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Handy Elementary

Q: Is Handy Elementary a good school?

Handy Elementary ranks 3268 th of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-6

3268^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,857 California Elementary Schools

Better than 44% of California elementary schools

Summary

Handy Elementary is a K-6 public school serving 377 students in the Orange Unified School District, located in a community where over 90% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.

Academically, the school's overall test scores place it in the lower-middle tier statewide, but it shows relative strength in supporting Hispanic students and students from low-income families. However, it faces significant challenges, with notably low proficiency in science and a recent, sharp decline in performance for English Language Learners. The school's performance has been somewhat volatile over the years, and it spends more per student ($17,402) than all other nearby Orange Unified schools, including higher-performing ones like Villa Park Elementary and McPherson Magnet.

Handy Elementary's standout strength is its exceptionally low chronic absenteeism rate of 7.5%, which is less than half the district and state averages and far better than nearby schools with similar demographics like Esplanade Elementary and Prospect Elementary. This success in getting students to school regularly is a significant positive, suggesting effective family engagement. For parents, the school represents a community with strong attendance but mixed academic results, where higher per-student investment has not yet translated to superior outcomes compared to neighboring schools.

377

Students ?

23.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$17,402

Per pupil spending ?

90.5%

Free/discounted lunch ?

860 North Handy St.
Orange, CA 92867-7243

(714) 997-6183

District: Orange Unified

Students who attend Handy Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Yorba Middle
High:	Orange High

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

89.9%

White:

5.6%

Asian:

1.9%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Handy Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 36th percentile in 2013 → 44th in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 8 percentile points since 2013

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (35% vs 41% meeting standards)

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

!Near the bottom of Orange Unified's ranking

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school35%

District avg50%

California avg41%

3,268^th of 5,857

California public elementary schools ?

Bottom 44%▲ up 4 pts since 2015

From bottom 40% (2015) to bottom 44% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

22^nd of 27Elementary Schools in the Orange Unified

483^rd of 1,543Orange 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	39.3	3268 of 5857	44.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	38.5	3270 of 5869	44.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	34.2	3552 of 5859	39.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	25.5	4295 of 5883	27.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	46.1	2814 of 5789	51.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	50.9	2524 of 5662	55.4%	★★★☆☆
2017	47.3	2695 of 5692	52.7%	★★★☆☆
2016	49.7	2505 of 5614	55.4%	★★★☆☆
2015	34.4	3368 of 5611	40.0%	★★☆☆☆
2013	37.2	3516 of 5530	36.4%	★★☆☆☆
2012	51.1	2550 of 5390	52.7%	★★★☆☆
2011	34.4	3659 of 5377	32.0%	★★☆☆☆
2010	23.0	4375 of 5314	17.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	24.2	4123 of 5193	20.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	22.7	4147 of 5113	18.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	16.7	4527 of 5113	11.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	12.9	4482 of 4818	7.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2005	12.4	4492 of 4822	6.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2004	18.4	4083 of 4809	15.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	37.5	1182 of 2227	46.9%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	29.7	2574 of 3162	18.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	28.0	2669 of 3245	17.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	42.6	1637 of 3311	50.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	47.4	1373 of 3275	58.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	51.0	1207 of 3246	62.8%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	39.3	3146 of 5597	43.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	39.0	3144 of 5612	44.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	36.2	3279 of 5609	41.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	28.0	3931 of 5635	30.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	44.9	2813 of 5492	48.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	54.6	2251 of 5413	58.4%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	51.4	2185 of 5107	57.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	51.1	2197 of 5107	57.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	48.4	2333 of 5087	54.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	35.3	3268 of 5084	35.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	61.1	1623 of 4963	67.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	66.8	1298 of 4830	73.1%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	50.6	2393 of 5460	56.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	49.3	2433 of 5517	55.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	47.5	2534 of 5363	52.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	35.7	3362 of 5264	36.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	62.7	1586 of 5173	69.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	69.9	1192 of 5084	76.6%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	40.6	3072 of 5628	45.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	38.6	3169 of 5643	43.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	33.0	3532 of 5638	37.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	24.9	4245 of 5663	25.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	46.7	2628 of 5510	52.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	46.8	2641 of 5431	51.4%	★★★☆☆

