Is Joshua Tree Elementary a good school?

Joshua Tree Elementary ranks 4294 th of 5862 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

How many students attend Joshua Tree Elementary?

In the 2023-24 school year, 260 students attended Joshua Tree Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Joshua Tree Elementary?

Students at Joshua Tree Elementary are 43% Hispanic, 40% White, 7% African American, 7% Two or more races.

What schools do graduates of Joshua Tree Elementary attend?

Students who attend Joshua Tree Elementary usually go on to attend: Middle : La Contenta Middle High : Yucca Valley High

Joshua Tree Elementary

Summary:

Joshua Tree Elementary is a public elementary school serving 276 students in grades K-6 in the Morongo Unified School District in Joshua Tree, California. The school faces significant challenges, particularly in the areas of chronic absenteeism and academic achievement.

Joshua Tree Elementary has much higher chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 39.1% to 46.0% in recent years, compared to the state average and other schools in the district, which have rates ranging from 13.6% to 42.9%. The school also consistently underperforms the district and the state of California on Smarter Balanced Assessments for English Language Arts/Literacy and Mathematics. For example, in the 2023-2024 school year, Joshua Tree Elementary had 31.91% proficiency in ELA/Literacy End of Course, compared to 35.78% for the district and 47.04% for the state. In Mathematics End of Course, Joshua Tree Elementary had 21.99% proficiency, compared to 21.77% for the district and 35.54% for the state. Additionally, Joshua Tree Elementary has a very high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 77.47% to 92.01% in recent years, which is significantly higher than the nearby schools.

The data suggests that addressing the high rates of chronic absenteeism could be a key factor in improving student outcomes at Joshua Tree Elementary. The school's socioeconomic challenges, as evidenced by the extremely high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, may also contribute to the school's struggles with attendance and academic performance. While Joshua Tree Elementary is part of the same school district as the nearby schools, it consistently underperforms them on key metrics, indicating that there may be unique challenges or factors specific to this school that need to be addressed.

Detail:

Public K-6

6051 Sunburst Dr.
Joshua Tree, CA 92252-2053

(760) 366-8459

District: Morongo Unified

SchoolDigger Rank:
4294^th of 5,862 California Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $7,096

Students who attend Joshua Tree Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	La Contenta Middle
High:	Yucca Valley High

Student/teacher ratio: 22.1

Number of students: 260

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

43.5%

White:

40.4%

African American:

7.3%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 86.2%

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Compare Joshua Tree Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Joshua Tree Elementary ranks worse than 73.3% of elementary schools in California. It also ranks 7^th among 11 ranked elementary schools in the Morongo Unified School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 25.71. (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 (43.5%), White (40.4%), African American (7.3%). (See more...)

Compare Details 86.2% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. This is the highest percentage in the Morongo Unified School District. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Joshua Tree Elementary is 22.1. 6 elementary schools in the Morongo Unified School District have better student/teacher ratios. (See more...)

Compare Joshua Tree Elementary employs 11.7 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Joshua Tree Elementary is $7,096. 5 elementary schools in the Morongo Unified School District spend more per student.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Joshua Tree Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Joshua Tree Elementary 4294^th of 5862 California public elementary schools. (See Joshua Tree Elementary in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

Hispanic students:

White students:

Morongo Unified:

SchoolDigger ranks Morongo Unified 1036^th of 1568 California school districts. (See district ranking list.)

