Is Pioneer Elementary School a good school?

Pioneer Elementary School ranks in the bottom 13.6% of Washington elementary schools.

How many students attend Pioneer Elementary School?

In the 2023-24 school year, 601 students attended Pioneer Elementary School.

What is the racial makeup of Pioneer Elementary School?

Students at Pioneer Elementary School are 92% Hispanic, 6% White.

What schools do graduates of Pioneer Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Pioneer Elementary School usually go on to attend: Middle : Harrison Middle School High : Sunnyside High School

Pioneer Elementary School

Summary:

Pioneer Elementary School is a public elementary school located in Sunnyside, Washington, serving grades PK-5 with a student population of 615. The school is part of the Sunnyside School District, which is ranked 235 out of 247 districts in Washington and has a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Pioneer Elementary faces significant challenges in improving its academic performance, which are likely rooted in the socioeconomic and racial demographics of its student population. The school has a significantly higher percentage of Hispanic students (93.01%) compared to the state average of 22.7%, and a much lower percentage of White students (5.69%) compared to the state average of 45.6%. Additionally, Pioneer Elementary consistently ranks in the bottom 10-15% of Washington elementary schools, with a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger, and its proficiency rates in English Language Arts (ELA) and Math are well below the state and district averages across all grade levels. The school also has a very high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 68.48% to 77.07% over the past few years, which is significantly higher than the state average and indicates a high level of economic disadvantage among the student population.

Despite the higher spending per student at Pioneer Elementary, ranging from $16,574 to $18,214, this has not translated into improved academic outcomes. The school's student-teacher ratio is also relatively high, ranging from 15.4 to 16.1 over the past few years, which is higher than the state average. Interestingly, while Pioneer Elementary's overall performance is low, the school's migrant student population performs relatively better, ranking in the top 15-25% of Washington elementary schools for this subgroup. Nearby schools within the Sunnyside School District, such as Outlook Elementary and Washington Elementary, also struggle with low academic performance and high percentages of economically disadvantaged students, suggesting that the challenges faced by Pioneer Elementary may be systemic within the district.

Detail:

Public PK, KG-5

2101 E. Lincoln
Sunnyside, WA 98944-2197

(509) 836-2200

District: Sunnyside School District

SchoolDigger Rank:
1009^th of 1,168 Washington Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $18,214

Students who attend Pioneer Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Harrison Middle School
High:	Sunnyside High School

Student/teacher ratio: 15.8

Number of students: 601

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

92.0%

White:

6.3%

Asian:

1.0%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 79.5%

See top rated Washington elementary schools

Compare Pioneer Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Pioneer Elementary School ranks worse than 86.4% of elementary schools in Washington. It also ranks 2^nd among 4 ranked elementary schools in the Sunnyside School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 17.3. (See more...)

Student Body

Compare Details Racial makeup is: Hispanic (92%), White (6.3%), Asian (1%). (See more...)

Compare Details 79.5% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. This is the lowest percentage in the Sunnyside School District. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Pioneer Elementary School is 15.8. 3 elementary schools in the Sunnyside School District have better student/teacher ratios. (See more...)

Compare Pioneer Elementary School employs 38 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Pioneer Elementary School is $18,214. 3 elementary schools in the Sunnyside School District spend more per student.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Pioneer Elementary School:

SchoolDigger ranks Pioneer Elementary School 1009^th of 1168 Washington public elementary schools. (See Pioneer Elementary School in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

English Language Learner students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Migrant students:

Female students:

Male students:

Hispanic students:

Sunnyside School District:

SchoolDigger ranks Sunnyside School District 235^th of 247 Washington school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for Pioneer Elementary School

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Rank History for all students at Pioneer Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WA State Percentile
2004	13.67	932^nd	1026	9.2%
2005	15.25	921^st	1031	10.7%
2006	21.72	892^nd	1051	15.1%
2007	17.39	946^th	1069	11.5%
2008	17.25	939^th	1067	12.0%
2009	17.31	951^st	1072	11.3%
2010	24.44	895^th	1088	17.7%
2011	25.79	892^nd	1092	18.3%
2012	23.35	923^rd	1097	15.9%
2013	12.82	1036^th	1106	6.3%
2015	12.95	973^rd	1067	8.8%
2016	24.24	841^st	1053	20.1%
2017	23.48	838^th	1056	20.6%
2018	20.51	868^th	1054	17.6%
2019	20.74	924^th	1130	18.2%
2021	17.77	924^th	1107	16.5%
2022	17.82	1001^st	1169	14.4%
2023	15.35	1040^th	1169	11.0%
2024	17.30	1009^th	1168	13.6%

See the entire list of Washington Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Pioneer Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	43.37	170^th	333	48.9%
2019	46.46	107^th	248	56.9%
2022	27.20	177^th	213	16.9%
2023	23.50	197^th	254	22.4%
2024	28.03	231^st	320	27.8%

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

Rank History for Special Education students at Pioneer Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	35.44	419^th	637	34.2%
2022	21.37	424^th	478	11.3%
2023	11.54	300^th	308	2.6%

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

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Pioneer Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	35.66	583^rd	835	30.2%
2019	36.07	680^th	979	30.5%
2021	18.92	769^th	854	10.0%
2022	27.76	811^th	1019	20.4%
2023	22.35	876^th	1013	13.5%
2024	25.67	827^th	1024	19.2%

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

Rank History for Migrant students at Pioneer Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	63.93	10^th	61	83.6%
2019	30.56	47^th	64	26.6%
2022	55.20	15^th	45	66.7%
2023	39.40	13^th	26	50.0%
2024	64.49	9^th	25	64.0%

See the entire list of Best Washington Elementary Schools for Migrant Students!

