Is Ruth Brown Elementary a good school?

Ruth Brown Elementary ranks in the bottom 5.7% of California elementary schools.

How many students attend Ruth Brown Elementary?

In the 2023-24 school year, 628 students attended Ruth Brown Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Ruth Brown Elementary?

Students at Ruth Brown Elementary are 69% Hispanic, 13% White, 12% African American, 4% Two or more races.

What schools do graduates of Ruth Brown Elementary attend?

Students who attend Ruth Brown Elementary usually go on to attend: High : Palo Verde High

Ruth Brown Elementary

Summary:

Ruth Brown Elementary is a public elementary school located in Blythe, California, serving grades K-8 with a total enrollment of 614 students. The school is part of the Palo Verde Unified School District, which is ranked 1414 out of 1568 districts in California and has a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Ruth Brown Elementary consistently ranks in the bottom 10-15% of California elementary schools, with a statewide ranking between 5000-5500 out of around 5800-5900 schools. The school's academic performance, as measured by proficiency rates in Smarter Balanced Assessments and CAST Science, is significantly below the state and district averages across all grade levels and subject areas. For example, in the 2023-2024 school year, the school's proficiency rates in English Language Arts and Mathematics ranged from 13-34% and 4-16%, respectively, compared to the state averages of 42-47% and 31-46%. Additionally, Ruth Brown Elementary has experienced a sharp increase in chronic absenteeism, rising from 10% in 2017-2018 to 48.6% in 2022-2023, which is significantly higher than the state average.

The school has a high percentage of students from low-socioeconomic backgrounds, with 87.46% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch in the 2022-2023 school year. This is a higher rate compared to the nearby Margaret White Elementary (80.09%) and Felix J. Appleby Elementary. Additionally, Ruth Brown Elementary has a relatively high student-teacher ratio, ranging from 21.5 to 26 students per teacher over the past few years, which is higher than the nearby schools.

Detail:

Public K-8

241 North Seventh Ave.
Blythe, CA 92225-1825

(760) 922-7164

District: Palo Verde Unified

SchoolDigger Rank:
5527^th of 5,862 California Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $4,870

Students who attend Ruth Brown Elementary usually attend:

High:

Palo Verde High

Student/teacher ratio: 24.1

Number of students: 628

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

68.6%

White:

12.7%

African American:

12.3%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 88.4%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Ruth Brown Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Ruth Brown Elementary ranks worse than 94.3% of elementary schools in California. It also ranks 2^nd among 3 ranked elementary schools in the Palo Verde Unified School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 12.31. (See more...)

Compare Details Ruth Brown Elementary ranks worse than 84.5% of middle schools in California. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 17.8. (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 Ruth Brown Elementary has the largest elementary school student body size in the Palo Verde Unified School District. Student population at Ruth Brown Elementary is diverse. Racial makeup is: Hispanic (68.6%), White (12.7%), African American (12.3%). (See more...)

Compare Details 88.4% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. This is the highest percentage in the Palo Verde Unified School District. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Ruth Brown Elementary is 24.1, which is the highest among 3 elementary schools in the Palo Verde Unified School District! (See more...)

Compare Ruth Brown Elementary employs 26 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Ruth Brown Elementary is $4,870. 1 elementary schools in the Palo Verde Unified School District spend more per student.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Ruth Brown Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Ruth Brown Elementary 5527^th of 5862 California public elementary schools. (See Ruth Brown Elementary in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Special Education students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

Hispanic students:

SchoolDigger ranks Ruth Brown Elementary 2346^th of 2777 California public middle schools. (See Ruth Brown Elementary in the ranking list.)

Middle School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

Hispanic students:

Palo Verde Unified:

SchoolDigger ranks Palo Verde Unified 1414^th of 1568 California school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for Ruth Brown Elementary

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Rank History for all elementary school students at Ruth Brown Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2004	21.75	3812^th	4809	20.7%
2005	28.12	3400^th	4822	29.5%
2006	32.86	3117^th	4818	35.3%
2007	21.54	4173^rd	5113	18.4%
2008	22.42	4164^th	5113	18.6%
2009	22.39	4252^nd	5193	18.1%
2010	18.60	4669^th	5314	12.1%
2011	15.40	4927^th	5377	8.4%
2012	11.31	5151^st	5390	4.4%
2013	10.53	5271^st	5530	4.7%
2015	18.61	4771^st	5611	15.0%
2016	12.97	5217^th	5614	7.1%
2017	18.67	4815^th	5692	15.4%
2018	15.19	5085^th	5662	10.2%
2019	16.53	5114^th	5789	11.7%
2022	15.32	5341^st	5883	9.2%
2023	15.76	5252^nd	5874	10.6%
2024	12.31	5527^th	5862	5.7%

