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Lange (Dorothea) Elementary

Q: Is Lange (Dorothea) Elementary a good school?

Lange (Dorothea) Elementary ranks 2781 st of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-6

2781^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,857 California Elementary Schools

Better than 53% of California elementary schools

Summary

Lange (Dorothea) Elementary is a K-6 public school serving 577 students in Nipomo, California, and is part of the Lucia Mar Unified school district, which ranks above average statewide.

The school demonstrates solid, consistent performance, particularly excelling in student attendance with a chronic absenteeism rate of just 8.4%, which is less than half the district average. Academically, Lange's math proficiency is on par with its district and slightly above the state average, while English Language Arts scores are close to the state average. The school has shown remarkable success in significantly improving attendance over the past few years. When compared to other elementary schools in the area, Lange stands out as a higher performer within its own district, notably outperforming nearby Nipomo Elementary and Dana Elementary in both core subjects and attendance.

Lange Elementary achieves these results while serving a community with significant economic need, suggesting effective educational practices. Areas identified for growth include science instruction, where proficiency lags, and supporting performance in the upper elementary grades, particularly fifth-grade math. The school also shows a need to address achievement gaps for English Learner students. Compared to schools in neighboring districts like Santa Maria-Bonita, Lange generally demonstrates stronger academic outcomes, with one notable exception being Ontiveros (Juan Pacifico) Elementary, which performs comparably in math.

577

Students ?

22.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$14,626

Per pupil spending ?

67.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1661 Via Alta Mesa
Nipomo, CA 93444-9344

(805) 474-3670

District: Lucia Mar Unified

Students who attend Lange (Dorothea) Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Mesa Middle
High:	Central Coast New Technical High
	Nipomo High

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

58.9%

White:

36.2%

Two or more races:

4.3%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Lange (Dorothea) Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 51st percentile in 2013 → 53rd in 2025

Strengths

✓Above the California median (53rd percentile)

Worth a look

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

!Large classes — about 22 students per teacher

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school39%

District avg45%

California avg41%

2,781^st of 5,857

California public elementary schools ?

Top 47%▼ down 5 pts since 2015

From top 42% (2015) to top 47% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

6^th of 11Elementary Schools in the Lucia Mar Unified

582^nd of 1,543Lucia Mar 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	46.7	2781 of 5857	52.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	41.3	3102 of 5869	47.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	46.9	2700 of 5859	53.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	41.7	2975 of 5883	49.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	44.6	2904 of 5789	49.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	39.5	3189 of 5662	43.7%	★★☆☆☆
2017	45.3	2785 of 5692	51.1%	★★★☆☆
2016	52.2	2382 of 5614	57.6%	★★★☆☆
2015	51.3	2371 of 5611	57.7%	★★★☆☆
2013	50.0	2692 of 5530	51.3%	★★★☆☆
2012	56.9	2215 of 5390	58.9%	★★★☆☆
2011	51.9	2486 of 5377	53.8%	★★★☆☆
2010	39.2	3218 of 5314	39.4%	★★☆☆☆
2009	48.8	2557 of 5193	50.8%	★★★☆☆
2008	37.2	3117 of 5113	39.0%	★★☆☆☆
2007	59.5	1851 of 5113	63.8%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2018	38.5	1080 of 2128	49.2%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	24.4	2880 of 3162	8.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	33.5	2278 of 3245	29.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	46.8	1376 of 3311	58.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	29.6	2522 of 3275	23.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	49.7	2478 of 5597	55.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	43.1	2851 of 5612	49.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	50.2	2397 of 5609	57.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	47.4	2557 of 5635	54.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	47.4	2648 of 5492	51.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	32.1	3600 of 5413	33.5%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	39.8	3041 of 5107	40.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	32.5	3543 of 5107	30.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	32.1	3531 of 5087	30.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	35.7	3241 of 5084	36.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	34.8	3332 of 4963	32.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	29.6	3582 of 4830	25.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	43.2	246 of 429	42.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	44.2	196 of 364	46.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	43.9	180 of 335	46.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	50.7	141 of 356	60.4%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	39.4	3227 of 5460	40.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	44.8	2762 of 5517	49.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	42.0	2905 of 5363	45.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	38.9	3102 of 5264	41.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	40.5	3065 of 5173	40.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	37.9	3172 of 5084	37.6%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	42.7	2943 of 5628	47.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	39.9	3075 of 5643	45.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	42.9	2874 of 5638	49.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	36.3	3244 of 5663	42.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	42.0	2915 of 5510	47.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	46.4	2653 of 5431	51.2%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	44.6	1264 of 2847	55.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	34.7	1577 of 2635	40.2%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	40.7	1668 of 2598	35.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	37.6	1765 of 2651	33.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	50.7	1406 of 2661	47.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	38.6	1780 of 2726	34.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	44.0	1727 of 2834	39.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	42.6	1736 of 2737	36.6%	★★☆☆☆

