Is South Fork Elementary a good school?

South Fork Elementary ranks 3349 th of 5862 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

How many students attend South Fork Elementary?

In the 2023-24 school year, 340 students attended South Fork Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of South Fork Elementary?

Students at South Fork Elementary are 64% White, 24% Hispanic, 9% Two or more races, 2% American Indian.

What schools do graduates of South Fork Elementary attend?

Students who attend South Fork Elementary usually go on to attend: High : Kern Valley High

South Fork Elementary

Summary:

South Fork Elementary is a public K-8 school in Weldon, California, serving 344 students. The school faces several challenges, including high chronic absenteeism, below-average test scores, and a high percentage of students from low socioeconomic backgrounds.

South Fork Elementary's chronic absenteeism rate has risen significantly, from 9.5% in 2020-2021 to 34.5% in 2022-2023, which is notably higher than the state average. The school's test scores in English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science are also below the state average, with only 21.05% of 3rd-grade students proficient or better in ELA, compared to the state average of 42.8%. The school's performance has declined over the years, with its statewide ranking dropping from 2,423 out of 5,390 California elementary schools in 2011-2012 to 3,349 out of 5,862 in 2023-2024.

Compared to the nearby Woodrow W. Wallace Elementary and Kernville Elementary schools, South Fork Elementary generally performs worse in both ELA and Mathematics assessments. For instance, in 2023-2024, South Fork Elementary's 3rd-grade ELA proficiency rate was 21.05%, while Kernville Elementary's was 37.5%. The nearby schools also have lower chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 47.7% to 51.9%, compared to South Fork Elementary's 34.5%. These comparisons suggest areas for improvement and potential best practices that could be adopted by South Fork Elementary.

Detail:

Public K-8

5225 Kelso Valley Rd.
Weldon, CA 93283-9735

(760) 378-4000

District: South Fork Union

SchoolDigger Rank:
3349^th of 5,862 California Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $13,042

Students who attend South Fork Elementary usually attend:

High:

Kern Valley High

Student/teacher ratio: 16.9

Number of students: 340

Racial breakdown:

White:

64.4%

Hispanic:

24.4%

Two or more races:

8.5%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 77.1%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare South Fork Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details South Fork Elementary ranks worse than 57.1% of elementary schools in California. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 37.14. (See more...)

Compare Details South Fork Elementary ranks better than 70.7% of middle schools in California. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 63.03. (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 (64.4%), Hispanic (24.4%), two or more races (8.5%). (See more...)

Compare Details 77.1% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at South Fork Elementary is 16.9. (See more...)

Compare South Fork Elementary employs 20 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at South Fork Elementary is $13,042.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

South Fork Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks South Fork Elementary 3349^th of 5862 California public elementary schools. (See South Fork Elementary in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

Hispanic students:

White students:

SchoolDigger ranks South Fork Elementary 813^th of 2777 California public middle schools. (See South Fork Elementary in the ranking list.)

Middle School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

White students:

South Fork Union:

SchoolDigger ranks South Fork Union 653^rd of 1568 California school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for South Fork Elementary

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Rank History for all elementary school students at South Fork Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2004	25.35	3537^th	4809	26.5%
2005	26.75	3501^st	4822	27.4%
2006	38.24	2813^th	4818	41.6%
2007	41.28	2824^th	5113	44.8%
2008	39.61	2965^th	5113	42.0%
2009	33.05	3500^th	5193	32.6%
2010	26.61	4109^th	5314	22.7%
2011	37.64	3416^th	5377	36.5%
2012	53.56	2423^rd	5390	55.0%
2015	14.92	5107^th	5611	9.0%
2016	16.57	4903^rd	5614	12.7%
2017	26.21	4148^th	5692	27.1%
2018	21.68	4539^th	5662	19.8%
2019	25.83	4281^st	5789	26.0%
2022	36.99	3306^th	5883	43.8%
2023	36.78	3373^rd	5874	42.6%
2024	37.14	3349^th	5862	42.9%

See the entire list of California Elementary School Rankings!