See the entire list of California Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for elementary school Special Education students at Ruth Brown Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	19.76	2210^th	2420	8.7%
2024	15.12	2617^th	2634	0.6%

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

Rank History for elementary school Low Socio Economic Status students at Ruth Brown Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	14.03	4789^th	5084	5.8%
2019	16.01	4782^nd	5173	7.6%
2022	14.07	5016^th	5264	4.7%
2023	18.36	4822^nd	5374	10.3%
2024	13.87	5208^th	5511	5.5%

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

Rank History for elementary school Female students at Ruth Brown Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	14.99	4912^th	5413	9.3%
2019	18.29	4770^th	5492	13.1%
2022	19.21	4788^th	5635	15.0%
2023	19.04	4790^th	5617	14.7%
2024	17.38	4927^th	5605	12.1%

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

Rank History for elementary school Male students at Ruth Brown Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	17.22	4809^th	5431	11.5%
2019	16.53	4934^th	5510	10.5%
2022	13.25	5358^th	5663	5.4%
2023	14.19	5232^nd	5650	7.4%
2024	9.22	5527^th	5636	1.9%

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

Rank History for elementary school Hispanic students at Ruth Brown Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	19.00	4315^th	4830	10.7%
2019	18.92	4445^th	4963	10.4%
2022	23.89	4204^th	5084	17.3%
2023	22.27	4317^th	5098	15.3%
2024	18.79	4533^rd	5102	11.2%

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

Rank History for elementary school White students at Ruth Brown Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2018	17.10	2397^th	2737	12.4%
2019	23.46	2311^th	2834	18.5%

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

Data source: test scores: California Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

Rank History for Ruth Brown Elementary

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Rank History for all middle school students at Ruth Brown Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	CA State Percentile
2015	17.93	2083^rd	2477	15.9%
2016	15.02	2203^rd	2497	11.8%
2017	15.46	2202^nd	2508	12.2%
2018	14.30	2198^th	2480	11.4%
2019	17.48	2294^th	2715	15.5%
2022	13.67	2509^th	2740	8.4%
2023	13.95	2558^th	2802	8.7%
2024	17.80	2346^th	2777	15.5%

See the entire list of California Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for middle school Low Socio Economic Status students at Ruth Brown Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	8.82	2170^th	2230	2.7%
2019	18.09	2087^th	2369	11.9%
2022	15.13	2273^rd	2458	7.5%
2023	15.15	2353^rd	2549	7.7%
2024	16.45	2307^th	2575	10.4%

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

Rank History for middle school Female students at Ruth Brown Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	8.94	2178^th	2262	3.7%
2019	13.76	2151^st	2380	9.6%
2022	15.40	2254^th	2509	10.2%
2023	16.44	2249^th	2547	11.7%
2024	22.18	2007^th	2546	21.2%

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

Rank History for middle school Male students at Ruth Brown Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	21.33	1813^th	2273	20.2%
2019	21.19	1939^th	2407	19.4%
2022	12.62	2385^th	2527	5.6%
2023	13.08	2378^th	2558	7.0%
2024	14.55	2301^st	2547	9.7%

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

Rank History for middle school Hispanic students at Ruth Brown Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	18.63	1803^rd	2072	13.0%
2019	27.68	1624^th	2213	26.6%
2022	16.19	2152^nd	2359	8.8%
2023	17.62	2110^th	2391	11.8%
2024	24.73	1840^th	2383	22.8%

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

Rank History for middle school White students at Ruth Brown Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	16.91	1274^th	1496	14.8%
2019	3.32	1585^th	1602	1.1%
2022	17.96	1312^th	1555	15.6%
2023	7.30	1478^th	1552	4.8%

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

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Enrollment information for Ruth Brown Elementary

