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Sunflower Elementary

Q: Is Sunflower Elementary a good school?

Sunflower Elementary ranks 3014 th of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-6

3014^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,857 California Elementary Schools

Better than 49% of California elementary schools

Summary

Sunflower Elementary is a K-6 public school serving 427 students in the El Centro Elementary district, located in a high-need community where a majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.

The school has a clear strength in English Language Arts, where student proficiency outperforms both the district and state averages, and it shows exceptional support for English Language Learners. However, it faces significant challenges in mathematics and science, with proficiency rates well below state benchmarks, creating a notable imbalance in its academic profile. This pattern is different from some nearby schools like McKinley Elementary and Lincoln Elementary, which have higher math proficiency. Performance also varies dramatically by grade, with third graders excelling but fifth graders struggling particularly in science.

While the school spends more per student than other schools in its district, its overall statewide ranking has declined in recent years. Chronic absenteeism is higher than average and has increased, and performance for students with special education needs has dropped sharply. Compared to a school like De Anza Magnet, which achieves similar reading results with lower spending, or T. L. Waggoner Elementary in the neighboring Imperial Unified district, Sunflower's results suggest a need for targeted improvements in its STEM curriculum and instructional consistency.

427

Students ?

21.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$33,089

Per pupil spending ?

79.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

2450 Main St.
El Centro, CA 92243-3577

(760) 337-4890

District: El Centro Elementary

Students who attend Sunflower Elementary usually attend:

High:

Southwest High

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

94.8%

White:

2.3%

Two or more races:

1.9%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Sunflower Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 65th percentile in 2013 → 49th in 2025

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 16 percentile points since 2013

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

!Science scores 19 pts below the California average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school37%

District avg34%

California avg41%

3,014^th of 5,857

California public elementary schools ?

Bottom 49%▼ down 13 pts since 2015

From top 39% (2015) to bottom 49% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

4^th of 10Elementary Schools in the El Centro Elementary

889^th of 1,543El Centro Elementary 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	42.9	3014 of 5857	48.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	54.0	2342 of 5869	60.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	44.6	2843 of 5859	51.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	47.8	2660 of 5883	54.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	60.1	2071 of 5789	64.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	62.0	1950 of 5662	65.6%	★★★☆☆
2017	63.2	1877 of 5692	67.0%	★★★☆☆
2016	62.9	1862 of 5614	66.8%	★★★☆☆
2015	55.1	2175 of 5611	61.2%	★★★☆☆
2013	63.4	1923 of 5530	65.2%	★★★☆☆
2012	68.3	1614 of 5390	70.1%	★★★★☆
2011	53.0	2406 of 5377	55.3%	★★★☆☆
2010	54.9	2282 of 5314	57.1%	★★★☆☆
2009	58.9	1984 of 5193	61.8%	★★★☆☆
2008	57.6	1959 of 5113	61.7%	★★★☆☆
2007	49.0	2386 of 5113	53.3%	★★★☆☆
2006	41.9	2619 of 4818	45.6%	★★☆☆☆
2005	62.6	1635 of 4822	66.1%	★★★☆☆
2004	67.4	1384 of 4809	71.2%	★★★★☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	58.7	618 of 2227	72.2%	★★★★☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	84.9	174 of 3162	94.5%	★★★★★
2023	76.9	323 of 3245	90.0%	★★★★★
2022	61.1	725 of 3311	78.1%	★★★★☆
2019	80.4	312 of 3275	90.5%	★★★★★
2018	76.3	420 of 3246	87.1%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	52.7	2307 of 5597	58.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	60.0	1960 of 5612	65.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	43.6	2777 of 5609	50.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	44.5	2729 of 5635	51.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	60.0	1966 of 5492	64.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	61.0	1931 of 5413	64.3%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	54.8	1986 of 5107	61.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	68.4	1258 of 5107	75.4%	★★★★☆
2023	60.5	1635 of 5087	67.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	61.0	1583 of 5084	68.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	73.6	983 of 4963	80.2%	★★★★☆
2018	74.4	930 of 4830	80.7%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	50.9	2372 of 5460	56.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	60.1	1780 of 5517	67.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	49.4	2406 of 5363	55.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	61.5	1595 of 5264	69.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	64.7	1471 of 5173	71.6%	★★★★☆
2018	73.5	1009 of 5084	80.2%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	34.3	3528 of 5628	37.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	47.0	2638 of 5643	53.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	45.7	2694 of 5638	52.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	50.2	2430 of 5663	57.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	59.3	1988 of 5510	63.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	60.4	1909 of 5431	64.8%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	26.3	2241 of 2847	21.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	31.4	1578 of 2420	34.8%	★★☆☆☆

