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Ocotillo Elementary

Q: Is Ocotillo Elementary a good school?

Ocotillo Elementary ranks 4234 th of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

Public Grades K-5

4234^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,857 California Elementary Schools

Better than 28% of California elementary schools

Summary

Ocotillo Elementary is a public K-5 school serving 588 students in the Palmdale Elementary district, operating in a high-need community where about 80% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.

While the school's overall state ranking has declined over the past decade, it shows important strengths compared to other schools in its own district, particularly in mathematics where its proficiency rate is notably higher than the district average. The school also demonstrates relative effectiveness in supporting its special education students and has a lower chronic absenteeism rate than several nearby schools like Yucca Elementary and Summerwind Elementary. However, a concerning internal pattern is a dramatic drop in math proficiency between 4th and 5th grade, suggesting a specific challenge in upper-grade instruction or curriculum alignment.

The broader context reveals a significant performance gap between the Palmdale Elementary district and the neighboring Westside Union Elementary district, where schools like Cottonwood Elementary achieve much higher academic results with lower per-student spending. This indicates that Ocotillo's challenges are partly tied to district-wide factors. Despite spending more per student than many area schools, Ocotillo maintains a high student-teacher ratio, pointing to questions about how resources are allocated to directly impact classroom learning and reverse the school's academic trends.

588

Students ?

26.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$19,156

Per pupil spending ?

79.1%

Free/discounted lunch ?

38737 Ocotillo School Dr.
Palmdale, CA 93551

(661) 947-9987

District: Palmdale Elementary

Students who attend Ocotillo Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	David G. Millen Law and Government Magnet Academy
High:	Highland High

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

70.9%

African American:

16.7%

White:

6.3%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Ocotillo Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 55th percentile in 2013 → 28th in 2025

Strengths

✓Among the top-ranked schools in Palmdale Elementary

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (28% vs 41% meeting standards)

!Ranking has slipped — down 27 percentile points since 2013

!Science scores 18 pts below the California average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school28%

District avg23%

California avg41%

4,234^th of 5,857

California public elementary schools ?

Bottom 28%▼ down 24 pts since 2015

From top 48% (2015) to bottom 28% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

4^th of 20Elementary Schools in the Palmdale Elementary

1309^th of 1,543Palmdale 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	26.9	4234 of 5857	27.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	32.9	3694 of 5869	37.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	34.8	3509 of 5859	40.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	31.1	3784 of 5883	35.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	37.3	3363 of 5789	41.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	26.8	4099 of 5662	27.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	37.6	3268 of 5692	42.6%	★★☆☆☆
2016	48.4	2576 of 5614	54.1%	★★★☆☆
2015	45.7	2702 of 5611	51.8%	★★★☆☆
2013	53.3	2493 of 5530	54.9%	★★★☆☆
2012	56.0	2272 of 5390	57.8%	★★★☆☆
2011	54.0	2360 of 5377	56.1%	★★★☆☆
2010	61.0	1922 of 5314	63.8%	★★★☆☆
2009	57.0	2078 of 5193	60.0%	★★★☆☆
2008	56.0	2053 of 5113	59.8%	★★★☆☆
2007	50.6	2297 of 5113	55.1%	★★★☆☆
2006	40.3	2708 of 4818	43.8%	★★☆☆☆
2005	46.1	2386 of 4822	50.5%	★★★☆☆
2004	45.1	2405 of 4809	50.0%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	40.7	305 of 569	46.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	30.5	412 of 593	30.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	48.5	287 of 661	56.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	55.0	219 of 663	67.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	66.2	189 of 747	74.7%	★★★★☆
2018	54.6	258 of 700	63.1%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	31.3	1429 of 2227	35.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	35.8	1490 of 2585	42.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	36.0	1181 of 2128	44.5%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2023	45.1	1475 of 3245	54.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	54.3	987 of 3311	70.2%	★★★★☆
2019	45.8	1458 of 3275	55.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	33.7	2144 of 3246	33.9%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	25.9	4176 of 5597	25.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	40.2	3055 of 5612	45.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	33.8	3430 of 5609	38.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	34.8	3342 of 5635	40.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	34.3	3472 of 5492	36.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	24.8	4185 of 5413	22.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	38.6	3126 of 5107	38.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	53.8	2016 of 5107	60.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	54.6	1969 of 5087	61.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	44.2	2583 of 5084	49.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	47.7	2437 of 4963	50.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	37.3	3064 of 4830	36.6%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	32.9	3756 of 5460	31.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	42.5	2944 of 5517	46.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	41.1	2980 of 5363	44.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	39.6	3042 of 5264	42.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	48.9	2480 of 5173	52.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	33.3	3534 of 5084	30.5%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	28.6	3968 of 5628	29.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	26.9	4093 of 5643	27.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	36.1	3325 of 5638	41.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	27.5	3999 of 5663	29.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	40.6	3001 of 5510	45.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	30.0	3703 of 5431	31.8%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	43.1	1321 of 2847	53.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	42.0	1236 of 2635	53.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	37.3	1315 of 2420	45.7%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2019	45.8	1679 of 2834	40.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	17.4	2390 of 2737	12.7%	★☆☆☆☆

