Is Alderwood Elementary a good school?

Alderwood Elementary ranks 918 th of 5862 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Alderwood Elementary?

In the 2023-24 school year, 825 students attended Alderwood Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Alderwood Elementary?

Students at Alderwood Elementary are 39% Asian, 36% White, 12% Hispanic, 12% Two or more races, 1% African American.

What schools do graduates of Alderwood Elementary attend?

Students who attend Alderwood Elementary usually go on to attend: Middle : Rancho San Joaquin Middle High : University High

Alderwood Elementary

Summary:

Alderwood Elementary is a public elementary school located in Irvine, California, serving grades K-6 with a total enrollment of 812 students. It is part of the highly-ranked Irvine Unified School District, which is ranked 108 out of 1,568 districts in California and has a 5-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Alderwood Elementary has consistently performed well, ranking in the top 10-15% of California elementary schools over the past decade. In the 2023-2024 school year, the school ranked 918 out of 5,862 California elementary schools, earning a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger. The school's students consistently outperform the state average in Smarter Balanced Assessments for English Language Arts and Mathematics, with particularly strong performance among its Hispanic and English Language Learner student populations. However, Alderwood Elementary has seen a steady increase in chronic absenteeism rates, which is an area of concern for the school and district.

While Alderwood Elementary's academic performance is generally stronger than the nearby schools in the Irvine Unified School District, some schools, such as Eastshore Elementary and Bonita Canyon Elementary, have even stronger academic results, ranking in the top 5% of California elementary schools. Understanding the practices and strategies employed by these top-performing schools could provide valuable insights for Alderwood Elementary to further improve its educational outcomes.

Detail:

Public K-6

2005 Knollcrest
Irvine, CA 92603-1600

(949) 936-5400

District: Irvine Unified

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

Per Pupil Expenditures: $5,612

Students who attend Alderwood Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Rancho San Joaquin Middle
High:	University High

Student/teacher ratio: 29.8

Number of students: 825

Racial breakdown:

Asian:

38.5%

White:

35.6%

Hispanic:

12.5%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 24.1%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Alderwood Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Alderwood Elementary ranks better than 84.3% of elementary schools in California. It also ranks 21^st among 26 ranked elementary schools in the Irvine Unified School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 85.76. (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 Alderwood Elementary is diverse. Racial makeup is: Asian (38.5%), White (35.6%), Hispanic (12.5%). (See more...)

Compare Details 24.1% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Alderwood Elementary is 29.8. 20 elementary schools in the Irvine Unified School District have better student/teacher ratios. (See more...)

Compare Alderwood Elementary employs 27.6 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Alderwood Elementary is $5,612, which is the 13^th highest among 26 elementary schools in the Irvine Unified School District.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Alderwood Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Alderwood Elementary 918^th of 5862 California public elementary schools. (See Alderwood Elementary in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Multi-racial students:

English Language Learner students:

Special Education students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

Asian students:

Hispanic students:

White students:

Irvine Unified:

SchoolDigger ranks Irvine Unified 108^th of 1568 California school districts. (See district ranking list.)

Average Parent Rating:

Read all reviews and ratings detail for Alderwood Elementary.

What do you think?

Your rating for Alderwood Elementary?

(Ranking FAQ)

Rank History for Alderwood Elementary

Compare

Rank History for all students at Alderwood Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2004	98.25	65^th	4809	98.6%
2005	97.54	79^th	4822	98.4%
2006	97.82	67^th	4818	98.6%
2007	97.72	67^th	5113	98.7%
2008	97.93	33^rd	5113	99.4%
2009	96.68	73^rd	5193	98.6%
2010	95.29	124^th	5314	97.7%
2011	93.77	199^th	5377	96.3%
2012	91.79	309^th	5390	94.3%
2013	93.40	223^rd	5530	96.0%
2015	97.32	162^nd	5611	97.1%
2016	95.93	241^st	5614	95.7%
2017	92.69	472^nd	5692	91.7%
2018	93.68	403^rd	5662	92.9%
2019	91.68	542^nd	5789	90.6%
2022	93.59	475^th	5883	91.9%
2023	88.87	770^th	5874	86.9%
2024	85.76	918^th	5862	84.3%

See the entire list of California Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for Multi-racial students at Alderwood Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	66.53	124^th	339	63.4%
2019	54.83	237^th	445	46.7%
2022	66.28	232^nd	610	62.0%
2023	55.99	332^nd	669	50.4%
2024	55.25	359^th	669	46.3%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Multi-racial Students!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Alderwood Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	96.61	85^th	3246	97.4%
2019	99.17	27^th	3275	99.2%
2022	95.23	104^th	3311	96.9%
2023	89.38	149^th	3250	95.4%
2024	89.78	115^th	3160	96.4%

