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Pioneer

Q: Is Pioneer a good school?

Pioneer ranks 2755 th of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-8

2755^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,857 California Elementary Schools

Better than 53% of California elementary schools

Summary

Pioneer is a large K-8 elementary school serving 1,043 students in the Delano Union Elementary district, notable for its significant academic improvement over the past six years.

The school's story is one of impressive growth, having climbed from a low statewide ranking to the middle of the pack, showing the most dramatic positive trajectory among nearby schools like Terrace Elementary and Princeton Street Elementary. Its unique K-8 structure appears beneficial, with students performing strongest in middle school grades. However, Pioneer faces a critical challenge with chronic absenteeism, which at 9.1% is nearly double the district average and the highest among local schools, potentially limiting further academic gains.

When compared to other schools, Pioneer performs relatively well in mathematics and for several student groups, but struggles significantly with its Special Education students and in science proficiency. Its spending per student is lower than some smaller local schools like Del Vista Math and Science Academy. A striking comparison is with Columbine Elementary, a high-performing K-8 school in a different district that excels with lower spending and perfect attendance, highlighting areas like attendance as key for Pioneer's continued improvement.

1,043

Students ?

20.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$22,522

Per pupil spending ?

87.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1001 Hiett Ave.
Delano, CA 93215-9530

(661) 474-4911

District: Delano Union Elementary

Students who attend Pioneer usually attend:

High:

Robert F. Kennedy High

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

92.1%

Asian:

4.3%

White:

1.4%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Pioneer to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 15th percentile in 2015 → 53rd in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 38 percentile points since 2015

✓Above the California median (53rd percentile)

Worth a look

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

!Science scores 12 pts below the California average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school42%

District avg40%

California avg41%

Elementary school

2,755^th of 5,857

California public elementary schools ?

Top 47%▲ up 38 pts since 2015

From bottom 15% (2015) to top 47% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

Middle school

758^th of 2,761

California public middle schools ?

Top 27%▲ up 37 pts since 2015

From bottom 36% (2015) to top 27% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

4^th of 9Elementary Schools in the Delano Union Elementary

674^th of 1,543Delano Union 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)

Elementary school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	47.1	2755 of 5857	53.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	38.5	3271 of 5869	44.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	31.3	3771 of 5859	35.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	22.6	4585 of 5883	22.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	20.4	4762 of 5789	17.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	25.3	4217 of 5662	25.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	25.0	4266 of 5692	25.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	22.3	4401 of 5614	21.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	18.5	4782 of 5611	14.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	28.8	1547 of 2227	30.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	44.6	1140 of 2585	55.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	24.0	1767 of 2128	17.0%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	48.8	1249 of 3162	60.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	45.9	1417 of 3245	56.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	45.5	1437 of 3311	56.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	31.8	2348 of 3275	28.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	29.4	2439 of 3246	24.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	43.7	2852 of 5597	49.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	35.5	3374 of 5612	39.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	29.5	3812 of 5609	32.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	22.3	4482 of 5635	20.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	16.8	4885 of 5492	11.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	25.8	4105 of 5413	24.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	58.3	1795 of 5107	64.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	48.3	2385 of 5107	53.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	39.9	2908 of 5087	42.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	29.6	3735 of 5084	26.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	25.0	4034 of 4963	18.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	32.6	3377 of 4830	30.1%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	54.9	2140 of 5460	60.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	44.3	2794 of 5517	49.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	40.1	3058 of 5363	43.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	30.7	3776 of 5264	28.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	29.0	3934 of 5173	24.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	31.8	3640 of 5084	28.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	50.1	2504 of 5628	55.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	41.1	3004 of 5643	46.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	34.0	3470 of 5638	38.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	24.7	4270 of 5663	24.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	25.7	4127 of 5510	25.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	26.0	4023 of 5431	25.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	16.2	2747 of 2847	3.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	25.0	1905 of 2420	21.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	66.2	758 of 2761	72.5%	★★★★☆
2024	56.6	976 of 2783	64.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	55.4	1019 of 2781	63.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	44.9	1306 of 2740	52.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	34.8	1622 of 2715	40.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	32.6	1590 of 2480	35.9%	★★☆☆☆
2017	30.6	1659 of 2508	33.9%	★★☆☆☆
2016	26.0	1797 of 2497	28.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	31.4	1589 of 2477	35.8%	★★☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	71.9	259 of 1531	83.1%	★★★★☆
2019	17.8	1460 of 1491	2.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	70.6	153 of 1478	89.6%	★★★★☆
2023	65.7	211 of 1521	86.1%	★★★★☆
2022	49.4	486 of 1540	68.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	42.3	605 of 1442	58.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	39.7	617 of 1364	54.8%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	61.6	790 of 2533	68.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	52.0	1011 of 2551	60.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	56.3	908 of 2531	64.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	47.1	1145 of 2509	54.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	38.2	1361 of 2380	42.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	37.0	1367 of 2262	39.6%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	78.8	343 of 2395	85.7%	★★★★☆
2024	69.8	519 of 2388	78.3%	★★★★☆
2023	70.1	501 of 2374	78.9%	★★★★☆
2022	58.1	776 of 2359	67.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	45.9	1060 of 2213	52.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	43.7	1081 of 2072	47.8%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	77.4	395 of 2542	84.5%	★★★★☆
2024	67.4	588 of 2579	77.2%	★★★★☆
2023	69.9	522 of 2531	79.4%	★★★★☆
2022	54.6	882 of 2458	64.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	47.2	1100 of 2369	53.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	40.6	1239 of 2230	44.4%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	67.9	663 of 2534	73.8%	★★★★☆
2024	59.0	841 of 2552	67.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	52.0	1001 of 2538	60.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	41.9	1283 of 2527	49.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	31.8	1556 of 2407	35.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	29.2	1551 of 2273	31.8%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	57.7	440 of 1566	71.9%	★★★★☆
2023	66.3	313 of 1531	79.6%	★★★★☆

