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Saul Martinez Elementary

Public Grades K-6

4642^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,857 California Elementary Schools

Better than 21% of California elementary schools

Summary

Saul Martinez Elementary is a large kindergarten through 6th grade school in Mecca, serving 961 students within the high-need Coachella Valley Unified district, where nearly all students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.

Academically, the school faces significant challenges, with test scores in English and math below state averages, though its science scores are notably stronger than others in the district. A key strength is its effective instruction for English Language Learners, where it ranks above average. The school has shown resilience, maintaining stable performance during recent difficult years while some nearby schools, like Mecca Elementary, saw sharper declines. However, it is outperformed by other district schools with similar student populations, such as Peter Pendleton Elementary.

Attendance is a major area for improvement, with chronic absenteeism affecting about one-third of students, though this rate has gotten better recently. Performance varies by grade, with fifth-grade math being a particular concern. While per-student spending has increased, academic results have not yet shown a corresponding jump, indicating a focus on how resources are used for the greatest impact on student learning.

961

Students ?

23.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$29,200

Per pupil spending ?

95.7%

Free/discounted lunch ?

65-705 Johnson St.
Mecca, CA 92254-9367

(760) 396-1935

District: Coachella Valley Unified

Students who attend Saul Martinez Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Toro Canyon Middle
High:	Desert Mirage High

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

98.6%

White:

0.8%

Two or more races:

0.4%

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At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 16th percentile in 2015 → 21st in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 5 percentile points since 2015

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (25% vs 41% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (21st percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (33% vs 19% California)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school25%

District avg22%

California avg41%

4,642^nd of 5,857

California public elementary schools ?

Bottom 21%▲ up 4 pts since 2015

From bottom 16% (2015) to bottom 21% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

8^th of 14Elementary Schools in the Coachella Valley Unified

1305^th of 1,543Coachella Valley Unified among California districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	22.4	4642 of 5857	20.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	21.9	4687 of 5869	20.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	22.2	4626 of 5859	21.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	21.8	4666 of 5883	20.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	15.0	1290 of 1417	9.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	25.1	4347 of 5789	24.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	29.6	3856 of 5662	31.9%	★★☆☆☆
2017	23.9	4343 of 5692	23.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	17.2	4855 of 5614	13.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	19.4	4691 of 5611	16.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	31.9	3904 of 5530	29.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	26.8	4181 of 5390	22.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	21.8	4555 of 5377	15.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	13.5	4983 of 5314	6.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	10.2	4990 of 5193	3.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	9.1	4963 of 5113	2.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	9.2	4955 of 5113	3.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2006	9.3	4664 of 4818	3.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2005	8.4	4721 of 4822	2.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2004	14.8	4355 of 4809	9.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	27.9	1597 of 2227	28.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	17.3	291 of 293	0.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	23.8	2129 of 2585	17.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	24.3	1745 of 2128	18.0%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	44.1	1543 of 3162	51.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	36.0	2083 of 3245	35.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	44.8	1480 of 3311	55.3%	★★★☆☆
2021	28.9	495 of 602	17.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	49.4	1286 of 3275	60.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	44.1	1563 of 3246	51.8%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	22.7	4458 of 5597	20.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	20.4	4673 of 5612	16.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	22.1	4512 of 5609	19.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	23.9	4320 of 5635	23.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	17.3	1114 of 1267	12.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	21.8	4472 of 5492	18.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	26.4	4054 of 5413	25.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	31.2	3673 of 5107	28.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	31.1	3664 of 5107	28.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	31.1	3611 of 5087	29.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	30.6	3650 of 5084	28.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	35.7	3265 of 4963	34.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	40.9	2797 of 4830	42.1%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	30.1	3985 of 5460	27.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	25.0	4385 of 5517	20.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	29.4	3938 of 5363	26.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	30.7	3779 of 5264	28.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	23.4	945 of 1110	14.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	36.5	3389 of 5173	34.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	42.2	2874 of 5084	43.5%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	23.1	4459 of 5628	20.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	24.7	4303 of 5643	23.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	23.1	4425 of 5638	21.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	21.0	4622 of 5663	18.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	14.5	1172 of 1272	7.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	29.3	3844 of 5510	30.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	33.7	3422 of 5431	37.0%	★★☆☆☆

Migrant

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	38.3	51 of 78	34.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	53.9	27 of 74	63.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	35.9	46 of 68	32.4%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	33.6	1797 of 2847	36.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	30.2	1809 of 2635	31.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	21.6	2119 of 2420	12.4%	★☆☆☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

English Language Learner (2024)51st percentile+31 vs school

Special Education (2025)37th percentile+16 vs school

Migrant (2025)35th percentile+14 vs school

Disabled (2022)28th percentile+8 vs school

Hispanic (2025)28th percentile+7 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)27th percentile+6 vs school

Male (2025)21st percentile~ school

Female (2025)20th percentile~ school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy28%-20 vs state

Mathematics24%-14 vs state

Science16%-16 vs state

★

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Schools Near Saul Martinez Elementary

