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Pio Pico Elementary

Q: Is Pio Pico Elementary a good school?

Pio Pico Elementary ranks in the bottom 2.8% of California elementary schools.

Q: How many students attend Pio Pico Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 501 students attended Pio Pico Elementary.

Q: What is the racial makeup of Pio Pico Elementary?

Students at Pio Pico Elementary are 99% Hispanic.

Q: What schools do graduates of Pio Pico Elementary attend?

Students who attend Pio Pico Elementary usually go on to attend: Middle : Julia C. Lathrop Intermediate High : Santa Ana High

Public Grades K-7

5695^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,857 California Elementary Schools

Better than 3% of California elementary schools

Summary

Pio Pico Elementary is a K-7 public school serving 501 students in the Santa Ana Unified district, operating in a high-need community where nearly all students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.

Academically, the school faces significant challenges, ranking in the bottom 3% of California elementary schools with proficiency rates in English (13%) and math (10%) that are the lowest among all nearby schools, including Martin R. Heninger Elementary and George Washington Carver Elementary. This performance represents a concerning decline from several years ago. However, a major bright spot is a dramatic 68% improvement in student attendance, with chronic absenteeism now lower than both the district and state averages.

Despite having higher per-student spending than most comparable schools, these resources have not yet translated to academic gains, creating a puzzling situation where better attendance hasn't led to better test scores. The school's unique K-7 grade configuration also doesn't appear to provide an advantage, as performance drops sharply in the upper grades. Parents may want to explore how higher-performing schools with similar demographics, like Edward B. Cole Academy, achieve different results.

501

Students ?

22.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$25,440

Per pupil spending ?

94%

Free/discounted lunch ?

931 West Highland
Santa Ana, CA 92703-4809

(714) 972-7500

District: Santa Ana Unified

Students who attend Pio Pico Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Julia C. Lathrop Intermediate
High:	Santa Ana High

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

99.4%

White:

0.4%

American Indian:

0.2%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Pio Pico Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 10th percentile in 2013 → 3rd in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (11% vs 41% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (3rd percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 7 percentile points since 2013

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school11%

District avg26%

California avg41%

Elementary school

5,695^th of 5,857

California public elementary schools ?

Bottom 3%▼ down 22 pts since 2015

From bottom 24% (2015) to bottom 3% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

Middle school

2,717^th of 2,761

California public middle schools ?

Bottom 2%▬ steady since 2024

See the entire ranking list of California Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

33^rd of 34Elementary Schools in the Santa Ana Unified

1254^th of 1,543Santa Ana 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)

Elementary school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	8.8	5695 of 5857	2.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	10.8	5639 of 5869	3.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	13.8	5411 of 5859	7.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	15.2	5347 of 5883	9.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	24.2	4435 of 5789	23.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	26.0	4156 of 5662	26.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	28.5	3962 of 5692	30.4%	★★☆☆☆
2016	22.0	4425 of 5614	21.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	23.9	4245 of 5611	24.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	16.5	4957 of 5530	10.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	15.6	4920 of 5390	8.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	14.0	5005 of 5377	6.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	22.4	4431 of 5314	16.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	25.2	4055 of 5193	21.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	15.6	4623 of 5113	9.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	16.7	4523 of 5113	11.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	15.3	4336 of 4818	10.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	15.2	4325 of 4822	10.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	16.5	4221 of 4809	12.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	29.4	1521 of 2227	31.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	24.1	1755 of 2128	17.5%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	22.4	2983 of 3162	5.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	28.7	2613 of 3245	19.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	35.4	2174 of 3311	34.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	36.0	2054 of 3275	37.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	36.2	1987 of 3246	38.8%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	7.7	5530 of 5597	1.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	13.0	5288 of 5612	5.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	14.3	5206 of 5609	7.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	13.8	5289 of 5635	6.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	27.9	4001 of 5492	27.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	27.7	3944 of 5413	27.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	11.3	4926 of 5107	3.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	14.0	4822 of 5107	5.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	18.4	4578 of 5087	10.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	21.1	4430 of 5084	12.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	33.1	3468 of 4963	30.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	36.7	3099 of 4830	35.8%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	11.0	5279 of 5460	3.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	13.8	5219 of 5517	5.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	18.4	4810 of 5363	10.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	21.2	4558 of 5264	13.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	33.8	3579 of 5173	30.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	35.7	3342 of 5084	34.3%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	11.4	5350 of 5628	4.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	10.6	5454 of 5643	3.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	12.5	5333 of 5638	5.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	18.4	4888 of 5663	13.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	21.5	4521 of 5510	17.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	25.5	4065 of 5431	25.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	14.3	2833 of 2847	0.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	28.7	1906 of 2635	27.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	23.6	1990 of 2420	17.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	6.0	2717 of 2761	1.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	7.5	2725 of 2783	2.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	5.4	2518 of 2533	0.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	6.6	2363 of 2395	1.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	8.9	2335 of 2388	2.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	7.0	2500 of 2542	1.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	8.6	2525 of 2579	2.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	6.9	2491 of 2534	1.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

Elementary school

Disabled (2022)32nd percentile+23 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)6th percentile~ school

Male (2025)5th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2025)4th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)3rd percentile~ school

Female (2025)1st percentile~ school

Special Education (2025)<1st percentile~ school

Middle school

Male (2025)2nd percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)2nd percentile~ school

Hispanic (2025)1st percentile~ school

Female (2025)1st percentile~ school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy13%-36 vs state

Mathematics10%-27 vs state

Science6%-26 vs state

★

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Schools Near Pio Pico Elementary

