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Ponderosa Elementary

Q: Is Ponderosa Elementary a good school?

Ponderosa Elementary ranks 776 th of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-5

776^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,857 California Elementary Schools

Better than 87% of California elementary schools

Summary

Ponderosa Elementary is a highly-regarded K-5 public school serving 524 students in Sunnyvale, California, as part of the Santa Clara Unified School District.

The school is a standout for its strong academic performance, with over 66% of students proficient in English and Math—well above both district and state averages—and a remarkably low chronic absenteeism rate of just 8%. What makes Ponderosa Elementary particularly impressive is how it achieves these excellent results while spending significantly less per student than many neighboring schools in the same district, such as Bracher Elementary and Bowers Elementary. The school has shown impressive recent improvement, jumping to the 87th percentile statewide, and it is notably effective in supporting special education students and maintaining strong student attendance.

While Laurelwood Elementary is the only school within Santa Clara Unified that performs higher, Ponderosa consistently outperforms other nearby schools like Pomeroy Elementary and Briarwood Elementary. Compared to top schools in the neighboring Cupertino Union district, such as Louis E. Stocklmeir Elementary, Ponderosa delivers comparable high-quality education within its own district framework.

524

Students ?

22.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$29,520

Per pupil spending ?

28.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

804 Ponderosa Ave.
Sunnyvale, CA 94086-8612

(408) 423-4000

District: Santa Clara Unified

Students who attend Ponderosa Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Marian A. Peterson Middle
High:	Adrian Wilcox High

Racial breakdown:

Asian:

38.7%

Hispanic:

35.9%

White:

16.8%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Ponderosa Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 80th percentile in 2013 → 87th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the California average (66% vs 41% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 13% of California elementary schools

✓Ranking is trending up — up 7 percentile points since 2013

Worth a look

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

!Large classes — about 22 students per teacher

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school66%

District avg53%

California avg41%

776^th of 5,857

California public elementary schools ?

Top 13%▲ up 5 pts since 2015

From top 18% (2015) to top 13% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

4^th of 19Elementary Schools in the Santa Clara Unified

401^st of 1,543Santa Clara 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

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	88.1	776 of 5857	86.8%	★★★★☆
2024	77.4	1273 of 5869	78.3%	★★★★☆
2023	80.2	1161 of 5859	80.2%	★★★★☆
2022	83.6	1013 of 5883	82.8%	★★★★☆
2019	90.2	630 of 5789	89.1%	★★★★☆
2018	85.2	876 of 5662	84.5%	★★★★☆
2017	81.1	1083 of 5692	81.0%	★★★★☆
2016	80.9	1092 of 5614	80.5%	★★★★☆
2015	82.6	1008 of 5611	82.0%	★★★★☆
2013	79.0	1109 of 5530	79.9%	★★★★☆
2012	78.7	1102 of 5390	79.6%	★★★★☆
2011	74.8	1267 of 5377	76.4%	★★★★☆
2010	78.5	1074 of 5314	79.8%	★★★★☆
2009	74.0	1256 of 5193	75.8%	★★★★☆
2008	74.5	1214 of 5113	76.3%	★★★★☆
2007	69.2	1408 of 5113	72.5%	★★★★☆
2006	77.1	1066 of 4818	77.9%	★★★★☆
2005	69.2	1374 of 4822	71.5%	★★★★☆
2004	82.8	801 of 4809	83.3%	★★★★☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	65.5	506 of 1203	57.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	53.5	709 of 1205	41.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	57.1	646 of 1190	45.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	61.3	570 of 1154	50.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	69.7	384 of 1149	66.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	65.3	451 of 1071	57.9%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	62.3	549 of 2227	75.3%	★★★★☆
2019	50.3	974 of 2585	62.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	40.5	1023 of 2128	51.9%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	52.6	1049 of 3162	66.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	56.7	924 of 3245	71.5%	★★★★☆
2022	58.4	824 of 3311	75.1%	★★★★☆
2019	87.0	217 of 3275	93.4%	★★★★★
2018	81.0	323 of 3246	90.0%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	86.7	768 of 5597	86.3%	★★★★☆
2024	74.7	1304 of 5612	76.8%	★★★★☆
2023	91.2	551 of 5609	90.2%	★★★★★
2022	88.3	725 of 5635	87.1%	★★★★☆
2019	88.8	630 of 5492	88.5%	★★★★☆
2018	80.7	1002 of 5413	81.5%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	53.5	2063 of 5107	59.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	49.1	2332 of 5107	54.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	40.4	2873 of 5087	43.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	48.7	2294 of 5084	54.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	52.1	2144 of 4963	56.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	44.5	2583 of 4830	46.5%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	51.1	2361 of 5460	56.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	47.6	2559 of 5517	53.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	57.9	1887 of 5363	64.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	55.0	1975 of 5264	62.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	69.1	1235 of 5173	76.1%	★★★★☆
2018	48.2	2480 of 5084	51.2%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	85.5	812 of 5628	85.6%	★★★★☆
2024	74.7	1290 of 5643	77.1%	★★★★☆
2023	60.6	1920 of 5638	65.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	76.2	1274 of 5663	77.5%	★★★★☆
2019	89.3	619 of 5510	88.8%	★★★★☆
2018	86.9	743 of 5431	86.3%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	88.3	240 of 2847	91.6%	★★★★★
2024	56.8	795 of 2635	69.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	48.8	945 of 2420	61.0%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	90.4	76 of 2598	97.1%	★★★★★
2024	87.7	152 of 2651	94.3%	★★★★★
2023	86.4	206 of 2661	92.3%	★★★★★
2022	91.5	67 of 2726	97.5%	★★★★★
2019	89.6	109 of 2834	96.2%	★★★★★
2018	86.6	197 of 2737	92.8%	★★★★★