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)

Female (2025)56th percentile+3 vs school

Special Education (2025)56th percentile+3 vs school

Disabled (2018)49th percentile+6 vs school

Male (2025)48th percentile-5 vs school

Homeless (2025)43rd percentile-10 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)41st percentile-12 vs school

Hispanic (2025)40th percentile-12 vs school

White (2025)36th percentile-17 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)9th percentile-38 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy44%-4 vs state

Mathematics38%~ state avg

Science23%-9 vs state

★

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Schools Near Lange (Dorothea) 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)				CSA Spanish Overall (2025)			CSA Spanish Listening (2025)			CSA Spanish Writing (2025)			CSA Spanish Reading (2025)			CAST Science (2025)		Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy (2025)					Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2025)					% Completely Immunized (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	CSA Spanish Overall 3rd Grade	CSA Spanish Overall 4th Grade	CSA Spanish Overall All Grades	CSA Spanish Listening 3rd Grade	CSA Spanish Listening 4th Grade	CSA Spanish Listening All Grades	CSA Spanish Writing 3rd Grade	CSA Spanish Writing 4th Grade	CSA Spanish Writing All Grades	CSA Spanish Reading 3rd Grade	CSA Spanish Reading 4th Grade	CSA Spanish Reading All Grades	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	% Hepatitis B KG	% Varicella KG	% DTP KG	% MMR KG	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Lange (Dorothea) Elementary	Public	K-6	1661 Via Alta Mesa	Nipomo	93444	San Luis Obispo County	Lucia Mar Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 474-3670	577	26	22.4	67.2%	209 (36.2%)	0 (0.0%)	340 (58.9%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (4.3%)	46.7	2781^st of 5857 public elementary schools	52.5%		41.3	3102^nd of 5869 public elementary schools	47.1%	321													23.5	23.5	49.4	44.7	40.2	43.9	44.4	54.3	40.0	23.5	38.3	38.3						$14,626	$11,834	$2,792
Dana Elementary	Public	K-6	920 West Tefft St.	Nipomo	93444	San Luis Obispo County	Lucia Mar Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 474-3790	612	31	19.9	77.1%	161 (26.3%)	1 (0.2%)	418 (68.3%)	4 (0.7%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	26 (4.2%)	29.7	3989^th of 5857 public elementary schools	31.9%		37.8	3318^th of 5869 public elementary schools	43.5%	671													14.0	14.0	37.8	33.8	30.4	35.3	34.1	43.2	26.1	22.6	27.7	29.6	98.0					$14,152	$11,334	$2,818
Nipomo Elementary	Public	K-6	190 East Price St.	Nipomo	93444	San Luis Obispo County	Lucia Mar Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 474-3780	436	22	19.9	83.7%	74 (17.0%)	2 (0.5%)	351 (80.5%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.4%)	25.1	4388^th of 5857 public elementary schools	25.1%		27.3	4170^th of 5869 public elementary schools	28.9%	218													24.1	24.1	13.0	21.6	35.6	41.9	29.4	21.7	17.7	28.1	21.3	22.3	95.4	96.9		96.9		$15,541	$12,676	$2,865
Bonita Elementary	Public	K-6	2715 West Main St.	Santa Maria	93458	Santa Barbara County	Santa Maria-Bonita	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 361-8290	535	30	18.1	97.8%	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	529 (98.9%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.4%)	11.3	5548^th of 5857 public elementary schools	5.3%		12.7	5504^th of 5869 public elementary schools	6.2%	44													4.3	4.3	14.3	11.1	14.3	27.0	16.7	19.5	13.9	11.4	18.9	16.0						$25,957	$24,212	$1,745