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				CAST Science (2025)		Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy (2025)					Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2025)					% Completely Immunized (2022)	% DTP (2022)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
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 (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	CAST Science 5th Grade	CAST Science All Grades	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 All Grades	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 All Grades	% Completely Immunized KG	% DTP KG	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Saul Martinez Elementary	Public	K-6	65-705 Johnson St.	Mecca	92254	Riverside County	Coachella Valley Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 396-1935	961	41	23.2	95.7%	8 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	948 (98.6%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.4%)	22.4	4642^nd of 5857 public elementary schools	20.7%		21.9	4687^th of 5869 public elementary schools	20.1%	45	16.3	16.3	25.4	26.3	27.3	34.6	28.3	26.6	28.4	12.8	29.2	23.5	98.1	98.1	$29,200	$1,255	$27,945
Mecca Elementary	Public	K-6	65250 Coahuilla St.	Mecca	92254	Riverside County	Coachella Valley Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 396-2143	677	30	22.4	97.2%	8 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	663 (97.9%)	4 (0.6%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	18	5007^th of 5857 public elementary schools	14.5%		10.7	5648^th of 5869 public elementary schools	3.8%	641	10.0	10.0	22.8	26.6	25.3	29.1	26.1	23.7	19.8	9.0	27.2	19.9			$30,070	$1,274	$28,796
Las Palmitas Elementary	Public	K-6	86150 Avenue 66	Thermal	92274	Riverside County	Coachella Valley Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 397-2200	570	23	24.7	96.5%	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	557 (97.7%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.7%)	14.7	5298^th of 5857 public elementary schools	9.5%		13.8	5409^th of 5869 public elementary schools	7.8%	111	7.5	7.5	13.8	21.4	21.3	38.9	24.1	13.3	11.0	10.6	21.1	14.0			$30,955	$1,373	$29,582
Oasis Elementary	Public	K-6	88175 74th Ave.	Thermal	92274	Riverside County	Coachella Valley Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 397-4112	488	22	22.5	97.1%	5 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	474 (97.1%)	3 (0.6%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.8%)	9.3	5671^st of 5857 public elementary schools	3.2%		9.4	5709^th of 5869 public elementary schools	2.7%	38	9.1	9.1	15.1	14.9	15.6	27.3	18.1	13.3	8.0	4.6	10.3	9.2			$30,150	$1,415	$28,735
John Kelley Elementary	Public	K-6	87-163 Center St.	Thermal	92274	Riverside County	Coachella Valley Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 399-5101	505	32	15.7	93.3%	5 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	492 (97.4%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.2%)	21.9	4682^nd of 5857 public elementary schools	20.1%		21.1	4768^th of 5869 public elementary schools	18.8%	86	15.4	15.4	14.9	10.7	42.2	30.4	25.6	14.9	7.3	26.2	32.1	20.6	96.8	96.8	$29,600	$1,396	$28,204
Valle del Sol Elementary	Public	K-6	51-433 Education Way	Coachella	92236	Riverside County	Coachella Valley Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 398-1025	649	32	20.2	90.8%	4 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	641 (98.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.6%)	35.9	3509^th of 5857 public elementary schools	40.1%		38.4	3274^th of 5869 public elementary schools	44.2%	235	22.4	22.4	38.1	37.7	44.2	39.6	39.8	37.1	29.4	30.2	22.1	29.9	98.3		$29,390	$1,355	$28,035
Valley View Elementary	Public	K-6	85-270 Valley Rd.	Coachella	92236	Riverside County	Coachella Valley Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 398-4651	603	25	23.9	94.2%	4 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	599 (99.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	28.5	4094^th of 5857 public elementary schools	30.1%		25	4369^th of 5869 public elementary schools	25.6%	275	11.7	11.7	28.2	39.2	37.9	33.7	34.8	32.1	39.2	18.3	23.6	27.5			$30,427	$1,418	$29,009
Palm View Elementary	Public	K-6	1390 Seventh St.	Coachella	92236	Riverside County	Coachella Valley Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 398-2861	561	26	21.3	94.8%	7 (1.2%)	4 (0.7%)	547 (97.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.5%)	25	4391^st of 5857 public elementary schools	25.0%		23.9	4478^th of 5869 public elementary schools	23.7%	87	9.1	9.1	22.7	24.0	15.2	40.9	25.4	42.7	28.6	11.6	31.9	29.6			$30,550	$1,402	$29,148
Peter Pendleton Elementary	Public	K-6	84-750 Calle Rojo	Coachella	92236	Riverside County	Coachella Valley Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 398-0178	499	21	23.5	96.2%	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	491 (98.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.0%)	64.3	1873^rd of 5857 public elementary schools	68.0%		48.8	2629^th of 5869 public elementary schools	55.2%	756	30.5	30.5	52.9	40.5	57.6	51.4	50.0	62.3	40.0	55.2	58.1	53.4			$31,575	$1,529	$30,046
Coral Mountain Academy	Public	K-6	51-375 Van Buren St.	Coachella	92236	Riverside County	Coachella Valley Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 398-3525	815	34	23.8	83.3%	14 (1.7%)	1 (0.1%)	795 (97.5%)	2 (0.2%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.2%)	32.9	3732^nd of 5857 public elementary schools	36.3%		30.6	3887^th of 5869 public elementary schools	33.8%	155	13.6	13.6	26.2	32.1	38.2	44.8	35.8	33.6	33.9	26.0	32.6	31.5	97.2	97.2	$30,243	$1,212	$29,031

Frequently Asked Questions about Saul Martinez Elementary

What schools do graduates of Saul Martinez Elementary attend?

Students who attend Saul Martinez Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Toro Canyon Middle
High : Desert Mirage High

What district is Saul Martinez Elementary in?

Coachella Valley Unified

What is the racial makeup of Saul Martinez Elementary?

Students at Saul Martinez Elementary are 99% Hispanic.

How many students attend Saul Martinez Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 961 students attended Saul Martinez Elementary.

Is Saul Martinez Elementary a good school?

Saul Martinez Elementary ranks in the bottom 20.7% of California elementary schools.

Rate Saul Martinez Elementary!

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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.