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Sierra Elementary

Public Grades K-5

5537^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,857 California Elementary Schools

Better than 5% of California elementary schools

Summary

Sierra Elementary is a public K-5 school serving 707 students in the Lancaster Elementary district, located in a high-need community where over 90% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.

Academically, the school faces significant challenges, consistently ranking in the bottom 10% of California elementary schools for over a decade, with particularly low proficiency in mathematics at less than 10%. Chronic absenteeism, while improved from pandemic highs, remains a serious concern at 36.3%. The school spends less per student than several nearby schools like Jack Northrop Elementary and Sunnydale Elementary. However, there are notable bright spots: Sierra Elementary shows remarkable effectiveness in serving homeless students, ranking in the 77th percentile for this group, and has demonstrated success in reducing chronic absenteeism from previous years.

Interesting comparisons with nearby schools reveal that improvement is possible within the same community. For instance, Lancaster Alternative and Virtual Academies, located less than a mile away and serving a similarly high-need population, achieves significantly higher test scores and has a chronic absenteeism rate of only 6%. This suggests structural or programmatic differences may impact outcomes. Across the district, most schools face similar challenges, ranking in the state's bottom quartile, indicating broader systemic factors at play alongside individual school efforts.

707

Students ?

23.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$16,544

Per pupil spending ?

92.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

747 West Avenue J-12
Lancaster, CA 93534-4933

(661) 942-9536

District: Lancaster Elementary

Students who attend Sierra Elementary usually attend:

High:

Antelope Valley High

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

57.0%

African American:

29.4%

White:

6.2%

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At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 10th percentile in 2013 → 5th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (16% vs 41% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (5th percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (36% vs 19% California)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school16%

District avg19%

California avg41%

5,537^th of 5,857

California public elementary schools ?

Bottom 5%▲ up 1 pts since 2015

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

12^th of 15Elementary Schools in the Lancaster Elementary

1395^th of 1,543Lancaster 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)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	11.5	5537 of 5857	5.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	11.0	5623 of 5869	4.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	13.0	5477 of 5859	6.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	13.7	5473 of 5883	7.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	10.2	5554 of 5789	4.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	9.1	5482 of 5662	3.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	10.3	5475 of 5692	3.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	8.8	5500 of 5614	2.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	11.9	5358 of 5611	4.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	15.8	5002 of 5530	9.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	9.1	5226 of 5390	3.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	7.2	5301 of 5377	1.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	6.4	5246 of 5314	1.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	14.8	4746 of 5193	8.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	19.5	4377 of 5113	14.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	16.8	4509 of 5113	11.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	9.5	4656 of 4818	3.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2005	11.9	4540 of 4822	5.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2004	10.6	4641 of 4809	3.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	18.2	519 of 569	8.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	16.7	554 of 593	6.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	19.9	591 of 661	10.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	20.2	608 of 663	8.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	22.8	625 of 747	16.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	20.3	624 of 700	10.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2018	23.9	1773 of 2128	16.7%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	24.9	2849 of 3162	9.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	53.5	1030 of 3245	68.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	21.2	3141 of 3311	5.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	38.7	1866 of 3275	43.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	23.7	2805 of 3246	13.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	13.8	5196 of 5597	7.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	14.4	5175 of 5612	7.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	16.0	5040 of 5609	10.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	18.8	4821 of 5635	14.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	10.2	5302 of 5492	3.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	9.4	5254 of 5413	2.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	20.3	4424 of 5107	13.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	35.6	3305 of 5107	35.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	25.6	4046 of 5087	20.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	22.0	4361 of 5084	14.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	18.0	4506 of 4963	9.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	15.9	4470 of 4830	7.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	66.0	97 of 429	77.4%	★★★★☆
2024	40.0	220 of 364	39.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	14.7	324 of 335	3.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	14.1	5116 of 5460	6.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	13.3	5250 of 5517	4.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	16.4	4933 of 5363	8.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	16.2	4898 of 5264	7.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	14.4	4870 of 5173	5.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	10.7	4925 of 5084	3.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	11.7	5334 of 5628	5.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	9.9	5495 of 5643	2.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	11.4	5405 of 5638	4.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	10.5	5528 of 5663	2.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	11.5	5291 of 5510	4.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	10.2	5262 of 5431	3.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	25.8	2280 of 2847	19.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	17.4	2564 of 2635	2.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	22.3	2076 of 2420	14.2%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	3.3	2611 of 2651	1.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	4.6	2591 of 2661	2.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	19.1	2296 of 2726	15.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	5.7	2737 of 2834	3.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	2.1	2724 of 2737	0.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

