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Ballard Elementary

Q: Is Ballard Elementary a good school?

Ballard Elementary ranks 736 th of 5817 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-6

736^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,817 California Elementary Schools

Better than 87% of California elementary schools

Summary

Ballard Elementary is a K–6 school serving 113 students in Solvang, in the Santa Ynez Valley. Its standout is that in 2025–26 it had the highest reported nearby-school proficiency in English, math and science, and scored above California in all three subjects.

Ballard’s strongest relative result was math: 69% were proficient, about 30 percentage points above California and 11 points above the next-highest nearby result at Los Olivos Elementary. In English, Ballard’s 75% was 26 points above the state and 6 points above Los Olivos, the next-highest nearby school. Science was its weakest of the three subjects by comparison, but Ballard still led: 60% were proficient, 24 points above the state and 11 points above Brandon Elementary, the next-highest nearby school. Ballard’s results matched those of the Ballard Elementary district in each subject.

Scores remain strong, though they have fallen from earlier highs: from 2022–23 to 2025–26, proficiency declined by 14 points in English, 7 in math and 17 in science. The latest year brought a mixed picture: English fell 2 points, while math rose 3 and science rose 10. SchoolDigger places Ballard in the 87th percentile statewide with 4 stars, the highest nearby ranking; its 2025–26 chronic absenteeism rate was about 3%, the lowest reported nearby and well below California’s 18%. In 2024–25, Ballard had a 16.1 student-teacher ratio and about 11% of students were free/reduced lunch eligible, the lowest reported nearby rate for that measure and year. One notable difference in SchoolDigger’s statewide measure of how well it serves student groups: Ballard’s White Students percentile was 64 in 2025–26, 23 points below its overall percentile of 87, after reaching 78 the prior year.

113

Students ?

16.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$27,989

Per pupil spending ?

10.6%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

All students in California receive free school meals.

Not published

Kindergartners with all required immunizations (2024-25)

2425 School St.
Solvang, CA 93463-9709

(805) 688-4812

District: Ballard Elementary

Students who attend Ballard Elementary usually attend:

High:

Santa Ynez Valley Union High

Racial breakdown:

White:

78.8%

Hispanic:

12.4%

Two or more races:

7.1%

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At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 97th percentile in 2015 → 87th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the California average (70% vs 42% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 13% of California elementary schools

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 10 percentile points since 2015

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school70%

District avg70%

California avg42%

736^th of 5,817

California public elementary schools ?

Top 13%▼ down 11 pts since 2016

From top 2% (2016) to top 13% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

129^th of 1,530Ballard 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
2026	88.3	736 of 5817	87.3%	★★★★☆
2025	88.3	756 of 5857	87.1%	★★★★☆
2024	92.0	568 of 5869	90.3%	★★★★★
2023	97.3	160 of 5859	97.3%	★★★★★
2022	89.3	727 of 5883	87.6%	★★★★☆
2019	96.5	183 of 5789	96.8%	★★★★★
2018	95.1	279 of 5662	95.1%	★★★★★
2017	94.2	380 of 5692	93.3%	★★★★★
2016	97.4	116 of 5614	97.9%	★★★★★
2015	97.3	163 of 5611	97.1%	★★★★★
2013	95.4	90 of 5530	98.4%	★★★★★
2012	94.7	107 of 5390	98.0%	★★★★★
2011	95.0	128 of 5377	97.6%	★★★★★
2010	91.5	362 of 5314	93.2%	★★★★★
2009	83.9	800 of 5193	84.6%	★★★★☆
2008	96.6	96 of 5113	98.1%	★★★★★
2007	90.9	472 of 5113	90.8%	★★★★★
2006	98.5	26 of 4818	99.5%	★★★★★
2005	95.7	178 of 4822	96.3%	★★★★★
2004	94.2	273 of 4809	94.3%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	87.0	752 of 5597	86.6%	★★★★☆
2022	99.3	3 of 5635	99.9%	★★★★★
2019	99.3	1 of 5492	100.0%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	97.4	89 of 5628	98.4%	★★★★★
2024	93.3	399 of 5643	92.9%	★★★★★
2023	95.0	306 of 5638	94.6%	★★★★★
2022	91.4	549 of 5663	90.3%	★★★★★
2018	90.1	566 of 5431	89.6%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	65.7	911 of 2536	64.1%	★★★☆☆
2025	75.7	563 of 2598	78.3%	★★★★☆
2024	74.2	659 of 2651	75.1%	★★★★☆
2023	88.9	136 of 2661	94.9%	★★★★★
2022	77.8	532 of 2726	80.5%	★★★★☆
2019	88.5	135 of 2834	95.2%	★★★★★
2018	82.7	350 of 2737	87.2%	★★★★☆