Mary Buren Elementary	Public	K-4	1050 Peralta St.	Guadalupe	93434	Santa Barbara County	Guadalupe Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 343-2411	738	39	18.9	90.1%	25 (3.4%)	1 (0.1%)	702 (95.1%)	3 (0.4%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	5 (0.7%)	10.9	5579^th of 5857 public elementary schools	4.7%		12.8	5495^th of 5869 public elementary schools	6.4%	84	12.8	7.5	10.1	51.3	20.0	35.4	18.0	20.0	19.0	7.7	5.0	6.3			19.8	20.6			20.2	17.9	12.3			14.8						$30,531	$27,332	$3,199
Ontiveros (Juan Pacifico) Elementary	Public	K-6	930 West Rancho Verde	Santa Maria	93458	Santa Barbara County	Santa Maria-Bonita	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 361-7680	869	35	24.8	94.2%	8 (0.9%)	1 (0.1%)	840 (96.7%)	10 (1.2%)	6 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.5%)	40.6	3177^th of 5857 public elementary schools	45.8%		44.8	2878^th of 5869 public elementary schools	51.0%	299													22.1	22.1	32.5	44.4	40.2	37.7	38.5	49.6	46.3	30.1	22.8	37.2						$21,512	$19,834	$1,678
Oakley (Calvin C.) Elementary	Public	K-6	1120 West Harding St.	Santa Maria	93458	Santa Barbara County	Santa Maria-Bonita	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 361-7620	849	40	21.0	95.9%	4 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	830 (97.8%)	11 (1.3%)	2 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.2%)	15	5261^st of 5857 public elementary schools	10.2%		14.8	5321^st of 5869 public elementary schools	9.3%	60													13.5	13.5	14.2	25.9	20.0	17.2	19.4	18.2	33.0	12.7	11.1	19.0	95.6			96.4		$22,073	$20,412	$1,661
Bruce (Robert) Elementary	Public	K-6	601 West Alvin Ave.	Santa Maria	93458	Santa Barbara County	Santa Maria-Bonita	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 361-6940	1,050	47	22.3	96.1%	10 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1,026 (97.7%)	4 (0.4%)	4 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (0.6%)	10.8	5583^rd of 5857 public elementary schools	4.7%		10.7	5651^st of 5869 public elementary schools	3.7%	68													8.6	8.6	12.0	17.1	26.3	11.9	16.5	17.6	20.5	14.2	6.7	14.6	98.1					$20,386	$18,294	$2,092
Fairlawn Elementary	Public	K-6	120 Mary Dr.	Santa Maria	93458	Santa Barbara County	Santa Maria-Bonita	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 361-7500	716	34	20.8	97.6%	4 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	705 (98.5%)	4 (0.6%)	3 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	14.9	5272^nd of 5857 public elementary schools	10.0%		18.4	4993^rd of 5869 public elementary schools	14.9%	279													11.8	11.8	21.1	22.2	16.8	29.7	22.4	16.5	18.9	14.7	18.5	17.1	96.5		97.4			$21,460	$19,810	$1,650
Taylor (Ida Redmond) Elementary	Public	K-6	1921 North Carlotti Dr.	Santa Maria	93454	Santa Barbara County	Santa Maria-Bonita	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 361-6250	849	45	19.0	85.7%	36 (4.2%)	2 (0.2%)	762 (89.8%)	33 (3.9%)	2 (0.2%)	2 (0.2%)	12 (1.4%)	17.3	5074^th of 5857 public elementary schools	13.4%		18.2	5009^th of 5869 public elementary schools	14.7%	65													12.4	12.4	17.2	26.3	20.7	30.3	24.3	19.0	21.6	10.7	24.1	19.0	98.3		98.3		98.3	$23,943	$21,272	$2,671

Frequently Asked Questions about Lange (Dorothea) Elementary

How many students attend Lange (Dorothea) Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 577 students attended Lange (Dorothea) Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Lange (Dorothea) Elementary?

Students at Lange (Dorothea) Elementary are 59% Hispanic, 36% White, 4% Two or more races.

What district is Lange (Dorothea) Elementary in?

Lucia Mar Unified

What schools do graduates of Lange (Dorothea) Elementary attend?

Students who attend Lange (Dorothea) Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Mesa Middle
High : Central Coast New Technical High
High : Nipomo High

Is Lange (Dorothea) Elementary a good school?

Lange (Dorothea) Elementary ranks 2781^st of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Rate Lange (Dorothea) Elementary!

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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.