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Sanchez (David J.) Elementary

Public Grades K-6

4459^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,857 California Elementary Schools

Better than 24% of California elementary schools

Summary

Sanchez (David J.) Elementary is a K-6 public school serving 654 students in Santa Maria, California, operating within the larger Santa Maria-Bonita district, and it stands out for its strong student attendance and effective support for specific student groups despite facing significant economic challenges.

While the school's overall state ranking is low, it performs better than the district average in math, science, and English Language Arts. Compared to ten nearby elementary schools, Sanchez ranks 2nd in math and science proficiency and 3rd in English. A major strength is its exceptionally low rate of chronic absenteeism—at 6.1%, it's the best among all comparable local schools, including Bill Libbon Elementary (18.9%) and Alvin Elementary (8.1%), indicating a highly engaged school community. The school also shows notable effectiveness in supporting English Learners and homeless students, performing better with these groups than it does overall.

An interesting finding is that higher poverty at a school does not automatically mean lower performance in this area; Sanchez has a very high percentage of students qualifying for free lunch yet outperforms several schools with similar demographics. Performance varies by grade, with strong math results in 3rd and 6th grades but a noticeable dip in 5th grade. Although per-student spending has increased significantly in recent years, academic scores have remained stable, suggesting the school's successes in attendance and subgroup support may be driven more by effective programs and culture than by funding alone.

654

Students ?

20.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$20,617

Per pupil spending ?

96.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

804 West Liberty St.
Santa Maria, CA 93458-6806

(805) 361-4625

District: Santa Maria-Bonita

Students who attend Sanchez (David J.) Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Arellanes Junior High
High:	Santa Maria High

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

98.6%

White:

0.6%

African American:

0.3%

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Compare Sanchez (David J.) Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 25th percentile in 2013 → 24th in 2025

Strengths

✓Among the top-ranked schools in Santa Maria-Bonita

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (26% vs 41% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (24th percentile)

!English Language Arts/Literacy scores 23 pts below the California average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school26%

District avg20%

California avg41%

4,459^th of 5,857

California public elementary schools ?

Bottom 24%▲ up 9 pts since 2015

From bottom 15% (2015) to bottom 24% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd of 17Elementary Schools in the Santa Maria-Bonita

1409^th of 1,543Santa Maria-Bonita 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	24.4	4459 of 5857	23.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	25.2	4353 of 5869	25.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	29.8	3897 of 5859	33.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	28.3	4015 of 5883	31.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	27.4	4153 of 5789	28.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	33.8	3556 of 5662	37.2%	★★☆☆☆
2017	30.1	3818 of 5692	32.9%	★★☆☆☆
2016	20.2	4598 of 5614	18.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	18.6	4780 of 5611	14.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	29.0	4131 of 5530	25.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	23.3	4425 of 5390	17.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	23.2	4454 of 5377	17.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	19.1	4646 of 5314	12.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	18.0	4579 of 5193	11.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	28.4	3718 of 5113	27.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	20.8	4229 of 5113	17.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	24.4	1767 of 2227	20.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	19.6	2372 of 2585	8.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	42.5	972 of 2128	54.3%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	48.7	1255 of 3162	60.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	68.6	532 of 3245	83.6%	★★★★☆
2022	50.3	1187 of 3311	64.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	34.7	2148 of 3275	34.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	31.0	2318 of 3246	28.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	27.5	4043 of 5597	27.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	25.8	4174 of 5612	25.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	30.4	3716 of 5609	33.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	29.1	3823 of 5635	32.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	30.1	3819 of 5492	30.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	33.3	3528 of 5413	34.8%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	33.0	3545 of 5107	30.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	35.4	3322 of 5107	35.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	41.8	2769 of 5087	45.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	38.9	2985 of 5084	41.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	39.3	3004 of 4963	39.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	46.2	2469 of 4830	48.9%	★★☆☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	54.3	157 of 429	63.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	58.1	117 of 364	67.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	43.3	183 of 335	45.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	24.1	307 of 356	13.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	33.4	3720 of 5460	31.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	33.9	3630 of 5517	34.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	41.3	2961 of 5363	44.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	39.1	3086 of 5264	41.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	39.7	3146 of 5173	39.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	47.1	2547 of 5084	49.9%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	23.1	4463 of 5628	20.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	25.3	4245 of 5643	24.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	30.4	3738 of 5638	33.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	28.5	3926 of 5663	30.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	26.5	4064 of 5510	26.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	34.4	3381 of 5431	37.7%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	44.2	1279 of 2847	55.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	34.7	1578 of 2635	40.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	39.6	1229 of 2420	49.2%	★★☆☆☆

