Is La Tercera Elementary a good school?

La Tercera Elementary ranks 2963 rd of 5862 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

How many students attend La Tercera Elementary?

In the 2023-24 school year, 313 students attended La Tercera Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of La Tercera Elementary?

Students at La Tercera Elementary are 50% White, 39% Hispanic, 4% Two or more races, 3% Asian, 2% African American.

What schools do graduates of La Tercera Elementary attend?

Students who attend La Tercera Elementary usually go on to attend: Middle : Kenilworth Junior High High : Casa Grande High

La Tercera Elementary

Summary:

La Tercera Elementary is a public elementary school in Petaluma, California, serving 325 students in grades K-6 and part of the Old Adobe Union District.

While La Tercera Elementary has seen a decline in its statewide ranking over the past several years, it faces other challenges as well. The school struggles with the performance of certain student subgroups, ranking in the bottom quartile for Hispanic students and English Language Learners, and in the bottom third for White students and students of low socioeconomic status. Additionally, La Tercera has experienced a significant increase in chronic absenteeism, rising from 7.4% in 2018-2019 to 17.7% in 2022-2023. Academically, the school's proficiency rates in English Language Arts and Mathematics are generally below the district and state averages.

Interestingly, the nearby Sonoma Mountain Elementary and Miwok Valley Elementary Charter consistently outperform La Tercera Elementary in academic achievement, with proficiency rates 20-30 percentage points higher. These charter schools also have lower percentages of students from low-income families and lower student-teacher ratios compared to La Tercera Elementary.

Detail:

Public K-6

1600 Albin Way
Petaluma, CA 94954-4599

(707) 765-4303

District: Old Adobe Union

SchoolDigger Rank:
2963^rd of 5,862 California Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $19,963

Students who attend La Tercera Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Kenilworth Junior High
High:	Casa Grande High

Student/teacher ratio: 23.3

Number of students: 313

Racial breakdown:

White:

50.2%

Hispanic:

39.3%

Two or more races:

4.5%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 33.5%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare La Tercera Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details La Tercera Elementary ranks worse than 50.5% of elementary schools in California. It also ranks 3^rd among 5 ranked elementary schools in the Old Adobe Union School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 43.42. (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: White (50.2%), Hispanic (39.3%), two or more races (4.5%). (See more...)

Compare Details 33.5% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at La Tercera Elementary is 23.3. 3 elementary schools in the Old Adobe Union School District have better student/teacher ratios. (See more...)

Compare La Tercera Elementary employs 13.4 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at La Tercera Elementary is $19,963, which is the highest among 5 elementary schools in the Old Adobe Union School District!

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

La Tercera Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks La Tercera Elementary 2963^rd of 5862 California public elementary schools. (See La Tercera 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:

Old Adobe Union:

SchoolDigger ranks Old Adobe Union 736^th of 1568 California school districts. (See district ranking list.)

Average Parent Rating:

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Rank History for La Tercera Elementary

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Rank History for all students at La Tercera Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2004	58.37	1784^th	4809	62.9%
2005	59.83	1750^th	4822	63.7%
2006	59.57	1755^th	4818	63.6%
2007	62.94	1690^th	5113	66.9%
2008	60.28	1839^th	5113	64.0%
2009	46.15	2701^st	5193	48.0%
2010	47.02	2748^th	5314	48.3%
2011	33.65	3704^th	5377	31.1%
2012	33.78	3679^th	5390	31.7%
2013	32.72	3833^rd	5530	30.7%
2015	26.08	4026^th	5611	28.2%
2016	30.15	3755^th	5614	33.1%
2017	35.33	3419^th	5692	39.9%
2018	42.68	2987^th	5662	47.2%
2019	48.43	2683^rd	5789	53.7%
2022	36.02	3372^nd	5883	42.7%
2023	33.71	3601^st	5874	38.7%
2024	43.42	2963^rd	5862	49.5%

See the entire list of California Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at La Tercera Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	40.73	1728^th	3246	46.8%
2022	20.89	3156^th	3311	4.7%
2023	22.61	3018^th	3250	7.1%

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

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at La Tercera Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	44.67	2695^th	5084	47.0%
2019	42.67	2919^th	5173	43.6%
2022	24.57	4275^th	5264	18.8%
2023	28.28	4052^nd	5374	24.6%
2024	41.09	3052^nd	5511	44.6%

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

Rank History for Female students at La Tercera Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	46.21	2707^th	5413	50.0%
2019	47.93	2611^th	5492	52.5%
2022	35.17	3312^th	5635	41.2%
2023	30.66	3696^th	5617	34.2%
2024	38.26	3184^th	5605	43.2%

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

Rank History for Male students at La Tercera Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	40.61	3003^rd	5431	44.7%
2019	47.69	2572^nd	5510	53.3%
2022	37.75	3154^th	5663	44.3%
2023	37.40	3241^st	5650	42.6%
2024	48.37	2550^th	5636	54.8%

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

Rank History for Hispanic students at La Tercera Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	32.27	3396^th	4830	29.7%
2019	45.11	2606^th	4963	47.5%
2022	28.53	3836^th	5084	24.5%
2023	30.70	3653^rd	5098	28.3%
2024	39.51	2997^th	5102	41.3%

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

Rank History for White students at La Tercera Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	37.78	1874^th	2737	31.5%
2019	31.71	2100^th	2834	25.9%
2022	21.49	2233^rd	2726	18.1%
2023	18.74	2257^th	2662	15.2%
2024	30.18	1951^st	2647	26.3%