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

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	24.71	4141^st	5084	18.5%
2019	18.80	4642^nd	5173	10.3%
2022	38.68	3117^th	5264	40.8%
2023	35.19	3461^st	5374	35.6%
2024	34.17	3601^st	5511	34.7%

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

Rank History for elementary school Female students at South Fork Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	19.39	4590^th	5413	15.2%
2019	31.41	3721^st	5492	32.2%
2022	43.87	2761^st	5635	51.0%
2023	44.39	2734^th	5617	51.3%
2024	38.60	3168^th	5605	43.5%

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

Rank History for elementary school Male students at South Fork Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	24.32	4163^rd	5431	23.3%
2019	23.95	4294^th	5510	22.1%
2022	32.41	3584^th	5663	36.7%
2023	31.63	3637^th	5650	35.6%
2024	35.99	3344^th	5636	40.7%

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

Rank History for elementary school Hispanic students at South Fork Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	38.48	3030^th	5098	40.6%
2024	35.24	3335^th	5102	34.6%

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

Rank History for elementary school White students at South Fork Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	9.24	2556^th	2737	6.6%
2019	9.15	2662^nd	2834	6.1%
2022	21.22	2241^st	2726	17.8%
2023	18.92	2256^th	2662	15.3%
2024	19.77	2222^nd	2647	16.1%

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 South Fork Elementary

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Rank History for all middle school students at South Fork Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	CA State Percentile
2016	49.32	1127^th	2497	54.9%
2017	46.91	1189^th	2508	52.6%
2018	50.44	1087^th	2480	56.2%
2019	54.31	1045^th	2715	61.5%
2022	54.52	1044^th	2740	61.9%
2023	47.56	1238^th	2802	55.8%
2024	63.03	813^th	2777	70.7%

See the entire list of California Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for middle school Low Socio Economic Status students at South Fork Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	57.23	766^th	2230	65.7%
2019	34.71	1500^th	2369	36.7%
2022	55.49	858^th	2458	65.1%
2023	48.84	1064^th	2549	58.3%
2024	68.17	565^th	2575	78.1%

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

Rank History for middle school Female students at South Fork Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	CA State Percentile
2022	51.53	1033^rd	2509	58.8%
2023	59.88	824^th	2547	67.6%
2024	76.36	514^th	2546	79.8%

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

Rank History for middle school Male students at South Fork Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	53.80	903^rd	2273	60.3%
2019	49.32	1035^th	2407	57.0%
2022	56.48	895^th	2527	64.6%
2023	45.49	1191^st	2558	53.4%
2024	49.64	1084^th	2547	57.4%

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

Rank History for middle school White students at South Fork Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	39.64	923^rd	1496	38.3%
2019	29.82	1130^th	1602	29.5%
2022	32.45	1057^th	1555	32.0%
2023	29.93	1079^th	1552	30.5%
2024	45.22	814^th	1535	47.0%

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 South Fork Elementary

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	226	1	4	5	29	n/a	n/a	0	265
1989	237	0	2	5	45	n/a	n/a	0	289
1990	253	0	1	2	38	n/a	n/a	0	294
1991	311	0	0	12	24	n/a	n/a	0	347
1992	332	1	0	14	27	n/a	n/a	0	374
1993	331	3	1	29	38	n/a	n/a	0	402
1994	335	2	2	23	29	n/a	n/a	0	391
1995	338	1	3	28	28	n/a	n/a	0	398
1996	338	1	3	28	28	n/a	n/a	0	398
1997	329	1	0	27	28	n/a	n/a	0	385
1998	320	1	1	27	31	n/a	n/a	0	380
1999	322	1	1	26	32	n/a	n/a	0	382
2000	334	4	6	30	26	n/a	n/a	1	401
2001	319	3	7	30	32	n/a	n/a	0	391
2002	166	2	2	18	21	n/a	n/a	0	209
2003	166	2	2	18	21	n/a	n/a	0	209
2004	161	3	3	23	22	n/a	n/a	2	214
2005	161	2	0	21	19	n/a	n/a	3	206
2006	183	7	0	21	15	n/a	n/a	2	228
2007	156	5	1	18	12	n/a	n/a	0	192
2008	155	6	n/a	20	13	n/a	n/a	0	194
2009	115	6	2	19	7	0	0	0	149
2010	113	2	0	20	7	0	5	0	147
2011	103	2	0	23	8	1	5	0	142
2012	98	1	0	31	8	0	3	0	141
2013	71	0	0	18	5	0	5	0	99
2014	94	0	1	27	6	0	5	0	133
2015	102	0	1	24	6	0	6	0	139
2016	183	1	0	41	8	0	8	0	241
2017	180	0	0	43	9	0	9	0	241
2018	185	0	0	37	9	0	14	0	245
2019	185	0	0	43	8	0	17	0	253
2020	208	0	2	45	7	0	16	0	278
2021	208	0	3	47	8	0	25	0	291
2022	209	0	3	46	9	0	24	0	291
2023	222	0	4	77	8	0	33	0	344
2024	219	0	2	83	7	0	29	0	340