Average Parent Rating:

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Rank History for Joshua Tree Elementary

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Rank History for all students at Joshua Tree Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2004	23.04	3703^rd	4809	23.0%
2005	19.94	3971^st	4822	17.6%
2006	23.97	3729^th	4818	22.6%
2007	19.43	4338^th	5113	15.2%
2008	18.25	4450^th	5113	13.0%
2009	33.72	3457^th	5193	33.4%
2010	36.02	3428^th	5314	35.5%
2011	36.37	3507^th	5377	34.8%
2012	29.97	3955^th	5390	26.6%
2013	28.99	4132^nd	5530	25.3%
2015	24.67	4158^th	5611	25.9%
2016	27.41	3979^th	5614	29.1%
2017	20.10	4683^rd	5692	17.7%
2018	19.48	4725^th	5662	16.5%
2019	18.44	4955^th	5789	14.4%
2021	16.08	1267^th	1417	10.6%
2022	19.70	4894^th	5883	16.8%
2023	23.89	4471^st	5874	23.9%
2024	25.71	4294^th	5862	26.7%

See the entire list of California Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Joshua Tree Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	23.44	4228^th	5084	16.8%
2019	25.68	4182^nd	5173	19.2%
2021	24.18	928^th	1110	16.4%
2022	26.07	4164^th	5264	20.9%
2023	29.72	3920^th	5374	27.1%
2024	34.65	3556^th	5511	35.5%

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

Rank History for Female students at Joshua Tree Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	26.19	4071^st	5413	24.8%
2019	15.74	4969^th	5492	9.5%
2021	15.88	1155^th	1267	8.8%
2022	27.73	3959^th	5635	29.7%
2023	22.40	4486^th	5617	20.1%
2024	24.90	4252^nd	5605	24.1%

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

Rank History for Disabled students at Joshua Tree Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	19.36	1993^rd	2128	6.3%
2019	22.73	2194^th	2585	15.1%
2021	20.39	270^th	293	7.8%

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

Rank History for Male students at Joshua Tree Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	18.58	4703^rd	5431	13.4%
2019	22.37	4442^nd	5510	19.4%
2021	18.36	1079^th	1272	15.2%
2022	17.82	4946^th	5663	12.7%
2023	30.11	3770^th	5650	33.3%
2024	32.73	3583^rd	5636	36.4%

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

Rank History for Hispanic students at Joshua Tree Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	21.29	4159^th	4830	13.9%
2019	6.86	4925^th	4963	0.8%
2022	33.23	3427^th	5084	32.6%
2023	33.94	3397^th	5098	33.4%
2024	26.95	3953^rd	5102	22.5%

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

Rank History for White students at Joshua Tree Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	6.87	2623^rd	2737	4.2%
2019	7.37	2706^th	2834	4.5%
2022	3.54	2688^th	2726	1.4%
2023	5.37	2577^th	2662	3.2%
2024	15.40	2314^th	2647	12.6%

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

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 1)

100%

Reviews:
No reviews have been submitted!

Enrollment information for Joshua Tree Elementary

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	666	16	8	85	6	n/a	n/a	0	781
1989	544	20	6	85	6	n/a	n/a	0	661
1990	552	22	7	78	2	n/a	n/a	0	661
1991	607	24	4	86	3	n/a	n/a	0	724
1992	628	19	6	84	2	n/a	n/a	0	739
1993	587	35	13	91	6	n/a	n/a	0	732
1994	573	29	11	115	7	n/a	n/a	0	735
1995	341	14	13	82	6	n/a	n/a	0	456
1996	341	14	13	82	6	n/a	n/a	0	456
1997	347	15	12	81	8	n/a	n/a	0	463
1998	336	8	9	70	8	n/a	n/a	0	431
1999	362	14	5	62	10	n/a	n/a	0	453
2000	341	5	7	57	11	n/a	n/a	1	422
2001	299	11	7	57	7	n/a	n/a	13	394
2002	274	20	6	59	6	n/a	n/a	13	378
2003	274	20	6	59	6	n/a	n/a	13	378
2004	240	22	2	58	6	n/a	n/a	31	359
2005	225	23	8	62	12	n/a	n/a	29	359
2006	211	27	11	68	9	n/a	n/a	49	375
2007	223	19	9	80	5	n/a	n/a	45	381
2008	200	17	6	96	2	n/a	n/a	0	321
2009	210	19	8	93	2	0	35	0	367
2010	183	32	9	100	0	0	49	0	373
2011	206	31	8	104	4	0	13	0	366
2012	196	31	6	92	1	2	18	0	346
2013	187	22	4	81	0	0	18	0	312
2014	219	19	2	66	0	0	11	0	317
2015	216	22	3	76	1	1	13	0	332
2016	185	23	5	91	4	3	7	0	318
2017	211	28	8	110	7	2	8	0	374
2018	205	19	7	95	8	3	3	0	340
2019	200	20	7	108	5	5	1	0	346
2020	176	27	4	109	6	3	2	0	327
2021	169	24	5	105	8	1	1	0	313
2022	146	23	4	104	7	2	7	0	293
2023	128	16	3	109	5	2	13	0	276
2024	105	19	2	113	2	2	17	0	260