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	309	66	0	411	1	n/a	n/a	0	787
1989	331	73	2	425	0	n/a	n/a	0	831
1990	274	75	3	405	3	n/a	n/a	0	760
1991	300	69	3	398	4	n/a	n/a	0	774
1992	309	63	3	396	9	n/a	n/a	0	780
1993	234	68	4	385	6	n/a	n/a	0	697
1994	250	65	1	375	2	n/a	n/a	0	693
1995	278	61	1	368	2	n/a	n/a	0	710
1996	278	61	1	368	2	n/a	n/a	0	710
1997	283	68	1	358	4	n/a	n/a	0	714
1998	241	76	1	346	3	n/a	n/a	0	667
1999	251	57	2	323	0	n/a	n/a	0	633
2000	252	53	3	347	0	n/a	n/a	0	655
2001	252	41	5	340	5	n/a	n/a	1	644
2002	233	40	5	355	2	n/a	n/a	0	635
2003	233	40	5	355	2	n/a	n/a	0	635
2004	203	46	13	339	0	n/a	n/a	8	609
2005	177	56	6	364	2	n/a	n/a	10	615
2006	174	74	1	377	2	n/a	n/a	21	649
2007	178	62	5	387	4	n/a	n/a	16	652
2008	197	44	3	381	2	n/a	n/a	0	627
2009	181	47	8	331	2	1	21	0	591
2010	199	63	11	430	5	2	5	0	715
2011	192	56	7	428	5	3	6	0	697
2012	188	51	6	451	4	2	11	0	713
2013	159	46	6	411	2	1	8	0	633
2014	147	44	1	419	3	1	10	0	625
2015	137	48	3	421	2	0	12	0	623
2016	157	53	4	467	2	3	15	0	701
2017	128	42	5	476	2	3	15	0	671
2018	111	39	4	472	2	5	11	0	644
2019	110	67	5	458	2	4	12	0	658
2020	96	60	5	430	1	2	16	0	610
2021	88	63	6	425	2	1	13	0	598
2022	79	75	9	438	3	0	20	0	624
2023	69	66	7	440	4	1	27	0	614
2024	80	77	4	431	5	3	28	0	628

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 Ruth Brown Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	787	32.0	24.5	n/a
1989	831	32.0	25.9	n/a
1990	760	31.0	24.5	n/a
1991	774	31.0	24.9	n/a
1992	780	31.5	24.7	57.4
1993	697	26.0	26.8	64
1994	693	27.0	25.7	63.2
1995	710	26.0	27.3	61.3
1996	710	26.0	27.3	61.3
1997	714	34.0	21.0	71.8
1998	667	33.0	20.2	72
1999	633	33.0	19.2	68.1
2000	655	30.0	21.8	66.6
2001	644	31.0	20.8	65.5
2002	635	32.0	19.8	70.7
2003	635	32.0	19.8	70.7
2004	609	30.0	20.3	61.6
2005	615	28.0	22.0	67.4
2006	649	28.0	23.2	65.3
2007	652	29.0	22.5	71.9
2008	627	34.0	18.4	72.1
2009	591	22.0	24.6	67.7
2010	715	18.8	37.9	72.7
2011	697	n/a	n/a	71.7
2012	713	25.0	28.5	n/a
2013	633	22.0	28.7	74.6
2014	625	22.3	27.9	78.1
2015	623	23.0	27.0	78.3
2016	701	25.0	28.0	71
2017	671	26.0	25.8	73.8
2018	644	25.0	25.7	77
2019	658	27.0	24.3	75.7
2020	610	n/a	n/a	78.5
2021	598	23.0	26.0	81.9
2022	624	29.0	21.5	72.4
2023	614	28.0	21.9	87.5
2024	628	26.0	24.1	88.4

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 Ruth Brown Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	787	32.0	24.5	n/a
1989	831	32.0	25.9	n/a
1990	760	31.0	24.5	n/a
1991	774	31.0	24.9	n/a
1992	780	31.5	24.7	57.4
1993	697	26.0	26.8	64
1994	693	27.0	25.7	63.2
1995	710	26.0	27.3	61.3
1996	710	26.0	27.3	61.3
1997	714	34.0	21.0	71.8
1998	667	33.0	20.2	72
1999	633	33.0	19.2	68.1
2000	655	30.0	21.8	66.6
2001	644	31.0	20.8	65.5
2002	635	32.0	19.8	70.7
2003	635	32.0	19.8	70.7
2004	609	30.0	20.3	61.6
2005	615	28.0	22.0	67.4
2006	649	28.0	23.2	65.3
2007	652	29.0	22.5	71.9
2008	627	34.0	18.4	72.1
2009	591	22.0	24.6	67.7
2010	715	18.8	37.9	72.7
2011	697	n/a	n/a	71.7
2012	713	25.0	28.5	n/a
2013	633	22.0	28.7	74.6
2014	625	22.3	27.9	78.1
2015	623	23.0	27.0	78.3
2016	701	25.0	28.0	71
2017	671	26.0	25.8	73.8
2018	644	25.0	25.7	77
2019	658	27.0	24.3	75.7
2020	610	n/a	n/a	78.5
2021	598	23.0	26.0	81.9
2022	624	29.0	21.5	72.4
2023	614	28.0	21.9	87.5
2024	628	26.0	24.1	88.4

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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