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)

Male (2025)98th percentile+11 vs school

Female (2025)87th percentile~ school

White (2026)64th percentile-23 vs school

By subject vs California (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy75%+26 vs state

Mathematics69%+30 vs state

Science60%+24 vs state

★

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Schools Near Ballard Elementary

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				CAST Science (2026)			Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy (2026)							Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2026)							Vaccination (2024-25)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
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/reduced lunch (2024-25)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	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	Vaccination: Kindergartners with all required immunizations	Vaccination: Exemption rate	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Ballard Elementary	Public	K-6	2425 School St.	Solvang	93463	Santa Barbara County	Ballard Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 688-4812	113	7	16.1	10.6%	89 (78.8%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (12.4%)	2 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (7.1%)	88.3	736^th of 5817 public elementary schools	87.3%		88.3	756^th of 5857 public elementary schools	87.1%	20	60.0		60.0	62.5	84.2	65.0				75.0	81.3	68.4	55.0				68.8			$27,989	$255	$27,734
Los Olivos Elementary	Public	K-8	2540 Alamo Pintado Ave.	Los Olivos	93441	Santa Barbara County	Los Olivos Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 688-4025	159	11	14.8	18.9%	102 (64.2%)	2 (1.3%)	42 (26.4%)	2 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (6.9%)	82.9	1018^th of 5817 public elementary schools	82.5%		84.8	929^th of 5857 public elementary schools	84.1%	89	42.9	57.1	50.0	60.0	69.6	85.7	73.3		71.4	69.5	60.0	73.9	35.7	66.7		50.0	57.9	≥ 95%		$14,848	$190	$14,658
Santa Ynez Elementary	Public	1-8	3325 Pine St.	Santa Ynez	93460	Santa Barbara County	College Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 686-7310	147	10	14.1	45.6%	54 (36.7%)	0 (0.0%)	82 (55.8%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (2.7%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (4.8%)	55.7	2283^rd of 5817 public elementary schools	60.8%		70.8	1564^th of 5857 public elementary schools	73.3%	719	25.0	39.1	33.3	47.6	55.6	37.5	65.0	61.1	60.9	55.2	47.6	44.4	33.3	40.0	36.8	34.8	39.7			$2,307	$709	$1,598
College Elementary	Public	K	3525 Pine St.	Santa Ynez	93460	Santa Barbara County	College Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 686-7300	28	2	14.0	35.7%	15 (53.6%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (42.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (3.6%)								(n/a)																		85%	0%	$2,307	$709	$1,598
Santa Ynez Valley Charter	Public, Charter	K-8	1224 Tyndall St.	Santa Ynez	93460	Santa Barbara County	Santa Ynez Valley Charter District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 686-7360	189	12	15.7	20.6%	72 (38.1%)	1 (0.5%)	30 (15.9%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	84 (44.4%)	59.9	2080^th of 5817 public elementary schools	64.2%		45.8	2843^rd of 5857 public elementary schools	51.5%	763	34.8		35.5	50.0	51.4	47.8	66.7	50.0		52.4	50.0	45.7	30.4	50.0	50.0		45.2	≥ 95%		$16,521	$00	$16,521