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)

Homeless (2025)63rd percentile+40 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)60th percentile+34 vs school

Special Education (2025)55th percentile+31 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)32nd percentile+8 vs school

Hispanic (2025)31st percentile+7 vs school

Female (2025)28th percentile+4 vs school

Male (2025)21st percentile-3 vs school

Disabled (2022)21st percentile-11 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

Mathematics27%-10 vs state

English Language Arts/Literacy26%-23 vs state

Science16%-16 vs state

★

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Schools Near Sanchez (David J.) 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)	% 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	CSA Spanish Overall 3rd Grade	CSA Spanish Overall 4th Grade	CSA Spanish Overall 5th Grade	CSA Spanish Overall 6th Grade	CSA Spanish Overall 7th Grade	CSA Spanish Overall 8th 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 7th Grade	CSA Spanish Listening 8th 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 7th Grade	CSA Spanish Writing 8th 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 7th Grade	CSA Spanish Reading 8th 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	% 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
Sanchez (David J.) Elementary	Public	K-6	804 West Liberty St.	Santa Maria	93458	Santa Barbara County	Santa Maria-Bonita	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 361-4625	654	31	20.8	96.2%	4 (0.6%)	2 (0.3%)	645 (98.6%)	2 (0.3%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	24.4	4459^th of 5857 public elementary schools	23.9%		25.2	4353^rd of 5869 public elementary schools	25.8%	106																													16.5		16.5	15.1	24.4	23.4	40.2			25.9	34.5	28.4	11.5	33.0			27.3	95.1	95.1	97.0	98.0	96.0	98.0	$20,617	$2,295	$18,322
Adam (William Laird) Elementary	Public	K-6	500 West Windsor	Santa Maria	93458	Santa Barbara County	Santa Maria-Bonita	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 361-6700	874	36	24.6	96.8%	5 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	857 (98.1%)	2 (0.2%)	5 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (0.6%)	13.8	5360^th of 5857 public elementary schools	8.5%		14.2	5379^th of 5869 public elementary schools	8.3%	19																													11.0		11.0	12.9	18.4	16.7	27.1			18.7	34.7	16.0	9.5	15.5			18.0							$20,492	$2,371	$18,121
Miller (Isaac) Elementary	Public	K-6	410 East Camino Colegio	Santa Maria	93454	Santa Barbara County	Santa Maria-Bonita	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 361-7560	883	40	21.8	94.5%	20 (2.3%)	2 (0.2%)	839 (95.0%)	5 (0.6%)	7 (0.8%)	2 (0.2%)	8 (0.9%)	16	5179^th of 5857 public elementary schools	11.6%		18	5030^th of 5869 public elementary schools	14.3%	149																													12.4		12.4	24.1	22.0	26.8	22.9			24.0	27.4	21.6	11.5	14.4			19.0							$19,563	$2,237	$17,326
Liberty Elementary	Public	K-6	1300 West Sonya Ln.	Santa Maria	93458	Santa Barbara County	Santa Maria-Bonita	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 361-4530	865	41	20.9	92.7%	28 (3.2%)	5 (0.6%)	799 (92.4%)	23 (2.7%)	4 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (0.7%)	12.8	5435^th of 5857 public elementary schools	7.2%		11.6	5575^th of 5869 public elementary schools	5.0%	140																													10.7		10.7	15.6	19.1	31.5	21.0			21.6	24.6	13.9	13.3	4.8			14.5	97.9			97.9			$21,552	$2,950	$18,602
Fairlawn Elementary	Public	K-6	120 Mary Dr.	Santa Maria	93458	Santa Barbara County	Santa Maria-Bonita	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 361-7500	716	34	20.8	97.6%	4 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	705 (98.5%)	4 (0.6%)	3 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	14.9	5272^nd of 5857 public elementary schools	10.0%		18.4	4993^rd of 5869 public elementary schools	14.9%	279																													11.8		11.8	21.1	22.2	16.8	29.7			22.4	16.5	18.9	14.7	18.5			17.1	96.5			97.4			$20,387	$2,252	$18,135