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)57th percentile+13 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)56th percentile+12 vs school

Disabled (2022)47th percentile+20 vs school

Male (2025)45th percentile~ school

Female (2025)44th percentile~ school

English Language Learner (2024)19th percentile-26 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy40%-8 vs state

Mathematics32%-5 vs state

Science24%-9 vs state

1.0

1 rating · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a parent
Thursday, August 19, 2010

My son has gone to a private school since preschool and unfortunately had to finish the last 6 weeks of 5th grade at this school since it is closest to our home. What a mistake. We are used to a very mixed/diverse enviornment and this school was not it. My son was antagonized every day and ate lunch by himself. When I mentioned it to the principal she laughed it off. I called and left messages for his teacher to call me on several occasions with no response. This school does NOT care about it's students or parent participation. My son lost his father in Oct. 2009 and the heartache continued with this school treating him the way it did. I am in no way a racist but it is not right for a school to be so dominated that any other race is cast off and/or antagonized for NO reason. He should have been more protected by the staff! Close Quote

Schools Near Handy 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)	% 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	% Varicella KG	% DTP KG	% MMR KG	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Handy Elementary	Public	K-6	860 North Handy St.	Orange	92867	Orange County	Orange Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(714) 997-6183	377	16	23.8	90.5%	21 (5.6%)	2 (0.5%)	339 (89.9%)	7 (1.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (1.9%)	39.3	3268^th of 5857 public elementary schools	44.2%		38.5	3270^th of 5869 public elementary schools	44.3%	2	24.1		24.1	33.3	37.5	47.4	41.9			40.5	36.5	21.4	31.0	37.1			32.2						$17,402	$1,597	$15,805
California iInspire Academy	Public	K-6	1080 North California St.	Orange	92867	Orange County	Orange Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(714) 997-6104	699	25	27.9	83.1%	23 (3.3%)	4 (0.6%)	649 (92.8%)	7 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (2.1%)	44.7	2907^th of 5857 public elementary schools	50.4%		42.9	3001^st of 5869 public elementary schools	48.9%	94	23.1		23.1	25.0	50.5	44.4	53.0			44.0	27.5	43.8	30.8	37.0			35.3						$15,498	$1,443	$14,055
Prospect Elementary	Public	K-6	379 North Virage St.	Orange	92869	Orange County	Orange Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(714) 997-6271	332	14	23.0	79.8%	29 (8.7%)	1 (0.3%)	264 (79.5%)	20 (6.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	17 (5.1%)	40.4	3189^th of 5857 public elementary schools	45.6%		43.9	2927^th of 5869 public elementary schools	50.1%	262	24.4		24.4	41.7	42.1	55.0	35.4			43.1	37.5	36.8	26.8	25.0			31.4	93.3	93.3	93.3	93.3	93.3	$16,452	$1,529	$14,923
Tomorrow's Leadership Collaborative (TLC) Charter	Public, Charter	K-6	1130 East Walnut Ave.	Orange	92867	Orange County	Tomorrow's Leadership Collaborative (TLC) Charter District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(657) 284-5228	192	9	21.3	70.8%	21 (10.9%)	5 (2.6%)	155 (80.7%)	7 (3.6%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.0%)	2 (1.0%)	17.2	5079^th of 5857 public elementary schools	13.3%		28.8	4043^rd of 5869 public elementary schools	31.1%	1036	15.8		15.8	26.1	30.8	26.3				27.0	21.7	25.0	5.6				14.5	89.1	93.8		90.6	93.8	$20,902	$1,267	$19,635
