Donner Trail Elementary

Summary:

Donner Trail Elementary is a public elementary school in Truckee, California, serving 55 students in grades K-5. The school is part of the Tahoe-Truckee Unified School District, which is ranked 256 out of 1,568 districts in the state and has a 4-star rating.

Donner Trail Elementary consistently outperforms the district and the state in standardized test scores, with 83.33% of students proficient or better in English Language Arts/Literacy and 88.89% proficient or better in Mathematics, compared to 60.04% and 49.37% for the district, respectively. The school has a statewide ranking of 289 out of 5,862 schools and a 5-star rating from SchoolDigger. Additionally, Donner Trail has a significantly lower percentage of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch (5.45%) compared to nearby schools like Glenshire Elementary (11.8%), Tahoe Lake Elementary (23.29%), and Truckee Elementary (51.66%).

Donner Trail Elementary's consistent academic excellence, low chronic absenteeism rates, and unique student demographics suggest that the school may have effective teaching practices, strong leadership, and a supportive school community. While the nearby schools in the Tahoe-Truckee Unified School District are performing reasonably well, Donner Trail stands out as a high-performing school that warrants further exploration to understand the key factors behind its success.

Detail:

Public K-5

52755 Donner Pass Rd.
Truckee, CA 96161-4951

(530) 582-2720

District: Tahoe-Truckee Unified

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

Per Pupil Expenditures: $17,623

Students who attend Donner Trail Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Alder Creek Middle
High:	Tahoe Truckee High

Student/teacher ratio: 14.2

Number of students: 57

Racial breakdown:

White:

91.2%

Hispanic:

3.5%

Two or more races:

3.5%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 7%

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Performance Trends

Compare Details Donner Trail Elementary ranks better than 95.1% of elementary schools in California. It also ranks first among 5 ranked elementary schools in the Tahoe-Truckee Unified School District! (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 95.69. (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 Donner Trail Elementary has the smallest elementary school student body size in the Tahoe-Truckee Unified School District. Racial makeup is: White (91.2%), Hispanic (3.5%), two or more races (3.5%). (See more...)

Compare Details 7% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. This is the lowest percentage in the Tahoe-Truckee Unified School District. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Donner Trail Elementary is 14.2, which is the lowest among 5 elementary schools in the Tahoe-Truckee Unified School District! (See more...)

Compare Donner Trail Elementary employs 3.9 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Donner Trail Elementary is $17,623, which is the highest among 5 elementary schools in the Tahoe-Truckee Unified School District!

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Donner Trail Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Donner Trail Elementary 289^th of 5862 California public elementary schools. (See Donner Trail Elementary in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Male students:

White students:

Tahoe-Truckee Unified:

SchoolDigger ranks Tahoe-Truckee Unified 256^th of 1568 California school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for Donner Trail Elementary

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Rank History for all students at Donner Trail Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2005	92.89	331^st	4822	93.1%
2006	83.17	823^rd	4818	82.9%
2007	89.52	541^st	5113	89.4%
2008	52.52	2241^st	5113	56.2%
2009	46.69	2678^th	5193	48.4%
2010	85.24	720^th	5314	86.5%
2011	67.51	1608^th	5377	70.1%
2012	90.35	403^rd	5390	92.5%
2016	89.35	656^th	5614	88.3%
2017	87.15	805^th	5692	85.9%
2018	93.82	388^th	5662	93.1%
2019	93.15	428^th	5789	92.6%
2022	98.28	76^th	5883	98.7%
2024	95.69	289^th	5862	95.1%

See the entire list of California Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for Male students at Donner Trail Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2024	95.43	237^th	5636	95.8%

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

Rank History for White students at Donner Trail Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2019	81.33	427^th	2834	84.9%
2022	92.29	51^st	2726	98.1%
2024	92.41	40^th	2647	98.5%

