Is Starlight Elementary a good school?

Starlight Elementary ranks in the bottom 12.1% of California elementary schools.

How many students attend Starlight Elementary?

In the 2023-24 school year, 414 students attended Starlight Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Starlight Elementary?

Students at Starlight Elementary are 98% Hispanic, 1% White.

What schools do graduates of Starlight Elementary attend?

Students who attend Starlight Elementary usually go on to attend: Middle : Cesar E. Chavez Middle High : Pajaro Valley High

Starlight Elementary

Summary:

Starlight Elementary is a public elementary school in Watsonville, California, serving 447 students in grades K-5. The school is part of the Pajaro Valley Unified School District, which is ranked 1237 out of 1568 districts in the state and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Starlight Elementary faces significant challenges, including high chronic absenteeism rates that have risen from 12.8% in 2017-2018 to 49.2% in 2021-2022, well above the rates of nearby schools. Academically, the school's performance on Smarter Balanced Assessments is consistently lower than the district and state averages, with only 20.1% of students proficient or better in English Language Arts/Literacy and 21.63% in Mathematics. The school's student subgroups, such as Hispanic students and English Language Learners, also perform in the bottom quartile of California elementary schools.

Comparing Starlight Elementary to nearby schools within the Pajaro Valley Unified School District, such as Ann Soldo Elementary, Amesti Elementary, and Radcliff Elementary, reveals that they generally perform at a similar or slightly lower level. However, Linscott Charter, a public charter school within the district, significantly outperforms Starlight Elementary and the other nearby schools in both academic achievement and student subgroup performance. Addressing the root causes of chronic absenteeism and implementing targeted interventions to improve equity for all students may be key strategies for Starlight Elementary and the surrounding schools within the Pajaro Valley Unified School District.

Detail:

Public K-5

225 Hammer Dr.
Watsonville, CA 95076-3160

(831) 728-6974

District: Pajaro Valley Unified

SchoolDigger Rank:
5150^th of 5,862 California Elementary Schools

Students who attend Starlight Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Cesar E. Chavez Middle
High:	Pajaro Valley High

Student/teacher ratio: 20.4

Number of students: 414

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

98.3%

White:

1.4%

Two or more races:

0.2%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 93.5%

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Performance Trends

Compare Details Starlight Elementary ranks worse than 87.9% of elementary schools in California. It also ranks 8^th among 19 ranked elementary schools in the Pajaro Valley Unified School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 16.59. (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 (98.3%), White (1.4%), two or more races (0.2%). (See more...)

Compare Details 93.5% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Compare Details

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Starlight Elementary is 20.4, which is the 7^th best among 19 elementary schools in the Pajaro Valley Unified School District. (See more...)

Compare Starlight Elementary employs 20.2 full-time teachers.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Starlight Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Starlight Elementary 5150^th of 5862 California public elementary schools. (See Starlight 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:

Homeless students:

Female students:

Male students:

Hispanic students:

Pajaro Valley Unified:

SchoolDigger ranks Pajaro Valley Unified 1237^th of 1568 California school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for Starlight Elementary

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Rank History for all students at Starlight Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2004	10.12	4663^rd	4809	3.0%
2005	12.14	4508^th	4822	6.5%
2006	7.52	4719^th	4818	2.1%
2007	14.68	4658^th	5113	8.9%
2008	16.74	4548^th	5113	11.1%
2009	20.43	4391^st	5193	15.4%
2010	25.11	4216^th	5314	20.7%
2011	36.53	3498^th	5377	34.9%
2012	17.97	4775^th	5390	11.4%
2013	25.31	4379^th	5530	20.8%
2015	27.17	3918^th	5611	30.2%
2016	24.51	4222^nd	5614	24.8%
2017	13.69	5218^th	5692	8.3%
2018	16.50	4963^rd	5662	12.3%
2019	16.39	5125^th	5789	11.5%
2022	17.52	5106^th	5883	13.2%
2023	18.07	5042^nd	5874	14.2%
2024	16.59	5150^th	5862	12.1%

See the entire list of California Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Starlight Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	37.80	1886^th	3246	41.9%
2019	40.91	1728^th	3275	47.2%
2022	40.52	1770^th	3311	46.5%
2023	38.20	1941^st	3250	40.3%
2024	33.59	2287^th	3160	27.6%

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

Rank History for Special Education students at Starlight Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	39.73	1224^th	2420	49.4%
2024	28.15	1931^st	2634	26.7%

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

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Starlight Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	22.07	4330^th	5084	14.8%
2019	23.79	4314^th	5173	16.6%
2022	21.79	4515^th	5264	14.2%
2023	19.82	4715^th	5374	12.3%
2024	19.82	4787^th	5511	13.1%

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

Rank History for Homeless students at Starlight Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2022	23.90	309^th	356	13.2%
2024	15.88	344^th	364	5.5%

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

Rank History for Female students at Starlight Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	16.08	4836^th	5413	10.7%
2019	17.54	4828^th	5492	12.1%
2022	17.06	4992^nd	5635	11.4%
2023	18.70	4822^nd	5617	14.2%
2024	19.11	4789^th	5605	14.6%

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

Rank History for Disabled students at Starlight Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2018	25.04	1699^th	2128	20.2%
2019	23.39	2158^th	2585	16.5%

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

Rank History for Male students at Starlight Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	19.05	4665^th	5431	14.1%
2019	17.77	4841^st	5510	12.1%
2022	19.73	4744^th	5663	16.2%
2023	18.48	4869^th	5650	13.8%
2024	15.41	5126^th	5636	9.0%

