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Van Buren Elementary

Public Grades K-6
968th
SchoolDigger Rank ?
of 5,804 California Elementary Schools
Better than 83% of California elementary schools
Summary

Van Buren Elementary serves 538 students in kindergarten through grade 6 in Placentia, California. In 2025–2026, 66% of students were proficient in English language arts, 62% in math, and 50% in science—well above California results in all three subjects. The clearest takeaway is that strong statewide results do not make Van Buren a local leader: it ranked fourth among seven nearby K–6 schools in each subject.

Math is Van Buren’s strongest subject compared with both its district and nearby K–6 schools: its 62% proficiency rate was 5 points above the district and 4 points above the peer average of 58%. ELA was 1 point below the district and 1 point below the peer average of 66%; science was 2 points below the district and 1 point below the peer average of 51%. All three results were above California’s rates, by 16 points in ELA, 24 in math, and 14 in science. Grade-level results vary: grade 3 math reached 77%, while grade 4 math was 52%, 10 points below the district. That grade 4 result was third-lowest among 11 nearby schools with reported grade 4 scores.

Results have risen since 2022–2023: ELA increased by 2 points, math by 2, and science by 4. Science climbed 14 points from 2023–2024 to 2025–2026, though it remains below the district. SchoolDigger gives Van Buren 4 stars and ranks it at the 83rd statewide percentile (968 of 5,804); among the 11 nearby schools, it ranks eighth. Its 2024–2025 student–teacher ratio was 20.4, the second-lowest locally, and 43% of students were free/reduced lunch eligible that year, the fourth-highest share among nearby schools with the same measure. SchoolDigger’s subgroup measure showed a notably high 97th-percentile standing for how well the school serves Asian students in 2023–2024, compared with an overall percentile of 81; for White students, it was at the 68th percentile in 2025–2026, versus 83 overall. Chronic absenteeism also improved, falling from 22% in 2021–2022 to 12% in 2025–2026, below the district’s 14% and California’s 18%.

538
Students ?
20.4
Student/teacher ratio ?
$19,810
Per pupil spending ?
42.9%
Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?
All students in California receive free school meals.
 1245 North Van Buren St.
       Placentia, CA  92870-4024

(714) 986-7100

District: Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified


Students who attend Van Buren Elementary usually attend:

Middle:    Kraemer Middle
High:    Valencia High
Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:
47.4%
White:
29.2%
Asian:
13.9%
more
 See top rated California elementary schools

 Compare Van Buren Elementary to nearby elementary schools!
At a glance
▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 84th percentile in 2015 → 83rd in 2026
Strengths
✓Test scores above the California average (62% vs 42% meeting standards)
✓Ranks in the top 17% of California elementary schools
Worth a look
!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing
Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?
This school62%
District avg60%
California avg42%
968th of 5,804
California public elementary schools ?
Top 17%▲ up 2 pts since 2016
See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →
★★★★★
SchoolDigger rating ?
14th of 21Elementary Schools in the Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified
174th of 968Placentia-Yorba Linda 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

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202683.8968 of 580483.3%★★★★☆
202583.6982 of 585783.2%★★★★☆
202481.21104 of 586981.2%★★★★☆
202383.01050 of 585982.1%★★★★☆
202278.71250 of 588378.8%★★★★☆
201972.41491 of 578974.2%★★★★☆
201881.21061 of 566281.3%★★★★☆
201773.81391 of 569275.6%★★★★☆
201681.61064 of 561481.0%★★★★☆
201584.8893 of 561184.1%★★★★☆
201385.2738 of 553086.7%★★★★☆
201278.31118 of 539079.3%★★★★☆
201180.5974 of 537781.9%★★★★☆
201080.4991 of 531481.4%★★★★☆
200981.2944 of 519381.8%★★★★☆
200880.8936 of 511381.7%★★★★☆
200781.5910 of 511382.2%★★★★☆
200680.3952 of 481880.2%★★★★☆
200577.11048 of 482278.3%★★★★☆
200485.7676 of 480985.9%★★★★☆

Asian

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202486.438 of 120596.8%★★★★★
202356.3656 of 119044.9%★★☆☆☆
202261.6566 of 115451.0%★★★☆☆
201945.4758 of 114934.0%★★☆☆☆
201865.2454 of 107157.6%★★★☆☆

Disabled

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202267.2465 of 222779.1%★★★★☆
201950.3973 of 258562.4%★★★☆☆
201865.6481 of 212877.4%★★★★☆

Female

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202684.7836 of 556985.0%★★★★☆
202585.9811 of 559785.5%★★★★☆
202478.71146 of 561279.6%★★★★☆
202380.51078 of 560980.8%★★★★☆
202281.21055 of 563581.3%★★★★☆
201967.31642 of 549270.1%★★★★☆
201878.71103 of 541379.6%★★★★☆

Hispanic

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202679.8705 of 508586.1%★★★★☆
202585.6515 of 510789.9%★★★★☆
202486.9475 of 510790.7%★★★★★
202381.3676 of 508786.7%★★★★☆
202276.8865 of 508483.0%★★★★☆
201963.21519 of 496369.4%★★★☆☆
201868.21227 of 483074.6%★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202678.5838 of 541284.5%★★★★☆
202585.6551 of 546089.9%★★★★☆
202484.7641 of 551788.4%★★★★☆
202385.5557 of 536389.6%★★★★☆
202280.1753 of 526485.7%★★★★☆
201969.31227 of 517376.3%★★★★☆
201877.6791 of 508484.4%★★★★☆

Male

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202680.01070 of 559080.9%★★★★☆
202576.81200 of 562878.7%★★★★☆
202480.31066 of 564381.1%★★★★☆
202381.41032 of 563881.7%★★★★☆
202273.51366 of 566375.9%★★★★☆
201974.81302 of 551076.4%★★★★☆
201880.61033 of 543181.0%★★★★☆

Special Education

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202656.1907 of 292068.9%★★★☆☆
202461.9674 of 263574.4%★★★★☆
202362.3602 of 242075.1%★★★★☆

White

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202668.5815 of 253267.8%★★★☆☆
202571.4720 of 259872.3%★★★★☆
202460.61114 of 265158.0%★★★☆☆
202369.1824 of 266169.0%★★★☆☆
202269.4831 of 272669.5%★★★☆☆
201961.01174 of 283458.6%★★★☆☆
201864.41027 of 273762.5%★★★☆☆
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)
Asian (2024)97th percentile+16 vs school
Hispanic (2026)86th percentile+3 vs school
Female (2026)85th percentile~ school
Low Socio Economic Status (2026)85th percentile~ school
Male (2026)81st percentile~ school
Disabled (2022)79th percentile~ school
Special Education (2026)69th percentile-14 vs school
White (2026)68th percentile-16 vs school
By subject vs California (2025-2026) ?
English Language Arts/Literacy66%+16 vs state
Mathematics62%+24 vs state
Science50%+14 vs state

★
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Frequently Asked Questions about Van Buren Elementary

Van Buren Elementary ranks 968th of 5804 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

In the 2024-25 school year, 538 students attended Van Buren Elementary.

Students at Van Buren Elementary are 47% Hispanic, 29% White, 14% Asian, 8% Two or more races.

Students who attend Van Buren Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Kraemer Middle
High : Valencia High

Rate Van Buren 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.

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