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

Rank History for Special Education students at Alderwood Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	83.30	263^rd	2420	89.1%
2024	95.09	107^th	2634	95.9%

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

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Alderwood Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	82.46	582^nd	5084	88.6%
2019	67.10	1340^th	5173	74.1%
2022	91.63	293^rd	5264	94.4%
2023	86.84	501^st	5374	90.7%
2024	82.31	735^th	5511	86.7%

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

Rank History for Female students at Alderwood Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	93.42	327^th	5413	94.0%
2019	88.15	658^th	5492	88.0%
2022	89.76	648^th	5635	88.5%
2023	85.75	852^nd	5617	84.8%
2024	83.71	922^nd	5605	83.6%

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

Rank History for Disabled students at Alderwood Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2018	99.71	7^th	2128	99.7%
2022	95.73	94^th	2227	95.8%

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

Rank History for Male students at Alderwood Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	92.32	428^th	5431	92.1%
2019	91.63	468^th	5510	91.5%
2022	94.23	363^rd	5663	93.6%
2023	89.12	674^th	5650	88.1%
2024	84.78	883^rd	5636	84.3%

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

Rank History for Asian students at Alderwood Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	67.30	417^th	1071	61.1%
2019	70.92	354^th	1149	69.2%
2022	71.77	346^th	1154	70.0%
2023	63.83	535^th	1190	55.0%
2024	55.06	684^th	1203	43.1%

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

Rank History for Hispanic students at Alderwood Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	89.06	343^rd	4830	92.9%
2019	84.93	512^th	4963	89.7%
2022	95.46	173^rd	5084	96.6%
2023	88.47	417^th	5098	91.8%
2024	83.36	610^th	5102	88.0%

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

Rank History for White students at Alderwood Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	74.65	660^th	2737	75.9%
2019	54.75	1390^th	2834	51.0%
2022	56.77	1266^th	2726	53.6%
2023	51.61	1385^th	2662	48.0%
2024	48.23	1458^th	2647	44.9%

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: 3.7)

67%

33%

Reviews:

by a parent
Thursday, February 23, 2012

Both my kids are attending Alderwood. There are a lot of parent involvement and great environment for the kids. My kids love to go to school everyday. Close Quote

by a parent
Tuesday, May 3, 2011

It's one of the best schools in the state. The teachers are excellent, and they actually have the children's best interest. There are numerous opportunities for the children to grow not only in academics, but in leadership. This school highly emphasizes growth in a well rounded environment, where children are exposed to outreach in the community through Team Kids, art, music, and also they encourage health. Alderwood leads the district in the number of children who walk to school. There is a high involvement of parent volunteers at Alderwood which is a good indicator of the community here investing in our children's future. Because the
school is located in a safe community, the school does continue to strive to keep our children safe by maintaining certain rules. Close Quote

by a parent
Tuesday, January 4, 2011

The best part of being a parent is being able to walk your children to school, be greeted by their teachers and to have an open door policy with them. BUT here at Alderwood, there is no direct contact with the teachers! You the parent is NOT allow to walk your child to the class room door, you will be stop by Guards at the front of the stairs and black top at the play ground. You will be told NO PARENTS ON SCHOOL GROUND. To get in contact with your child's teachers you must either email or leave a voice mail with no guarantee of a reply. I am looking for another school for my kids to go to next year and I suggest you do the same. Close Quote

