Is Pearl Zanker Elementary a good school?

Pearl Zanker Elementary ranks 1402 nd of 5862 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Pearl Zanker Elementary?

In the 2023-24 school year, 578 students attended Pearl Zanker Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Pearl Zanker Elementary?

Students at Pearl Zanker Elementary are 67% Asian, 15% Hispanic, 9% Two or more races, 4% African American, 3% White.

What schools do graduates of Pearl Zanker Elementary attend?

Students who attend Pearl Zanker Elementary usually go on to attend: Middle : Rancho Milpitas Middle High : Milpitas High

Pearl Zanker Elementary

Summary:

Pearl Zanker Elementary is a public elementary school in Milpitas, California, serving 574 students in grades K-6 as part of the Milpitas Unified School District. While the school consistently outperforms the state average on standardized tests, it lags behind other high-performing schools in the district, particularly in mathematics.

One of Pearl Zanker's strengths is its exceptional performance for English Language Learner students, ranking in the top 12% of California elementary schools in this category. However, the school's performance for Asian and Hispanic students is relatively lower, ranking in the bottom 50% of California elementary schools in these subgroups. Additionally, Pearl Zanker has seen a significant increase in chronic absenteeism, rising from 5.7% in 2018-2019 to 20.1% in 2022-2023, which is higher than nearby Anthony Spangler Elementary and Mabel Mattos Elementary.

The increase in the percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch at Pearl Zanker, from 24.4% in 2020-2021 to 30.66% in 2022-2023, may be contributing to the school's lower performance compared to other Milpitas Unified schools, such as John Sinnott Elementary and Curtner Elementary, which consistently outperform Pearl Zanker in both English Language Arts/Literacy and Mathematics.

Detail:

Public K-6

1585 Fallen Leaf Dr.
Milpitas, CA 95035-6762

(408) 635-2882

District: Milpitas Unified

SchoolDigger Rank:
1402^nd of 5,862 California Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $6,111

Students who attend Pearl Zanker Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Rancho Milpitas Middle
High:	Milpitas High

Student/teacher ratio: 25.6

Number of students: 578

Racial breakdown:

Asian:

66.8%

Hispanic:

15.1%

Two or more races:

9.2%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 40.1%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Pearl Zanker Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Pearl Zanker Elementary ranks better than 76.1% of elementary schools in California. It also ranks 7^th among 9 ranked elementary schools in the Milpitas Unified School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 74.13. (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: Asian (66.8%), Hispanic (15.1%), two or more races (9.2%). (See more...)

Compare Details 40.1% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Pearl Zanker Elementary is 25.6. 6 elementary schools in the Milpitas Unified School District have better student/teacher ratios. (See more...)

Compare Pearl Zanker Elementary employs 22.5 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Pearl Zanker Elementary is $6,111. 5 elementary schools in the Milpitas Unified School District spend more per student.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Pearl Zanker Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Pearl Zanker Elementary 1402^nd of 5862 California public elementary schools. (See Pearl Zanker 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:

Male students:

Asian students:

Hispanic students:

Milpitas Unified:

SchoolDigger ranks Milpitas Unified 280^th of 1568 California school districts. (See district ranking list.)

Average Parent Rating:

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Rank History for Pearl Zanker Elementary

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Rank History for all students at Pearl Zanker Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2004	67.72	1373^rd	4809	71.4%
2005	71.72	1265^th	4822	73.8%
2006	74.58	1156^th	4818	76.0%
2007	76.57	1113^th	5113	78.2%
2008	80.01	971^st	5113	81.0%
2009	77.54	1109^th	5193	78.6%
2010	73.26	1314^th	5314	75.3%
2011	67.80	1590^th	5377	70.4%
2012	75.78	1232^nd	5390	77.1%
2013	71.26	1516^th	5530	72.6%
2015	80.60	1087^th	5611	80.6%
2016	81.01	1088^th	5614	80.6%
2017	79.76	1142^nd	5692	79.9%
2018	83.54	957^th	5662	83.1%
2019	85.83	859^th	5789	85.2%
2022	85.62	919^th	5883	84.4%
2023	80.43	1156^th	5874	80.3%
2024	74.13	1402^nd	5862	76.1%

