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Grace Smith Elementary

Public Grades K-4
5504th
SchoolDigger Rank ?
of 5,804 California Elementary Schools
Better than 5% of California elementary schools
Summary

Grace Smith Elementary serves 65 students in kindergarten through grade 4 in Niland, near several other elementary schools and part of Calipatria Unified. Its 2025–2026 results show a clear difference between subjects: 22% of students were proficient in math, compared with 13% in English language arts (ELA). ELA is the most serious concern: Grace Smith had the lowest all-grades ELA result among the nine nearby schools, 22 percentage points below their average of 35%.

Grace Smith’s ELA result was also well below the district’s 37% and California’s 49%. Math was a relative strength compared with ELA, but the school still ranked third-lowest among the nearby schools: its 22% proficiency was below the local average of 26% and the state result of 38%. Results varied by grade, too. Third grade was especially weak: 9% were proficient in ELA, compared with 21% in the district and 44% statewide. Fourth-grade math was a brighter spot at 25%, 4 points above the district’s 21%, though still below the state’s 42%.

Results have dropped from their stronger levels in 2023–2024: ELA fell from 48% proficiency to 13%, including a 23-point drop in the latest year; math declined from 41% to 22%. SchoolDigger’s overall ranking fell from the 61st percentile and 2 stars in 2023–2024 to the 5th percentile and 0 stars in 2025–2026, the lowest reported nearby rank. SchoolDigger’s statewide effectiveness percentile for Low Socio Economic Status Students also fell sharply, from 76 in 2023–2024 to 10 in 2025–2026; the Hispanic Students percentile was 75 in 2023–2024, compared with the school’s overall percentile of 61 that year. Context includes a student-teacher ratio of 13 in 2024–2025, lower than nearby schools’ reported ratios of 15.2–23.1, and 92% of students were free/reduced lunch eligible in 2024–2025, the second-highest nearby share. Chronic absenteeism reached 31% in 2025–2026, above the district’s 24% and the state’s 18%.

65
Students ?
13.0
Student/teacher ratio ?
$37,698
Per pupil spending ?
92.3%
Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?
All students in California receive free school meals.
 9 East Fourth St.
       Niland, CA  92257-1005

(760) 359-0636

District: Calipatria Unified


Students who attend Grace Smith Elementary usually attend:

Middle:    Bill E. Young Junior Middle
High:    Calipatria High
Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:
80.0%
White:
16.9%
American Indian:
1.5%
more
 See top rated California elementary schools

 Compare Grace Smith Elementary to nearby elementary schools!
At a glance
▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 32nd percentile in 2015 → 5th in 2026
Worth a look
!Test scores below the California average (17% vs 44% meeting standards)
!In the lower quartile statewide (5th percentile)
!High chronic absenteeism (31% vs 18% California)
Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?
This school17%
District avg32%
California avg44%
5,504th of 5,804
California public elementary schools ?
Bottom 5%▼ down 42 pts since 2016
From bottom 47% (2016) to bottom 5% (2026)
See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →
★★★★★
SchoolDigger rating ?
2nd of 2Elementary Schools in the Calipatria Unified
784th of 968Calipatria 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

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202611.45504 of 58045.2%☆☆☆☆☆
202535.63530 of 585739.7%★★☆☆☆
202454.62310 of 586960.6%★★★☆☆
202331.03789 of 585935.3%★★☆☆☆
202235.13453 of 588341.3%★★☆☆☆
202112.31348 of 14174.9%☆☆☆☆☆
201955.02319 of 578959.9%★★★☆☆
201855.42267 of 566260.0%★★★☆☆
201641.52983 of 561446.9%★★☆☆☆
201528.43832 of 561131.7%★★☆☆☆
201356.52320 of 553058.0%★★★☆☆
201246.12874 of 539046.7%★★☆☆☆
201140.93174 of 537741.0%★★☆☆☆
201031.33753 of 531429.4%★☆☆☆☆
200936.13297 of 519336.5%★★☆☆☆
200827.73771 of 511326.2%★☆☆☆☆
200725.43902 of 511323.7%★☆☆☆☆
200624.73670 of 481823.8%★☆☆☆☆
200525.13618 of 482225.0%★☆☆☆☆
200425.23546 of 480926.3%★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202468.21269 of 510775.2%★★★★☆
201950.12279 of 496354.1%★★★☆☆
201871.31079 of 483077.7%★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202617.34870 of 541210.0%★☆☆☆☆
202550.52405 of 546056.0%★★★☆☆
202468.61331 of 551775.9%★★★★☆
202243.32737 of 526448.0%★★☆☆☆
202121.5968 of 111012.8%★☆☆☆☆
201980.6684 of 517386.8%★★★★☆
201867.81310 of 508474.2%★★★★☆
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)
Hispanic (2024)75th percentile+15 vs school
Low Socio Economic Status (2026)10th percentile+5 vs school
By subject vs California (2025-2026) ?
Mathematics22%-17 vs state
English Language Arts/Literacy13%-36 vs state

★
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Frequently Asked Questions about Grace Smith Elementary

Grace Smith Elementary ranks in the bottom 5.2% of California elementary schools.

In the 2024-25 school year, 65 students attended Grace Smith Elementary.

Students who attend Grace Smith Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Bill E. Young Junior Middle
High : Calipatria High

Students at Grace Smith Elementary are 80% Hispanic, 17% White, 2% American Indian, 2% Two or more races.

Rate Grace Smith Elementary!



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Latest California data All new data »
2025–26 attendance data, dropout rates & graduation ratesNewOct 15, 2026
2025–26 CAST, CSA Spanish & Smarter Balanced Assessments scoresNewOct 15, 2026
2024–25 school spending dataJul 1, 2026
2024–25 attendance dataMar 13, 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.

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