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Joseph Sims Elementary

Public Grades K-6
2372nd
SchoolDigger Rank ?
of 5,817 California Elementary Schools
Better than 59% of California elementary schools
Summary

Joseph Sims Elementary serves 691 students in grades K–6 in Elk Grove, within Elk Grove Unified. Its latest results put it slightly above California’s averages in English language arts (ELA) and math, but it ranks eighth of 10 nearby same-district elementary schools in each of ELA, math, and science. The most important finding for families is that Sims’s results trail most of its nearby district peers across all three subjects.

ELA is Sims’s strongest subject compared with the state, while science is its clearest weakness. In 2025–26, 51% of students were proficient in ELA and 40% in math, about 2 percentage points above state results in each subject; science proficiency was 29%, about 7 points below the state. Sims fell short of district averages in all three subjects: by 3 points in ELA, 4 in math, and 8 in science. Its results were also below nearby same-district school averages by 6 points in ELA, 9 in math, and 13 in science. There are grade-level differences, too: third-grade math proficiency was 55%, above the state and district, while fifth-grade math was 30%, below both. Chronic absenteeism is another concern: 27% of Sims students were chronically absent in 2025–26, compared with 22% districtwide and 18% statewide. Only John Reith Elementary had a higher rate among the nearby same-district schools.

Results and rankings have weakened in some areas over time. Sims’s science proficiency fell 12 points between 2022–23 and 2025–26, while its SchoolDigger statewide percentile declined from 69 to 59; its three-star rating stayed the same. Attendance has improved from 36% in 2021–22, but remains high compared with local and state rates. In 2024–25, Sims had a 22:1 student–teacher ratio—the lowest among its nearby same-district peers—and 49% of students were free/reduced lunch eligible, below the nearby-peer average of 57%. SchoolDigger’s statewide ranking for how well Sims serves African American students was at the 7th percentile in 2025–26, down from the 82nd percentile in 2022–23. Its ranking for how well it serves Asian students was at the 20th percentile, also well below Sims’s overall 59th-percentile standing.

691
Students ?
22.0
Student/teacher ratio ?
$18,522
Per pupil spending ?
48.9%
Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?
All students in California receive free school meals.
92%
Kindergartners with all required immunizations (2024-25)
Exemptions: 0% (any vaccine)
 3033 Buckminster Dr.
       Elk Grove, CA  95758-7631

(916) 683-7445

District: Elk Grove Unified


Students who attend Joseph Sims Elementary usually attend:

Middle:    Harriet G. Eddy Middle
High:    Laguna Creek High
Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:
30.7%
Asian:
26.9%
White:
21.1%
more
 See top rated California elementary schools

 Compare Joseph Sims Elementary to nearby elementary schools!
At a glance
▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 80th percentile in 2016 → 59th in 2026
Strengths
✓Above the California median (59th percentile)
Worth a look
!High chronic absenteeism (27% vs 18% California)
!Ranking has slipped — down 21 percentile points since 2016
!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing
Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?
This school43%
District avg47%
California avg42%
2,372nd of 5,817
California public elementary schools ?
Top 41%▼ down 20 pts since 2016
From top 20% (2016) to top 41% (2026)
See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →
★★★★★
SchoolDigger rating ?
26th of 43Elementary Schools in the Elk Grove Unified
577th of 1,530Elk Grove 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
202654.22372 of 581759.2%★★★☆☆
202556.12248 of 585761.6%★★★☆☆
202457.82158 of 586963.2%★★★☆☆
202364.31824 of 585968.9%★★★☆☆
202264.41832 of 588368.9%★★★☆☆
202163.3470 of 141766.8%★★★☆☆
201967.81708 of 578970.5%★★★★☆
201873.11436 of 566274.6%★★★★☆
201782.71014 of 569282.2%★★★★☆
201679.51148 of 561479.6%★★★★☆
201578.31179 of 561179.0%★★★★☆
201363.11944 of 553064.8%★★★☆☆
201273.71346 of 539075.0%★★★★☆
201176.61175 of 537778.1%★★★★☆
201081.0957 of 531482.0%★★★★☆
200976.81139 of 519378.1%★★★★☆
200879.11009 of 511380.3%★★★★☆
200784.4777 of 511384.8%★★★★☆
200685.7702 of 481885.4%★★★★☆
200587.5619 of 482287.2%★★★★☆
200488.9551 of 480988.5%★★★★☆

African American

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202615.9472 of 5087.1%☆☆☆☆☆
202524.8455 of 56920.0%★☆☆☆☆
202373.4122 of 66181.5%★★★★☆
202261.3179 of 66373.0%★★★★☆
201975.3125 of 74783.3%★★★★☆
201872.7130 of 70081.4%★★★★☆

