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Palma Ceia Elementary

Public Grades K-6
3713th
SchoolDigger Rank ?
of 5,804 California Elementary Schools
Better than 36% of California elementary schools
Summary

Palma Ceia Elementary serves 484 students in grades K–6 in Hayward, California, alongside schools in Hayward Unified and the surrounding area. In 2025–26, its students’ proficiency rates were higher than the district’s in English language arts (ELA) and math, but lower than California’s in all three tested subjects. The main takeaway is that results compare favorably with the district in two subjects, while science is below the district and nearby-school average and all three subjects trail the state.

ELA is the school’s clearest relative strength: 39% of students were proficient, compared with 34% in the district, 49% statewide and a 35% average at 10 nearby schools. Math was also above the district and nearby average, at 28% versus 22% and 26%, respectively, but remained below the state’s 38%. Science was weaker: 21% were proficient, below the district’s 23%, nearby schools’ 23% average and the state’s 36%. Among the grades with reported results, fifth-grade ELA was a bright spot at 46%; third-grade ELA was 26%, and sixth-grade math was 19%.

Over four years, ELA was essentially flat and math rose 1 percentage point, while state rates increased more; both subjects dipped in the latest year. Science fluctuated and fell 7 points in 2025–26 alone. SchoolDigger placed the school at the 36th statewide percentile with 2 stars in 2025–26. Its 2024–25 student-teacher ratio was 22.8, and 76% of students were reported as free/reduced lunch eligible that year—context for comparisons, not an explanation for results. One notable group ranking: SchoolDigger placed Special Education Students at the 14th percentile in 2025–26, down from the 79th percentile in 2023–24, indicating a sharp drop in its measure of how well the school serves this group. Chronic absenteeism improved from 59% in 2021–22 to 28% in 2025–26, but the latest rate remained above the state’s 18% and the district’s 24%.

484
Students ?
22.8
Student/teacher ratio ?
$29,006
Per pupil spending ?
76.2%
Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?
All students in California receive free school meals.
 27679 Melbourne Ave.
       Hayward, CA  94545-4723

(510) 723-3870

District: Hayward Unified


Students who attend Palma Ceia Elementary usually attend:

Middle:    Anthony W. Ochoa Middle
High:    Mt. Eden High
Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:
69.0%
Asian:
19.4%
Two or more races:
4.1%
more
 See top rated California elementary schools

 Compare Palma Ceia Elementary to nearby elementary schools!
At a glance
▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 35th percentile in 2015 → 36th in 2026
Worth a look
!Test scores below the California average (32% vs 42% meeting standards)
!High chronic absenteeism (28% vs 18% California)
!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing
Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?
This school32%
District avg27%
California avg42%
3,713th of 5,804
California public elementary schools ?
Bottom 36%▼ down 4 pts since 2016
From bottom 40% (2016) to bottom 36% (2026)
See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →
★★★★★
SchoolDigger rating ?
6th of 20Elementary Schools in the Hayward Unified
783rd of 968Hayward 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
202633.23713 of 580436.0%★★☆☆☆
202536.73429 of 585741.5%★★☆☆☆
202435.33494 of 586940.5%★★☆☆☆
202336.83359 of 585942.7%★★☆☆☆
202232.73641 of 588338.1%★★☆☆☆
201930.33911 of 578932.4%★★☆☆☆
201851.12508 of 566255.7%★★★☆☆
201737.93250 of 569242.9%★★☆☆☆
201635.43380 of 561439.8%★★☆☆☆
201530.63661 of 561134.8%★★☆☆☆
201339.03380 of 553038.9%★★☆☆☆
201227.54130 of 539023.4%★☆☆☆☆
201122.54506 of 537716.2%★☆☆☆☆
201032.23683 of 531430.7%★★☆☆☆
200938.23166 of 519339.0%★★☆☆☆
200825.43940 of 511322.9%★☆☆☆☆
200724.83953 of 511322.7%★☆☆☆☆
200620.73944 of 481818.1%★☆☆☆☆
200521.83842 of 482220.3%★☆☆☆☆
200429.93249 of 480932.4%★★☆☆☆

Disabled

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
201920.62323 of 258510.1%★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202447.81306 of 316258.7%★★★☆☆
202343.31597 of 324550.8%★★★☆☆
202231.72477 of 331125.2%★☆☆☆☆
201929.32551 of 327522.1%★☆☆☆☆
201832.42230 of 324631.3%★★☆☆☆

Female

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202636.83335 of 556940.1%★★☆☆☆
202532.33675 of 559734.3%★★☆☆☆
202439.23129 of 561244.2%★★☆☆☆
202339.63039 of 560945.8%★★☆☆☆
202229.93741 of 563533.6%★★☆☆☆
201932.63622 of 549234.0%★★☆☆☆
201839.73110 of 541342.5%★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202629.73760 of 508526.1%★☆☆☆☆
202536.03308 of 510735.2%★★☆☆☆
202436.33247 of 510736.4%★★☆☆☆
202343.92619 of 508748.5%★★☆☆☆
202243.22651 of 508447.9%★★☆☆☆
201930.63651 of 496326.4%★☆☆☆☆
201852.12110 of 483056.3%★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202642.92962 of 541245.3%★★☆☆☆
202544.72822 of 546048.3%★★☆☆☆
202441.92992 of 551745.8%★★☆☆☆
202346.72584 of 536351.8%★★★☆☆
202235.83345 of 526436.5%★★☆☆☆
201934.33553 of 517331.3%★★☆☆☆
201856.61927 of 508462.1%★★★☆☆

Male

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202631.43732 of 559033.2%★★☆☆☆
202542.82939 of 562847.8%★★☆☆☆
202433.03567 of 564336.8%★★☆☆☆
202336.63291 of 563841.6%★★☆☆☆
202236.13263 of 566342.4%★★☆☆☆
201930.03801 of 551031.0%★★☆☆☆
201860.61896 of 543165.1%★★★☆☆

Special Education

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202622.62516 of 292013.8%★☆☆☆☆
202543.51309 of 284754.0%★★★☆☆
202466.7563 of 263578.6%★★★★☆
202354.2792 of 242067.3%★★★☆☆
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)59th percentile+18 vs school
Low Socio Economic Status (2026)45th percentile+9 vs school
Female (2026)40th percentile+4 vs school
Male (2026)33rd percentile-3 vs school
Hispanic (2026)26th percentile-10 vs school
Special Education (2026)14th percentile-22 vs school
Disabled (2019)10th percentile-22 vs school
By subject vs California (2025-2026) ?
English Language Arts/Literacy39%-10 vs state
Mathematics28%-11 vs state
Science21%-15 vs state

★
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Frequently Asked Questions about Palma Ceia Elementary

Palma Ceia Elementary ranks 3713th of 5804 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Students at Palma Ceia Elementary are 69% Hispanic, 19% Asian, 4% Two or more races, 3% African American, 2% Pacific Islander, 2% White.

Students who attend Palma Ceia Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Anthony W. Ochoa Middle
High : Mt. Eden High

In the 2024-25 school year, 484 students attended Palma Ceia 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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