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)

White (2025)97th percentile+10 vs school

Special Education (2025)92nd percentile+5 vs school

Female (2025)86th percentile~ school

Male (2025)86th percentile~ school

Disabled (2022)75th percentile-7 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)67th percentile-11 vs school

Hispanic (2025)60th percentile-27 vs school

Asian (2025)58th percentile-29 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)57th percentile-30 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

Mathematics68%+30 vs state

English Language Arts/Literacy66%+17 vs state

Science62%+29 vs state

★

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Schools Near Ponderosa 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)	% Varicella (2022)	% DTP (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 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 All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 3rd Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 4th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 5th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics All Grades	% Completely Immunized KG	% Polio KG	% Varicella KG	% DTP KG	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Ponderosa Elementary	Public	K-5	804 Ponderosa Ave.	Sunnyvale	94086	Santa Clara County	Santa Clara Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(408) 423-4000	524	24	22.1	28.4%	88 (16.8%)	5 (1.0%)	188 (35.9%)	203 (38.7%)	7 (1.3%)	1 (0.2%)	32 (6.1%)	88.1	776^th of 5857 public elementary schools	86.8%		77.4	1273^rd of 5869 public elementary schools	78.3%	497	61.8	61.8	65.0	66.7	66.7	66.1	72.0	69.5	60.5	67.5					$29,520	$790	$28,730
Braly Elementary	Public	K-5	675 Gail Ave.	Sunnyvale	94086	Santa Clara County	Santa Clara Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(408) 423-1000	381	18	20.7	31.5%	54 (14.2%)	4 (1.0%)	139 (36.5%)	163 (42.8%)	3 (0.8%)	1 (0.3%)	17 (4.5%)	72.8	1480^th of 5857 public elementary schools	74.7%		67.4	1712^th of 5869 public elementary schools	70.8%	232	43.4	43.4	50.0	64.7	62.3	58.9	47.4	58.5	56.6	54.0	94.7	97.3	96.0	97.3	$31,197	$1,301	$29,896
Ellis Elementary	Public	K-5	550 East Olive Ave.	Sunnyvale	94086	Santa Clara County	Sunnyvale	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(408) 522-8260	768	36	21.5	24.6%	90 (11.7%)	9 (1.2%)	314 (40.9%)	305 (39.7%)	3 (0.4%)	2 (0.3%)	45 (5.9%)	69.1	1644^th of 5857 public elementary schools	71.9%		73.5	1432^nd of 5869 public elementary schools	75.6%	212	43.6	43.6	51.8	59.8	50.8	53.9	54.8	55.1	47.6	52.3					$22,501	$1,064	$21,437
Briarwood Elementary	Public	K-5	1930 Townsend Ave.	Santa Clara	95051	Santa Clara County	Santa Clara Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(408) 423-1300	288	14	20.4	39.9%	40 (13.9%)	8 (2.8%)	139 (48.3%)	89 (30.9%)	2 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (3.5%)	56.2	2241^st of 5857 public elementary schools	61.7%		55.3	2275^th of 5869 public elementary schools	61.2%	34	36.8	36.8	38.9	52.4	49.1	47.4	50.0	50.0	35.1	43.9	95.4				$34,920	$1,708	$33,212
Laurelwood Elementary	Public	K-5	955 Teal Dr.	Santa Clara	95051	Santa Clara County	Santa Clara Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(408) 423-1600	571	27	21.2	11.2%	134 (23.5%)	6 (1.1%)	78 (13.7%)	301 (52.7%)	5 (0.9%)	1 (0.2%)	46 (8.1%)	94.5	369^th of 5857 public elementary schools	93.7%		97	166^th of 5869 public elementary schools	97.2%	203	66.7	66.7	72.0	93.4	76.7	80.6	69.9	87.2	72.8	76.3					$26,684	$1,445	$25,239
