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Pony Express Elementary

Q: Is Pony Express Elementary a good school?

Pony Express Elementary ranks 2062 nd of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-6

2062^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,857 California Elementary Schools

Better than 65% of California elementary schools

Summary

Pony Express Elementary is a K-6 public school serving about 360 students in the Sacramento City Unified district, standing out as a consistently strong performer in an area where many neighboring schools face significant academic challenges.

Academically, Pony Express outperforms both its district and the state in all core subjects, with particular strength in math and science. The school shows impressive growth, with sixth graders achieving over 65% proficiency in math. While about 55% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a moderate level of economic need, the school achieves these results more effectively than most California schools serving similar populations. Furthermore, the school's chronic absenteeism rate of 19% is well below the district average and matches the state, showing a strong recovery since the pandemic.

Comparisons with nearby schools highlight Pony Express's success. It significantly outperforms other district schools like Rosa Parks Elementary, Caroline Wenzel Elementary, and John D. Sloat Elementary in proficiency rates. It also performs on par with or better than local charter schools such as Capitol Collegiate Academy and Sol Aureus College Preparatory. While Alice Birney Waldorf-Inspired has lower absenteeism, its academic performance is more moderate. This consistent, above-average performance over the past decade makes Pony Express a notable success within the traditional public school system.

360

Students ?

23.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$22,646

Per pupil spending ?

54.7%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1250 56th Ave.
Sacramento, CA 95831-3149

(916) 395-4690

District: Sacramento City Unified

Students who attend Pony Express Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Sam Brannan Middle
High:	John F. Kennedy High

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

43.3%

Asian:

25.6%

Two or more races:

10.8%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Pony Express Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 76th percentile in 2013 → 65th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the California average (48% vs 41% meeting standards)

✓Among the top-ranked schools in Sacramento City Unified

✓Above the California median (65th percentile)

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 11 percentile points since 2013

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

!Large classes — about 24 students per teacher

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school48%

District avg34%

California avg41%

2,062^nd of 5,857

California public elementary schools ?

Top 35%▼ down 4 pts since 2015

From top 31% (2015) to top 35% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

12^th of 49Elementary Schools in the Sacramento City Unified

982^nd of 1,543Sacramento City 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	60.2	2062 of 5857	64.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	58.7	2119 of 5869	63.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	60.4	2038 of 5859	65.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	61.2	1974 of 5883	66.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	63.6	1894 of 5789	67.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	60.0	2037 of 5662	64.0%	★★★☆☆
2017	59.7	2027 of 5692	64.4%	★★★☆☆
2016	55.5	2208 of 5614	60.7%	★★★☆☆
2015	63.8	1760 of 5611	68.6%	★★★☆☆
2013	74.4	1352 of 5530	75.6%	★★★★☆
2012	70.1	1526 of 5390	71.7%	★★★★☆
2011	68.4	1553 of 5377	71.1%	★★★★☆
2010	76.2	1176 of 5314	77.9%	★★★★☆
2009	76.5	1147 of 5193	77.9%	★★★★☆
2008	78.6	1039 of 5113	79.7%	★★★★☆
2007	80.8	952 of 5113	81.4%	★★★★☆
2006	83.8	792 of 4818	83.6%	★★★★☆
2005	86.9	647 of 4822	86.6%	★★★★☆
2004	81.5	839 of 4809	82.6%	★★★★☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	52.9	726 of 1203	39.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	33.0	912 of 1205	24.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	35.6	870 of 1190	26.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	45.5	770 of 1154	33.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	58.8	575 of 1149	50.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	42.4	749 of 1071	30.1%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	61.6	1887 of 5597	66.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	51.0	2369 of 5612	57.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	57.8	2041 of 5609	63.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	53.6	2235 of 5635	60.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	57.7	2070 of 5492	62.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	60.2	1972 of 5413	63.6%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	52.1	2144 of 5107	58.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	50.3	2245 of 5107	56.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	59.1	1722 of 5087	66.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	58.9	1693 of 5084	66.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	68.3	1244 of 4963	74.9%	★★★★☆
2018	65.4	1360 of 4830	71.8%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	57.7	1979 of 5460	63.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	67.1	1406 of 5517	74.5%	★★★★☆
2023	62.6	1590 of 5363	70.4%	★★★★☆
2022	64.9	1423 of 5264	73.0%	★★★★☆
2019	65.2	1442 of 5173	72.1%	★★★★☆
2018	59.8	1752 of 5084	65.5%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	56.0	2182 of 5628	61.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	62.8	1853 of 5643	67.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	60.7	1913 of 5638	66.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	66.6	1657 of 5663	70.7%	★★★★☆
2019	67.1	1640 of 5510	70.2%	★★★★☆
2018	58.7	1996 of 5431	63.2%	★★★☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	7.5	579 of 610	5.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	10.2	414 of 445	7.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	10.6	318 of 339	6.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

