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Joshua Hills Elementary

Public Grades K-5

4782^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,817 California Elementary Schools

Better than 18% of California elementary schools

Summary

Joshua Hills Elementary serves 581 students in kindergarten through grade 5 in Palmdale, within the Palmdale Elementary district. Its test results have improved, but the central concern is that in 2025–26 proficiency remained below the state average in all three tested subjects: 29% in English language arts (ELA), 21% in math and 19% in science.

Compared with the state, the school was 20 percentage points lower in ELA, 18 lower in math and 17 lower in science. It was closer to district results: 4 points below in ELA, essentially level in math and 1 point below in science. Against nearby schools with comparable results, science was its strongest subject: its 19% proficiency was about 1 point below the peer average, versus 2 points below in ELA and 5 below in math. Results also vary sharply by grade: grade 3 had the lowest results among five nearby K–5 schools in both ELA and math, while grade 4 ranked second in both subjects.

Results have risen since 2022–23: ELA increased by 9 points, math by 9 and science by 7, though science’s gap with the state narrowed by less than 1 point. SchoolDigger ranked the school at the 18th percentile with 1 star in 2025–26, up 12 percentile points from 2023–24. Its Special Education Students ranking also improved notably, reaching the 37th percentile, compared with 18th overall. The student-teacher ratio was 24.4 in 2024–25, among the lower ratios in the nearby group. As context, 92% of students were free/reduced lunch eligible in 2024–25, the highest reported rate among nearby schools with that same measure; this is the school’s eligibility measure, not the share receiving free meals.

581

Students ?

24.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$21,515

Per pupil spending ?

92.3%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

All students in California receive free school meals.

≥ 99%

Kindergartners with all required immunizations (2024-25)

3030 Fairfield
Palmdale, CA 93550-8300

(661) 265-9992

District: Palmdale Elementary

Students who attend Joshua Hills Elementary usually attend:

High:

Palmdale High

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

81.6%

African American:

12.7%

White:

2.2%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Joshua Hills Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Rebounding — 6th percentile in 2024 → 18th in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is rebounding — up to 18th (2026) from a 6th-percentile low (2024)

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (24% vs 42% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (18th percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (26% vs 18% California)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school24%

District avg26%

California avg42%

4,782^nd of 5,817

California public elementary schools ?

Bottom 18%▼ down 9 pts since 2016

From bottom 26% (2016) to bottom 18% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

13^th of 20Elementary Schools in the Palmdale Elementary

1212^th of 1,530Palmdale 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
2026	20.3	4782 of 5817	17.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	14.9	5267 of 5857	10.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	12.2	5537 of 5869	5.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	12.6	5501 of 5859	6.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	17.1	5146 of 5883	12.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	16.1	5155 of 5789	11.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	17.4	4904 of 5662	13.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	21.0	4590 of 5692	19.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	25.5	4134 of 5614	26.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	24.7	4157 of 5611	25.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	23.5	4499 of 5530	18.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	27.5	4135 of 5390	23.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	24.7	4356 of 5377	19.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	28.5	3964 of 5314	25.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	37.8	3193 of 5193	38.5%	★★☆☆☆
2008	25.6	3920 of 5113	23.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	28.7	3660 of 5113	28.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	24.8	3666 of 4818	23.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	26.4	3522 of 4822	27.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	25.2	3544 of 4809	26.3%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	18.4	517 of 569	9.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	18.8	543 of 593	8.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	34.3	408 of 661	38.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	48.8	274 of 663	58.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	31.0	534 of 747	28.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	44.7	346 of 700	50.6%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	19.2	2043 of 2227	8.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	20.8	2309 of 2585	10.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	20.6	1946 of 2128	8.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	33.0	2337 of 3162	26.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	31.5	2424 of 3245	25.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	43.7	1555 of 3311	53.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	25.7	2812 of 3275	14.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	19.2	3097 of 3246	4.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	23.2	4404 of 5581	21.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	17.1	4930 of 5597	11.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	17.6	4916 of 5612	12.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	14.6	5169 of 5609	7.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	17.6	4927 of 5635	12.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	21.0	4538 of 5492	17.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	20.8	4467 of 5413	17.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	30.1	3729 of 5094	26.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	22.3	4289 of 5107	16.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	18.6	4547 of 5107	11.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	17.9	4611 of 5087	9.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	27.0	3949 of 5084	22.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	24.1	4102 of 4963	17.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	24.2	3963 of 4830	18.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	25.9	4270 of 5423	21.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	20.0	4725 of 5460	13.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	15.5	5112 of 5517	7.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	16.1	4957 of 5363	7.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	23.8	4349 of 5264	17.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	20.0	4565 of 5173	11.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	22.1	4324 of 5084	14.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	18.9	4785 of 5603	14.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	14.1	5189 of 5628	7.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	9.5	5523 of 5643	2.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	12.1	5364 of 5638	4.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	18.0	4926 of 5663	13.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	14.9	5060 of 5510	8.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	16.7	4841 of 5431	10.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	34.2	1834 of 2927	37.3%	★★☆☆☆
2025	20.6	2551 of 2847	10.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	22.1	2283 of 2635	13.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	17.9	2334 of 2420	3.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

