Is Pierce Elementary a good school?

Pierce Elementary ranks in the bottom 8.8% of California elementary schools.

How many students attend Pierce Elementary?

In the 2023-24 school year, 318 students attended Pierce Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Pierce Elementary?

Students at Pierce Elementary are 39% Hispanic, 33% White, 19% African American, 6% Two or more races, 3% Asian.

What schools do graduates of Pierce Elementary attend?

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

Pierce Elementary

Summary:

Pierce Elementary is a public elementary school located in Ridgecrest, California, serving grades K-5 with a total enrollment of 315 students. The school 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.

Pierce Elementary faces significant challenges, including high chronic absenteeism rates, consistently underperforming academic achievement compared to district and state averages, and struggles to support the academic success of various student subgroups. The school's performance is particularly low in 4th and 5th-grade English Language Arts and Mathematics, with proficiency rates ranging from 0% to 22.22%. Additionally, Pierce Elementary has a high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 68.45% to 76.51%, indicating a high level of economic disadvantage among the student population.

When compared to nearby schools within the Sierra Sands Unified School District, such as Inyokern Elementary, Faller Elementary, and Las Flores Elementary, Pierce Elementary consistently underperforms in academic achievement, with lower proficiency rates in English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science. The nearby Trona Elementary, located in the Trona Joint Unified School District, also struggles academically, with proficiency rates well below the state averages. Additionally, the Ridgecrest Elementary Academy for Language Music and Science, a public charter school in Ridgecrest, also underperforms compared to the state averages in academic achievement.

Detail:

Public K-5

674 North Gold Canyon
Ridgecrest, CA 93555-5797

(760) 499-1670

District: Sierra Sands Unified

SchoolDigger Rank:
5348^th of 5,862 California Elementary Schools

Students who attend Pierce Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Murray Middle
High:	Burroughs High

Student/teacher ratio: 19.6

Number of students: 318

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

39.0%

White:

32.7%

African American:

18.6%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 81.1%

See top rated California elementary schools

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Performance Trends

Compare Details Pierce Elementary ranks worse than 91.2% of elementary schools in California. It also ranks last among 6 ranked elementary schools in the Sierra Sands Unified School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 14.51. (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 Student population at Pierce Elementary is diverse. Racial makeup is: Hispanic (39%), White (32.7%), African American (18.6%). (See more...)

Compare Details 81.1% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. This is the highest percentage in the Sierra Sands Unified School District. (See more...)

Compare Details

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Pierce Elementary is 19.6, which is the 2^nd best among 6 elementary schools in the Sierra Sands Unified School District. (See more...)

Compare Pierce Elementary employs 16.1 full-time teachers.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Pierce Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Pierce Elementary 5348^th of 5862 California public elementary schools. (See Pierce 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:

Female students:

Male students:

African American students:

Hispanic students:

White students:

Sierra Sands Unified:

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

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Rank History for Pierce Elementary

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Rank History for all students at Pierce Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2004	27.09	3414^th	4809	29.0%
2005	34.85	3015^th	4822	37.5%
2006	28.15	3438^th	4818	28.6%
2007	47.10	2487^th	5113	51.4%
2008	40.59	2910^th	5113	43.1%
2009	48.75	2564^th	5193	50.6%
2010	44.33	2890^th	5314	45.6%
2011	40.99	3167^th	5377	41.1%
2012	56.40	2247^th	5390	58.3%
2013	57.92	2245^th	5530	59.4%
2015	68.28	1565^th	5611	72.1%
2016	67.36	1644^th	5614	70.7%
2017	45.16	2791^st	5692	51.0%
2018	32.60	3625^th	5662	36.0%
2019	29.43	3976^th	5789	31.3%
2021	20.97	1134^th	1417	20.0%
2022	20.97	4756^th	5883	19.2%
2023	16.92	5162^nd	5874	12.1%
2024	14.51	5348^th	5862	8.8%

See the entire list of California Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Pierce Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2024	21.12	3027^th	3160	4.2%

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

Rank History for Special Education students at Pierce Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	25.90	1864^th	2420	23.0%
2024	34.21	1601^st	2634	39.2%

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

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Pierce Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	33.79	3498^th	5084	31.2%
2019	26.35	4138^th	5173	20.0%
2021	26.41	884^th	1110	20.4%
2022	22.38	4477^th	5264	15.0%
2023	15.01	5042^nd	5374	6.2%
2024	11.54	5329^th	5511	3.3%

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

Rank History for Female students at Pierce Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	27.74	3945^th	5413	27.1%
2019	27.40	4041^st	5492	26.4%
2021	17.91	1099^th	1267	13.3%
2022	21.32	4584^th	5635	18.7%
2023	21.97	4532^nd	5617	19.3%
2024	19.43	4755^th	5605	15.2%

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

Rank History for Disabled students at Pierce Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	26.35	1625^th	2128	23.6%
2019	59.61	741^st	2585	71.3%
2021	60.00	78^th	293	73.4%
2022	20.50	1990^th	2227	10.6%

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

Rank History for Male students at Pierce Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	38.12	3153^rd	5431	41.9%
2019	32.15	3611^th	5510	34.5%
2021	26.69	904^th	1272	28.9%
2022	23.80	4341^st	5663	23.3%
2023	14.38	5215^th	5650	7.7%
2024	11.64	5389^th	5636	4.4%

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

Rank History for African American students at Pierce Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2024	12.88	581^st	593	2.0%

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

Rank History for Hispanic students at Pierce Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	23.67	4002^nd	4830	17.1%
2019	44.85	2625^th	4963	47.1%
2022	21.26	4420^th	5084	13.1%
2023	19.48	4534^th	5098	11.1%
2024	24.82	4118^th	5102	19.3%

