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Buena Vista Elementary

Public Grades K-8

4720^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,804 California Elementary Schools

Better than 19% of California elementary schools

Summary

Buena Vista Elementary is a 573-student K–8 school in Palmdale, part of the Palmdale Elementary district. Its 2025–26 results are mixed: math and science are above district results, while ELA is below them. The clearest concern is ELA: 26% of students were proficient, compared with 33% districtwide and 49% statewide, and the school scored below most nearby schools.

Among Buena Vista and the 10 nearby schools in the comparison, Buena Vista ranked 8th in ELA, 7th in math and 5th in science. Math is its clearest strength against the district: proficiency was 25%, 4 points above the district, though 14 points below the state. Science proficiency was 20%, just above the district but 16 points below the state. Grade results also vary: grade 3 math was 34%, while grade 4 was 17%; grade 3 ranked second among nearby schools with results for that grade, while grade 4 was among the local group’s lowest.

Over the four reported years, math proficiency gained 7 points and science gained 5, while ELA fell 2 points; the ELA gap with the state widened by 4 points. SchoolDigger ranked Buena Vista in the 19th statewide percentile and gave it 1 star for 2025–26; its recent overall percentiles ranged from 14 to 20. In 2024–25, 78% of students were free/reduced lunch eligible, the second-lowest reported share among nearby schools with the same measure, and the student-teacher ratio was 21.8. SchoolDigger’s 2025–26 percentile for African American students was 53, compared with 19 overall, a relative measure of how well the school serves that group compared with the same group at other schools. Its English Language Learner student percentile fell from 48 in 2021–22 to 20 in 2023–24, a 28-point decline; no later subgroup result is supplied.

573

Students ?

21.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$30,789

Per pupil spending ?

77.7%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

All students in California receive free school meals.

37005 Hillcrest Dr.
Palmdale, CA 93552-5347

(661) 285-4158

District: Palmdale Elementary

Students who attend Buena Vista Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Desert Willow Fine Arts Sci and Technical Magnet Academy
High:	William J. (Pete) Knight High

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

79.4%

African American:

12.4%

White:

5.1%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Buena Vista Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 36th percentile in 2015 → 19th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (25% vs 42% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (19th percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (30% vs 18% California)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school25%

District avg26%

California avg42%

4,720^th of 5,804

California public elementary schools ?

Bottom 19%▼ down 8 pts since 2016

From bottom 27% (2016) to bottom 19% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

12^th of 20Elementary Schools in the Palmdale Elementary

800^th of 968Palmdale 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	20.9	4720 of 5804	18.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	21.8	4688 of 5857	20.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	17.7	5059 of 5869	13.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	20.2	4816 of 5859	17.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	16.7	5194 of 5883	11.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	17.4	5038 of 5789	13.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	17.5	4893 of 5662	13.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	20.0	4689 of 5692	17.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	25.8	4111 of 5614	26.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	31.7	3567 of 5611	36.4%	★★☆☆☆
2013	35.6	3627 of 5530	34.4%	★★☆☆☆
2012	23.3	4427 of 5390	17.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	26.1	4254 of 5377	20.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	28.0	4010 of 5314	24.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	32.6	3524 of 5193	32.1%	★★☆☆☆
2008	23.3	4096 of 5113	19.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	46.2	2541 of 5113	50.3%	★★★☆☆
2006	35.5	2966 of 4818	38.4%	★★☆☆☆
2005	34.0	3055 of 4822	36.6%	★★☆☆☆
2004	29.9	3255 of 4809	32.3%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	47.4	237 of 506	53.2%	★★★☆☆
2025	49.4	250 of 569	56.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	46.6	271 of 593	54.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	38.4	383 of 661	42.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	48.5	276 of 663	58.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	43.8	376 of 747	49.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	34.4	448 of 700	36.0%	★★☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2019	18.6	2422 of 2585	6.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	30.1	2543 of 3162	19.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	36.2	2072 of 3245	36.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	41.3	1720 of 3311	48.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	35.3	2105 of 3275	35.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	25.7	2670 of 3246	17.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	19.2	4745 of 5569	14.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	17.4	4905 of 5597	12.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	17.5	4922 of 5612	12.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	19.2	4774 of 5609	14.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	13.1	5351 of 5635	5.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	13.6	5114 of 5492	6.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	18.4	4669 of 5413	13.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	32.2	3568 of 5085	29.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	32.7	3563 of 5107	30.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	24.6	4137 of 5107	19.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	29.1	3781 of 5087	25.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	20.8	4458 of 5084	12.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	20.3	4353 of 4963	12.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	22.1	4094 of 4830	15.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	24.4	4363 of 5412	19.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	27.8	4144 of 5460	24.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	21.9	4630 of 5517	16.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	28.7	4002 of 5363	25.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	23.7	4352 of 5264	17.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	21.8	4441 of 5173	14.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	23.7	4214 of 5084	17.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	23.9	4376 of 5590	21.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	27.8	4042 of 5628	28.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	19.4	4791 of 5643	15.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	23.4	4395 of 5638	22.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	21.7	4547 of 5663	19.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	23.0	4384 of 5510	20.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	19.4	4628 of 5431	14.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	27.0	2252 of 2920	22.9%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