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 South Fork Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	265	12.9	20.5	n/a
1989	289	12.4	23.3	n/a
1990	294	13.5	21.7	n/a
1991	347	15.3	22.6	n/a
1992	374	15.5	24.1	58.3
1993	402	17.5	23.0	66.4
1994	391	19.8	19.7	68.5
1995	398	20.0	19.9	55.5
1996	398	20.0	19.9	55.5
1997	385	20.0	19.3	55.6
1998	380	22.0	17.3	52.6
1999	382	22.0	17.4	63.1
2000	401	22.0	18.2	69.3
2001	391	22.0	17.8	68
2002	209	13.0	16.1	71.8
2003	209	13.0	16.1	71.8
2004	214	12.0	17.8	74.5
2005	206	12.0	17.2	77.8
2006	228	12.0	19.0	75.7
2007	192	10.9	17.6	80.2
2008	194	11.0	17.6	77.8
2009	149	8.8	13.7	75.2
2010	147	8.8	16.6	73.5
2011	142	n/a	n/a	73.9
2012	141	7.9	17.8	n/a
2013	99	4.4	22.1	82.8
2014	133	6.0	22.1	73.7
2015	139	6.0	23.1	80.6
2016	241	11.0	21.9	73
2017	241	11.5	20.9	84.2
2018	245	11.5	21.3	78.8
2019	253	11.5	22.0	70.8
2020	278	n/a	n/a	70.1
2021	291	13.0	22.3	74.9
2022	291	14.0	20.7	64.9
2023	344	17.0	20.1	70.9
2024	340	20.0	16.9	77.1

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 South Fork Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	265	12.9	20.5	n/a
1989	289	12.4	23.3	n/a
1990	294	13.5	21.7	n/a
1991	347	15.3	22.6	n/a
1992	374	15.5	24.1	58.3
1993	402	17.5	23.0	66.4
1994	391	19.8	19.7	68.5
1995	398	20.0	19.9	55.5
1996	398	20.0	19.9	55.5
1997	385	20.0	19.3	55.6
1998	380	22.0	17.3	52.6
1999	382	22.0	17.4	63.1
2000	401	22.0	18.2	69.3
2001	391	22.0	17.8	68
2002	209	13.0	16.1	71.8
2003	209	13.0	16.1	71.8
2004	214	12.0	17.8	74.5
2005	206	12.0	17.2	77.8
2006	228	12.0	19.0	75.7
2007	192	10.9	17.6	80.2
2008	194	11.0	17.6	77.8
2009	149	8.8	13.7	75.2
2010	147	8.8	16.6	73.5
2011	142	n/a	n/a	73.9
2012	141	7.9	17.8	n/a
2013	99	4.4	22.1	82.8
2014	133	6.0	22.1	73.7
2015	139	6.0	23.1	80.6
2016	241	11.0	21.9	73
2017	241	11.5	20.9	84.2
2018	245	11.5	21.3	78.8
2019	253	11.5	22.0	70.8
2020	278	n/a	n/a	70.1
2021	291	13.0	22.3	74.9
2022	291	14.0	20.7	64.9
2023	344	17.0	20.1	70.9
2024	340	20.0	16.9	77.1

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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