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Gateway Elementary

Q: Is Gateway Elementary a good school?

Gateway Elementary ranks 3316 th of 5817 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-6

3316^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,817 California Elementary Schools

Better than 43% of California elementary schools

Summary

Gateway Elementary is a K–6 school serving 346 students in Ridgecrest, a community in California’s Mojave Desert. In 2025–26, its proficiency rates were 36% in English language arts (ELA), 32% in math and 38% in science. Most importantly, science is the school’s clearest strength, while ELA is its largest academic gap.

Compared with seven nearby schools, Gateway ranked first in science, second in math and fifth in ELA. Its science result was 17 percentage points above the nearby-school average, and its math result was 5 points above; its ELA result was 2 points above that average, even though it was 13 points below the state. Against the state, Gateway was 2 points higher in science and 6 points lower in math. It was also 8 points above the Sierra Sands Unified district in science and 4 points above in math, but 7 points below in ELA. Grade results vary: Grade 5 led the nearby schools in math and science, while Grade 3 results were a concern, with 23% proficient in ELA and 19% in math.

ELA and math have fallen over time: from 2022–23 to 2025–26, Gateway’s rates dropped 8 and 9 points, respectively, while science rose 2 points overall. SchoolDigger ranked Gateway at the 43rd percentile with 2 stars in 2025–26, down from the 60th percentile in 2022–23. Its student–teacher ratio was 24.6 in 2024–25, the second-highest among the eight schools; 67% of students were free/reduced lunch eligible that year, close to the nearby-school average of 66%. SchoolDigger’s student-group rankings also differ notably: the school ranked at the 73rd percentile for Special Education Students, versus 43rd overall, and at the 21st percentile for White Students.

346

Students ?

24.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$17,186

Per pupil spending ?

66.8%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

All students in California receive free school meals.

96%

Kindergartners with all required immunizations (2024-25)

Exemptions: 0% (any vaccine)

501 South Gateway
Ridgecrest, CA 93555-8245

(760) 499-1850

District: Sierra Sands Unified

Students who attend Gateway Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	China Lake Junior High
High:	Sherman E. Burroughs High

Racial breakdown:

White:

46.5%

Hispanic:

33.8%

African American:

8.4%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Gateway Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 49th percentile in 2016 → 43rd in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (35% vs 42% meeting standards)

!Ranking has slipped — down 6 percentile points since 2016

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school35%

District avg35%

California avg42%

3,316^th of 5,817

California public elementary schools ?

Bottom 43%▼ down 6 pts since 2016

From bottom 49% (2016) to bottom 43% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd of 6Elementary Schools in the Sierra Sands Unified