Homeless (2025)77th percentile+72 vs school

Special Education (2025)20th percentile+14 vs school

Disabled (2018)17th percentile+14 vs school

Hispanic (2025)13th percentile+8 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)10th percentile+6 vs school

African American (2025)9th percentile+3 vs school

Female (2025)7th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)6th percentile~ school

Male (2025)5th percentile~ school

White (2024)2nd percentile-3 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy22%-27 vs state

Science15%-18 vs state

Mathematics9%-28 vs state

★

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Schools Near Sierra Elementary

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 (2024)
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	% Hepatitis B KG	% Varicella KG	% DTP KG	% MMR KG	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Sierra Elementary	Public	K-5	747 West Avenue J-12	Lancaster	93534	Los Angeles County	Lancaster Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 942-9536	707	30	23.5	92.8%	44 (6.2%)	208 (29.4%)	403 (57.0%)	12 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	39 (5.5%)	11.5	5537^th of 5857 public elementary schools	5.5%		11	5623^rd of 5869 public elementary schools	4.2%	86	15.0		15.0	16.7	22.8	26.6				22.0	12.2	9.0	7.1				9.4	96.7		98.4	98.4	98.4	97.5	$16,544	$3,056	$13,488
Sunnydale Elementary	Public	K-6	1233 West Avenue J-8	Lancaster	93534	Los Angeles County	Lancaster Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 948-2636	469	22	21.3	87.6%	45 (9.6%)	103 (22.0%)	282 (60.1%)	14 (3.0%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (4.9%)	19.9	4834^th of 5857 public elementary schools	17.5%		17.7	5054^th of 5869 public elementary schools	13.9%	220	16.1		16.1	39.0	21.8	31.3	18.8			27.7	37.3	3.7	12.7	15.4			17.4							$22,156	$2,841	$19,315
The Leadership Academy	Public	K-8	44310 Hardwood Ave.	Lancaster	93534	Los Angeles County	Lancaster Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 726-5454	35	5	7.0	94.3%	2 (5.7%)	22 (62.9%)	10 (28.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (2.9%)								(n/a)																								$41,064	$6,416	$34,648
Lancaster Alternative and Virtual Academies	Public, Virtual	K-8	44034 13th St. West	Lancaster	93534	Los Angeles County	Lancaster Elementary	No	(n/a)	Yes	(n/a)	(661) 488-7600	282	11	25.4	90.1%	30 (10.6%)	63 (22.3%)	164 (58.2%)	7 (2.5%)	3 (1.1%)	1 (0.4%)	14 (5.0%)	38.5	3313^th of 5857 public elementary schools	43.4%		24.3	4434^th of 5869 public elementary schools	24.5%	1121	35.0	39.6	38.2	23.8	37.5	40.0	52.5	23.7	50.0	36.9	11.9	40.0	40.0	33.3	32.2	39.6	31.8	78.7	82.0	89.3	98.4	82.8	84.4	$22,788	$3,271	$19,517
Rise	Public	K-8	44231 Fig Ave.	Lancaster	93534	Los Angeles County	Lancaster Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 940-4355	16	3	5.3	81.3%	1 (6.3%)	11 (68.8%)	2 (12.5%)	1 (6.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (6.3%)								(n/a)		0.0	0.0						0.0	0.0						0.0	0.0							$29,542	$3,270	$26,272