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 Donner Trail Elementary

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	12	0	0	2	0	n/a	n/a	0	14
1989	14	0	0	2	0	n/a	n/a	0	16
1990	23	0	0	0	0	n/a	n/a	0	23
1991	16	1	0	0	0	n/a	n/a	0	17
1992	23	2	0	0	0	n/a	n/a	0	25
1993	21	0	1	0	0	n/a	n/a	0	22
1994	18	0	0	0	0	n/a	n/a	0	18
1995	28	0	0	0	0	n/a	n/a	0	28
1996	28	0	0	0	0	n/a	n/a	0	28
1997	36	0	0	0	0	n/a	n/a	0	36
1998	49	0	0	0	0	n/a	n/a	0	49
1999	53	1	0	1	0	n/a	n/a	1	56
2000	57	1	0	3	0	n/a	n/a	0	61
2001	56	1	0	2	1	n/a	n/a	0	60
2002	54	1	0	4	0	n/a	n/a	0	59
2003	54	1	0	4	0	n/a	n/a	0	59
2004	54	1	1	4	0	n/a	n/a	0	60
2005	56	1	1	1	0	n/a	n/a	0	59
2006	61	0	2	1	0	n/a	n/a	0	64
2007	61	0	1	2	0	n/a	n/a	4	68
2008	59	n/a	1	2	n/a	n/a	n/a	0	62
2009	56	0	1	1	0	1	5	0	64
2010	69	0	2	1	0	0	3	0	75
2011	70	0	2	1	0	0	3	0	76
2012	67	0	1	0	0	0	1	0	69
2013	56	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	57
2014	54	0	0	4	0	0	0	0	58
2015	56	0	1	7	0	0	0	0	64
2016	54	1	0	7	0	0	2	0	64
2017	60	0	1	7	0	0	2	0	70
2018	57	0	2	6	0	0	1	0	66
2019	57	0	1	4	0	0	4	0	66
2020	55	0	0	3	0	0	3	0	61
2021	52	0	0	3	0	0	3	0	58
2022	54	0	0	3	0	0	5	0	62
2023	48	0	0	3	1	0	3	0	55
2024	52	0	0	2	1	0	2	0	57

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 Donner Trail Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	14	1.0	14.0	n/a
1989	16	1.0	16.0	n/a
1990	23	1.0	23.0	n/a
1991	17	1.5	11.3	n/a
1992	25	1.5	16.6	n/a
1993	22	1.1	20.0	0
1994	18	1.6	11.3	0
1995	28	2.0	14.0	17.9
1996	28	2.0	14.0	17.9
1997	36	2.0	18.0	13.9
1998	49	3.0	16.3	10.2
1999	56	3.0	18.7	21.8
2000	61	3.0	20.3	16.4
2001	60	3.0	20.0	3.3
2002	59	3.4	17.4	10.2
2003	59	3.4	17.4	10.2
2004	60	3.4	17.6	8.3
2005	59	3.5	16.9	5.1
2006	64	3.3	19.4	1.6
2007	68	3.7	18.4	7.8
2008	62	3.4	18.2	12.9
2009	64	3.7	17.3	10.9
2010	75	3.7	20.2	16
2011	76	n/a	n/a	9.2
2012	69	3.0	23.0	n/a
2013	57	3.0	19.0	7
2014	58	3.0	19.3	8.6
2015	64	3.0	21.3	14.1
2016	64	3.0	21.3	14.1
2017	70	3.0	23.3	15.7
2018	66	3.0	22.0	10.6
2019	66	2.0	33.0	12.1
2020	61	n/a	n/a	11.5
2021	58	4.0	14.5	12.1
2022	62	5.0	12.4	4.8
2023	55	3.0	18.2	5.5
2024	57	3.9	14.2	7