Special Education (2026)37th percentile+20 vs school

Hispanic (2026)27th percentile+9 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)26th percentile+20 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)21st percentile+3 vs school

Female (2026)21st percentile+3 vs school

Male (2026)15th percentile-3 vs school

African American (2025)9th percentile~ school

Disabled (2022)8th percentile-4 vs school

By subject vs California (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy29%-20 vs state

Mathematics21%-18 vs state

Science19%-17 vs state

★

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Schools Near Joshua Hills 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 Vaccination Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				CAST Science (2026)			Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy (2026)							Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2026)							Vaccination (2024-25)		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/reduced lunch (2024-25)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	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	Vaccination: Kindergartners with all required immunizations	Vaccination: Exemption rate	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Joshua Hills Elementary	Public	K-5	3030 Fairfield	Palmdale	93550	Los Angeles County	Palmdale Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 265-9992	581	24	24.4	92.3%	13 (2.2%)	74 (12.7%)	474 (81.6%)	7 (1.2%)	4 (0.7%)	2 (0.3%)	7 (1.2%)	20.3	4782^nd of 5817 public elementary schools	17.8%		14.9	5267^th of 5857 public elementary schools	10.1%	485	18.7		18.7	17.7	32.3	37.1				29.2	17.7	24.7	18.9				20.5	≥ 99%		$21,515	$1,283	$20,232
Barrel Springs Elementary	Public	K-5	3636 Ponderosa Way	Palmdale	93550	Los Angeles County	Palmdale Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 285-9270	627	24	25.7	77.4%	37 (5.9%)	84 (13.4%)	478 (76.2%)	7 (1.1%)	5 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (2.6%)	43.9	2994^th of 5817 public elementary schools	48.5%		47.1	2752^nd of 5857 public elementary schools	53.0%	242	26.4		26.4	34.0	37.0	75.6				47.7	31.0	28.7	46.2				34.8	92%	0%	$20,878	$1,145	$19,733
Innovations Academy of Palmdale	Public, Virtual	K-8	37230 37th St. East	Palmdale	93550	Los Angeles County	Palmdale Elementary	No	(n/a)	Yes	(n/a)	(661) 236-0161	409	15	28.0	87.3%	33 (8.1%)	76 (18.6%)	271 (66.3%)	3 (0.7%)	6 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (4.9%)	40.1	3226^th of 5817 public elementary schools	44.5%		24.6	4450^th of 5857 public elementary schools	24.0%	1224	28.0	28.8	28.5	23.3	48.8	42.0	51.9	44.8	36.1	41.9	13.3	29.3	26.0	38.5	53.5	44.4	37.0	≥ 95%		$20,057	$924	$19,133
Desert Rose Elementary	Public	K-8	37730 27th St. East	Palmdale	93550	Los Angeles County	Palmdale Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 272-0584	614	24	25.4	91.4%	19 (3.1%)	93 (15.1%)	464 (75.6%)	11 (1.8%)	6 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (3.4%)	18.4	4943^rd of 5817 public elementary schools	15.0%		18.8	4940^th of 5857 public elementary schools	15.7%	3	16.1		16.1	30.2	28.0	29.3				29.1	23.3	23.0	12.9				19.2	91%	0%	$20,590	$1,001	$19,589