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 Joshua Tree Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	781	28.9	27.0	n/a
1989	661	25.9	25.5	n/a
1990	661	25.0	26.4	n/a
1991	724	29.0	24.9	n/a
1992	739	29.5	25.0	68.5
1993	732	30.0	24.4	91.8
1994	735	32.0	23.0	79.9
1995	456	23.0	19.8	77.2
1996	456	23.0	19.8	77.2
1997	463	21.0	22.0	84.2
1998	431	23.0	18.7	82.6
1999	453	27.0	16.8	82.1
2000	422	25.0	16.9	82.9
2001	394	26.0	15.2	82.9
2002	378	19.0	19.9	47.4
2003	378	19.0	19.9	47.4
2004	359	19.0	18.9	46.6
2005	359	17.0	21.1	93.3
2006	375	18.0	20.8	103.4
2007	381	20.0	19.1	98.8
2008	321	24.0	13.4	96.3
2009	367	21.0	16.0	92.4
2010	373	20.0	18.6	81.5
2011	366	n/a	n/a	79
2012	346	16.4	21.0	n/a
2013	312	15.4	20.2	86.9
2014	317	14.4	22.0	80.8
2015	332	15.0	22.1	87.7
2016	318	16.0	19.8	88.1
2017	374	15.5	24.0	86.1
2018	340	13.7	24.7	85.3
2019	346	13.8	24.9	91
2020	327	n/a	n/a	96.6
2021	313	15.2	20.5	92
2022	293	15.4	18.9	77.5
2023	276	12.6	21.9	77.9
2024	260	11.7	22.1	86.2

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 Joshua Tree Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	781	28.9	27.0	n/a
1989	661	25.9	25.5	n/a
1990	661	25.0	26.4	n/a
1991	724	29.0	24.9	n/a
1992	739	29.5	25.0	68.5
1993	732	30.0	24.4	91.8
1994	735	32.0	23.0	79.9
1995	456	23.0	19.8	77.2
1996	456	23.0	19.8	77.2
1997	463	21.0	22.0	84.2
1998	431	23.0	18.7	82.6
1999	453	27.0	16.8	82.1
2000	422	25.0	16.9	82.9
2001	394	26.0	15.2	82.9
2002	378	19.0	19.9	47.4
2003	378	19.0	19.9	47.4
2004	359	19.0	18.9	46.6
2005	359	17.0	21.1	93.3
2006	375	18.0	20.8	103.4
2007	381	20.0	19.1	98.8
2008	321	24.0	13.4	96.3
2009	367	21.0	16.0	92.4
2010	373	20.0	18.6	81.5
2011	366	n/a	n/a	79
2012	346	16.4	21.0	n/a
2013	312	15.4	20.2	86.9
2014	317	14.4	22.0	80.8
2015	332	15.0	22.1	87.7
2016	318	16.0	19.8	88.1
2017	374	15.5	24.0	86.1
2018	340	13.7	24.7	85.3
2019	346	13.8	24.9	91
2020	327	n/a	n/a	96.6
2021	313	15.2	20.5	92
2022	293	15.4	18.9	77.5
2023	276	12.6	21.9	77.9
2024	260	11.7	22.1	86.2

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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