Pomeroy Elementary	Public	K-5	1250 Pomeroy Ave.	Santa Clara	95051	Santa Clara County	Santa Clara Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(408) 423-3800	300	16	19.3	43.3%	30 (10.0%)	7 (2.3%)	150 (50.0%)	93 (31.0%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	18 (6.0%)	46.9	2773^rd of 5857 public elementary schools	52.7%		32.8	3705^th of 5869 public elementary schools	36.9%	932	29.8	29.8	44.4	30.6	45.2	39.4	54.1	26.9	51.1	42.7					$36,582	$4,117	$32,465
Louis E. Stocklmeir Elementary	Public	K-5	592 Dunholme Way	Sunnyvale	94087	Santa Clara County	Cupertino Union	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(408) 732-3363	840	35	23.8	21.3%	237 (28.2%)	5 (0.6%)	52 (6.2%)	452 (53.8%)	5 (0.6%)	1 (0.1%)	87 (10.4%)	93.4	445^th of 5857 public elementary schools	92.4%		94.2	415^th of 5869 public elementary schools	92.9%	30	63.9	63.9	66.7	75.5	77.6	73.0	75.0	81.3	74.6	77.1	98.2				$15,776	$328	$15,448
Bowers Elementary	Public	K-5	2755 Barkley Ave.	Santa Clara	95051	Santa Clara County	Santa Clara Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(408) 423-1100	240	12	20.3	59.6%	21 (8.8%)	3 (1.3%)	129 (53.8%)	68 (28.3%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.7%)	15 (6.3%)	58.8	2130^th of 5857 public elementary schools	63.6%		62.8	1936^th of 5869 public elementary schools	67.0%	194	47.2	47.2	41.5	45.5	64.7	50.0	42.9	36.4	47.2	42.3					$37,075	$3,560	$33,515
Bracher Elementary	Public	K-5	2700 Chromite Dr.	Santa Clara	95051	Santa Clara County	Santa Clara Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(408) 423-1200	269	16	17.2	33.5%	29 (10.8%)	15 (5.6%)	140 (52.0%)	57 (21.2%)	2 (0.7%)	5 (1.9%)	21 (7.8%)	44.3	2926^th of 5857 public elementary schools	50.0%		53.1	2395^th of 5869 public elementary schools	59.2%	531	29.4	29.4	54.8	42.1	41.2	45.8	42.9	35.9	22.9	33.3	88.4	93.0	90.7	90.7	$38,037	$1,938	$36,099
Chester W. Nimitz Elementary	Public	K-5	545 East Cheyenne Dr.	Sunnyvale	94087	Santa Clara County	Cupertino Union	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(408) 736-2180	350	16	21.8	50.6%	46 (13.1%)	10 (2.9%)	134 (38.3%)	122 (34.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	37 (10.6%)	73.8	1431^st of 5857 public elementary schools	75.6%		80.8	1124^th of 5869 public elementary schools	80.8%	307	38.4	38.4	58.5	59.0	55.7	57.4	69.1	64.3	48.0	58.8	96.3				$17,978	$1,147	$16,831

Frequently Asked Questions about Ponderosa Elementary

How many students attend Ponderosa Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 524 students attended Ponderosa Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Ponderosa Elementary?

Students at Ponderosa Elementary are 39% Asian, 36% Hispanic, 17% White, 6% Two or more races, 1% American Indian.

Is Ponderosa Elementary a good school?

Ponderosa Elementary ranks 776^th of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What schools do graduates of Ponderosa Elementary attend?

Students who attend Ponderosa Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Marian A. Peterson Middle
High : Adrian Wilcox High

What district is Ponderosa Elementary in?

Santa Clara Unified

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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.