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Joseph Sims Elementary

Q: Is Joseph Sims Elementary a good school?

Joseph Sims Elementary ranks 2248 th of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-6

2248^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,857 California Elementary Schools

Better than 62% of California elementary schools

Summary

Joseph Sims Elementary is a K-6 public school serving 691 students in the Elk Grove Unified district, currently holding a 3-star state rating with academic performance slightly above state averages in English and Math but notably below in Science.

The school faces a significant challenge with chronic student absenteeism, which at 27.4% is much higher than the district and state averages and is strongly correlated with lower academic performance when compared to nearby schools. For instance, Stone Lake Elementary, located less than a mile away, has an absenteeism rate of only 12% and achieves significantly higher proficiency rates across all subjects. While Joseph Sims spends more per student than several higher-performing neighbors like Arlene Hein Elementary and Helen Carr Castello Elementary, its academic results lag behind most schools in the area, including Elliott Ranch Elementary and Franklin Elementary.

Performance varies considerably by grade and student group, with sixth graders showing strength in English while fifth graders struggle in Math and Science. The school has seen a gradual decline in its statewide ranking over the past decade and a rapid increase in the percentage of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating changing socioeconomic factors. To improve, the school could prioritize reducing absenteeism and examine the successful practices of higher-performing schools with similar demographics within the district.

691

Students ?

22.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$26,953

Per pupil spending ?

48.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

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%

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Compare Joseph Sims Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 79th percentile in 2015 → 62nd in 2025

Strengths

✓Above the California median (62nd percentile)

Worth a look

!High chronic absenteeism (27% vs 19% California)

!Ranking has slipped — down 17 percentile points since 2015

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school45%

District avg46%

California avg41%

2,248^th of 5,857

California public elementary schools ?

Top 38%▼ down 17 pts since 2015

From top 21% (2015) to top 38% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

26^th of 43Elementary Schools in the Elk Grove Unified

562^nd of 1,543Elk 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

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	56.1	2248 of 5857	61.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	57.8	2158 of 5869	63.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	64.3	1824 of 5859	68.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	64.4	1832 of 5883	68.9%	★★★☆☆
2021	63.3	470 of 1417	66.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	67.8	1708 of 5789	70.5%	★★★★☆
2018	73.1	1436 of 5662	74.6%	★★★★☆
2017	82.7	1014 of 5692	82.2%	★★★★☆
2016	79.5	1148 of 5614	79.6%	★★★★☆
2015	78.3	1179 of 5611	79.0%	★★★★☆
2013	63.1	1944 of 5530	64.8%	★★★☆☆
2012	73.7	1346 of 5390	75.0%	★★★★☆
2011	76.6	1175 of 5377	78.1%	★★★★☆
2010	81.0	957 of 5314	82.0%	★★★★☆
2009	76.8	1139 of 5193	78.1%	★★★★☆
2008	79.1	1009 of 5113	80.3%	★★★★☆
2007	84.4	777 of 5113	84.8%	★★★★☆
2006	85.7	702 of 4818	85.4%	★★★★☆
2005	87.5	619 of 4822	87.2%	★★★★☆
2004	88.9	551 of 4809	88.5%	★★★★☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	24.8	455 of 569	20.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	73.4	122 of 661	81.5%	★★★★☆
2022	61.3	179 of 663	73.0%	★★★★☆
2019	75.3	125 of 747	83.3%	★★★★☆
2018	72.7	130 of 700	81.4%	★★★★☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	14.5	1042 of 1203	13.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	18.0	1026 of 1205	14.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	25.4	961 of 1190	19.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	29.6	900 of 1154	22.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	52.7	685 of 1149	40.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	52.6	643 of 1071	40.0%	★★☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2021	25.0	223 of 293	23.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	42.2	1221 of 2585	52.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	25.9	1652 of 2128	22.4%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	49.2	1221 of 3162	61.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	76.0	348 of 3245	89.3%	★★★★☆
2022	64.2	628 of 3311	81.0%	★★★★☆
2021	50.7	192 of 602	68.1%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	55.8	2166 of 5597	61.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	50.6	2386 of 5612	57.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	64.8	1727 of 5609	69.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	62.8	1830 of 5635	67.5%	★★★☆☆
2021	59.3	459 of 1267	63.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	58.4	2035 of 5492	62.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	65.3	1737 of 5413	67.9%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	55.3	1962 of 5107	61.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	68.3	1259 of 5107	75.3%	★★★★☆
2023	65.2	1397 of 5087	72.5%	★★★★☆
2022	65.5	1362 of 5084	73.2%	★★★★☆
2019	48.4	2392 of 4963	51.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	60.8	1584 of 4830	67.2%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	40.2	3165 of 5460	42.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	38.2	3273 of 5517	40.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	53.5	2135 of 5363	60.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	56.4	1900 of 5264	63.9%	★★★☆☆
2021	62.1	335 of 1110	69.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	49.5	2437 of 5173	52.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	55.1	2030 of 5084	60.1%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	54.9	2246 of 5628	60.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	63.6	1818 of 5643	67.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	61.4	1881 of 5638	66.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	63.9	1785 of 5663	68.5%	★★★☆☆
2021	65.0	397 of 1272	68.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	73.5	1364 of 5510	75.2%	★★★★☆
2018	77.4	1159 of 5431	78.7%	★★★★☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2023	45.2	428 of 669	36.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	37.5	414 of 610	32.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	21.8	370 of 445	16.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	28.5	273 of 339	19.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	33.1	1834 of 2847	35.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	27.4	1979 of 2635	24.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	42.5	1137 of 2420	53.0%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	57.5	1171 of 2598	54.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	43.9	1592 of 2651	39.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	45.5	1558 of 2661	41.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	41.4	1691 of 2726	38.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	47.4	1641 of 2834	42.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	62.8	1089 of 2737	60.2%	★★★☆☆