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:

by a parent
Wednesday, March 4, 2020

COMPLETE UNJUST FOR MY CHILD AND MYSELF WHEN I EXPOSED A FITH GRADE TEACHER OF PHYSICALLY ABUSING A STUDENT. PROVIDING VIDEO AND PHOTOGRAPHIC EVIDENCE OF THE INJURY INFLICTED ON THE CHILD. I WAS IGNORED Close Quote

Enrollment information for La Tercera Elementary

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	536	14	6	29	0	n/a	n/a	0	585
1989	514	16	13	35	0	n/a	n/a	0	578
1990	543	12	22	52	2	n/a	n/a	0	631
1991	569	13	24	52	0	n/a	n/a	0	658
1992	587	10	29	46	0	n/a	n/a	0	672
1993	609	7	30	40	0	n/a	n/a	0	686
1994	598	8	31	43	0	n/a	n/a	0	680
1995	618	8	30	34	1	n/a	n/a	0	691
1996	618	8	30	34	1	n/a	n/a	0	691
1997	606	15	40	44	0	n/a	n/a	0	705
1998	473	15	46	42	0	n/a	n/a	0	576
1999	436	18	36	51	6	n/a	n/a	0	547
2000	389	17	35	60	6	n/a	n/a	0	507
2001	357	22	44	54	6	n/a	n/a	0	483
2002	317	10	32	70	5	n/a	n/a	0	434
2003	317	10	32	70	5	n/a	n/a	0	434
2004	304	9	28	81	2	n/a	n/a	0	424
2005	275	8	27	88	1	n/a	n/a	0	399
2006	246	17	26	94	3	n/a	n/a	8	394
2007	250	12	26	119	4	n/a	n/a	1	412
2008	248	11	22	122	2	n/a	n/a	0	405
2009	241	9	17	130	2	0	0	0	399
2010	214	7	13	149	1	1	11	0	396
2011	239	12	29	193	1	2	20	0	496
2012	205	10	31	214	0	1	14	0	475
2013	166	8	17	195	0	3	15	0	404
2014	141	6	19	175	0	1	14	0	356
2015	137	5	21	156	2	1	17	0	339
2016	146	8	19	150	2	4	22	0	351
2017	144	3	24	144	2	4	20	0	341
2018	157	2	27	142	2	0	16	0	346
2019	175	1	24	124	2	0	14	0	340
2020	185	1	15	122	0	0	4	0	327
2021	161	3	9	115	0	0	9	0	297
2022	164	9	7	122	0	2	9	0	313
2023	173	9	9	125	1	1	7	0	325
2024	157	7	9	123	1	2	14	0	313

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 La Tercera Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	585	26.0	22.5	n/a
1989	578	25.6	22.5	n/a
1990	631	27.9	22.6	n/a
1991	658	27.5	23.9	n/a
1992	672	27.9	24.0	9.5
1993	686	25.3	27.1	9.8
1994	680	28.7	23.7	10.3
1995	691	28.7	24.1	6.8
1996	691	28.7	24.1	6.8
1997	705	30.7	23.0	12.1
1998	576	27.6	20.9	7.5
1999	547	27.9	19.6	13.2
2000	507	25.3	20.0	13.6
2001	483	23.6	20.5	15.7
2002	434	20.4	21.3	18.7
2003	434	20.4	21.3	18.7
2004	424	21.0	20.2	19.8
2005	399	18.0	22.2	23.3
2006	394	18.0	21.9	28.2
2007	412	19.0	21.7	30.9
2008	405	21.2	19.1	0
2009	399	18.2	19.1	39.8
2010	396	19.7	20.1	44.2
2011	496	n/a	n/a	50.8
2012	475	17.7	26.8	30.7
2013	404	16.7	24.1	59.4
2014	356	14.6	24.3	57.9
2015	339	14.0	24.2	56
2016	351	14.0	25.0	48.4
2017	341	13.3	25.6	49.3
2018	346	14.2	24.3	52.6
2019	340	15.0	22.6	40.6
2020	327	n/a	n/a	40.7
2021	297	12.8	23.2	27.9
2022	313	12.0	26.0	36.4
2023	325	13.0	25.0	36.9
2024	313	13.4	23.3	33.5

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 La Tercera Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	585	26.0	22.5	n/a
1989	578	25.6	22.5	n/a
1990	631	27.9	22.6	n/a
1991	658	27.5	23.9	n/a
1992	672	27.9	24.0	9.5
1993	686	25.3	27.1	9.8
1994	680	28.7	23.7	10.3
1995	691	28.7	24.1	6.8
1996	691	28.7	24.1	6.8
1997	705	30.7	23.0	12.1
1998	576	27.6	20.9	7.5
1999	547	27.9	19.6	13.2
2000	507	25.3	20.0	13.6
2001	483	23.6	20.5	15.7
2002	434	20.4	21.3	18.7
2003	434	20.4	21.3	18.7
2004	424	21.0	20.2	19.8
2005	399	18.0	22.2	23.3
2006	394	18.0	21.9	28.2
2007	412	19.0	21.7	30.9
2008	405	21.2	19.1	0
2009	399	18.2	19.1	39.8
2010	396	19.7	20.1	44.2
2011	496	n/a	n/a	50.8
2012	475	17.7	26.8	30.7
2013	404	16.7	24.1	59.4
2014	356	14.6	24.3	57.9
2015	339	14.0	24.2	56
2016	351	14.0	25.0	48.4
2017	341	13.3	25.6	49.3
2018	346	14.2	24.3	52.6
2019	340	15.0	22.6	40.6
2020	327	n/a	n/a	40.7
2021	297	12.8	23.2	27.9
2022	313	12.0	26.0	36.4
2023	325	13.0	25.0	36.9
2024	313	13.4	23.3	33.5

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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