Is Willow Elementary a good school?

Willow Elementary ranks in the bottom 19.8% of California elementary schools.

How many students attend Willow Elementary?

In the 2023-24 school year, 686 students attended Willow Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Willow Elementary?

Students at Willow Elementary are 97% Hispanic, 1% White, 1% Two or more races.

What schools do graduates of Willow Elementary attend?

Students who attend Willow Elementary usually go on to attend: Middle : San Ysidro Middle High : San Ysidro High

Willow Elementary

Summary:

Willow Elementary is a public elementary school located in San Ysidro, CA, serving 673 students in grades K-6. It is part of the San Ysidro Elementary School District, which is ranked 1106 out of 1568 districts in California and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Willow Elementary faces significant challenges, including a concerning increase in chronic absenteeism, from 13.4% in 2017-2018 to 36.4% in 2022-2023, which is much higher than the state average of 15-20%. The school also consistently performs below the state and nearby school averages in English Language Arts and Mathematics on the Smarter Balanced Assessments. For example, in 2023-2024, only 24.68% of Willow Elementary students were proficient or better in ELA, compared to 35.99% at San Ysidro Elementary and 47.04% statewide. Additionally, Willow Elementary's student subgroups, such as Hispanic students, English Language Learners, and Special Education students, consistently perform below state and nearby school averages.

Another key factor is Willow Elementary's extremely high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 65.08% to 82.25% over the past few years, which is significantly higher than the nearby schools, such as Ocean View Hills (32.09%) and Sunset Elementary (61.54%). This high concentration of poverty in the school community likely plays a significant role in the school's academic challenges and may require targeted interventions and support to address the unique needs of the student population.

Detail:

Public K-6

226 Willow Rd.
San Ysidro, CA 92173-3096

(619) 428-2231

District: San Ysidro Elementary

SchoolDigger Rank:
4701^st of 5,862 California Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $7,293

Students who attend Willow Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	San Ysidro Middle
High:	San Ysidro High

Student/teacher ratio: 20.1

Number of students: 686

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

96.5%

White:

1.5%

Two or more races:

1.0%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 70.1%

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Performance Trends

Compare Details Willow Elementary ranks worse than 80.2% of elementary schools in California. It also ranks 4^th among 5 ranked elementary schools in the San Ysidro Elementary School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 21.68. (See more...)

Compare Details Willow Elementary is not ranked due for the most recent year due to insufficient test score data. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2017 the calculated Average Standard Score was 20.23. (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 (96.5%), White (1.5%), two or more races (1%). (See more...)

Compare Details 70.1% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. This is the highest percentage in the San Ysidro Elementary School District. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Willow Elementary is 20.1, which is the lowest among 5 elementary schools in the San Ysidro Elementary School District! (See more...)

Compare Willow Elementary employs 34 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Willow Elementary is $7,293, which is the highest among 5 elementary schools in the San Ysidro Elementary School District!

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Willow Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Willow Elementary 4701^st of 5862 California public elementary schools. (See Willow 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:

San Ysidro Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks San Ysidro Elementary 1106^th of 1568 California school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Your rating for Willow Elementary?

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Rank History for Willow Elementary

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Rank History for all elementary school students at Willow Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2013	16.62	4951^st	5530	10.5%
2015	22.45	4379^th	5611	22.0%
2016	19.38	4678^th	5614	16.7%
2017	15.55	5066^th	5692	11.0%
2018	24.17	4308^th	5662	23.9%
2019	27.29	4166^th	5789	28.0%
2022	17.97	5056^th	5883	14.1%
2023	18.72	4981^st	5874	15.2%
2024	21.68	4701^st	5862	19.8%

See the entire list of California Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for elementary school English Language Learner students at Willow Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	47.86	1348^th	3246	58.5%
2019	59.30	857^th	3275	73.8%
2022	49.10	1244^th	3311	62.4%
2023	34.96	2171^st	3250	33.2%
2024	55.48	912^th	3160	71.1%

