Is Gateway Elementary a good school?

Gateway Elementary ranks 2773 rd of 5862 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Gateway Elementary?

In the 2023-24 school year, 371 students attended Gateway Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Gateway Elementary?

Students at Gateway Elementary are 45% White, 34% Hispanic, 9% African American, 8% Two or more races, 2% Asian, 1% Pacific Islander, 1% American Indian.

What schools do graduates of Gateway Elementary attend?

Students who attend Gateway Elementary usually go on to attend: Middle : Murray Middle High : Burroughs High

Gateway Elementary

Summary:

Gateway Elementary is a public elementary school located in Ridgecrest, California, serving grades K-5 with a total enrollment of 348 students. It is part of the Sierra Sands Unified School District, which is ranked 893 out of 1,568 districts in California and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Gateway Elementary's academic performance is generally on par with or slightly above the district average, but below the state average in most grade levels and subject areas. The school's Hispanic students and Special Education students performed exceptionally well compared to the school's overall performance and the state averages for those subgroups. However, the school's White students and Low Socioeconomic Status (SES) students performed below the state averages for those subgroups. Additionally, Gateway Elementary has experienced a significant increase in chronic absenteeism, rising from 11.9% in 2018-2019 to 26.5% in 2022-2023, which is notably higher than the state average.

Comparing Gateway Elementary to nearby schools, Inyokern Elementary outperformed Gateway Elementary in both English Language Arts and Mathematics proficiency rates across most grade levels, while Trona Elementary, a school in the Trona Joint Unified School District, had significantly lower academic performance compared to Gateway Elementary and the state average. Ridgecrest Elementary Academy for Language Music and Sci, a public charter school, also had lower academic performance than Gateway Elementary across most grade levels and subject areas.

Detail:

Public K-5

501 South Gateway
Ridgecrest, CA 93555-8245

(760) 499-1850

District: Sierra Sands Unified

SchoolDigger Rank:
2773^rd of 5,862 California Elementary Schools

Students who attend Gateway Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Murray Middle
High:	Burroughs High

Student/teacher ratio: 24.7

Number of students: 371

Racial breakdown:

White:

45.3%

Hispanic:

34.0%

African American:

8.6%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 60.4%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Gateway Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Gateway Elementary ranks better than 52.7% of elementary schools in California. It also ranks 4^th among 6 ranked elementary schools in the Sierra Sands Unified School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 46.28. (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 (45.3%), Hispanic (34%), African American (8.6%). (See more...)

Compare Details 60.4% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Compare Details

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Gateway Elementary is 24.7. 4 elementary schools in the Sierra Sands Unified School District have better student/teacher ratios. (See more...)

Compare Gateway Elementary employs 15 full-time teachers.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Gateway Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Gateway Elementary 2773^rd of 5862 California public elementary schools. (See Gateway 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:

White students:

Sierra Sands Unified:

SchoolDigger ranks Sierra Sands Unified 893^rd of 1568 California school districts. (See district ranking list.)

Average Parent Rating:

Read all reviews and ratings detail for Gateway Elementary.

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Rank History for Gateway Elementary

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Rank History for all students at Gateway Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2004	63.78	1534^th	4809	68.1%
2005	81.42	870^th	4822	82.0%
2006	73.06	1215^th	4818	74.8%
2007	63.65	1650^th	5113	67.7%
2008	58.75	1908^th	5113	62.7%
2009	72.95	1302^nd	5193	74.9%
2010	70.02	1453^rd	5314	72.7%
2011	64.71	1765^th	5377	67.2%
2012	57.00	2207^th	5390	59.1%
2013	61.49	2031^st	5530	63.3%
2015	58.13	2021^st	5611	64.0%
2016	43.36	2881^st	5614	48.7%
2017	42.44	2950^th	5692	48.2%
2018	46.38	2762^nd	5662	51.2%
2019	59.70	2093^rd	5789	63.8%
2021	36.28	846^th	1417	40.3%
2022	49.94	2537^th	5883	56.9%
2023	54.27	2318^th	5874	60.5%
2024	46.28	2773^rd	5862	52.7%

See the entire list of California Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for Special Education students at Gateway Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2024	67.77	543^rd	2634	79.4%

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

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Gateway Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	44.59	2700^th	5084	46.9%
2019	74.96	923^rd	5173	82.2%
2021	50.37	479^th	1110	56.8%
2022	53.85	2047^th	5264	61.1%
2023	43.83	2775^th	5374	48.4%
2024	47.47	2566^th	5511	53.4%

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

Rank History for Female students at Gateway Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	41.85	2960^th	5413	45.3%
2019	52.40	2369^th	5492	56.9%
2021	32.66	807^th	1267	36.3%
2022	50.49	2388^th	5635	57.6%
2023	59.18	1989^th	5617	64.6%
2024	45.65	2675^th	5605	52.3%

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

Rank History for Male students at Gateway Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	49.58	2471^st	5431	54.5%
2019	64.14	1765^th	5510	68.0%
2021	40.84	689^th	1272	45.8%
2022	48.23	2544^th	5663	55.1%
2023	45.20	2729^th	5650	51.7%
2024	46.35	2668^th	5636	52.7%

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

Rank History for Hispanic students at Gateway Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	40.61	2816^th	4830	41.7%
2019	57.01	1854^th	4963	62.6%
2022	52.25	2059^th	5084	59.5%
2023	68.90	1230^th	5098	75.9%
2024	63.38	1505^th	5102	70.5%

