	2834	24.4%
2024	11.09	2412^th	2647	8.9%

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 Sunnydale Elementary

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	856	49	51	116	0	n/a	n/a	0	1072
1989	921	113	66	125	10	n/a	n/a	0	1235
1990	822	155	66	146	2	n/a	n/a	0	1191
1991	679	110	48	137	7	n/a	n/a	0	981
1992	641	129	48	155	11	n/a	n/a	0	984
1993	593	149	65	163	11	n/a	n/a	0	981
1994	540	193	47	195	7	n/a	n/a	0	982
1995	442	206	55	245	10	n/a	n/a	0	958
1996	442	206	55	245	10	n/a	n/a	0	958
1997	434	219	50	256	10	n/a	n/a	0	969
1998	444	237	44	238	11	n/a	n/a	0	974
1999	375	270	36	243	9	n/a	n/a	0	933
2000	366	318	34	231	9	n/a	n/a	0	958
2001	346	317	39	263	8	n/a	n/a	0	973
2002	222	299	33	250	8	n/a	n/a	0	812
2003	222	299	33	250	8	n/a	n/a	0	812
2004	207	272	28	272	12	n/a	n/a	0	791
2005	195	258	24	304	4	n/a	n/a	0	785
2006	185	229	36	317	2	n/a	n/a	4	773
2007	137	226	49	310	2	n/a	n/a	3	727
2008	137	236	48	307	3	n/a	n/a	0	731
2009	148	191	38	288	7	3	4	0	679
2010	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
2011	123	201	26	334	2	1	10	0	697
2012	109	186	25	318	6	0	23	0	667
2013	93	175	17	321	5	0	46	0	657
2014	94	161	19	319	2	1	18	0	614
2015	86	157	16	283	3	1	22	0	568
2016	76	195	18	294	2	1	25	0	611
2017	70	193	15	286	1	1	20	0	586
2018	77	206	12	292	1	1	29	0	618
2019	61	208	18	328	2	1	25	0	643
2020	68	212	19	314	2	2	27	0	644
2021	58	194	16	333	2	2	22	0	627
2022	57	158	11	310	7	2	25	0	570
2023	54	138	16	272	5	3	25	0	513
2024	185	154	15	95	11	7	37	0	504

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 Sunnydale Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	1072	39.0	27.4	n/a
1989	1235	43.0	28.7	n/a
1990	1191	42.0	28.3	n/a
1991	981	34.0	28.8	n/a
1992	984	34.6	28.4	24
1993	981	37.0	26.5	42.4
1994	982	35.0	28.1	44
1995	958	34.0	28.2	52.5
1996	958	34.0	28.2	52.5
1997	969	35.0	27.7	52.8
1998	974	44.0	22.1	60.5
1999	933	46.0	20.3	63.2
2000	958	46.0	20.8	65.1
2001	973	46.0	21.2	54.4
2002	812	42.0	19.3	67.9
2003	812	42.0	19.3	67.9
2004	791	42.0	18.8	67.4
2005	785	40.0	19.6	71.7
2006	773	41.0	18.9	70
2007	727	39.0	18.6	66.3
2008	731	38.0	19.2	69.4
2009	679	32.0	20.6	70.8
2010	0	22.0	0.0	n/a
2011	697	n/a	n/a	71.2
2012	667	25.0	26.6	n/a
2013	657	23.0	28.5	83.6
2014	614	23.0	26.6	78.3
2015	568	21.0	27.0	85.9
2016	611	24.0	25.4	89.5
2017	586	24.0	24.4	90.3
2018	618	25.0	24.7	90.6
2019	643	25.0	25.7	92.8
2020	644	n/a	n/a	91.5
2021	627	26.0	24.1	94.7
2022	570	22.2	25.5	91.8
2023	513	21.0	24.4	92
2024	504	19.0	26.5	91.9

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 Sunnydale Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	1072	39.0	27.4	n/a
1989	1235	43.0	28.7	n/a
1990	1191	42.0	28.3	n/a
1991	981	34.0	28.8	n/a
1992	984	34.6	28.4	24
1993	981	37.0	26.5	42.4
1994	982	35.0	28.1	44
1995	958	34.0	28.2	52.5
1996	958	34.0	28.2	52.5
1997	969	35.0	27.7	52.8
1998	974	44.0	22.1	60.5
1999	933	46.0	20.3	63.2
2000	958	46.0	20.8	65.1
2001	973	46.0	21.2	54.4
2002	812	42.0	19.3	67.9
2003	812	42.0	19.3	67.9
2004	791	42.0	18.8	67.4
2005	785	40.0	19.6	71.7
2006	773	41.0	18.9	70
2007	727	39.0	18.6	66.3
2008	731	38.0	19.2	69.4
2009	679	32.0	20.6	70.8
2010	0	22.0	0.0	n/a
2011	697	n/a	n/a	71.2
2012	667	25.0	26.6	n/a
2013	657	23.0	28.5	83.6
2014	614	23.0	26.6	78.3
2015	568	21.0	27.0	85.9
2016	611	24.0	25.4	89.5
2017	586	24.0	24.4	90.3
2018	618	25.0	24.7	90.6
2019	643	25.0	25.7	92.8
2020	644	n/a	n/a	91.5
2021	627	26.0	24.1	94.7
2022	570	22.2	25.5	91.8
2023	513	21.0	24.4	92
2024	504	19.0	26.5	91.9

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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