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 (2025)62nd percentile~ school

English Language Learner (2024)61st percentile~ school

Female (2025)61st percentile~ school

Male (2025)60th percentile~ school

White (2025)55th percentile-7 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)42nd percentile-20 vs school

Multi-racial (2023)36th percentile-33 vs school

Special Education (2025)36th percentile-26 vs school

Disabled (2021)24th percentile-43 vs school

African American (2025)20th percentile-42 vs school

Asian (2025)13th percentile-48 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy54%+5 vs state

Mathematics40%+3 vs state

Science27%-6 vs state

★

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Schools Near Joseph Sims 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 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)	% Hepatitis B (2022)	% Varicella (2022)	% DTP (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 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 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 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
Joseph Sims Elementary	Public	K-6	3033 Buckminster Dr.	Elk Grove	95758	Sacramento County	Elk Grove Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(916) 683-7445	691	31	22.0	48.9%	146 (21.1%)	65 (9.4%)	212 (30.7%)	186 (26.9%)	5 (0.7%)	10 (1.4%)	67 (9.7%)	56.1	2248^th of 5857 public elementary schools	61.6%		57.8	2158^th of 5869 public elementary schools	63.2%	90	27.0	27.0	53.6	44.7	51.5	68.4	53.9	43.2	37.5	32.7	49.4	40.1	97.4	98.3	98.3	98.3	97.4	98.3	$26,953	$26,550	$403
Stone Lake Elementary	Public	K-6	9673 Lakepoint Dr.	Elk Grove	95758	Sacramento County	Elk Grove Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(916) 683-4096	690	29	23.7	38.3%	121 (17.5%)	53 (7.7%)	166 (24.1%)	250 (36.2%)	1 (0.1%)	15 (2.2%)	84 (12.2%)	87.6	798^th of 5857 public elementary schools	86.4%		89.3	734^th of 5869 public elementary schools	87.5%	64	55.3	55.3	60.0	75.0	73.9	70.9	70.0	63.0	74.5	55.7	64.0	64.0	95.0			95.0		98.0	$24,842	$24,194	$648
Marion Mix Elementary	Public	K-6	4730 Laguna Park Dr.	Elk Grove	95758	Sacramento County	Elk Grove Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(916) 509-8877	736	31	23.7	65.6%	93 (12.6%)	94 (12.8%)	241 (32.7%)	195 (26.5%)	4 (0.5%)	25 (3.4%)	84 (11.4%)	50	2591^st of 5857 public elementary schools	55.8%		58.4	2128^th of 5869 public elementary schools	63.7%	463	26.2	26.2	40.6	51.9	44.7	51.5	47.1	43.8	46.7	29.1	34.3	38.7	94.9			96.9	94.9	96.9	$21,707	$20,716	$991
Elliott Ranch Elementary	Public	K-6	10000 East Taron Dr.	Elk Grove	95757	Sacramento County	Elk Grove Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(916) 683-3877	599	27	22.1	46.4%	90 (15.0%)	64 (10.7%)	154 (25.7%)	226 (37.7%)	1 (0.2%)	3 (0.5%)	61 (10.2%)	92.7	499^th of 5857 public elementary schools	91.5%		93.7	456^th of 5869 public elementary schools	92.2%	43	53.9	53.9	79.0	80.7	69.2	81.9	77.2	82.9	79.0	62.6	68.7	72.3							$27,153	$26,504	$649
Helen Carr Castello Elementary	Public	K-6	9850 Fire Poppy Dr.	Elk Grove	95757	Sacramento County	Elk Grove Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(916) 686-1725	790	33	23.9	50.4%	103 (13.0%)	59 (7.5%)	191 (24.2%)	337 (42.7%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	98 (12.4%)	82.9	1026^th of 5857 public elementary schools	82.5%		80.8	1125^th of 5869 public elementary schools	80.8%	99	45.2	45.2	67.3	65.5	63.2	69.2	66.3	68.6	57.1	51.3	64.1	60.1	97.0						$24,869	$24,186	$683