Female (2025)66th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)64th percentile~ school

Male (2025)61st percentile-4 vs school

Hispanic (2025)58th percentile-7 vs school

Asian (2025)40th percentile-25 vs school

Multi-racial (2022)5th percentile-61 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy51%~ state avg

Science46%+14 vs state

Mathematics45%+7 vs state

★

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Schools Near Pony Express 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)	% Polio (2022)	% Hepatitis B (2022)	% Varicella (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	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	% Polio KG	% Hepatitis B KG	% Varicella KG	% DTP KG	% MMR KG	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Pony Express Elementary	Public	K-6	1250 56th Ave.	Sacramento	95831	Sacramento County	Sacramento City Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(916) 395-4690	360	15	23.9	54.7%	36 (10.0%)	27 (7.5%)	156 (43.3%)	92 (25.6%)	1 (0.3%)	9 (2.5%)	39 (10.8%)	60.2	2062^nd of 5857 public elementary schools	64.8%		58.7	2119^th of 5869 public elementary schools	63.9%	57	46.4		46.4	37.2	35.2	58.9	70.8			50.8	37.2	33.3	43.6	66.0			44.7							$22,646	$3,772	$18,874
Caroline Wenzel Elementary	Public	K-6	6870 Greenhaven Dr.	Sacramento	95831	Sacramento County	Sacramento City Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(916) 395-4525	211	10	20.7	77.7%	17 (8.1%)	65 (30.8%)	74 (35.1%)	26 (12.3%)	4 (1.9%)	9 (4.3%)	16 (7.6%)	12.6	5459^th of 5857 public elementary schools	6.8%		10.4	5670^th of 5869 public elementary schools	3.4%	211	19.1		19.1	4.8	25.0	27.3	20.7			20.0	4.6	14.3	13.6	10.3			10.9	89.7			89.7		93.1	$24,055	$4,952	$19,103
Alice Birney Waldorf-Inspired	Public	K-8	6251 13th St.	Sacramento	95831	Sacramento County	Sacramento City Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(916) 395-4510	476	21	22.7	27.3%	253 (53.2%)	19 (4.0%)	122 (25.6%)	23 (4.8%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	57 (12.0%)	33.9	3654^th of 5857 public elementary schools	37.6%		39.4	3213^th of 5869 public elementary schools	45.3%	441	28.6	29.2	28.9	21.3	39.6	28.6	56.1	45.8	43.8	39.5	2.1	29.2	10.7	43.9	35.4	16.7	23.4	95.8		97.2		97.2		$22,340	$3,450	$18,890
John Bidwell Elementary	Public	K-6	1730 65th Ave.	Sacramento	95822	Sacramento County	Sacramento City Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(916) 395-4610	262	11	23.3	76.7%	22 (8.4%)	42 (16.0%)	123 (46.9%)	50 (19.1%)	1 (0.4%)	7 (2.7%)	17 (6.5%)	36.4	3450^th of 5857 public elementary schools	41.1%		22	4671^st of 5869 public elementary schools	20.4%	1221	7.4		7.4	22.6	67.5	26.9	42.3			42.3	38.7	32.5	3.7	37.0			28.8	75.0	90.0	85.0	92.5	85.0	92.5	$22,064	$3,961	$18,103
Sol Aureus College Preparatory	Public, Charter	K-8	6620 Gloria Dr.	Sacramento	95831	Sacramento County	Sol Aureus College Preparatory District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(916) 421-0600	316	20	15.8	51.3%	22 (7.0%)	118 (37.3%)	117 (37.0%)	36 (11.4%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.6%)	21 (6.6%)	43	3006^th of 5857 public elementary schools	48.7%		43	2993^rd of 5869 public elementary schools	49.0%	13	24.4	34.6	28.4	38.5	47.1	42.5	42.1	69.2	61.5	50.3	60.0	35.3	22.0	31.6	32.4	60.0	37.5