See the entire list of California Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Pearl Zanker Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	93.79	117^th	3246	96.4%
2019	80.83	307^th	3275	90.6%
2022	84.83	232^nd	3311	93.0%
2023	81.15	256^th	3250	92.1%
2024	71.98	378^th	3160	88.0%

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

Rank History for Special Education students at Pearl Zanker Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2024	71.00	476^th	2634	81.9%

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

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Pearl Zanker Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	75.58	891^st	5084	82.5%
2019	73.05	1029^th	5173	80.1%
2022	65.26	1404^th	5264	73.3%
2023	57.65	1902^nd	5374	64.6%
2024	64.88	1503^rd	5511	72.7%

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

Rank History for Female students at Pearl Zanker Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	80.36	1023^rd	5413	81.1%
2019	87.60	684^th	5492	87.5%
2022	85.59	841^st	5635	85.1%
2023	83.07	985^th	5617	82.5%
2024	71.01	1448^th	5605	74.2%

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

Rank History for Male students at Pearl Zanker Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	83.52	907^th	5431	83.3%
2019	82.18	958^th	5510	82.6%
2022	82.28	996^th	5663	82.4%
2023	74.55	1313^th	5650	76.8%
2024	73.98	1323^rd	5636	76.5%

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

Rank History for Asian students at Pearl Zanker Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	63.26	488^th	1071	54.4%
2019	61.06	545^th	1149	52.6%
2022	59.79	596^th	1154	48.4%
2023	60.35	604^th	1190	49.2%
2024	46.36	800^th	1203	33.5%

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

Rank History for Hispanic students at Pearl Zanker Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	49.11	2284^th	4830	52.7%
2019	63.17	1520^th	4963	69.4%
2022	59.07	1684^th	5084	66.9%
2023	36.61	3175^th	5098	37.7%
2024	37.69	3139^th	5102	38.5%

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

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 5)

100%

Reviews:

by a parent
Saturday, August 5, 2017

We've been very happy at Zanker. The special education support staff are fantastic, the administrative staff are friendly and knowledgeable, and the teachers are amazing. Campus is well-kept and well-resourced. Close Quote

Enrollment information for Pearl Zanker Elementary

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	195	19	138	72	0	n/a	n/a	0	424
1989	192	16	139	55	0	n/a	n/a	0	402
1990	164	30	163	49	0	n/a	n/a	0	406
1991	148	32	163	52	2	n/a	n/a	0	397
1992	173	37	163	50	2	n/a	n/a	0	425
1993	152	37	174	47	2	n/a	n/a	0	412
1994	99	31	182	30	2	n/a	n/a	0	344
1995	126	31	235	40	3	n/a	n/a	0	435
1996	126	31	235	40	3	n/a	n/a	0	435
1997	118	27	223	37	2	n/a	n/a	0	407
1998	85	36	235	43	1	n/a	n/a	0	400
1999	68	29	241	43	1	n/a	n/a	0	382
2000	64	30	253	69	1	n/a	n/a	0	417
2001	55	32	263	77	5	n/a	n/a	0	432
2002	55	24	275	68	2	n/a	n/a	0	424
2003	55	24	275	68	2	n/a	n/a	0	424
2004	49	22	275	55	0	n/a	n/a	24	425
2005	38	17	291	68	1	n/a	n/a	23	438
2006	34	19	303	71	2	n/a	n/a	26	455
2007	34	20	309	71	2	n/a	n/a	27	463
2008	23	15	346	73	2	n/a	n/a	0	459
2009	31	19	376	74	2	5	42	0	549
2010	32	19	406	104	4	12	15	0	592
2011	32	22	422	117	3	15	29	0	640
2012	33	20	458	115	3	13	37	0	679
2013	36	22	428	118	3	11	38	0	656
2014	40	12	438	119	3	7	48	0	667
2015	35	11	452	122	2	6	35	0	663
2016	46	14	453	117	2	3	40	0	675
2017	40	17	450	125	4	2	42	0	680
2018	29	19	459	126	4	1	48	0	686
2019	27	22	421	110	2	1	52	0	635
2020	24	21	429	114	2	4	43	0	637
2021	21	25	456	112	3	4	51	0	672
2022	20	26	385	90	2	6	47	0	576
2023	19	35	376	94	3	5	42	0	574
2024	20	25	386	87	2	5	53	0	578