Jimenez Roberto and Dr. Francisco Elementary	Public	K-8	1970 South Biscayne St.	Santa Maria	93458	Santa Barbara County	Santa Maria-Bonita	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 361-4340	1,177	47	25.0	80.7%	44 (3.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1,085 (92.2%)	32 (2.7%)	3 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (1.1%)	23.5	4550^th of 5857 public elementary schools	22.3%		28.4	4074^th of 5869 public elementary schools	30.6%	476	10.3	8.8	4.2	7.3	6.1	22.7	9.7	39.7	14.0	31.3	14.6	24.5	27.3	25.1	15.5	17.5	2.1	12.7	22.5	34.1	17.0	8.6	10.5	4.2	7.3	4.1	22.7	9.3	14.3	27.5	20.8	30.7	23.4	24.3	45.2	43.7	58.3	37.4	26.1	25.2	10.7	24.8	14.3	37.6	23.1	96.6	97.2		96.6	97.9	97.2	$19,468	$2,448	$17,020
Battles (Washington) Elementary	Public	K-6	605 East Battles Rd.	Santa Maria	93454	Santa Barbara County	Santa Maria-Bonita	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 361-6880	769	37	20.8	97.3%	3 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	748 (97.3%)	9 (1.2%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (1.0%)	11.4	5546^th of 5857 public elementary schools	5.3%		13.8	5405^th of 5869 public elementary schools	7.9%	141																													12.9		12.9	22.5	20.4	24.4	19.1			21.5	20.2	9.0	8.7	5.3			10.6	98.2		98.2		98.2		$20,704	$2,491	$18,213
Bruce (Robert) Elementary	Public	K-6	601 West Alvin Ave.	Santa Maria	93458	Santa Barbara County	Santa Maria-Bonita	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 361-6940	1,050	47	22.3	96.1%	10 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1,026 (97.7%)	4 (0.4%)	4 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (0.6%)	10.8	5583^rd of 5857 public elementary schools	4.7%		10.7	5651^st of 5869 public elementary schools	3.7%	68																													8.6		8.6	12.0	17.1	26.3	11.9			16.5	17.6	20.5	14.2	6.7			14.6	98.1						$20,740	$2,945	$17,795
Bill Libbon Elementary	Public	K-6	750 Meehan St.	Santa Maria	93454	Santa Barbara County	Santa Maria-Bonita	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 361-6500	834	36	23.4	87.9%	46 (5.5%)	11 (1.3%)	735 (88.1%)	22 (2.6%)	5 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (1.8%)	23.8	4519^th of 5857 public elementary schools	22.8%		21.3	4746^th of 5869 public elementary schools	19.1%	227																													16.9		16.9	24.8	33.0	38.3	31.7			31.4	18.8	27.3	32.1	13.6			22.3	98.5		98.5		98.5		$21,759	$3,170	$18,589
Alvin Elementary	Public	K-6	301 East Alvin Ave.	Santa Maria	93454	Santa Barbara County	Santa Maria-Bonita	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 361-6760	998	41	24.2	97.6%	12 (1.2%)	1 (0.1%)	973 (97.5%)	3 (0.3%)	5 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.4%)	12	5502^nd of 5857 public elementary schools	6.1%		14.8	5322^nd of 5869 public elementary schools	9.3%	180																													12.8		12.8	17.2	17.4	22.2	15.9			18.1	22.3	16.4	16.7	6.7			15.6	97.2						$19,601	$2,380	$17,221

Frequently Asked Questions about Sanchez (David J.) Elementary

What district is Sanchez (David J.) Elementary in?

Santa Maria-Bonita

What is the racial makeup of Sanchez (David J.) Elementary?

Students at Sanchez (David J.) Elementary are 99% Hispanic.

Is Sanchez (David J.) Elementary a good school?

Sanchez (David J.) Elementary ranks in the bottom 23.9% of California elementary schools.

What schools do graduates of Sanchez (David J.) Elementary attend?

Students who attend Sanchez (David J.) Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Arellanes Junior High
High : Santa Maria High

How many students attend Sanchez (David J.) Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 654 students attended Sanchez (David J.) Elementary.

Rate Sanchez (David J.) 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.