972^nd of 1,530Sierra Sands 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
2026	38.7	3316 of 5817	43.0%	★★☆☆☆
2025	44.8	2900 of 5857	50.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	46.3	2778 of 5869	52.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	54.3	2315 of 5859	60.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	49.9	2537 of 5883	56.9%	★★★☆☆
2021	36.3	846 of 1417	40.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	59.7	2093 of 5789	63.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	46.4	2762 of 5662	51.2%	★★★☆☆
2017	42.4	2950 of 5692	48.2%	★★☆☆☆
2016	43.4	2881 of 5614	48.7%	★★☆☆☆
2015	58.1	2021 of 5611	64.0%	★★★☆☆
2013	61.5	2031 of 5530	63.3%	★★★☆☆
2012	57.0	2207 of 5390	59.1%	★★★☆☆
2011	64.7	1765 of 5377	67.2%	★★★☆☆
2010	70.0	1453 of 5314	72.7%	★★★★☆
2009	73.0	1302 of 5193	74.9%	★★★★☆
2008	58.8	1908 of 5113	62.7%	★★★☆☆
2007	63.6	1650 of 5113	67.7%	★★★☆☆
2006	73.1	1215 of 4818	74.8%	★★★★☆
2005	81.4	870 of 4822	82.0%	★★★★☆
2004	63.8	1534 of 4809	68.1%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	35.2	3465 of 5581	37.9%	★★☆☆☆
2025	44.6	2794 of 5597	50.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	45.7	2680 of 5612	52.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	59.2	1988 of 5609	64.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	50.5	2388 of 5635	57.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	32.7	807 of 1267	36.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	52.4	2369 of 5492	56.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	41.9	2960 of 5413	45.3%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	49.1	2377 of 5094	53.3%	★★★☆☆
2025	65.6	1416 of 5107	72.3%	★★★★☆
2024	63.4	1507 of 5107	70.5%	★★★★☆
2023	68.9	1229 of 5087	75.8%	★★★★☆
2022	52.3	2059 of 5084	59.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	57.0	1854 of 4963	62.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	40.6	2816 of 4830	41.7%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	37.4	3373 of 5423	37.8%	★★☆☆☆
2025	49.6	2462 of 5460	54.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	47.5	2570 of 5517	53.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	43.8	2772 of 5363	48.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	53.9	2047 of 5264	61.1%	★★★☆☆
2021	50.4	479 of 1110	56.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	75.0	923 of 5173	82.2%	★★★★☆
2018	44.6	2700 of 5084	46.9%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	41.8	3022 of 5603	46.1%	★★☆☆☆
2025	44.5	2847 of 5628	49.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	46.4	2672 of 5643	52.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	45.2	2727 of 5638	51.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	48.2	2544 of 5663	55.1%	★★★☆☆
2021	40.8	689 of 1272	45.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	64.1	1765 of 5510	68.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	49.6	2471 of 5431	54.5%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	60.3	801 of 2927	72.6%	★★★★☆
2024	67.8	544 of 2635	79.4%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	25.6	1992 of 2536	21.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	23.6	2094 of 2598	19.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	27.8	2021 of 2651	23.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	24.3	2117 of 2661	20.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	18.8	2301 of 2726	15.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	41.5	1808 of 2834	36.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	30.9	2055 of 2737	24.9%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Special Education (2026)73rd percentile+30 vs school

Hispanic (2026)53rd percentile+10 vs school

Male (2026)46th percentile+3 vs school

Female (2026)38th percentile-5 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)38th percentile-5 vs school

White (2026)21st percentile-22 vs school

By subject vs California (2025-2026) ?

Science38%~ state avg

English Language Arts/Literacy36%-13 vs state

Mathematics32%-6 vs state

4.0

1 rating · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a parent
Tuesday, September 22, 2009

My son went to Gateway Elementary and his father and I were extremely happy with the teachers. Unfortionatly, we had to transfer to other schools but hopefully we'll be able to get our son back in Gateway before middle school! Close Quote