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

Rank History for White students at Gateway Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	30.89	2055^th	2737	24.9%
2019	41.51	1808^th	2834	36.2%
2022	18.83	2301^st	2726	15.6%
2023	24.34	2116^th	2662	20.5%
2024	27.78	2017^th	2647	23.8%

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

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 4)

100%

Reviews:

by a parent
Tuesday, September 22, 2009

My son went to Gateway Elementary and his father and I were extremely happy with the teachers. Unfortionatly, we had to transfer to other schools but hopefully we'll be able to get our son back in Gateway before middle school! Close Quote

Enrollment information for Gateway Elementary

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1993	534	18	45	40	12	n/a	n/a	0	649
1994	525	23	44	48	3	n/a	n/a	0	643
1995	453	32	31	49	9	n/a	n/a	0	574
1996	453	32	31	49	9	n/a	n/a	0	574
1997	463	32	25	48	11	n/a	n/a	0	579
1998	427	35	26	53	13	n/a	n/a	0	554
1999	414	29	23	48	15	n/a	n/a	0	529
2000	379	31	27	48	12	n/a	n/a	0	497
2001	356	21	27	46	13	n/a	n/a	0	463
2002	331	47	29	44	8	n/a	n/a	16	475
2003	331	47	29	44	8	n/a	n/a	16	475
2004	346	32	22	55	7	n/a	n/a	33	495
2005	328	31	22	57	10	n/a	n/a	29	477
2006	331	29	16	63	9	n/a	n/a	32	480
2007	347	32	15	76	6	n/a	n/a	39	515
2008	324	27	13	85	8	n/a	n/a	0	457
2009	317	38	6	92	8	5	39	0	505
2010	329	36	17	91	9	2	4	0	488
2011	311	25	20	99	9	2	8	0	474
2012	286	23	14	91	8	2	12	0	436
2013	278	14	17	97	4	2	18	0	430
2014	257	16	17	103	5	1	20	0	419
2015	224	16	21	99	10	2	20	0	392
2016	244	24	20	106	6	2	21	0	423
2017	233	22	19	108	5	1	27	0	415
2018	217	20	8	113	4	1	35	0	398
2019	212	22	11	116	5	2	30	0	398
2020	213	15	10	108	5	2	34	0	387
2021	194	23	7	112	4	0	30	0	370
2022	196	16	8	103	8	4	32	0	367
2023	177	20	8	102	2	7	32	0	348
2024	168	32	8	126	4	5	28	0	371

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 Gateway Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1993	649	22.0	29.5	29.7
1994	643	22.0	29.2	27.7
1995	574	20.0	28.7	32.2
1996	574	20.0	28.7	32.2
1997	579	20.0	29.0	35.8
1998	554	26.0	21.3	39.7
1999	529	25.0	21.2	39.3
2000	497	23.0	21.6	45.3
2001	463	21.0	22.0	40.2
2002	475	22.0	21.6	43.8
2003	475	22.0	21.6	43.8
2004	495	23.0	21.5	47.6
2005	477	22.0	21.7	51.6
2006	480	23.0	20.9	50.2
2007	515	27.0	19.1	47.1
2008	457	25.0	18.3	39.4
2009	505	26.0	18.7	46.5
2010	488	22.0	22.1	43.9
2011	474	n/a	n/a	39.9
2012	436	15.5	28.1	n/a
2013	430	17.0	25.2	49.3
2014	419	15.0	27.9	54.4
2015	392	16.0	24.5	52.3
2016	423	18.0	23.5	52.2
2017	415	17.0	24.4	46.7
2018	398	16.0	24.8	63.8
2019	398	16.0	24.8	76.4
2020	387	n/a	n/a	55.8
2021	370	15.0	24.6	63.2
2022	367	14.8	24.7	54.2
2023	348	15.0	23.2	46.6
2024	371	15.0	24.7	60.4

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 Gateway Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1993	649	22.0	29.5	29.7
1994	643	22.0	29.2	27.7
1995	574	20.0	28.7	32.2
1996	574	20.0	28.7	32.2
1997	579	20.0	29.0	35.8
1998	554	26.0	21.3	39.7
1999	529	25.0	21.2	39.3
2000	497	23.0	21.6	45.3
2001	463	21.0	22.0	40.2
2002	475	22.0	21.6	43.8
2003	475	22.0	21.6	43.8
2004	495	23.0	21.5	47.6
2005	477	22.0	21.7	51.6
2006	480	23.0	20.9	50.2
2007	515	27.0	19.1	47.1
2008	457	25.0	18.3	39.4
2009	505	26.0	18.7	46.5
2010	488	22.0	22.1	43.9
2011	474	n/a	n/a	39.9
2012	436	15.5	28.1	n/a
2013	430	17.0	25.2	49.3
2014	419	15.0	27.9	54.4
2015	392	16.0	24.5	52.3
2016	423	18.0	23.5	52.2
2017	415	17.0	24.4	46.7
2018	398	16.0	24.8	63.8
2019	398	16.0	24.8	76.4
2020	387	n/a	n/a	55.8
2021	370	15.0	24.6	63.2
2022	367	14.8	24.7	54.2
2023	348	15.0	23.2	46.6
2024	371	15.0	24.7	60.4

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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