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

Rank History for Hispanic students at Starlight Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	21.99	4109^th	4830	14.9%
2019	22.89	4183^rd	4963	15.7%
2022	23.11	4273^rd	5084	16.0%
2023	24.51	4155^th	5098	18.5%
2024	22.53	4306^th	5102	15.6%

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 Starlight Elementary

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1990	62	1	5	277	0	n/a	n/a	0	345
1991	129	5	26	396	0	n/a	n/a	0	556
1992	154	6	27	422	0	n/a	n/a	0	609
1993	155	13	28	479	0	n/a	n/a	0	675
1994	142	13	25	519	0	n/a	n/a	0	699
1995	76	14	17	591	1	n/a	n/a	0	699
1996	76	14	17	591	1	n/a	n/a	0	699
1997	65	9	20	676	1	n/a	n/a	0	771
1998	71	9	18	711	1	n/a	n/a	0	810
1999	68	4	15	672	0	n/a	n/a	0	759
2000	71	1	8	673	0	n/a	n/a	0	753
2001	56	1	18	654	0	n/a	n/a	0	729
2002	28	5	12	642	1	n/a	n/a	0	688
2003	28	5	12	642	1	n/a	n/a	0	688
2004	31	4	14	615	3	n/a	n/a	0	667
2005	13	4	8	609	2	n/a	n/a	0	636
2006	13	5	10	551	1	n/a	n/a	0	580
2007	13	4	9	534	0	n/a	n/a	0	560
2008	15	4	8	526	n/a	n/a	n/a	0	553
2009	18	4	8	519	0	0	0	0	549
2010	19	3	6	549	0	1	0	0	578
2011	19	1	3	566	0	1	0	0	590
2012	26	3	5	619	0	2	0	0	655
2013	21	2	4	619	0	1	0	0	647
2014	23	4	3	664	0	1	0	0	695
2015	20	2	2	650	0	1	0	0	675
2016	20	2	2	642	1	0	0	0	667
2017	22	2	2	639	0	0	0	0	665
2018	17	0	3	626	0	0	0	0	646
2019	20	0	2	610	0	0	0	0	632
2020	11	0	2	570	0	0	1	0	584
2021	9	0	4	518	0	1	3	0	535
2022	10	1	1	480	0	0	3	0	495
2023	5	0	0	439	0	0	2	1	447
2024	6	0	0	407	0	0	1	0	414

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 Starlight Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1990	345	14.0	24.6	n/a
1991	556	22.0	25.2	n/a
1992	609	22.4	27.1	50.7
1993	675	26.0	26.0	67.6
1994	699	23.1	30.3	74.7
1995	699	26.8	26.1	74.8
1996	699	26.8	26.1	74.8
1997	771	36.6	21.1	80.4
1998	810	39.5	20.5	70.1
1999	759	40.1	18.9	73.9
2000	753	41.0	18.4	83.1
2001	729	38.9	18.7	77.9
2002	688	44.6	15.4	77.9
2003	688	44.6	15.4	77.9
2004	667	39.0	17.1	76.6
2005	636	30.0	21.2	85.2
2006	580	34.0	17.1	86.9
2007	560	25.0	22.4	85.4
2008	553	27.0	20.5	87.7
2009	549	21.0	22.9	89.1
2010	578	21.0	27.5	91.7
2011	590	n/a	n/a	91.4
2012	655	29.0	22.5	n/a
2013	647	31.0	20.8	92.3
2014	695	25.0	27.8	91.7
2015	675	26.0	25.9	92.1
2016	667	27.0	24.7	91.9
2017	665	30.0	22.1	50.2
2018	646	26.0	24.8	86.7
2019	632	28.0	22.5	90
2020	584	n/a	n/a	90.9
2021	535	25.8	20.7	85.4
2022	495	22.0	22.5	91.3
2023	447	22.4	19.8	89.3
2024	414	20.2	20.4	93.5

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 Starlight Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1990	345	14.0	24.6	n/a
1991	556	22.0	25.2	n/a
1992	609	22.4	27.1	50.7
1993	675	26.0	26.0	67.6
1994	699	23.1	30.3	74.7
1995	699	26.8	26.1	74.8
1996	699	26.8	26.1	74.8
1997	771	36.6	21.1	80.4
1998	810	39.5	20.5	70.1
1999	759	40.1	18.9	73.9
2000	753	41.0	18.4	83.1
2001	729	38.9	18.7	77.9
2002	688	44.6	15.4	77.9
2003	688	44.6	15.4	77.9
2004	667	39.0	17.1	76.6
2005	636	30.0	21.2	85.2
2006	580	34.0	17.1	86.9
2007	560	25.0	22.4	85.4
2008	553	27.0	20.5	87.7
2009	549	21.0	22.9	89.1
2010	578	21.0	27.5	91.7
2011	590	n/a	n/a	91.4
2012	655	29.0	22.5	n/a
2013	647	31.0	20.8	92.3
2014	695	25.0	27.8	91.7
2015	675	26.0	25.9	92.1
2016	667	27.0	24.7	91.9
2017	665	30.0	22.1	50.2
2018	646	26.0	24.8	86.7
2019	632	28.0	22.5	90
2020	584	n/a	n/a	90.9
2021	535	25.8	20.7	85.4
2022	495	22.0	22.5	91.3
2023	447	22.4	19.8	89.3
2024	414	20.2	20.4	93.5

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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