Rank History for Female students at Pioneer Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	25.07	790^th	1004	21.3%
2019	17.56	928^th	1068	13.1%
2021	13.29	934^th	1008	7.3%
2022	17.16	960^th	1100	12.7%
2023	18.49	927^th	1094	15.3%
2024	19.45	917^th	1093	16.1%

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

Rank History for Male students at Pioneer Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	18.02	865^th	999	13.4%
2019	26.55	831^st	1075	22.7%
2021	22.78	803^rd	1025	21.7%
2022	18.75	945^th	1113	15.1%
2023	13.76	998^th	1099	9.2%
2024	15.08	979^th	1099	10.9%

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

Rank History for Hispanic students at Pioneer Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WA State Percentile
2019	43.79	396^th	697	43.2%
2021	33.43	330^th	501	34.1%
2022	37.00	432^nd	694	37.8%
2023	28.51	484^th	633	23.5%
2024	30.72	469^th	651	28.0%

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

Data source: test scores: Washington Office of Superindentent of Public Instruction, 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: Washington State Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction

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Enrollment information for Pioneer Elementary School

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1997	129	0	3	626	0	n/a	n/a	0	758
1998	128	1	3	621	1	n/a	n/a	0	754
1999	149	0	4	626	2	n/a	n/a	0	781
2000	149	1	5	804	2	n/a	n/a	0	961
2001	134	2	4	799	0	n/a	n/a	0	939
2002	127	3	2	813	0	n/a	n/a	0	945
2003	127	3	2	813	0	n/a	n/a	0	945
2004	107	2	5	722	1	n/a	n/a	0	837
2005	105	1	4	765	0	n/a	n/a	0	875
2006	107	2	2	797	0	n/a	n/a	2	910
2007	90	1	6	676	0	n/a	n/a	10	783
2008	91	1	5	730	0	n/a	n/a	13	840
2009	61	1	5	647	0	n/a	n/a	12	726
2010	58	1	6	635	0	n/a	n/a	11	711
2011	55	0	5	664	3	0	0	0	727
2012	47	0	7	692	1	1	0	0	748
2013	69	0	3	697	0	1	5	0	775
2014	53	0	0	715	0	0	10	0	778
2015	45	1	0	681	0	0	9	0	736
2016	54	0	1	687	0	0	10	0	752
2017	53	0	1	681	0	0	9	0	744
2018	36	0	0	693	0	0	11	0	740
2019	40	0	0	641	0	0	8	0	689
2020	48	3	0	633	0	0	7	0	691
2021	35	4	1	614	0	0	6	0	660
2022	29	1	1	568	0	0	5	0	604
2023	35	1	5	572	0	0	2	0	615
2024	38	1	6	553	1	0	2	0	601

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 Pioneer Elementary School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1997	758	39.5	19.2	n/a
1998	754	39.1	19.3	n/a
1999	781	38.7	20.2	n/a
2000	961	44.6	21.5	n/a
2001	939	48.0	19.6	n/a
2002	945	47.5	19.9	87.1
2003	945	47.5	19.9	87.1
2004	837	50.0	16.7	88.5
2005	875	49.5	17.7	88.1
2006	910	51.4	17.7	84
2007	783	45.0	17.4	87.5
2008	840	47.4	17.7	86.3
2009	726	47.9	15.2	88.5
2010	711	43.0	16.5	85.7
2011	727	42.0	17.3	99.6
2012	748	43.5	17.1	94.1
2013	775	45.5	17.0	83
2014	778	n/a	n/a	94.3
2015	736	50.0	14.7	99.6
2016	752	42.0	17.9	87
2017	744	41.9	17.7	83.6
2018	740	43.9	16.8	83.8
2019	689	42.0	16.4	85.6
2020	691	41.0	16.8	81
2021	660	41.0	16.0	68.5
2022	604	39.0	15.4	74.2
2023	615	38.0	16.1	77.1
2024	601	38.0	15.8	79.5

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 Pioneer Elementary School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1997	758	39.5	19.2	n/a
1998	754	39.1	19.3	n/a
1999	781	38.7	20.2	n/a
2000	961	44.6	21.5	n/a
2001	939	48.0	19.6	n/a
2002	945	47.5	19.9	87.1
2003	945	47.5	19.9	87.1
2004	837	50.0	16.7	88.5
2005	875	49.5	17.7	88.1
2006	910	51.4	17.7	84
2007	783	45.0	17.4	87.5
2008	840	47.4	17.7	86.3
2009	726	47.9	15.2	88.5
2010	711	43.0	16.5	85.7
2011	727	42.0	17.3	99.6
2012	748	43.5	17.1	94.1
2013	775	45.5	17.0	83
2014	778	n/a	n/a	94.3
2015	736	50.0	14.7	99.6
2016	752	42.0	17.9	87
2017	744	41.9	17.7	83.6
2018	740	43.9	16.8	83.8
2019	689	42.0	16.4	85.6
2020	691	41.0	16.8	81
2021	660	41.0	16.0	68.5
2022	604	39.0	15.4	74.2
2023	615	38.0	16.1	77.1
2024	601	38.0	15.8	79.5

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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