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 (2023)55th percentile+14 vs school

Special Education (2025)54th percentile+26 vs school

African American (2025)46th percentile+19 vs school

White (2019)41st percentile~ school

Hispanic (2025)39th percentile+11 vs school

Disabled (2022)36th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)31st percentile+3 vs school

Male (2025)29th percentile~ school

Female (2025)25th percentile~ school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy32%-16 vs state

Mathematics28%-9 vs state

Science14%-18 vs state

★

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Schools Near Ocotillo Elementary

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)	% 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	CSA Spanish Overall 3rd Grade	CSA Spanish Overall 4th Grade	CSA Spanish Overall 5th Grade	CSA Spanish Overall 6th Grade	CSA Spanish Overall 7th Grade	CSA Spanish Overall 8th Grade	CSA Spanish Overall All Grades	CSA Spanish Listening 3rd Grade	CSA Spanish Listening 4th Grade	CSA Spanish Listening 5th Grade	CSA Spanish Listening 6th Grade	CSA Spanish Listening 7th Grade	CSA Spanish Listening 8th Grade	CSA Spanish Listening All Grades	CSA Spanish Writing 3rd Grade	CSA Spanish Writing 4th Grade	CSA Spanish Writing 5th Grade	CSA Spanish Writing 6th Grade	CSA Spanish Writing 7th Grade	CSA Spanish Writing 8th Grade	CSA Spanish Writing All Grades	CSA Spanish Reading 3rd Grade	CSA Spanish Reading 4th Grade	CSA Spanish Reading 5th Grade	CSA Spanish Reading 6th Grade	CSA Spanish Reading 7th Grade	CSA Spanish Reading 8th Grade	CSA Spanish Reading All Grades	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
Ocotillo Elementary	Public	K-5	38737 Ocotillo School Dr.	Palmdale	93551	Los Angeles County	Palmdale Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 947-9987	588	22	26.8	79.1%	37 (6.3%)	98 (16.7%)	417 (70.9%)	11 (1.9%)	3 (0.5%)	3 (0.5%)	19 (3.2%)	26.9	4234^th of 5857 public elementary schools	27.7%		32.9	3694^th of 5869 public elementary schools	37.1%	540																													14.3		14.3	36.6	33.9	26.5				32.3	32.3	37.8	12.2				27.8	95.7			95.7		95.7	$19,156	$2,794	$16,362
Dos Caminos Dual Immersion	Public	K-8	39066 Palm Tree Way	Palmdale	93551	Los Angeles County	Palmdale Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 947-1849	945	38	24.5	74.5%	27 (2.9%)	38 (4.0%)	861 (91.1%)	2 (0.2%)	6 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (1.2%)	23.8	4523^rd of 5857 public elementary schools	22.8%		31.3	3823^rd of 5869 public elementary schools	34.9%	700	3.8	4.1	0.0	1.1	4.6	8.9	4.0	31.4	11.3	15.2	9.0	15.6	15.2	16.6	10.5	16.5	1.1	7.9	16.5	11.6	10.9	1.9	4.1	0.0	1.1	2.8	12.5	4.0	12.0	16.3	14.4	33.3	30.9	37.0	34.3	33.9	40.7	35.2	33.3	21.7	15.2	14.7	22.1	10.6	19.5							$17,236	$2,520	$14,716
Palmdale Discovery Center	Public	K-8	39174 Palm Tree Way	Palmdale	93551	Los Angeles County	Palmdale Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 947-0181	246	22	11.1	77.6%	9 (3.7%)	39 (15.9%)	182 (74.0%)	10 (4.1%)	2 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.6%)								(n/a)																																																				$23,516	$2,374	$21,142
Summerwind Elementary	Public	K-5	39360 Summerwind Dr.	Palmdale	93551	Los Angeles County	Palmdale Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 947-3863	569	22	26.4	81.5%	26 (4.6%)	129 (22.7%)	376 (66.1%)	17 (3.0%)	3 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (3.2%)	13.8	5361^st of 5857 public elementary schools	8.5%		11.7	5569^th of 5869 public elementary schools	5.1%	208																													15.5		15.5	13.4	20.3	28.1				20.6	11.5	17.1	18.8				15.9	94.9	96.2	97.5	96.2	94.9	96.2	$19,611	$2,900	$16,711