John Morse Therapeutic Center	Public	K-8	1901 60th Ave.	Sacramento	95822	Sacramento County	Sacramento City Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(916) 395-4774	15	5	2.8	73.3%	4 (26.7%)	6 (40.0%)	4 (26.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (6.7%)								(n/a)										20.0							11.1							$142,658	$8,570	$134,088
Yav Pem Suab Academy - Preparing for the Future Charter	Public, Charter	K-6	7555 South Land Park Dr.	Sacramento	95831	Sacramento County	Yav Pem Suab Academy - Preparing for the Future Charter Dis	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(916) 433-5057	480	22	21.8	60.6%	5 (1.0%)	23 (4.8%)	88 (18.3%)	336 (70.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (5.8%)	40.9	3155^th of 5857 public elementary schools	46.1%		31.6	3806^th of 5869 public elementary schools	35.2%	651	15.4		15.4	60.3	34.9	26.2	50.0			42.6	55.2	27.0	20.0	34.3			33.6							$13,205	$2,396	$10,809
H. W. Harkness Elementary	Public	K-6	2147 54th Ave.	Sacramento	95822	Sacramento County	Sacramento City Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(916) 395-4585	287	14	21.2	81.2%	10 (3.5%)	27 (9.4%)	182 (63.4%)	40 (13.9%)	2 (0.7%)	4 (1.4%)	21 (7.3%)	19.7	4851^st of 5857 public elementary schools	17.2%		16.5	5162^nd of 5869 public elementary schools	12.0%	311	9.5		9.5	12.5	38.5	19.1	34.8			26.8	19.2	30.8	11.9	21.7			20.0							$22,698	$4,084	$18,614
John D. Sloat Elementary	Public	K-6	7525 Candlewood Way	Sacramento	95822	Sacramento County	Sacramento City Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(916) 395-4620	218	10	21.6	83.9%	10 (4.6%)	38 (17.4%)	96 (44.0%)	59 (27.1%)	3 (1.4%)	6 (2.8%)	6 (2.8%)	10.9	5573^rd of 5857 public elementary schools	4.8%		11.2	5609^th of 5869 public elementary schools	4.4%	36	5.1		5.1	4.2	5.9	15.4	37.0			16.8	8.3	0.0	12.8	14.8			10.3	90.0	92.5			90.0		$24,724	$3,437	$21,287
Rosa Parks Elementary	Public	K-8	2250 68th Ave.	Sacramento	95822	Sacramento County	Sacramento City Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(916) 395-5327	722	35	20.4	81.3%	37 (5.1%)	118 (16.3%)	293 (40.6%)	194 (26.9%)	12 (1.7%)	32 (4.4%)	36 (5.0%)	8.7	5700^th of 5857 public elementary schools	2.7%		7.4	5794^th of 5869 public elementary schools	1.3%	94	4.4	5.6	5.4	22.7	9.4	19.6	17.1	17.5	12.9	15.7	20.0	1.9	0.0	14.3	10.0	6.6	8.4	88.4	90.7		90.7	88.4	93.0	$22,573	$3,939	$18,634

Frequently Asked Questions about Pony Express Elementary

Is Pony Express Elementary a good school?

Pony Express Elementary ranks 2062^nd of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Pony Express Elementary?

Students at Pony Express Elementary are 43% Hispanic, 26% Asian, 11% Two or more races, 10% White, 8% African American, 3% Pacific Islander.

What schools do graduates of Pony Express Elementary attend?

Students who attend Pony Express Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Sam Brannan Middle
High : John F. Kennedy High

How many students attend Pony Express Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 360 students attended Pony Express Elementary.

What district is Pony Express Elementary in?

Sacramento City 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.