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Buena Vista Elementary

Public Grades K-5

4688^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,857 California Elementary Schools

Better than 20% of California elementary schools

Summary

Buena Vista Elementary is a K-5 public school serving 573 students in the Palmdale Elementary School District, ranking in the lower tier of California elementary schools with academic proficiency significantly below state averages and a high chronic absenteeism rate of 34.5%.

Compared to nearby schools, Buena Vista presents a mixed picture: it performs better than some neighbors like Joshua Hills Elementary but significantly worse than higher-performing schools such as Los Amigos - Dual Immersion. A notable finding is that despite spending more per student ($21,725) than almost all local schools, Buena Vista's academic outcomes remain low, creating a spending-performance paradox. The school does have a more favorable student-teacher ratio than several area schools and shows a relative strength in its performance with African American students, ranking in the 56th percentile statewide for that subgroup.

The school faces significant challenges, including a steady decline in its statewide ranking over the past decade and extreme variation in performance across grade levels, with 5th-grade mathematics proficiency particularly low at 8.97%. While chronic absenteeism is a major hurdle, it is comparable to rates at other local schools like Chaparral Prep Academy. Buena Vista's performance is slightly better than the district average, indicating broader challenges across the Palmdale Elementary district.

573

Students ?

21.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$30,789

Per pupil spending ?

77.7%

Free/discounted lunch ?

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%

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Compare Buena Vista Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Rebounding — 12th percentile in 2022 → 20th in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is rebounding — up to 20th (2025) from a 12th-percentile low (2022)

Worth a look

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

!In the lower quartile statewide (20th percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (34% vs 19% California)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school25%

District avg23%

California avg41%

4,688^th of 5,857

California public elementary schools ?

Bottom 20%▼ down 16 pts since 2015

From bottom 36% (2015) to bottom 20% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

10^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	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
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
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
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
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
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%	★☆☆☆☆

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 (2025)56th percentile+36 vs school

Hispanic (2025)30th percentile+10 vs school

Male (2025)28th percentile+8 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)24th percentile+4 vs school

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

Female (2025)12th percentile-8 vs school

Disabled (2019)6th percentile-7 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy30%-19 vs state

Mathematics22%-15 vs state

Science17%-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 (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 (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/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
Buena Vista Elementary	Public	K-5	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%)	21.8	4688^th of 5857 public elementary schools	20.0%		17.7	5059^th of 5869 public elementary schools	13.8%	371																													16.7		16.7	23.9	29.1	37.2				29.8	25.0	31.4	9.0				22.2							$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	0.0				5.9		0.0	1.6				6.3		0.0	1.8
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%)	23.9	4505^th of 5857 public elementary schools	23.1%		19.2	4927^th of 5869 public elementary schools	16.1%	422																													24.5		24.5	22.3	19.5	38.7				26.8	30.2	17.7	27.4				24.8							$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%)	24.6	4449^th of 5857 public elementary schools	24.0%		14.2	5377^th of 5869 public elementary schools	8.4%	928																													18.4		18.4	36.6	25.0	31.0				31.3	37.8	20.0	14.9				24.4							$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%)	20.9	4748^th of 5857 public elementary schools	18.9%		15.1	5298^th of 5869 public elementary schools	9.7%	550																													17.0		17.0	24.3	26.4	30.0				26.9	33.0	21.6	18.0				24.4							$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%)	18.8	4939^th of 5857 public elementary schools	15.7%		18.5	4980^th of 5869 public elementary schools	15.1%	41																													12.7		12.7	19.8	37.3	27.5				28.1	25.5	23.5	11.0				19.9							$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%)	24.6	4450^th of 5857 public elementary schools	24.0%		10.2	5677^th of 5869 public elementary schools	3.3%	1227																													14.0	21.1	18.4	31.4	30.4	32.6	32.7	32.9	28.2	31.2	37.1	19.6	20.9	23.1	28.6	25.4	25.4							$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%)	18	5012^th of 5857 public elementary schools	14.4%		17.1	5115^th of 5869 public elementary schools	12.8%	103																													23.7		23.7	17.9	16.7	27.6				20.3	22.4	22.1	22.1				22.2							$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%)	53.5	2395^th of 5857 public elementary schools	59.1%		56.6	2205^th of 5869 public elementary schools	62.4%	190	7.1	21.6	10.8	6.0	10.5	7.9	10.8	36.6	21.6	42.2	21.0	29.0	9.9	26.9	18.8	47.8	27.5	17.0	33.3	8.9	25.9	5.4	26.1	6.9	4.0	9.7	9.9	10.5	36.3	18.1	26.6	44.6	58.2	54.9	43.0	66.4	45.7	52.0	34.8	52.7	36.3	26.6	39.1	24.1	35.5							$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%)	47.1	2752^nd of 5857 public elementary schools	53.0%		44.4	2900^th of 5869 public elementary schools	50.6%	148																													26.6		26.6	41.9	40.7	58.1				46.8	44.8	36.1	29.8				37.2	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 20.0% of California elementary schools.

What district is Buena Vista Elementary in?

Palmdale Elementary

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Latest California data All new data »

2024–25 school spending dataJul 1, 2026

2024–25 attendance dataMar 13, 2026

2024–25 CSA Spanish test scoresDec 22, 2025

2024–25 dropout rates & graduation ratesNov 14, 2025

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.