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Prunedale Elementary

Public Grades K-6

4559^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,857 California Elementary Schools

Better than 22% of California elementary schools

Summary

Prunedale Elementary is a K-6 public school serving 644 students in Salinas, CA, operating within the North Monterey County Unified School District, which faces significant academic challenges across the region.

The school has a 1-star rating and ranks in the bottom quarter of California schools, with a notable decline in its statewide ranking over the past several years. Academically, it shows a mixed picture: while its math performance is stronger than the district average and outperforms nearby schools like Elkhorn Elementary and Echo Valley Elementary, its English Language Arts scores are lower. There is also a significant performance gap between female and male students, and extreme variability in math success between grade levels, with 5th graders doing very well while 4th and 6th graders struggle.

Prunedale serves a community with high economic need, and it demonstrates particular strengths in supporting English Language Learner students. However, chronic absenteeism, though improving, remains higher than the state average and is notably higher than at schools like La Joya Elementary or Santa Rita Elementary. The school's context is highlighted by the stark contrast with Lagunita Elementary, a nearby school with vastly different resources and outcomes, underscoring the varied educational landscape in the area.

644

Students ?

23.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$16,169

Per pupil spending ?

84%

Free/discounted lunch ?

17719 Pesante Rd.
Salinas, CA 93907-1508

(831) 663-3963

District: North Monterey County Unified

Students who attend Prunedale Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	North Monterey County Middle
High:	North Monterey County High

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

89.9%

White:

7.9%

Two or more races:

1.1%

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At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Rebounding — 17th percentile in 2022 → 22nd in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is rebounding — up to 22nd (2025) from a 17th-percentile low (2022)

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (25% vs 41% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (22nd percentile)

!English Language Arts/Literacy scores 23 pts below the California average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school25%

District avg22%

California avg41%

4,559^th of 5,857

California public elementary schools ?

Bottom 22%▼ down 9 pts since 2015

From bottom 31% (2015) to bottom 22% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 4Elementary Schools in the North Monterey County Unified

1332^nd of 1,543North Monterey County 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	23.3	4559 of 5857	22.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	24.5	4413 of 5869	24.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	20.7	4775 of 5859	18.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	20.0	4860 of 5883	17.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	34.8	3550 of 5789	38.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	29.1	3903 of 5662	31.1%	★★☆☆☆
2017	26.5	4119 of 5692	27.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	33.3	3519 of 5614	37.3%	★★☆☆☆
2015	28.2	3848 of 5611	31.4%	★★☆☆☆
2013	30.7	3989 of 5530	27.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	36.5	3493 of 5390	35.2%	★★☆☆☆
2011	31.6	3868 of 5377	28.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	24.5	4254 of 5314	19.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	22.2	4264 of 5193	17.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	22.8	4139 of 5113	19.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	35.9	3174 of 5113	37.9%	★★☆☆☆
2006	30.8	3255 of 4818	32.4%	★★☆☆☆
2005	30.4	3249 of 4822	32.6%	★★☆☆☆
2004	26.3	3465 of 4809	27.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2018	41.1	1006 of 2128	52.7%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	51.4	1107 of 3162	65.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	44.2	1530 of 3245	52.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	33.3	2334 of 3311	29.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	31.9	2346 of 3275	28.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	39.4	1793 of 3246	44.8%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	29.3	3897 of 5597	30.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	28.0	3978 of 5612	29.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	22.6	4458 of 5609	20.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	17.9	4893 of 5635	13.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	36.3	3327 of 5492	39.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	24.9	4182 of 5413	22.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	26.8	3984 of 5107	22.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	32.3	3552 of 5107	30.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	25.4	4072 of 5087	20.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	21.6	4391 of 5084	13.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	39.4	2995 of 4963	39.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	33.6	3296 of 4830	31.8%	★★☆☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	44.9	225 of 429	47.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	51.3	160 of 364	56.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	36.8	217 of 335	35.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	41.6	199 of 356	44.1%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	24.3	4414 of 5460	19.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	28.4	4109 of 5517	25.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	24.9	4308 of 5363	19.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	21.5	4529 of 5264	14.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	39.1	3192 of 5173	38.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	31.7	3647 of 5084	28.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	18.3	4849 of 5628	13.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	22.0	4537 of 5643	19.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	19.8	4733 of 5638	16.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	23.4	4391 of 5663	22.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	33.2	3523 of 5510	36.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	34.4	3377 of 5431	37.8%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	20.7	2544 of 2847	10.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	19.5	2418 of 2635	8.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	44.5	1065 of 2420	56.0%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	40.4	1681 of 2598	35.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	40.1	1739 of 2726	36.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	57.9	1283 of 2834	54.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	39.7	1829 of 2737	33.2%	★★☆☆☆

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)65th percentile+40 vs school

Disabled (2018)53rd percentile+22 vs school

Homeless (2025)48th percentile+25 vs school

White (2025)35th percentile+13 vs school

Female (2025)30th percentile+8 vs school

Hispanic (2025)22nd percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)19th percentile-3 vs school

Male (2025)14th percentile-8 vs school

Special Education (2025)11th percentile-12 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy25%-23 vs state