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 Pearl Zanker Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	424	19.0	22.3	n/a
1989	402	16.0	25.1	n/a
1990	406	16.0	25.3	n/a
1991	397	16.0	24.8	n/a
1992	425	16.3	26.0	23.3
1993	412	15.0	27.5	22.8
1994	344	15.0	22.9	23
1995	435	17.0	25.6	23.7
1996	435	17.0	25.6	23.7
1997	407	18.5	22.0	19.4
1998	400	19.9	20.1	21.3
1999	382	21.9	17.4	27.2
2000	417	21.4	19.5	31.4
2001	432	20.0	21.6	29.2
2002	424	21.0	20.2	29.5
2003	424	21.0	20.2	29.5
2004	425	20.0	21.3	30.2
2005	438	20.0	21.9	36.1
2006	455	19.0	23.9	41
2007	463	21.0	22.0	33.9
2008	459	24.0	19.1	29.6
2009	549	25.0	21.1	25.5
2010	592	26.0	22.7	31.1
2011	640	n/a	n/a	31.1
2012	679	24.0	28.2	n/a
2013	656	24.0	27.3	29.9
2014	667	25.0	26.6	26.2
2015	663	26.0	25.5	25.5
2016	675	27.0	25.0	24.7
2017	680	26.9	25.2	23.5
2018	686	27.0	25.4	27
2019	635	27.0	23.5	26
2020	637	n/a	n/a	24.6
2021	672	27.0	24.8	24.4
2022	576	25.1	22.8	29.5
2023	574	23.0	24.9	30.7
2024	578	22.5	25.6	40.1

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 Pearl Zanker Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	424	19.0	22.3	n/a
1989	402	16.0	25.1	n/a
1990	406	16.0	25.3	n/a
1991	397	16.0	24.8	n/a
1992	425	16.3	26.0	23.3
1993	412	15.0	27.5	22.8
1994	344	15.0	22.9	23
1995	435	17.0	25.6	23.7
1996	435	17.0	25.6	23.7
1997	407	18.5	22.0	19.4
1998	400	19.9	20.1	21.3
1999	382	21.9	17.4	27.2
2000	417	21.4	19.5	31.4
2001	432	20.0	21.6	29.2
2002	424	21.0	20.2	29.5
2003	424	21.0	20.2	29.5
2004	425	20.0	21.3	30.2
2005	438	20.0	21.9	36.1
2006	455	19.0	23.9	41
2007	463	21.0	22.0	33.9
2008	459	24.0	19.1	29.6
2009	549	25.0	21.1	25.5
2010	592	26.0	22.7	31.1
2011	640	n/a	n/a	31.1
2012	679	24.0	28.2	n/a
2013	656	24.0	27.3	29.9
2014	667	25.0	26.6	26.2
2015	663	26.0	25.5	25.5
2016	675	27.0	25.0	24.7
2017	680	26.9	25.2	23.5
2018	686	27.0	25.4	27
2019	635	27.0	23.5	26
2020	637	n/a	n/a	24.6
2021	672	27.0	24.8	24.4
2022	576	25.1	22.8	29.5
2023	574	23.0	24.9	30.7
2024	578	22.5	25.6	40.1

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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