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)94th percentile+34 vs school

Disabled (2022)72nd percentile+17 vs school

Hispanic (2025)61st percentile+13 vs school

Female (2025)59th percentile+10 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)57th percentile+8 vs school

Male (2025)37th percentile-11 vs school

Special Education (2025)21st percentile-27 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy52%+3 vs state

Mathematics28%-9 vs state

Science14%-19 vs state

★

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Schools Near Sunflower Elementary

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				CSA Spanish Overall (2025)					CSA Spanish Listening (2025)					CSA Spanish Writing (2025)					CSA Spanish Reading (2025)					CAST Science (2025)			Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy (2025)							Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2025)							% Completely Immunized (2022)	% DTP (2022)	% MMR (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	CSA Spanish Overall 3rd Grade	CSA Spanish Overall 4th Grade	CSA Spanish Overall 5th Grade	CSA Spanish Overall 6th Grade	CSA Spanish Overall All Grades	CSA Spanish Listening 3rd Grade	CSA Spanish Listening 4th Grade	CSA Spanish Listening 5th Grade	CSA Spanish Listening 6th Grade	CSA Spanish Listening All Grades	CSA Spanish Writing 3rd Grade	CSA Spanish Writing 4th Grade	CSA Spanish Writing 5th Grade	CSA Spanish Writing 6th Grade	CSA Spanish Writing All Grades	CSA Spanish Reading 3rd Grade	CSA Spanish Reading 4th Grade	CSA Spanish Reading 5th Grade	CSA Spanish Reading 6th Grade	CSA Spanish Reading All Grades	CAST Science 5th Grade	CAST Science 8th 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 7th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 8th 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 7th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 8th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics All Grades	% Completely Immunized KG	% DTP KG	% MMR KG	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Sunflower Elementary	Public	K-6	2450 Main St.	El Centro	92243	Imperial County	El Centro Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 337-4890	427	20	21.3	79.2%	10 (2.3%)	3 (0.7%)	405 (94.8%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (1.9%)	42.9	3014^th of 5857 public elementary schools	48.5%		54	2342^nd of 5869 public elementary schools	60.1%	672																					13.6		13.6	72.0	50.0	35.6	51.5			51.6	52.0	33.3	15.3	19.1			28.4				$33,089	$13,476	$19,613
Imperial Valley Home School Academy	Public, Charter	K-8	2370 Main St.	El Centro	92243	Imperial County	El Centro Elementary	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 335-5100	131	5	26.2	58.0%	15 (11.5%)	2 (1.5%)	107 (81.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (5.3%)	39.5	3255^th of 5857 public elementary schools	44.4%		50.3	2537^th of 5869 public elementary schools	56.8%	718																					31.3	12.5	21.9	46.2	46.2	37.5		58.8	25.0	45.9	30.8	38.5	18.8		35.3	12.5	27.1				$62,288	$4,035	$58,253
Margaret Hedrick Elementary	Public	K-6	550 South Waterman Ave.	El Centro	92243	Imperial County	El Centro Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 352-4750	446	20	22.3	78.5%	5 (1.1%)	3 (0.7%)	429 (96.2%)	4 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.1%)	23.2	4574^th of 5857 public elementary schools	21.9%		20	4863^rd of 5869 public elementary schools	17.1%	289																					9.8		9.8	23.0	17.9	45.9	45.3			32.8	29.5	16.4	16.4	17.2			19.8				$18,643	$1,674	$16,969
Ballington Academy for the Arts and Sciences	Public, Charter	K-6	1525 West Main St.	El Centro	92243	Imperial County	Ballington Academy for the Arts and Sciences District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 353-0140	230	12	19.1	76.5%	4 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	223 (97.0%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.9%)	46	2830^th of 5857 public elementary schools	51.7%		40.7	3144^th of 5869 public elementary schools	46.4%	314																					47.5		47.5	30.4	40.0	57.5	35.0			43.2	26.1	25.7	40.0	22.7			30.0				$20,202	$2,452	$17,750