Enrollment information for Alderwood Elementary

Compare

Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	461	5	97	14	0	n/a	n/a	0	577
1989	407	6	80	10	1	n/a	n/a	0	504
1990	372	9	82	11	0	n/a	n/a	0	474
1991	337	10	96	11	1	n/a	n/a	0	455
1992	346	13	106	20	2	n/a	n/a	0	487
1993	308	13	116	22	2	n/a	n/a	0	461
1994	292	16	116	24	6	n/a	n/a	0	454
1995	295	11	128	23	7	n/a	n/a	0	464
1996	295	11	128	23	7	n/a	n/a	0	464
1997	294	7	132	19	7	n/a	n/a	0	459
1998	275	5	140	21	8	n/a	n/a	0	449
1999	284	4	130	16	7	n/a	n/a	5	446
2000	269	0	116	13	5	n/a	n/a	12	415
2001	267	1	125	17	6	n/a	n/a	18	434
2002	275	4	162	23	8	n/a	n/a	5	477
2003	275	4	162	23	8	n/a	n/a	5	477
2004	247	4	197	26	7	n/a	n/a	13	494
2005	220	5	220	24	8	n/a	n/a	18	495
2006	207	6	350	27	5	n/a	n/a	29	624
2007	222	7	395	28	6	n/a	n/a	42	700
2008	213	12	434	35	4	n/a	n/a	0	698
2009	237	7	465	36	4	1	66	0	816
2010	227	6	481	47	4	1	73	0	839
2011	230	6	467	63	2	2	62	0	832
2012	251	4	461	64	2	2	47	0	831
2013	244	4	426	61	2	0	65	0	802
2014	255	4	403	89	2	0	85	0	838
2015	245	11	393	94	1	1	90	0	835
2016	244	10	386	102	0	1	104	0	847
2017	237	13	382	102	1	1	101	0	837
2018	216	13	384	98	0	2	111	0	824
2019	217	8	373	98	0	2	112	0	810
2020	233	8	362	103	0	1	119	0	826
2021	161	5	149	63	0	1	65	0	444
2022	244	13	286	97	0	1	98	0	739
2023	260	12	335	103	0	1	101	0	812
2024	294	12	318	103	0	0	98	0	825

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 Alderwood Elementary

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	577	21.7	26.5	n/a
1989	504	21.3	23.6	n/a
1990	474	18.8	25.2	n/a
1991	455	17.0	26.7	n/a
1992	487	17.3	28.1	7.8
1993	461	15.0	30.7	7.4
1994	454	20.1	22.6	10.4
1995	464	17.8	26.1	9.5
1996	464	17.8	26.1	9.5
1997	459	22.1	20.8	8.1
1998	449	23.1	19.4	6.2
1999	446	22.0	20.3	5
2000	415	20.8	20.0	5
2001	434	18.8	23.1	4.6
2002	477	18.6	25.6	3
2003	477	18.6	25.6	3
2004	494	20.9	23.6	4.2
2005	495	21.8	22.7	2.9
2006	624	26.8	23.3	2.9
2007	700	30.4	23.0	5.2
2008	698	34.6	20.2	5
2009	816	34.0	22.9	3.4
2010	839	29.3	28.6	6.3
2011	832	n/a	n/a	6.7
2012	831	27.0	30.7	n/a
2013	802	26.0	30.8	6.5
2014	838	27.0	31.0	7.9
2015	835	28.0	29.8	10.8
2016	847	29.0	29.2	11
2017	837	29.2	28.6	9
2018	824	29.8	27.6	13.6
2019	810	28.2	28.7	15.3
2020	826	n/a	n/a	17.7
2021	444	17.0	26.1	20
2022	739	27.0	27.3	16.9
2023	812	28.4	28.5	18.8
2024	825	27.6	29.8	24.1

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 Alderwood Elementary

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	577	21.7	26.5	n/a
1989	504	21.3	23.6	n/a
1990	474	18.8	25.2	n/a
1991	455	17.0	26.7	n/a
1992	487	17.3	28.1	7.8
1993	461	15.0	30.7	7.4
1994	454	20.1	22.6	10.4
1995	464	17.8	26.1	9.5
1996	464	17.8	26.1	9.5
1997	459	22.1	20.8	8.1
1998	449	23.1	19.4	6.2
1999	446	22.0	20.3	5
2000	415	20.8	20.0	5
2001	434	18.8	23.1	4.6
2002	477	18.6	25.6	3
2003	477	18.6	25.6	3
2004	494	20.9	23.6	4.2
2005	495	21.8	22.7	2.9
2006	624	26.8	23.3	2.9
2007	700	30.4	23.0	5.2
2008	698	34.6	20.2	5
2009	816	34.0	22.9	3.4
2010	839	29.3	28.6	6.3
2011	832	n/a	n/a	6.7
2012	831	27.0	30.7	n/a
2013	802	26.0	30.8	6.5
2014	838	27.0	31.0	7.9
2015	835	28.0	29.8	10.8
2016	847	29.0	29.2	11
2017	837	29.2	28.6	9
2018	824	29.8	27.6	13.6
2019	810	28.2	28.7	15.3
2020	826	n/a	n/a	17.7
2021	444	17.0	26.1	20
2022	739	27.0	27.3	16.9
2023	812	28.4	28.5	18.8
2024	825	27.6	29.8	24.1

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