Is Sonora Elementary a good school?

Sonora Elementary ranks 2125 th of 5862 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Sonora Elementary?

In the 2023-24 school year, 376 students attended Sonora Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Sonora Elementary?

Students at Sonora Elementary are 74% Hispanic, 14% White, 5% Asian, 5% Two or more races, 2% Pacific Islander.

What schools do graduates of Sonora Elementary attend?

Students who attend Sonora Elementary usually go on to attend: High : Costa Mesa High

Sonora Elementary

Summary:

Sonora Elementary is a public elementary school in Costa Mesa, California, serving 380 students in grades K-6 as part of the Newport-Mesa Unified School District. While the district is ranked 430 out of 1,568 in California and has a 4-star rating, Sonora Elementary faces several challenges, including high chronic absenteeism rates, lower-than-average test scores, and a high percentage of students from low-socioeconomic backgrounds.

Sonora Elementary's chronic absenteeism rates have significantly increased from 7.5% in 2018-2019 to 26.5% in 2022-2023, notably higher than the 22.4% district average at nearby California Elementary. The school's test scores, while generally above the state average, lag behind the district and nearby high-performing schools like Maude B. Davis Elementary and Heinz Kaiser Elementary. In 2023-2024, Sonora Elementary's proficiency rates in English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science were significantly lower than the district and state averages across all grade levels.

Sonora Elementary's high percentage of students from low-socioeconomic backgrounds, with 73.68% qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch in 2022-2023, is significantly higher than nearby schools like Maude B. Davis Elementary (28.62%) and California Elementary (45.6%). The school's declining performance trend and subgroup disparities suggest the need for targeted interventions and a closer examination of the practices and strategies used by the higher-performing nearby schools.

Detail:

Public K-6

966 Sonora Rd.
Costa Mesa, CA 92626-5710

(714) 424-7955

District: Newport-Mesa Unified

SchoolDigger Rank:
2125^th of 5,862 California Elementary Schools

Students who attend Sonora Elementary usually attend:

High:

Costa Mesa High

Student/teacher ratio: 18.9

Number of students: 376

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

74.5%

White:

13.8%

Asian:

5.1%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 76.6%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Sonora Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Sonora Elementary ranks better than 63.7% of elementary schools in California. It also ranks 15^th among 21 ranked elementary schools in the Newport-Mesa Unified School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 58.38. (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 (74.5%), White (13.8%), Asian (5.1%). (See more...)

Compare Details 76.6% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Compare Details

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Sonora Elementary is 18.9, which is the 11^th best among 21 elementary schools in the Newport-Mesa Unified School District. (See more...)

Compare Sonora Elementary employs 19.8 full-time teachers.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Sonora Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Sonora Elementary 2125^th of 5862 California public elementary schools. (See Sonora Elementary in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

English Language Learner students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

Hispanic students:

Newport-Mesa Unified:

SchoolDigger ranks Newport-Mesa Unified 430^th of 1568 California school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for Sonora Elementary

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Rank History for all students at Sonora Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2008	64.31	1669^th	5113	67.4%
2009	61.94	1824^th	5193	64.9%
2010	48.08	2688^th	5314	49.4%
2011	59.85	2043^rd	5377	62.0%
2012	59.08	2097^th	5390	61.1%
2013	57.75	2252^nd	5530	59.3%
2015	53.96	2242^nd	5611	60.0%
2016	66.59	1687^th	5614	70.0%
2017	72.59	1443^rd	5692	74.6%
2018	68.83	1626^th	5662	71.3%
2019	75.24	1371^st	5789	76.3%
2021	66.52	430^th	1417	69.7%
2022	56.10	2236^th	5883	62.0%
2023	60.39	2041^st	5874	65.3%
2024	58.38	2125^th	5862	63.7%

See the entire list of California Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Sonora Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	57.50	950^th	3246	70.7%
2019	76.90	369^th	3275	88.7%
2021	66.21	99^th	602	83.6%
2022	59.13	791^st	3311	76.1%
2023	52.39	1077^th	3250	66.9%
2024	51.49	1103^rd	3160	65.1%

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

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Sonora Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	78.40	752^nd	5084	85.2%
2019	86.67	417^th	5173	91.9%
2021	76.90	172^nd	1110	84.5%
2022	55.18	1967^th	5264	62.6%
2023	66.48	1418^th	5374	73.6%
2024	61.47	1702^nd	5511	69.1%

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

Rank History for Female students at Sonora Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	67.20	1647^th	5413	69.6%
2019	68.13	1596^th	5492	70.9%
2021	61.52	426^th	1267	66.4%
2022	57.75	2031^st	5635	64.0%
2023	64.40	1745^th	5617	68.9%
2024	60.78	1920^th	5605	65.7%

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

Rank History for Male students at Sonora Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	66.19	1659^th	5431	69.5%
2019	79.34	1110^th	5510	79.9%
2021	68.87	355^th	1272	72.1%
2022	50.72	2404^th	5663	57.5%
2023	51.61	2356^th	5650	58.3%
2024	52.70	2325^th	5636	58.7%

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

Rank History for Hispanic students at Sonora Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	72.36	1020^th	4830	78.9%
2019	83.67	567^th	4963	88.6%
2022	61.54	1548^th	5084	69.6%
2023	65.37	1390^th	5098	72.7%
2024	65.22	1407^th	5102	72.4%