Martin Luther King Junior Elementary	Public	K-6	1950 Villa Ave.	El Centro	92243	Imperial County	El Centro Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 337-6555	445	19	23.4	90.1%	5 (1.1%)	3 (0.7%)	437 (98.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	31.5	3845^th of 5857 public elementary schools	34.4%		34.4	3568^th of 5869 public elementary schools	39.2%	277																					25.0		25.0	35.3	27.5	40.0	43.9			37.3	33.3	25.5	16.7	25.8			25.0				$20,552	$1,743	$18,809
Lincoln Elementary	Public	K-6	200 North Twelfth St.	El Centro	92243	Imperial County	El Centro Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 352-3060	399	19	21.0	89.0%	5 (1.3%)	3 (0.8%)	380 (95.2%)	5 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.5%)	46.1	2829^th of 5857 public elementary schools	51.7%		25.3	4338^th of 5869 public elementary schools	26.1%	1509	33.3	50.0	20.0	29.4	32.9	76.2	44.4	70.0	52.9	61.8	33.3	66.7	10.0	52.9	39.5	14.3	55.6	15.0	23.5	26.3	19.1		19.1	42.7	46.2	41.5	43.1			43.4	45.7	34.6	36.6	37.3			39.3	95.7	96.8	96.8	$19,611	$1,707	$17,904
De Anza Magnet	Public	K-8	1530 South Waterman Ave.	El Centro	92243	Imperial County	El Centro Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 352-9811	504	21	23.9	68.7%	19 (3.8%)	1 (0.2%)	479 (95.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.4%)	42.9	3013^th of 5857 public elementary schools	48.6%		44.5	2897^th of 5869 public elementary schools	50.6%	116																					31.1	31.8	31.5	25.9	47.5	57.8	46.2	63.2	58.7	50.3	35.2	28.8	37.8	26.2	41.2	42.9	35.3				$17,505	$1,639	$15,866
McKinley Elementary	Public	K-6	1177 North Eighth St.	El Centro	92243	Imperial County	El Centro Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 352-3225	456	18	25.3	87.1%	6 (1.3%)	3 (0.7%)	438 (96.1%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.3%)	46.7	2786^th of 5857 public elementary schools	52.4%		42.8	3010^th of 5869 public elementary schools	48.7%	224																					33.9		33.9	29.0	41.7	50.0	45.1			40.9	42.1	44.1	43.6	27.5			39.1				$18,797	$1,679	$17,118
Harding Elementary	Public	K-6	950 South Seventh St.	El Centro	92243	Imperial County	El Centro Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 352-4791	601	25	24.0	70.5%	23 (3.8%)	5 (0.8%)	560 (93.2%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (1.8%)	29.8	3978^th of 5857 public elementary schools	32.1%		38.1	3300^th of 5869 public elementary schools	43.8%	678	4.2	21.7	0.0	9.5	8.9	33.3	17.4	31.8	23.8	26.7	4.2	34.8	0.0	14.3	13.3	0.0	26.1	0.0	0.0	6.7	19.0		19.0	34.6	33.0	44.3	37.0			37.1	26.6	23.9	27.9	22.4			25.2				$14,924	$1,581	$13,343
Desert Garden Elementary	Public	K-6	1900 South Sixth St.	El Centro	92243	Imperial County	El Centro Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 352-2051	358	16	22.3	81.8%	1 (0.3%)	4 (1.1%)	349 (97.5%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.6%)	39.2	3278^th of 5857 public elementary schools	44.0%		43.7	2941^st of 5869 public elementary schools	49.9%	337																					19.6		19.6	35.3	38.5	39.2	47.8			40.8	45.1	30.8	13.7	37.7			32.3	98.1	98.1		$22,879	$1,839	$21,040

Frequently Asked Questions about Sunflower Elementary

What district is Sunflower Elementary in?

El Centro Elementary

What is the racial makeup of Sunflower Elementary?

Students at Sunflower Elementary are 95% Hispanic, 2% White, 2% Two or more races.

How many students attend Sunflower Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 427 students attended Sunflower Elementary.

Is Sunflower Elementary a good school?

Sunflower Elementary ranks 3014^th of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What schools do graduates of Sunflower Elementary attend?

Students who attend Sunflower Elementary usually go on to attend:

High : Southwest High

Rate Sunflower Elementary!

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Schools in El Centro, CA

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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.