Solvang Elementary	Public	K-8	565 Atterdag Rd.	Solvang	93463	Santa Barbara County	Solvang Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 688-4810	602	31	19.3	38.2%	197 (32.7%)	3 (0.5%)	348 (57.8%)	5 (0.8%)	4 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	44 (7.3%)	44.5	2956^th of 5817 public elementary schools	49.2%		50.8	2557^th of 5857 public elementary schools	56.3%	399	25.8	53.0	39.4	46.8	43.8	42.4	51.9	53.9	68.2	51.1	54.8	39.7	19.7	21.8	36.5	33.9	34.4	≥ 98%		$14,505	$898	$13,607
Oak Valley Elementary	Public	K-5	595 Second St.	Buellton	93427	Santa Barbara County	Buellton Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 688-6992	377	18	20.9	56.8%	142 (37.7%)	5 (1.3%)	193 (51.2%)	7 (1.9%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	29 (7.7%)	68.1	1683^rd of 5817 public elementary schools	71.1%		66.5	1764^th of 5857 public elementary schools	69.9%	81	39.3		39.3	60.4	55.6	55.7				57.1	56.6	55.6	40.0				50.3	96%	0%	$13,491	$781	$12,710
Vista de Las Cruces	Public	K-8	9467 San Julian Rd.	Gaviota	93117	Santa Barbara County	Vista del Mar Union	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 686-1880	65	5	13.0	40.0%	35 (53.8%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (33.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (12.3%)								(n/a)										48.7							41.7			$24,331	$221	$24,110
Olga L. Reed Elementary	Public	K-8	480 Centennial St.	Los Alamos	93440	Santa Barbara County	Orcutt Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 344-2401	170	7	24.1	95.9%	16 (9.4%)	0 (0.0%)	142 (83.5%)	1 (0.6%)	3 (1.8%)	1 (0.6%)	6 (3.5%)	23.4	4528^th of 5817 public elementary schools	22.2%		29.1	4037^th of 5857 public elementary schools	31.1%	491	21.4	29.6	26.8	16.7	6.3	35.7	26.7	30.4	44.4	28.3	38.9	25.0	21.4	33.3	26.1	33.3	30.1	≥ 95%		$74,356	$30,402	$43,954
Los Berros Visual and Performing Arts Academy	Public	K-6	3745 Via Lato	Lompoc	93438	Santa Barbara County	Lompoc Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 742-2350	398	20	19.9	58.3%	126 (31.7%)	6 (1.5%)	231 (58.0%)	8 (2.0%)	5 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (5.5%)	31.4	3879^th of 5817 public elementary schools	33.3%		30.1	3953^rd of 5857 public elementary schools	32.5%	74	25.0		25.0	34.9	42.5	36.8	34.4			36.6	33.3	37.5	13.2	29.2			27.1	≥ 98%		$20,752	$1,242	$19,510

Frequently Asked Questions about Ballard Elementary

What district is Ballard Elementary in?

Ballard Elementary

What schools do graduates of Ballard Elementary attend?

Students who attend Ballard Elementary usually go on to attend:

High : Santa Ynez Valley Union High

Is Ballard Elementary a good school?

Ballard Elementary ranks 736^th of 5817 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Ballard Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 113 students attended Ballard Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Ballard Elementary?

Students at Ballard Elementary are 79% White, 12% Hispanic, 7% Two or more races, 2% Asian.

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Latest California data All new data »

2024–25 school spending data (updated)NewNov 2, 2026

2013–14 through 2024–25 immunization rates (updated)Oct 19, 2026

2025–26 attendance data, dropout rates & graduation ratesOct 15, 2026

2025–26 CAST, CSA Spanish & Smarter Balanced Assessments scoresOct 15, 2026

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.