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

Rank History for elementary school Special Education students at Willow Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	25.18	1898^th	2420	21.6%
2024	26.04	2054^th	2634	22.0%

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

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

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	30.85	3706^th	5084	27.1%
2019	40.27	3088^th	5173	40.3%
2022	25.41	4219^th	5264	19.9%
2023	20.84	4645^th	5374	13.6%
2024	27.68	4171^st	5511	24.3%

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

Rank History for elementary school Homeless students at Willow Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2022	32.53	262^nd	356	26.4%
2023	36.39	223^rd	336	33.6%
2024	48.08	179^th	364	50.8%

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

Rank History for elementary school Female students at Willow Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	24.97	4172^nd	5413	22.9%
2019	30.94	3760^th	5492	31.5%
2022	18.21	4873^rd	5635	13.5%
2023	21.72	4552^nd	5617	19.0%
2024	25.01	4237^th	5605	24.4%

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

Rank History for elementary school Disabled students at Willow Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2022	26.96	1637^th	2227	26.5%

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

Rank History for elementary school Male students at Willow Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	24.17	4172^nd	5431	23.2%
2019	24.66	4222^nd	5510	23.4%
2022	19.67	4748^th	5663	16.2%
2023	17.22	4979^th	5650	11.9%
2024	19.62	4762^nd	5636	15.5%

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

Rank History for elementary school Hispanic students at Willow Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	33.53	3304^th	4830	31.6%
2019	38.55	3057^th	4963	38.4%
2022	24.17	4174^th	5084	17.9%
2023	25.91	4033^rd	5098	20.9%
2024	31.75	3593^rd	5102	29.6%

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

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

Rank History for Willow Elementary

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Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	CA State Percentile
2013	33.18	1611^th	2379	32.3%
2015	15.45	2173^rd	2477	12.3%
2016	20.27	2018^th	2497	19.2%
2017	20.23	2018^th	2508	19.5%

See the entire list of California Elementary School Rankings!

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

Data source: California Department of Education

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Enrollment information for Willow Elementary

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
2011	9	13	3	812	2	2	1	0	842
2012	11	13	5	969	1	2	2	0	1003
2013	11	12	3	1141	0	1	4	0	1172
2014	4	9	4	1042	0	0	2	0	1061
2015	3	3	3	1019	0	0	1	0	1029
2016	5	2	3	1069	0	0	2	0	1081
2017	2	1	3	1065	0	0	3	0	1074
2018	2	3	3	779	0	0	2	0	789
2019	4	4	3	776	0	0	2	0	789
2020	8	9	3	762	0	0	2	0	784
2021	9	9	1	748	0	0	5	0	772
2022	9	4	1	701	0	0	4	0	719
2023	10	3	1	644	1	0	14	0	673
2024	10	4	1	662	0	0	7	2	686

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 Willow Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2011	842	n/a	n/a	80
2012	1003	26.8	37.4	n/a
2013	1172	36.0	32.5	83.2
2014	1061	35.5	29.8	76.5
2015	1029	40.0	25.7	87.9
2016	1081	39.0	27.7	99.4
2017	1074	40.5	26.5	89.1
2018	789	35.0	22.5	72.2
2019	789	34.0	23.2	86.2
2020	784	n/a	n/a	74.7
2021	772	31.0	24.9	82.3
2022	719	32.6	22.0	81.5
2023	673	29.0	23.2	65.1
2024	686	34.0	20.1	70.1

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 Willow Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2011	842	n/a	n/a	80
2012	1003	26.8	37.4	n/a
2013	1172	36.0	32.5	83.2
2014	1061	35.5	29.8	76.5
2015	1029	40.0	25.7	87.9
2016	1081	39.0	27.7	99.4
2017	1074	40.5	26.5	89.1
2018	789	35.0	22.5	72.2
2019	789	34.0	23.2	86.2
2020	784	n/a	n/a	74.7
2021	772	31.0	24.9	82.3
2022	719	32.6	22.0	81.5
2023	673	29.0	23.2	65.1
2024	686	34.0	20.1	70.1

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.

Kindergarten Immunization Rates