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)

Elementary school

Hispanic (2025)65th percentile+12 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)61st percentile+8 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)60th percentile+16 vs school

Male (2025)56th percentile+3 vs school

Female (2025)49th percentile-4 vs school

Disabled (2022)31st percentile+8 vs school

Special Education (2025)4th percentile-49 vs school

Middle school

English Language Learner (2024)90th percentile+25 vs school

Hispanic (2025)86th percentile+13 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)84th percentile+12 vs school

Disabled (2022)83rd percentile+31 vs school

Male (2025)74th percentile~ school

Special Education (2025)72nd percentile~ school

Female (2025)69th percentile-4 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy50%~ state avg

Mathematics41%+3 vs state

Science21%-12 vs state

★

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Schools Near Pioneer

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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 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)	% Varicella (2022)	% MMR (2022)	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/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	% Varicella KG	% MMR KG	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Pioneer	Public	K-8	1001 Hiett Ave.	Delano	93215	Kern County	Delano Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 474-4911	1,043	50	20.7	87.4%	15 (1.4%)	9 (0.9%)	961 (92.1%)	45 (4.3%)	3 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (1.0%)	47.1	2755^th of 5857 public elementary schools	53.0%		38.5	3271^st of 5869 public elementary schools	44.3%	516	18.9	22.1	20.6	51.1	38.5	34.0	53.7	62.4	53.3	50.0	46.8	32.7	26.4	46.8	44.0	44.7	40.8					$22,522	$19,802	$2,720
Fremont Elementary	Public	K-5	1318 Clinton St.	Delano	93215	Kern County	Delano Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 721-5050	440	22	20.3	91.8%	3 (0.7%)	1 (0.2%)	404 (91.8%)	23 (5.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (2.0%)	29	4039^th of 5857 public elementary schools	31.0%		26.8	4226^th of 5869 public elementary schools	28.0%	187	30.2		30.2	32.4	19.4	50.0				33.5	20.8	17.4	30.2				22.6					$27,601	$24,724	$2,877
Nueva Vista Language Academy	Public, Charter	K-5	120 Garces Hwy.	Delano	93215	Kern County	Delano Union Elementary	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 721-5070	684	35	19.8	80.4%	5 (0.7%)	3 (0.4%)	624 (91.2%)	40 (5.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (1.8%)	56.6	2227^th of 5857 public elementary schools	62.0%		53.7	2363^rd of 5869 public elementary schools	59.7%	136	37.8		37.8	49.5	41.4	54.1				48.9	56.0	34.1	36.9				42.9					$37,790	$35,370	$2,420
Albany Park Elementary	Public	K-5	235 West 20th Ave.	Delano	93215	Kern County	Delano Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 721-5020	319	17	19.1	87.5%	5 (1.6%)	4 (1.3%)	257 (80.6%)	46 (14.4%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.6%)	5 (1.6%)	36	3495^th of 5857 public elementary schools	40.3%		29.1	4001^st of 5869 public elementary schools	31.8%	506	35.7		35.7	37.3	21.6	58.2				39.4	22.0	11.8	33.9				22.9					$29,038	$26,484	$2,554
Terrace Elementary	Public	K-5	1999 Norwalk St.	Delano	93215	Kern County	Delano Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 721-5060	363	18	20.1	90.9%	3 (0.8%)	1 (0.3%)	318 (87.6%)	31 (8.5%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (2.2%)	38.2	3333^rd of 5857 public elementary schools	43.1%		47.6	2693^rd of 5869 public elementary schools	54.1%	640	22.6		22.6	41.3	49.2	31.7				40.7	29.8	45.9	21.0				32.4					$27,565	$25,114	$2,451