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 Donner Trail Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	14	1.0	14.0	n/a
1989	16	1.0	16.0	n/a
1990	23	1.0	23.0	n/a
1991	17	1.5	11.3	n/a
1992	25	1.5	16.6	n/a
1993	22	1.1	20.0	0
1994	18	1.6	11.3	0
1995	28	2.0	14.0	17.9
1996	28	2.0	14.0	17.9
1997	36	2.0	18.0	13.9
1998	49	3.0	16.3	10.2
1999	56	3.0	18.7	21.8
2000	61	3.0	20.3	16.4
2001	60	3.0	20.0	3.3
2002	59	3.4	17.4	10.2
2003	59	3.4	17.4	10.2
2004	60	3.4	17.6	8.3
2005	59	3.5	16.9	5.1
2006	64	3.3	19.4	1.6
2007	68	3.7	18.4	7.8
2008	62	3.4	18.2	12.9
2009	64	3.7	17.3	10.9
2010	75	3.7	20.2	16
2011	76	n/a	n/a	9.2
2012	69	3.0	23.0	n/a
2013	57	3.0	19.0	7
2014	58	3.0	19.3	8.6
2015	64	3.0	21.3	14.1
2016	64	3.0	21.3	14.1
2017	70	3.0	23.3	15.7
2018	66	3.0	22.0	10.6
2019	66	2.0	33.0	12.1
2020	61	n/a	n/a	11.5
2021	58	4.0	14.5	12.1
2022	62	5.0	12.4	4.8
2023	55	3.0	18.2	5.5
2024	57	3.9	14.2	7

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

Donner Trail Elementary

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Year	Completely Immunized	Religious Exemption	Medical Exemption	Conditional	Polio	Hepatitis B	Varicella	DTP	MMR
2012	100.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	100.0%	100.0%	100.0%	100.0%	100.0%
2014	91.0%	9.0%	0.0%	0.0%	91.0%	91.0%	91.0%	91.0%	91.0%

Data source: California Department of Public Health

Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for Donner Trail Elementary

Year	Total Expenditures Per Pupil
2018	$17,623

Data source: California Department of Education

Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Donner Trail Elementary

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Rankings

Rank Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Rank Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Ranks 428^th of 5789 Elementary schools	Ranks 76^th of 5883 Elementary schools	6.1%

Test Scores

	% proficient Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	% proficient Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
5th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (Donner Trail Elementary)	92.9	80	12.9%
5th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (Tahoe-Truckee Unified)	63.1	61.7	1.4%
5th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (California)	51.7	47.1	4.6%
5th Grade Mathematics (Donner Trail Elementary)	57.1	93.3	36.2%
5th Grade Mathematics (Tahoe-Truckee Unified)	56.5	57.6	1.1%
5th Grade Mathematics (California)	38	31.6	6.4%
5th Grade Science (Donner Trail Elementary)	71.4	86.7	15.2%
5th Grade Science (Tahoe-Truckee Unified)	46.6	49.1	2.5%
5th Grade Science (California)	31.7	31.2	0.5%

Student Body

	Number of students Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Number of students Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Total Students	66	55	16.7%
African American	0	0
American Indian	0	1
Asian	1	0	100%
Hispanic	4	3	25%
Pacific Islander	0	0
White	57	48	15.8%
Two or More Races	4	3	25%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	12.1%	5.5%	6.7%