Mathematics25%-12 vs state

Science19%-14 vs state

★

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Schools Near Prunedale 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 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
Prunedale Elementary	Public	K-6	17719 Pesante Rd.	Salinas	93907	Monterey County	North Monterey County Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 663-3963	644	27	23.8	84.0%	51 (7.9%)	2 (0.3%)	579 (89.9%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.3%)	7 (1.1%)	23.3	4559^th of 5857 public elementary schools	22.2%		24.5	4413^th of 5869 public elementary schools	24.8%	146	18.7	18.7	27.6	19.8	25.6	29.8	25.4	28.6	13.5	46.2	13.1	25.3	94.9	96.9		96.9	96.9		$16,169	$2,003	$14,166
Elkhorn Elementary	Public	K-6	2235 Elkhorn Rd.	Castroville	95012	Monterey County	North Monterey County Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 633-2405	550	26	21.1	83.5%	41 (7.5%)	0 (0.0%)	494 (89.8%)	4 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (2.0%)	18.5	4968^th of 5857 public elementary schools	15.2%		16.7	5154^th of 5869 public elementary schools	12.2%	186	21.2	21.2	20.9	28.1	32.3	27.9	27.3	19.2	19.4	19.7	10.1	17.1	94.5	97.3		95.9	97.3	95.9	$19,297	$4,216	$15,081
Echo Valley Elementary	Public	K-6	147 Echo Valley Rd.	Salinas	93907	Monterey County	North Monterey County Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 663-2308	502	21	23.3	89.2%	17 (3.4%)	0 (0.0%)	473 (94.2%)	9 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.6%)	14.4	5317^th of 5857 public elementary schools	9.2%		15.6	5254^th of 5869 public elementary schools	10.5%	63	19.7	19.7	18.4	20.0	26.2	22.4	21.6	16.9	19.1	13.1	13.9	15.7	93.1	95.4			96.6		$16,324	$1,972	$14,352
Lagunita Elementary	Public	K-6	975 San Juan Grade Rd.	Salinas	93907	Monterey County	Lagunita Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 449-2800	62	5	12.4	9.7%	28 (45.2%)	0 (0.0%)	31 (50.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (4.8%)								(n/a)			41.7				50.0	58.3				53.1							$17,784	$694	$17,090
La Joya Elementary	Public	K-5	55 Rogge Rd.	Salinas	93906	Monterey County	Santa Rita Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 443-7216	498	22	22.6	88.8%	28 (5.6%)	4 (0.8%)	459 (92.2%)	2 (0.4%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.8%)	22.3	4646^th of 5857 public elementary schools	20.7%		21.5	4716^th of 5869 public elementary schools	19.6%	70	11.8	11.8	24.4	27.9	43.4		31.7	30.4	22.1	15.8		22.8							$20,965	$2,253	$18,712
Santa Rita Elementary	Public	K-5	2014 Santa Rita St.	Salinas	93906	Monterey County	Santa Rita Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 443-7221	545	24	22.7	97.2%	4 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	540 (99.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	7.1	5777^th of 5857 public elementary schools	1.4%		8	5770^th of 5869 public elementary schools	1.7%	7	7.2	7.2	9.5	6.8	15.5		10.9	14.7	5.3	9.3		10.1	95.2	98.1		96.1	97.1	98.1	$20,692	$3,087	$17,605
McKinnon	Public	K-5	2100 McKinnon	Salinas	93906	Monterey County	Santa Rita Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 443-7224	439	21	20.9	85.4%	12 (2.7%)	0 (0.0%)	407 (92.7%)	14 (3.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	5 (1.1%)	22.4	4644^th of 5857 public elementary schools	20.7%		16	5211^th of 5869 public elementary schools	11.2%	567	21.0	21.0	21.3	28.6	39.3		29.7	34.4	14.1	16.1		21.1							$20,710	$2,323	$18,387
Castroville Elementary	Public	K-6	11161 Merritt St.	Castroville	95012	Monterey County	North Monterey County Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 633-2570	600	24	25.0	90.5%	13 (2.2%)	1 (0.2%)	579 (96.5%)	5 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	31.7	3822^nd of 5857 public elementary schools	34.7%		16.8	5144^th of 5869 public elementary schools	12.4%	1322	25.3	25.3	13.2	27.2	41.8	45.9	32.7	31.2	24.4	30.8	27.9	28.6	96.9			96.9			$14,876	$2,121	$12,755
New Republic Elementary	Public	K-5	636 Arcadia Way	Salinas	93906	Monterey County	Santa Rita Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 443-7246	482	23	20.9	78.6%	26 (5.4%)	3 (0.6%)	400 (83.0%)	38 (7.9%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (2.9%)	30.6	3909^th of 5857 public elementary schools	33.3%		33.1	3673^rd of 5869 public elementary schools	37.4%	236	31.7	31.7	19.1	28.2	47.4		31.0	14.3	27.9	36.7		26.1	95.4	97.3	97.3	97.3	96.3	98.2	$20,270	$2,052	$18,218
Oasis Charter Public	Public, Charter	K-6	1135 Westridge Pkwy.	Salinas	93907	Monterey County	Oasis Charter Public District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 424-9003	193	9	22.0	54.4%	16 (8.3%)	1 (0.5%)	159 (82.4%)	7 (3.6%)	1 (0.5%)	1 (0.5%)	8 (4.1%)	10.7	5591^st of 5857 public elementary schools	4.5%		11.4	5592^nd of 5869 public elementary schools	4.7%	1	11.8	11.8	8.0	12.0	17.7	39.1	18.9	8.0	12.0	5.9	4.4	7.8							$28,501	$2,729	$25,772

Frequently Asked Questions about Prunedale Elementary

What schools do graduates of Prunedale Elementary attend?

Students who attend Prunedale Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : North Monterey County Middle
High : North Monterey County High

What district is Prunedale Elementary in?

North Monterey County Unified

What is the racial makeup of Prunedale Elementary?

Students at Prunedale Elementary are 90% Hispanic, 8% White, 1% Two or more races.

Is Prunedale Elementary a good school?

Prunedale Elementary ranks in the bottom 22.2% of California elementary schools.

How many students attend Prunedale Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 644 students attended Prunedale Elementary.

Rate Prunedale 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.