John Ehrhardt Elementary	Public	K-6	8900 Old Creek Dr.	Elk Grove	95758	Sacramento County	Elk Grove Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(916) 686-7259	827	35	23.6	70.5%	133 (16.1%)	114 (13.8%)	224 (27.1%)	232 (28.1%)	5 (0.6%)	18 (2.2%)	101 (12.2%)	64.7	1853^rd of 5857 public elementary schools	68.4%		63.8	1888^th of 5869 public elementary schools	67.8%	35	49.1	49.1	50.9	52.5	55.4	52.0	52.7	52.5	45.5	42.9	38.7	45.1	96.3			97.1			$24,150	$23,524	$626
Foulks Ranch Elementary	Public	K-6	6211 Laguna Park Dr.	Elk Grove	95758	Sacramento County	Elk Grove Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(916) 686-8177	779	33	23.9	49.9%	232 (29.8%)	73 (9.4%)	247 (31.7%)	123 (15.8%)	1 (0.1%)	8 (1.0%)	95 (12.2%)	69.6	1619^th of 5857 public elementary schools	72.4%		63.1	1923^rd of 5869 public elementary schools	67.2%	304	38.9	38.9	55.0	63.9	56.6	58.8	58.6	58.4	58.7	31.0	46.7	48.3							$26,327	$25,586	$741
Franklin Elementary	Public	K-6	5401 Dorcey Dr.	Elk Grove	95757	Sacramento County	Elk Grove Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(916) 684-6518	932	36	25.8	54.3%	136 (14.6%)	80 (8.6%)	216 (23.2%)	390 (41.8%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (1.9%)	92 (9.9%)	82.2	1069^th of 5857 public elementary schools	81.7%		82.6	1052^nd of 5869 public elementary schools	82.1%	17	51.0	51.0	56.2	64.6	67.4	78.5	66.7	53.1	62.6	51.0	69.2	58.8							$23,374	$22,690	$684
Arlene Hein Elementary	Public	K-6	6820 Bellaterra Dr.	Elk Grove	95757	Sacramento County	Elk Grove Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(916) 714-0654	817	33	24.7	45.9%	121 (14.8%)	51 (6.2%)	158 (19.3%)	382 (46.8%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (0.9%)	98 (12.0%)	81.7	1090^th of 5857 public elementary schools	81.4%		81.2	1108^th of 5869 public elementary schools	81.1%	18	38.1	38.1	65.7	59.7	58.5	73.0	64.7	75.5	55.3	55.1	68.9	63.7							$24,249	$23,968	$281
John Reith Elementary	Public	K-6	8401 Valley Lark Dr.	Sacramento	95823	Sacramento County	Elk Grove Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(916) 399-0110	572	25	22.8	87.4%	34 (5.9%)	80 (14.0%)	236 (41.3%)	167 (29.2%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (1.7%)	45 (7.9%)	23.4	4556^th of 5857 public elementary schools	22.2%		14.1	5382^nd of 5869 public elementary schools	8.3%	826	12.2	12.2	35.8	29.3	28.9	43.2	34.1	24.1	20.5	11.1	23.5	19.6	94.7	96.0	97.3	96.0	96.0	97.3	$28,100	$25,826	$2,274

Frequently Asked Questions about Joseph Sims Elementary

What is the racial makeup of 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.

How many students attend Joseph Sims Elementary?

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

Is Joseph Sims Elementary a good school?

Joseph Sims Elementary ranks 2248^th of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What schools do graduates of Joseph Sims Elementary attend?

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

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

What district is Joseph Sims Elementary in?

Elk Grove Unified

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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.