Villa Park Elementary	Public	K-6	10551 Center Dr.	Villa Park	92861	Orange County	Orange Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(714) 997-6281	604	21	29.2	32.6%	296 (49.0%)	0 (0.0%)	169 (28.0%)	74 (12.3%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	63 (10.4%)	89.2	704^th of 5857 public elementary schools	88.0%		92.5	531^st of 5869 public elementary schools	91.0%	173	46.2		46.2	67.4	74.7	78.5	67.1			71.6	84.3	71.6	53.9	62.7			69.3						$15,247	$1,182	$14,065
Cambridge Elementary	Public	K-6	425 North Cambridge	Orange	92866	Orange County	Orange Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(714) 997-6103	415	18	22.5	85.5%	30 (7.2%)	6 (1.4%)	365 (88.0%)	3 (0.7%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (2.4%)	16	5183^rd of 5857 public elementary schools	11.5%		24.7	4399^th of 5869 public elementary schools	25.0%	784	12.5		12.5	29.2	13.2	21.8	34.9			24.5	26.2	9.4	8.9	18.6			16.1	95.5					$16,327	$1,942	$14,385
Esplanade Elementary	Public	K-6	381 North Esplanade St.	Orange	92869	Orange County	Orange Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(714) 997-6157	288	13	21.7	94.8%	10 (3.5%)	1 (0.3%)	256 (88.9%)	13 (4.5%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (2.4%)	28.4	4103^rd of 5857 public elementary schools	29.9%		23.9	4473^rd of 5869 public elementary schools	23.8%	370	9.5		9.5	27.3	58.8	24.4	33.3			35.4	42.9	34.3	11.9	17.1			25.5						$17,187	$1,536	$15,651
Palmyra GATE Magnet	Public	K-6	1325 East Palmyra Ave.	Orange	92866	Orange County	Orange Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(714) 997-6207	429	19	22.1	77.4%	49 (11.4%)	9 (2.1%)	324 (75.5%)	25 (5.8%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (4.4%)	59.3	2097^th of 5857 public elementary schools	64.2%		65.5	1792^nd of 5869 public elementary schools	69.5%	305	36.8		36.8	46.0	60.7	47.4	62.5			54.0	44.2	52.6	28.1	38.0			40.7	92.2	96.1	96.1	96.1	96.1	$15,818	$1,388	$14,430
McPherson Magnet	Public	K-8	333 South Prospect St.	Orange	92869	Orange County	Orange Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(714) 997-6384	863	34	25.7	42.1%	218 (25.3%)	7 (0.8%)	460 (53.3%)	103 (11.9%)	2 (0.2%)	3 (0.3%)	70 (8.1%)	88	780^th of 5857 public elementary schools	86.7%		87.7	828^th of 5869 public elementary schools	85.9%	48	60.0	42.5	51.7	72.7	78.4	86.3	75.9	64.2	66.7	74.2	67.1	72.2	48.4	46.3	51.6	51.7	56.0						$15,597	$1,182	$14,415
Serrano Elementary	Public	K-6	17741 Serrano Ave.	Villa Park	92861	Orange County	Orange Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(714) 997-6275	524	21	24.8	40.1%	201 (38.4%)	7 (1.3%)	189 (36.1%)	59 (11.3%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.4%)	66 (12.6%)	69.3	1636^th of 5857 public elementary schools	72.1%		66.9	1737^th of 5869 public elementary schools	70.4%	101	52.6		52.6	43.7	56.0	63.2	63.2			56.7	46.5	61.3	43.4	37.2			47.0	96.3					$15,485	$1,182	$14,303

Frequently Asked Questions about Handy Elementary

How many students attend Handy Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 377 students attended Handy Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Handy Elementary?

Students at Handy Elementary are 90% Hispanic, 6% White, 2% Asian, 2% Two or more races.

What district is Handy Elementary in?

Orange Unified

What schools do graduates of Handy Elementary attend?

Students who attend Handy Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Yorba Middle
High : Orange High

Is Handy Elementary a good school?

Handy Elementary ranks 3268^th of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Rate Handy 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.