Cimarron Elementary	Public	K-5	36940 45th St. East	Palmdale	93552	Los Angeles County	Palmdale Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 285-9780	497	20	25.2	77.9%	15 (3.0%)	51 (10.3%)	410 (82.5%)	5 (1.0%)	6 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (2.0%)	21.5	4685^th of 5817 public elementary schools	19.5%		24.6	4449^th of 5857 public elementary schools	24.0%	236	15.9		15.9	25.4	28.1	31.9				28.4	29.6	30.5	15.9				25.7	97%	0%	$22,130	$1,213	$20,917
Mesquite Elementary	Public	K-5	37622 43rd St. East	Palmdale	93552	Los Angeles County	Palmdale Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 285-8376	582	22	26.7	79.0%	27 (4.6%)	60 (10.3%)	461 (79.2%)	7 (1.2%)	6 (1.0%)	1 (0.2%)	20 (3.4%)	22	4636^th of 5817 public elementary schools	20.3%		18.8	4939^th of 5857 public elementary schools	15.7%	303	24.3		24.3	21.9	28.2	35.6				28.7	23.7	16.7	26.0				22.1	92%	0%	$20,486	$1,016	$19,470
Oak Tree Community Day	Public	K-8	38136 35th St. East	Palmdale	93550	Los Angeles County	Palmdale Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 285-1548	63	8	8.0	—	3 (4.8%)	33 (52.4%)	22 (34.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.6%)	4 (6.3%)								(n/a)		7.1	8.3				0.0	0.0	0.0	1.8				0.0	0.0	0.0	1.7			$63,877	$1,728	$62,149
Yellen Learning Center	Public	K-8	37015 Goldenview Way	Palmdale	93552	Los Angeles County	Palmdale Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 456-1600	58	11	5.4	86.2%	3 (5.2%)	36 (62.1%)	19 (32.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)			0.0					11.8		6.4					0.0		2.1
Buena Vista Elementary	Public	K-8	37005 Hillcrest Dr.	Palmdale	93552	Los Angeles County	Palmdale Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 285-4158	573	26	21.8	77.7%	29 (5.1%)	71 (12.4%)	455 (79.4%)	3 (0.5%)	5 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (1.7%)	20.9	4732^nd of 5817 public elementary schools	18.7%		21.8	4688^th of 5857 public elementary schools	20.0%	44	20.0		20.0	22.1	22.2	33.3				26.2	34.2	17.3	23.3				24.7	96%	0%	$23,808	$1,281	$22,527
Chaparral Prep Academy	Public	K-5	37500 50th St. East	Palmdale	93552	Los Angeles County	Palmdale Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 285-9777	594	22	27.0	87.7%	23 (3.9%)	67 (11.3%)	485 (81.6%)	6 (1.0%)	6 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (1.2%)	21.1	4717^th of 5817 public elementary schools	18.9%		23.9	4505^th of 5857 public elementary schools	23.1%	212	15.7		15.7	23.7	20.4	35.7				27.2	32.6	17.2	26.1				25.3	95%	0%	$21,167	$1,197	$19,970

Frequently Asked Questions about Joshua Hills Elementary

Is Joshua Hills Elementary a good school?

Joshua Hills Elementary ranks in the bottom 17.8% of California elementary schools.

What is the racial makeup of Joshua Hills Elementary?

Students at Joshua Hills Elementary are 82% Hispanic, 13% African American, 2% White, 1% Asian, 1% Two or more races.

How many students attend Joshua Hills Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 581 students attended Joshua Hills Elementary.

What schools do graduates of Joshua Hills Elementary attend?

Students who attend Joshua Hills Elementary usually go on to attend:

High : Palmdale High

What district is Joshua Hills Elementary in?

Palmdale Elementary

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Latest California data All new data »

2024–25 school spending data (updated)NewNov 2, 2026

2013–14 through 2024–25 immunization rates (updated)Oct 19, 2026

2025–26 attendance data, dropout rates & graduation ratesOct 15, 2026

2025–26 CAST, CSA Spanish & Smarter Balanced Assessments scoresOct 15, 2026

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.