African American (2026)53rd percentile+34 vs school

Hispanic (2026)30th percentile+11 vs school

Special Education (2026)23rd percentile+4 vs school

Male (2026)22nd percentile+3 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)20th percentile+6 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)19th percentile~ school

Female (2026)15th percentile-4 vs school

Disabled (2019)6th percentile-7 vs school

By subject vs California (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy26%-23 vs state

Mathematics25%-14 vs state

Science20%-16 vs state

★

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Schools Near Buena Vista 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 (2026)				Ranking (2025)				CSA Spanish Overall (2026)							CSA Spanish Listening (2026)							CSA Spanish Writing (2026)							CSA Spanish Reading (2026)							CAST Science (2026)			Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy (2026)							Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2026)							% Completely Immunized (2022)	% Polio (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/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	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
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	4720^th of 5804 public elementary schools	18.7%		21.8	4688^th of 5857 public elementary schools	20.0%	32																													20.0		20.0	22.1	22.2	33.3				26.2	34.2	17.3	23.3				24.7							$30,789	$29,508	$1,281
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
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	4705^th of 5804 public elementary schools	18.9%		23.9	4505^th of 5857 public elementary schools	23.1%	200																													15.7		15.7	23.7	20.4	35.7				27.2	32.6	17.2	26.1				25.3							$25,591	$24,394	$1,197
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	4673^rd of 5804 public elementary schools	19.5%		24.6	4449^th of 5857 public elementary schools	24.0%	224																													15.9		15.9	25.4	28.1	31.9				28.4	29.6	30.5	15.9				25.7							$27,501	$26,288	$1,213
Quail Valley Elementary	Public	K-5	37236 58th St. East	Palmdale	93552	Los Angeles County	Palmdale Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 533-7100	503	20	25.1	86.5%	23 (4.6%)	94 (18.7%)	369 (73.4%)	2 (0.4%)	7 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (1.6%)	19.5	4843^rd of 5804 public elementary schools	16.6%		20.9	4748^th of 5857 public elementary schools	18.9%	95																													15.2		15.2	17.5	20.5	37.0				25.0	32.5	25.9	17.4				25.0							$27,977	$26,254	$1,723
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	4624^th of 5804 public elementary schools	20.3%		18.8	4939^th of 5857 public elementary schools	15.7%	315																													24.3		24.3	21.9	28.2	35.6				28.7	23.7	16.7	26.0				22.1							$24,410	$23,394	$1,016
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	3219^th of 5804 public elementary schools	44.5%		24.6	4450^th of 5857 public elementary schools	24.0%	1231																													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							$23,644	$22,720	$924
Golden Poppy Elementary	Public	K-5	37802 Rockie Ln.	Palmdale	93552	Los Angeles County	Palmdale Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 285-3683	525	21	25.4	89.3%	12 (2.3%)	89 (17.0%)	394 (75.0%)	6 (1.1%)	4 (0.8%)	2 (0.4%)	18 (3.4%)	17	5050^th of 5804 public elementary schools	13.0%		18	5012^th of 5857 public elementary schools	14.4%	38																													16.0		16.0	25.3	29.1	22.3				25.4	24.0	19.5	18.1				20.3							$25,550	$24,338	$1,212
Los Amigos - Dual Immersion	Public	K-8	6640 East Avenue R-8	Palmdale	93552	Los Angeles County	Palmdale Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 285-1546	1,027	37	27.9	67.4%	17 (1.7%)	24 (2.3%)	965 (94.0%)	4 (0.4%)	11 (1.1%)	1 (0.1%)	5 (0.5%)	52.5	2459^th of 5804 public elementary schools	57.6%		53.5	2395^th of 5857 public elementary schools	59.1%	64	12.3	8.4	9.7	8.3	14.4	22.1	12.6	40.4	14.0	38.1	11.3	34.4	35.4	29.3	30.7	27.1	17.7	15.5	37.8	21.2	24.8	3.5	6.5	1.8	2.1	6.7	24.8	7.7	34.5	35.4	35.0	47.4	48.6	52.7	45.1	67.0	67.3	54.5	50.9	41.1	33.6	30.6	44.0	31.9	38.6							$20,963	$19,928	$1,035
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	2988^th of 5804 public elementary schools	48.5%		47.1	2752^nd of 5857 public elementary schools	53.0%	236																													26.4		26.4	34.0	37.0	75.6				47.7	31.0	28.7	46.2				34.8	93.3	97.5	98.3	95.0	96.6	95.8	$25,065	$23,920	$1,145

Frequently Asked Questions about Buena Vista Elementary

How many students attend Buena Vista Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 573 students attended Buena Vista Elementary.

What schools do graduates of Buena Vista Elementary attend?

Students who attend Buena Vista Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Desert Willow Fine Arts Sci and Technical Magnet Academy
High : William J. (Pete) Knight High

What is the racial makeup of Buena Vista Elementary?

Students at Buena Vista Elementary are 79% Hispanic, 12% African American, 5% White, 2% Two or more races.

Is Buena Vista Elementary a good school?

Buena Vista Elementary ranks in the bottom 18.7% of California elementary schools.

What district is Buena Vista Elementary in?

Palmdale Elementary

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Latest California data All new data »

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

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

2024–25 school spending dataJul 1, 2026

2024–25 attendance dataMar 13, 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.