Del Vista Math and Science Academy	Public, Charter	K-5	710 Quincy St.	Delano	93215	Kern County	Delano Union Elementary	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 721-5040	526	26	20.5	89.9%	7 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	486 (92.4%)	27 (5.1%)	3 (0.6%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.4%)	45.4	2857^th of 5857 public elementary schools	51.2%		49.7	2573^rd of 5869 public elementary schools	56.2%	284	26.0		26.0	39.8	48.1	42.6				43.4	35.7	39.5	40.6				38.7	98.0		98.0		$37,439	$34,932	$2,507
Princeton Street Elementary	Public	K-5	1959 Princeton St.	Delano	93215	Kern County	Delano Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 721-5080	308	16	19.6	89.6%	4 (1.3%)	2 (0.6%)	266 (86.4%)	32 (10.4%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.6%)	29.5	3994^th of 5857 public elementary schools	31.8%		35	3522^nd of 5869 public elementary schools	40.0%	472	20.0		20.0	36.5	33.3	24.1				31.3	33.9	34.4	25.5				31.4	96.6		96.6		$30,178	$27,536	$2,642
Harvest Elementary	Public	K-5	1320 Vassar Ave.	Delano	93215	Kern County	Delano Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 720-2725	365	21	17.7	81.1%	14 (3.8%)	3 (0.8%)	294 (80.5%)	47 (12.9%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.6%)	59.9	2076^th of 5857 public elementary schools	64.6%		64.9	1824^th of 5869 public elementary schools	68.9%	252	39.7		39.7	42.9	64.1	41.3				47.5	46.4	59.0	44.4				48.7					$32,489	$29,410	$3,079
Morningside	Public	K-5	2100 Summer Dr.	Delano	93215	Kern County	Delano Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 720-2700	477	22	22.0	75.3%	6 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	374 (78.4%)	87 (18.2%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	8 (1.7%)	53.9	2370^th of 5857 public elementary schools	59.5%		61.8	1992^nd of 5869 public elementary schools	66.1%	378	34.1		34.1	36.2	58.4	51.1				50.2	40.7	48.3	29.6				39.4	94.4	96.7	96.7	96.7	$24,053	$21,684	$2,369
Pond Elementary	Public	K-8	29585 Pond Rd.	Wasco	93280	Kern County	Pond Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 792-2545	175	10	17.1	96.0%	8 (4.6%)	1 (0.6%)	160 (91.4%)	2 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (2.3%)	22.9	4602^nd of 5857 public elementary schools	21.4%		21.1	4757^th of 5869 public elementary schools	18.9%	155	26.7	8.7	15.8	22.2	33.3	20.0	22.2	0.0	34.8	22.2	40.7	31.3	6.7	11.1	10.5	17.4	21.2	89.3			89.3	$44,403	$41,906	$2,497

Frequently Asked Questions about Pioneer

What is the racial makeup of Pioneer?

Students at Pioneer are 92% Hispanic, 4% Asian, 1% White.

How many students attend Pioneer?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,043 students attended Pioneer.

What district is Pioneer in?

Delano Union Elementary

What schools do graduates of Pioneer attend?

Students who attend Pioneer usually go on to attend:

High : Robert F. Kennedy High

Is Pioneer a good school?

Pioneer ranks 2755^th of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Rate Pioneer!

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Schools in Delano, CA

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Latest California data All new data »

2024–25 school spending dataJul 1, 2026

2024–25 attendance dataMar 13, 2026

2024–25 CSA Spanish test scoresDec 22, 2025

2024–25 dropout rates & graduation ratesNov 14, 2025

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.