Schools Near Donner Trail Elementary

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Immunizations Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2024)				Ranking (2023)				CAST Science (2024)			Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy (2024)							Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2024)							% Completely Immunized (2022)	% Polio (2022)	% Hepatitis B (2022)	% Varicella (2022)	% DTP (2022)	% MMR (2022)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2018)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	SchoolDigger Rating (2024)	Average Standard Score (2023)	Statewide Rank (2023)	State Percentile (2023)	Rank Change from Previous Year	CAST Science 5th Grade	CAST Science 8th Grade	CAST Science End of Course	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 3rd Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 4th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 5th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 6th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 7th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 8th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy End of Course	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 3rd Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 4th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 5th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 6th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 7th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 8th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics End of Course	% Completely Immunized KG	% Polio KG	% Hepatitis B KG	% Varicella KG	% DTP KG	% MMR KG	Total
Donner Trail Elementary	Public	K-5	52755 Donner Pass Rd.	Truckee	96161	Nevada County	Tahoe-Truckee Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(530) 582-2720	57	4	14.2	7.0%	52 (91.2%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (3.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (3.5%)	95.7	289^th of 5862 public elementary schools	95.1%					(n/a)	60.0		60.0		84.6	73.3				83.3		92.3	86.7				88.9							$17,623
Truckee Elementary	Public	K-5	11911 Donner Pass Rd.	Truckee	96161	Nevada County	Tahoe-Truckee Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(530) 582-2650	486	24	20.1	50.2%	203 (41.8%)	1 (0.2%)	253 (52.1%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	27 (5.6%)	55.8	2243^rd of 5862 public elementary schools	61.7%		55.3	2265^th of 5874 public elementary schools	61.4%	22	32.9		32.9	47.9	43.1	55.1				49.3	42.3	38.1	41.3				40.7	95.9						$15,380
Sierra Expeditionary Learning	Public, Charter	K-8	11603 Donner Pass Rd.	Truckee	96161	Nevada County	Sierra Expeditionary Learning District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(530) 582-3701	215	9	23.8	23.3%	133 (61.9%)	0 (0.0%)	64 (29.8%)	2 (0.9%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (7.0%)	79.6	1164^th of 5862 public elementary schools	80.1%		68.7	1638^th of 5874 public elementary schools	72.1%	474	50.0	39.1	44.7	75.0	41.7	66.7	61.5	73.9	52.2	61.8	66.7	45.8	62.5	57.7	60.9	39.1	55.6
Creekside Charter	Public, Charter	K-8	1916 Chamonix Pl.	Olympic Valley	96146	Placer County	Creekside Charter District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(530) 581-1036	232	12	19.3	4.3%	197 (84.9%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (3.9%)	3 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (9.9%)	97.5	124^th of 5862 public elementary schools	97.9%		98.5	47^th of 5874 public elementary schools	99.2%	77	82.6	83.3	83.0	76.9	91.3	82.6	85.0	82.6	75.0	82.0	76.9	95.7	82.6	75.0	73.9	87.5	82.0	91.4	94.3	91.4	94.3	94.3
Glenshire Elementary	Public	K-5	10990 Dorchester Dr.	Truckee	96161	Nevada County	Tahoe-Truckee Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(530) 582-3720	485	21	23.4	14.6%	363 (74.8%)	2 (0.4%)	63 (13.0%)	1 (0.2%)	4 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	52 (10.7%)	88.9	756^th of 5862 public elementary schools	87.1%		87.1	867^th of 5874 public elementary schools	85.2%	111	54.0		54.0	78.1	68.5	59.2				68.8	82.9	66.3	61.8				70.5							$15,180
Tahoe Lake Elementary	Public	K-5	375 Grove St.	Tahoe City	96145	Placer County	Tahoe-Truckee Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(530) 582-2700	286	13	22.8	32.5%	202 (70.6%)	0 (0.0%)	64 (22.4%)	2 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (6.3%)	61.3	2014^th of 5862 public elementary schools	65.6%		68.7	1640^th of 5874 public elementary schools	72.1%	374	37.3		37.3	39.6	48.8	58.8				49.3	43.8	46.5	49.0				46.5	95.2	96.8	96.8	95.2	95.2	96.8	$16,697

Frequently Asked Questions about Donner Trail Elementary

Is Donner Trail Elementary a good school?

Yes! Donner Trail Elementary is one of the best elementary schools in the state. It ranks 289^th of 5862 California elementary schools.

What is the racial makeup of Donner Trail Elementary?

Students at Donner Trail Elementary are 91% White, 4% Hispanic, 4% Two or more races, 2% American Indian.

How many students attend Donner Trail Elementary?

In the 2023-24 school year, 57 students attended Donner Trail Elementary.

What schools do graduates of Donner Trail Elementary attend?

Students who attend Donner Trail Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Alder Creek Middle
High : Tahoe Truckee High

What district is Donner Trail Elementary in?

Tahoe-Truckee Unified

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the California Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.