Joshua Elementary	Public	K-6	43926 North Second St. East	Lancaster	93535	Los Angeles County	Lancaster Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 948-0743	688	31	22.1	90.8%	23 (3.3%)	250 (36.3%)	351 (51.0%)	12 (1.7%)	6 (0.9%)	1 (0.1%)	43 (6.3%)	6.2	5805^th of 5857 public elementary schools	0.9%		5.7	5850^th of 5869 public elementary schools	0.3%	45	5.9		5.9	15.7	9.5	14.9	14.3			14.0	10.8	1.6	1.0	2.9			4.5	96.3	97.2			96.3		$20,856	$2,888	$17,968
iLEAD Lancaster Charter	Public, Charter	K-8	254 East Avenue K-4	Lancaster	93535	Los Angeles County	iLEAD Lancaster Charter District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 722-4287	771	32	24.3	78.6%	131 (17.0%)	271 (35.1%)	299 (38.8%)	3 (0.4%)	7 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	60 (7.8%)	13.4	5391^st of 5857 public elementary schools	8.0%		15.2	5284^th of 5869 public elementary schools	10.0%	107	11.9	12.2	12.1	17.5	22.6	15.5	34.2	16.5	18.9	20.7	17.5	19.1	8.3	10.1	9.6	9.0	12.2	85.7	86.9	89.3	85.7	85.7	85.7	$20,335	$3,021	$17,314
El Dorado Elementary	Public	K-5	361 East Pondera	Lancaster	93535	Los Angeles County	Lancaster Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 942-8487	766	29	26.4	95.0%	26 (3.4%)	261 (34.1%)	430 (56.1%)	8 (1.0%)	5 (0.7%)	2 (0.3%)	33 (4.3%)	12.4	5477^th of 5857 public elementary schools	6.5%		12.2	5542^nd of 5869 public elementary schools	5.6%	65	11.7		11.7	15.1	13.4	20.9				16.5	26.6	12.2	15.9				18.4	98.5						$20,761	$2,845	$17,916
Monte Vista Elementary	Public	K-5	1235 West Kettering St.	Lancaster	93534	Los Angeles County	Lancaster Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 942-1477	788	31	25.4	89.6%	46 (5.8%)	197 (25.0%)	485 (61.5%)	11 (1.4%)	3 (0.4%)	1 (0.1%)	44 (5.6%)	15	5260^th of 5857 public elementary schools	10.2%		12.2	5544^th of 5869 public elementary schools	5.5%	284	17.4		17.4	23.6	23.1	26.0				24.2	22.1	18.0	5.3				15.3	95.8	97.9		97.2	97.2	97.9	$21,427	$2,975	$18,452
John and Jacquelyn Miller Elementary	Public	K-7	43420 22nd St. West	Lancaster	93536	Los Angeles County	Lancaster Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 726-1826	697	27	25.8	81.2%	75 (10.8%)	146 (20.9%)	395 (56.7%)	16 (2.3%)	5 (0.7%)	3 (0.4%)	57 (8.2%)	33.6	3676^th of 5857 public elementary schools	37.2%		43	2992^nd of 5869 public elementary schools	49.0%	684	15.9		15.9	40.5	23.8	23.2	54.2	42.5		37.3	39.8	22.4	17.1	36.8	15.3		27.0	96.0	98.0	98.0	98.0	96.0	98.0	$20,963	$2,819	$18,144

Frequently Asked Questions about Sierra Elementary

What is the racial makeup of Sierra Elementary?

Students at Sierra Elementary are 57% Hispanic, 29% African American, 6% White, 6% Two or more races, 2% Asian.

How many students attend Sierra Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 707 students attended Sierra Elementary.

What schools do graduates of Sierra Elementary attend?

Students who attend Sierra Elementary usually go on to attend:

High : Antelope Valley High

Is Sierra Elementary a good school?

Sierra Elementary ranks in the bottom 5.5% of California elementary schools.

What district is Sierra Elementary in?

Lancaster Elementary

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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.