Cottonwood Elementary	Public	K-6	2740 West Ave. P-8	Palmdale	93551	Los Angeles County	Westside Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 267-2825	652	24	27.1	55.1%	105 (16.1%)	72 (11.0%)	381 (58.4%)	35 (5.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	58 (8.9%)	78.5	1219^th of 5857 public elementary schools	79.2%		71.8	1506^th of 5869 public elementary schools	74.3%	287																													42.1		42.1	72.4	64.9	63.2	62.8			65.8	79.1	54.3	36.8	57.1			56.3							$13,546	$1,152	$12,394
Yucca Elementary	Public	K-5	38440 Second St. East	Palmdale	93550	Los Angeles County	Palmdale Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 273-5052	495	19	25.7	96.2%	18 (3.6%)	117 (23.6%)	332 (67.1%)	4 (0.8%)	7 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (3.4%)	9.6	5654^th of 5857 public elementary schools	3.5%		7.4	5798^th of 5869 public elementary schools	1.2%	144																													11.7		11.7	10.7	18.0	21.6				16.7	13.0	12.7	9.1				11.6							$19,824	$2,845	$16,979
Palmdale Learning Plaza	Public	K-8	38043 Division St.	Palmdale	93551	Los Angeles County	Palmdale Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 538-9034	800	36	22.2	72.3%	56 (7.0%)	96 (12.0%)	593 (74.1%)	12 (1.5%)	6 (0.8%)	4 (0.5%)	33 (4.1%)	44.9	2895^th of 5857 public elementary schools	50.6%		41.6	3094^th of 5869 public elementary schools	47.3%	199																													32.2	23.5	28.0	37.9	35.8	56.7	51.7	67.8	55.3	50.7	44.8	34.7	35.6	12.1	37.9	28.2	32.2							$18,910	$2,600	$16,310
Palm Tree Elementary	Public	K-5	326 East Avenue R	Palmdale	93550	Los Angeles County	Palmdale Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 265-9357	564	22	25.9	91.1%	15 (2.7%)	86 (15.2%)	435 (77.1%)	6 (1.1%)	3 (0.5%)	4 (0.7%)	15 (2.7%)	21.9	4679^th of 5857 public elementary schools	20.1%		24.5	4415^th of 5869 public elementary schools	24.8%	264																													18.9		18.9	29.1	27.5	32.2				29.5	27.9	18.3	22.2				22.5	95.0				95.9		$21,229	$3,120	$18,109
Anaverde Hills	Public	K-6	2902 Greenbrier St.	Palmdale	93551	Los Angeles County	Westside Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 575-9923	517	22	23.4	54.9%	51 (9.9%)	73 (14.1%)	322 (62.3%)	38 (7.4%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	32 (6.2%)	38.5	3310^th of 5857 public elementary schools	43.5%		31.4	3819^th of 5869 public elementary schools	34.9%	509																													33.3		33.3	39.1	45.2	56.9	32.8			43.9	11.6	39.7	26.4	12.3			22.9	96.4				96.4		$14,961	$1,283	$13,678
Tumbleweed Elementary	Public	K-5	1100 East Avenue R-4	Palmdale	93550	Los Angeles County	Palmdale Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 273-4166	502	21	24.3	95.0%	8 (1.6%)	35 (7.0%)	447 (89.0%)	3 (0.6%)	2 (0.4%)	2 (0.4%)	5 (1.0%)	16.9	5111^th of 5857 public elementary schools	12.7%		23.8	4487^th of 5869 public elementary schools	23.5%	624	17.1	14.7	1.6				11.7	38.2	19.1	12.9				24.3	26.3	32.4	6.5				22.3	11.8	11.8	1.6				8.7	9.7		9.7	29.0	30.8	29.0				29.6	19.7	19.1	8.1				16.0	95.3		97.2	98.1	96.2	98.1	$18,180	$2,722	$15,458

Frequently Asked Questions about Ocotillo Elementary

What schools do graduates of Ocotillo Elementary attend?

Students who attend Ocotillo Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : David G. Millen Law and Government Magnet Academy
High : Highland High

Is Ocotillo Elementary a good school?

Ocotillo Elementary ranks 4234^th of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Ocotillo Elementary?

Students at Ocotillo Elementary are 71% Hispanic, 17% African American, 6% White, 3% Two or more races, 2% Asian.

What district is Ocotillo Elementary in?

Palmdale Elementary

How many students attend Ocotillo Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 588 students attended Ocotillo Elementary.

Rate Ocotillo 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.