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

Rank History for White students at Pierce Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	24.44	2226^th	2737	18.7%
2019	11.31	2590^th	2834	8.6%
2022	14.55	2408^th	2726	11.7%
2023	10.83	2451^st	2662	7.9%
2024	5.64	2562^nd	2647	3.2%

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 Pierce Elementary

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	408	40	15	37	8	n/a	n/a	0	508
1989	494	40	19	51	16	n/a	n/a	0	620
1990	470	34	37	77	11	n/a	n/a	0	629
1991	424	38	27	72	23	n/a	n/a	0	584
1992	449	33	45	80	11	n/a	n/a	0	618
1993	291	32	16	70	4	n/a	n/a	0	413
1994	306	26	16	37	1	n/a	n/a	0	386
1995	313	24	12	108	3	n/a	n/a	0	460
1996	313	24	12	108	3	n/a	n/a	0	460
1997	270	29	15	118	7	n/a	n/a	0	439
1998	291	28	11	119	8	n/a	n/a	0	457
1999	279	34	16	122	16	n/a	n/a	0	467
2000	272	37	14	130	12	n/a	n/a	7	472
2001	264	45	10	144	11	n/a	n/a	9	483
2002	230	25	13	155	2	n/a	n/a	22	447
2003	230	25	13	155	2	n/a	n/a	22	447
2004	217	29	18	161	4	n/a	n/a	27	456
2005	181	27	16	184	10	n/a	n/a	22	440
2006	190	44	11	223	7	n/a	n/a	1	476
2007	170	28	10	207	9	n/a	n/a	0	424
2008	161	34	12	159	6	n/a	n/a	0	372
2009	161	23	10	161	16	6	1	0	378
2010	136	27	9	131	9	7	3	0	322
2011	146	25	8	139	12	2	3	0	335
2012	159	19	10	130	13	2	4	0	337
2013	171	19	9	130	8	1	3	0	341
2014	174	21	4	129	7	1	2	0	338
2015	176	19	5	130	2	1	4	0	337
2016	160	16	5	121	3	2	2	0	309
2017	171	21	8	123	3	3	2	0	331
2018	167	37	9	136	5	1	6	0	361
2019	177	40	13	140	7	0	15	0	392
2020	182	41	10	143	4	0	12	0	392
2021	156	33	6	118	3	0	16	0	332
2022	136	30	7	116	5	1	22	0	317
2023	121	47	4	115	5	0	23	0	315
2024	104	59	8	124	2	1	20	0	318

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 Pierce Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	508	19.0	26.7	n/a
1989	620	21.0	29.5	n/a
1990	629	21.0	29.9	n/a
1991	584	23.0	25.3	n/a
1992	618	23.4	26.4	34.8
1993	413	15.0	27.5	50.8
1994	386	15.0	25.7	48.2
1995	460	20.8	22.1	61.5
1996	460	20.8	22.1	61.5
1997	439	22.5	19.5	71.3
1998	457	25.6	17.9	74.8
1999	467	23.8	19.6	73.7
2000	472	23.6	20.0	70.8
2001	483	25.8	18.7	75.9
2002	447	23.8	18.8	71.8
2003	447	23.8	18.8	71.8
2004	456	20.3	22.5	79.5
2005	440	22.8	19.3	80.6
2006	476	24.5	19.4	78.1
2007	424	23.0	18.4	75.2
2008	372	21.2	17.5	77.7
2009	378	22.2	16.3	74.9
2010	322	16.6	19.4	72
2011	335	n/a	n/a	69.6
2012	337	13.3	25.3	n/a
2013	341	13.3	25.6	73.3
2014	338	12.0	28.1	74.9
2015	337	12.0	28.0	73.6
2016	309	12.0	25.7	75.1
2017	331	14.0	23.6	73.7
2018	361	16.0	22.5	82.5
2019	392	17.0	23.0	80.4
2020	392	n/a	n/a	75.5
2021	332	16.0	20.7	76.5
2022	317	14.6	21.6	68.5
2023	315	15.1	20.7	70.5
2024	318	16.1	19.6	81.1

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 Pierce Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	508	19.0	26.7	n/a
1989	620	21.0	29.5	n/a
1990	629	21.0	29.9	n/a
1991	584	23.0	25.3	n/a
1992	618	23.4	26.4	34.8
1993	413	15.0	27.5	50.8
1994	386	15.0	25.7	48.2
1995	460	20.8	22.1	61.5
1996	460	20.8	22.1	61.5
1997	439	22.5	19.5	71.3
1998	457	25.6	17.9	74.8
1999	467	23.8	19.6	73.7
2000	472	23.6	20.0	70.8
2001	483	25.8	18.7	75.9
2002	447	23.8	18.8	71.8
2003	447	23.8	18.8	71.8
2004	456	20.3	22.5	79.5
2005	440	22.8	19.3	80.6
2006	476	24.5	19.4	78.1
2007	424	23.0	18.4	75.2
2008	372	21.2	17.5	77.7
2009	378	22.2	16.3	74.9
2010	322	16.6	19.4	72
2011	335	n/a	n/a	69.6
2012	337	13.3	25.3	n/a
2013	341	13.3	25.6	73.3
2014	338	12.0	28.1	74.9
2015	337	12.0	28.0	73.6
2016	309	12.0	25.7	75.1
2017	331	14.0	23.6	73.7
2018	361	16.0	22.5	82.5
2019	392	17.0	23.0	80.4
2020	392	n/a	n/a	75.5
2021	332	16.0	20.7	76.5
2022	317	14.6	21.6	68.5
2023	315	15.1	20.7	70.5
2024	318	16.1	19.6	81.1

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.

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