Asian

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202625.0970 of 121019.8%★☆☆☆☆
202514.51042 of 120313.4%★☆☆☆☆
202418.01026 of 120514.9%★☆☆☆☆
202325.4961 of 119019.2%★☆☆☆☆
202229.6900 of 115422.0%★☆☆☆☆
201952.7685 of 114940.4%★★☆☆☆
201852.6643 of 107140.0%★★☆☆☆

Disabled

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202125.0223 of 29323.9%★☆☆☆☆
201942.21221 of 258552.8%★★★☆☆
201825.91652 of 212822.4%★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202449.21221 of 316261.4%★★★☆☆
202376.0348 of 324589.3%★★★★☆
202264.2628 of 331181.0%★★★★☆
202150.7192 of 60268.1%★★★☆☆

Female

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202654.12275 of 558159.2%★★★☆☆
202555.82166 of 559761.3%★★★☆☆
202450.62386 of 561257.5%★★★☆☆
202364.81727 of 560969.2%★★★☆☆
202262.81830 of 563567.5%★★★☆☆
202159.3459 of 126763.8%★★★☆☆
201958.42035 of 549262.9%★★★☆☆
201865.31737 of 541367.9%★★★☆☆

Hispanic

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202654.82045 of 509459.9%★★★☆☆
202555.31962 of 510761.6%★★★☆☆
202468.31259 of 510775.3%★★★★☆
202365.21397 of 508772.5%★★★★☆
202265.51362 of 508473.2%★★★★☆
201948.42392 of 496351.8%★★★☆☆
201860.81584 of 483067.2%★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202651.02417 of 542355.4%★★★☆☆
202540.23165 of 546042.0%★★☆☆☆
202438.23273 of 551740.7%★★☆☆☆
202353.52135 of 536360.2%★★★☆☆
202256.41900 of 526463.9%★★★☆☆
202162.1335 of 111069.8%★★★☆☆
201949.52437 of 517352.9%★★★☆☆
201855.12030 of 508460.1%★★★☆☆

Male

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202652.82348 of 560358.1%★★★☆☆
202554.92246 of 562860.1%★★★☆☆
202463.61818 of 564367.8%★★★☆☆
202361.41881 of 563866.6%★★★☆☆
202263.91785 of 566368.5%★★★☆☆
202165.0397 of 127268.8%★★★☆☆
201973.51364 of 551075.2%★★★★☆
201877.41159 of 543178.7%★★★★☆

Multi-racial

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202345.2428 of 66936.0%★★☆☆☆
202237.5414 of 61032.1%★★☆☆☆
201921.8370 of 44516.9%★☆☆☆☆
201828.5273 of 33919.5%★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202632.71913 of 292734.6%★★☆☆☆
202533.11834 of 284735.6%★★☆☆☆
202427.41979 of 263524.9%★☆☆☆☆
202342.51137 of 242053.0%★★★☆☆

White

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202648.31434 of 253643.5%★★☆☆☆
202557.51171 of 259854.9%★★★☆☆
202443.91592 of 265139.9%★★☆☆☆
202345.51558 of 266141.5%★★☆☆☆
202241.41691 of 272638.0%★★☆☆☆
201947.41641 of 283442.1%★★☆☆☆
201862.81089 of 273760.2%★★★☆☆
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)
English Language Learner (2024)61st percentile~ school
Hispanic (2026)60th percentile~ school
Female (2026)59th percentile~ school
Male (2026)58th percentile~ school
Low Socio Economic Status (2026)55th percentile-4 vs school
White (2026)43rd percentile-16 vs school
Multi-racial (2023)36th percentile-33 vs school
Special Education (2026)35th percentile-25 vs school
Disabled (2021)24th percentile-43 vs school
Asian (2026)20th percentile-39 vs school
African American (2026)7th percentile-52 vs school
By subject vs California (2025-2026) ?
English Language Arts/Literacy51%~ state avg
Mathematics40%~ state avg
Science29%-7 vs state

★
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Frequently Asked Questions about Joseph Sims Elementary

Students at Joseph Sims Elementary are 31% Hispanic, 27% Asian, 21% White, 10% Two or more races, 9% African American, 1% Pacific Islander.

In the 2024-25 school year, 691 students attended Joseph Sims Elementary.

Joseph Sims Elementary ranks 2372nd of 5817 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Students who attend Joseph Sims Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Harriet G. Eddy Middle
High : Laguna Creek High

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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.

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