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 Sonora Elementary

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	224	6	129	95	0	n/a	n/a	0	454
1989	263	12	125	110	0	n/a	n/a	0	510
1990	237	14	118	140	0	n/a	n/a	0	509
1991	248	20	134	171	1	n/a	n/a	0	574
1992	276	15	118	181	0	n/a	n/a	0	590
1993	229	16	125	203	0	n/a	n/a	0	573
1994	208	11	168	210	0	n/a	n/a	0	597
1995	209	9	158	225	0	n/a	n/a	0	601
1996	209	9	158	225	0	n/a	n/a	0	601
1997	202	13	155	278	2	n/a	n/a	0	650
1998	129	10	99	253	1	n/a	n/a	0	492
1999	112	8	90	253	3	n/a	n/a	0	466
2000	86	3	57	237	3	n/a	n/a	0	386
2001	89	3	60	220	1	n/a	n/a	0	373
2002	92	3	52	228	0	n/a	n/a	0	375
2003	92	3	52	228	0	n/a	n/a	0	375
2004	92	4	51	240	0	n/a	n/a	0	387
2005	81	6	46	252	1	n/a	n/a	0	386
2006	77	7	46	250	1	n/a	n/a	0	381
2007	73	7	39	255	3	n/a	n/a	0	377
2008	82	10	50	271	2	n/a	n/a	0	415
2009	97	9	47	310	3	12	0	0	478
2010	102	13	44	358	3	13	0	0	533
2011	98	11	44	397	3	12	0	0	565
2012	91	9	49	401	4	9	3	0	566
2013	84	7	34	396	2	12	2	0	537
2014	75	7	31	380	1	9	9	0	512
2015	71	6	31	391	1	10	17	0	527
2016	66	2	29	372	1	11	20	0	501
2017	64	1	30	376	1	11	23	0	506
2018	58	0	24	352	1	10	20	0	465
2019	52	1	14	324	1	8	14	0	414
2020	45	1	17	303	2	10	20	0	398
2021	52	0	19	264	1	7	12	0	355
2022	47	0	24	291	0	5	14	0	381
2023	54	0	22	279	0	5	19	1	380
2024	52	1	19	280	0	7	17	0	376

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 Sonora Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	454	21.4	21.2	n/a
1989	510	23.6	21.6	n/a
1990	509	24.9	20.4	n/a
1991	574	29.3	19.5	n/a
1992	590	29.8	19.7	46.9
1993	573	25.9	22.1	58.6
1994	597	25.5	23.4	61.3
1995	601	26.1	23.0	70.9
1996	601	26.1	23.0	70.9
1997	650	30.1	21.6	61.2
1998	492	25.4	19.4	61.6
1999	466	25.5	18.3	70.6
2000	386	25.0	15.4	67.9
2001	373	24.0	15.5	70
2002	375	25.0	15.0	64.5
2003	375	25.0	15.0	64.5
2004	387	22.3	17.4	65.9
2005	386	22.5	17.2	66.6
2006	381	21.5	17.7	66.1
2007	377	23.5	16.0	72.4
2008	415	25.4	16.3	76.4
2009	478	24.7	16.9	81
2010	533	25.3	21.0	73.9
2011	565	n/a	n/a	68.5
2012	566	25.6	22.1	n/a
2013	537	25.0	21.4	79.3
2014	512	21.3	24.0	79.1
2015	527	21.0	25.0	78
2016	501	21.0	23.8	77
2017	506	21.0	24.0	71.9
2018	465	19.0	24.4	76.1
2019	414	20.0	20.7	75.4
2020	398	n/a	n/a	74.4
2021	355	16.0	22.1	74.1
2022	381	19.6	19.4	56.4
2023	380	18.6	20.3	73.7
2024	376	19.8	18.9	76.6

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 Sonora Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	454	21.4	21.2	n/a
1989	510	23.6	21.6	n/a
1990	509	24.9	20.4	n/a
1991	574	29.3	19.5	n/a
1992	590	29.8	19.7	46.9
1993	573	25.9	22.1	58.6
1994	597	25.5	23.4	61.3
1995	601	26.1	23.0	70.9
1996	601	26.1	23.0	70.9
1997	650	30.1	21.6	61.2
1998	492	25.4	19.4	61.6
1999	466	25.5	18.3	70.6
2000	386	25.0	15.4	67.9
2001	373	24.0	15.5	70
2002	375	25.0	15.0	64.5
2003	375	25.0	15.0	64.5
2004	387	22.3	17.4	65.9
2005	386	22.5	17.2	66.6
2006	381	21.5	17.7	66.1
2007	377	23.5	16.0	72.4
2008	415	25.4	16.3	76.4
2009	478	24.7	16.9	81
2010	533	25.3	21.0	73.9
2011	565	n/a	n/a	68.5
2012	566	25.6	22.1	n/a
2013	537	25.0	21.4	79.3
2014	512	21.3	24.0	79.1
2015	527	21.0	25.0	78
2016	501	21.0	23.8	77
2017	506	21.0	24.0	71.9
2018	465	19.0	24.4	76.1
2019	414	20.0	20.7	75.4
2020	398	n/a	n/a	74.4
2021	355	16.0	22.1	74.1
2022	381	19.6	19.4	56.4
2023	380	18.6	20.3	73.7
2024	376	19.8	18.9	76.6

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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