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Immunizations Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				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	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
Pio Pico Elementary	Public	K-7	931 West Highland	Santa Ana	92703	Orange County	Santa Ana Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(714) 972-7500	501	22	22.6	94.0%	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	498 (99.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8.8	5695^th of 5857 public elementary schools	2.8%		10.8	5639^th of 5869 public elementary schools	3.9%	56	7.6	0.0	6.2	7.1	4.2	25.3	15.0	7.9	5.9	12.8	12.9	18.8	10.1	3.3	5.3	5.9	9.9							$25,440	$1,011	$24,429
Lowell Elementary	Public	K-5	700 South Flower St.	Santa Ana	92703	Orange County	Santa Ana Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(714) 972-6300	426	20	21.3	95.1%	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	423 (99.3%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9.3	5668^th of 5857 public elementary schools	3.2%		9.6	5698^th of 5869 public elementary schools	2.9%	30	6.9		6.9	5.3	16.9	20.6				14.2	19.7	12.7	11.0				14.6							$25,725	$1,281	$24,444
Martin Luther King Junior Elementary	Public	K-5	1001 South Graham Ln.	Santa Ana	92703	Orange County	Santa Ana Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(714) 972-6000	457	24	19.0	97.4%	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	448 (98.0%)	7 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11.5	5540^th of 5857 public elementary schools	5.4%		12.8	5498^th of 5869 public elementary schools	6.3%	42	7.7		7.7	7.7	22.5	25.6				19.5	12.3	19.7	11.0				14.1	96.3						$26,586	$1,133	$25,453
Martin Elementary	Public	K-5	939 West Wilshire	Santa Ana	92707	Orange County	Santa Ana Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(714) 480-8000	443	19	23.2	93.5%	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	437 (98.6%)	3 (0.7%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	24.4	4462^nd of 5857 public elementary schools	23.8%		36.3	3419^th of 5869 public elementary schools	41.7%	1043	15.2		15.2	26.9	37.3	31.6				32.1	23.9	29.3	21.5				24.9							$25,416	$1,006	$24,410
Franklin Elementary	Public	K-5	210 West Cubbon	Santa Ana	92701	Orange County	Santa Ana Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(714) 564-2900	343	15	22.6	94.2%	6 (1.7%)	1 (0.3%)	330 (96.2%)	5 (1.5%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10.4	5611^th of 5857 public elementary schools	4.2%		18.4	4989^th of 5869 public elementary schools	15.0%	622	6.1		6.1	8.5	22.0	12.2				14.8	14.9	20.3	12.2				16.1							$25,336	$773	$24,563
Martin R. Heninger Elementary	Public	K-8	417 West Walnut St.	Santa Ana	92701	Orange County	Santa Ana Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(714) 953-3800	783	36	21.4	94.5%	3 (0.4%)	1 (0.1%)	769 (98.2%)	5 (0.6%)	4 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	19.6	4866^th of 5857 public elementary schools	16.9%		23.5	4530^th of 5869 public elementary schools	22.8%	336	13.2	17.2	15.3	27.1	30.8	23.3	32.3	33.6	36.0	30.8	20.0	21.8	15.6	21.4	14.0	9.1	16.7	98.0			98.0			$25,336	$989	$24,347
George Washington Carver Elementary	Public	K-5	1401 West Santa Ana Blvd.	Santa Ana	92703	Orange County	Santa Ana Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(714) 564-2000	429	19	22.4	93.2%	2 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	421 (98.1%)	3 (0.7%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	23.5	4543^rd of 5857 public elementary schools	22.4%		23.2	4560^th of 5869 public elementary schools	22.3%	17	16.9		16.9	18.5	40.0	35.5				31.1	22.7	28.6	19.5				23.1							$26,532	$808	$25,724
Edward B. Cole Academy	Public, Charter	K-5	333 East Walnut St.	Santa Ana	92701	Orange County	Edward B. Cole Academy District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(714) 836-9023	431	18	23.9	82.4%	7 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	416 (96.5%)	3 (0.7%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.9%)	26.8	4243^rd of 5857 public elementary schools	27.6%		39.7	3193^rd of 5869 public elementary schools	45.6%	1050	18.8		18.8	32.4	35.3	32.4				33.3	30.0	27.9	21.7				26.6	70.7	78.7	94.7	74.7	77.3	76.0
Heroes Elementary	Public	K-5	1111 Civic Center Dr.	Santa Ana	92703	Orange County	Santa Ana Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(714) 558-5501	396	17	23.1	95.7%	4 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	387 (97.7%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.8%)	22.9	4600^th of 5857 public elementary schools	21.5%		25.4	4330^th of 5869 public elementary schools	26.2%	270	23.2		23.2	26.7	26.0	29.0				27.2	27.9	15.8	29.0				23.8	93.4	96.1		94.7	94.7	96.1	$26,444	$810	$25,634
Monte Vista Elementary	Public	K-5	2116 West Monta Vista Ave.	Santa Ana	92704	Orange County	Santa Ana Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(714) 558-5831	348	17	20.4	98.3%	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	342 (98.3%)	4 (1.1%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	23.2	4568^th of 5857 public elementary schools	22.0%		27.1	4193^rd of 5869 public elementary schools	28.6%	375	23.1		23.1	5.6	37.5	43.1				29.0	12.7	25.8	15.4				18.5							$28,066	$1,772	$26,294

Frequently Asked Questions about Pio Pico Elementary

Is Pio Pico Elementary a good school?

Pio Pico Elementary ranks in the bottom 2.8% of California elementary schools.

What is the racial makeup of Pio Pico Elementary?

Students at Pio Pico Elementary are 99% Hispanic.

How many students attend Pio Pico Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 501 students attended Pio Pico Elementary.

What district is Pio Pico Elementary in?

Santa Ana Unified

What schools do graduates of Pio Pico Elementary attend?

Students who attend Pio Pico Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Julia C. Lathrop Intermediate
High : Santa Ana High

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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.