Schools Near Gateway 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 Vaccination Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				CAST Science (2026)			Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy (2026)							Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2026)							Vaccination (2024-25)		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	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	Vaccination: Kindergartners with all required immunizations	Vaccination: Exemption rate	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Gateway Elementary	Public	K-6	501 South Gateway	Ridgecrest	93555	Kern County	Sierra Sands Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 499-1850	346	14	24.6	66.8%	161 (46.5%)	29 (8.4%)	117 (33.8%)	7 (2.0%)	2 (0.6%)	5 (1.4%)	25 (7.2%)	38.7	3316^th of 5817 public elementary schools	43.0%		44.8	2900^th of 5857 public elementary schools	50.5%	416	37.5		37.5	23.1	30.9	40.6	49.0			36.0	19.2	38.9	42.2	25.5			32.1	96%	0%	$17,186	$761	$16,425
Pierce Academy of the Arts	Public	K-6	674 North Gold Canyon	Ridgecrest	93555	Kern County	Sierra Sands Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 499-1670	297	16	19.0	82.2%	97 (32.7%)	55 (18.5%)	119 (40.1%)	4 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.7%)	20 (6.7%)	37.1	3435^th of 5817 public elementary schools	40.9%		27.9	4140^th of 5857 public elementary schools	29.3%	705	19.2		19.2	48.2	56.7	34.6	30.8			43.1	40.7	40.0	19.2	11.5			28.4	80%	0%	$18,174	$1,031	$17,143
Richmond Elementary	Public	K-6	100 N. Richmond Rd.	Ridgecrest	93555	Kern County	Sierra Sands Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 499-1890	364	22	16.5	61.0%	160 (44.0%)	36 (9.9%)	132 (36.3%)	9 (2.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	26 (7.1%)	35.1	3576^th of 5817 public elementary schools	38.5%		55.5	2276^th of 5857 public elementary schools	61.1%	1300	28.1		28.1	33.3	30.8	33.3	45.8			36.6	32.8	32.1	15.5	40.3			30.7	83%	0%	$18,478	$1,545	$16,933
Vieweg STEM Academy	Public	K-8	348 Rowe St.	Ridgecrest	93555	Kern County	Sierra Sands Unified	No	(n/a)	(n/a)	(n/a)	(760) 499-1840	0			—															(n/a)	50.0	50.0	50.0	69.2	64.5	57.1	41.5	64.3	60.0	57.9	80.8	54.8	54.8	37.7	58.2	45.0	53.7
Ridgecrest Elementary Academy for Language Music and Sci	Public, Charter	K-6	325 South Downs St.	Ridgecrest	93555	Kern County	Ridgecrest Elementary Academy for Language Music and Sci Di	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 375-1010	239	13	19.1	52.3%	68 (28.5%)	13 (5.4%)	125 (52.3%)	15 (6.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (7.5%)	18.6	4933^rd of 5817 public elementary schools	15.2%		16.9	5106^th of 5857 public elementary schools	12.8%	173	8.7		8.7	32.4	22.9	33.3	20.0			27.9	32.4	22.9	8.3	7.1			20.9			$16,393	$1,689	$14,704
Las Flores Elementary	Public	K-6	720 West Las Flores	Ridgecrest	93555	Kern County	Sierra Sands Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 499-1860	526	21	25.4	47.3%	274 (52.1%)	18 (3.4%)	165 (31.4%)	19 (3.6%)	5 (1.0%)	1 (0.2%)	44 (8.4%)	39.4	3265^th of 5817 public elementary schools	43.9%		58.7	2134^th of 5857 public elementary schools	63.6%	1131	32.8		32.8	47.0	32.5	41.0	30.2			37.6	40.3	38.6	33.9	24.5			35.1	98%	0%	$15,810	$727	$15,083
Faller Elementary	Public	K-6	1500 West Upjohn St.	Ridgecrest	93555	Kern County	Sierra Sands Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 499-1690	516	22	23.8	61.8%	222 (43.0%)	37 (7.2%)	198 (38.4%)	13 (2.5%)	3 (0.6%)	4 (0.8%)	39 (7.6%)	21.6	4675^th of 5817 public elementary schools	19.6%		35.1	3562^nd of 5857 public elementary schools	39.2%	1113	20.3		20.3	30.8	25.0	39.2	21.8			29.2	33.9	23.4	18.9	12.8			21.7	98%	0%	$15,340	$770	$14,570
Inyokern Elementary	Public	K-6	6601 Locust St.	Inyokern	93527	Kern County	Sierra Sands Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 499-1683	161	7	23.0	80.1%	87 (54.0%)	8 (5.0%)	45 (28.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (2.5%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (10.6%)	47.6	2742^nd of 5817 public elementary schools	52.9%		53.4	2397^th of 5857 public elementary schools	59.1%	345	30.8		30.8	38.9	45.8	53.9	56.0			49.5	35.3	33.3	16.0	44.0			31.9	85%	0%	$18,591	$931	$17,660
Trona Elementary	Public	K-6	83600 Trona Rd.	Trona	93562	San Bernardino County	Trona Joint Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 372-2868	147	7	21.0	79.6%	86 (58.5%)	14 (9.5%)	41 (27.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (4.1%)	13.5	5358^th of 5817 public elementary schools	7.9%		17.6	5041^st of 5857 public elementary schools	13.9%	317	6.7		6.7	7.7	18.5	26.7	11.8			16.7	15.4	25.9	20.0	17.7			20.8	90%	0%	$30,074	$5,622	$24,452

Frequently Asked Questions about Gateway Elementary

What is the racial makeup of Gateway Elementary?

Students at Gateway Elementary are 47% White, 34% Hispanic, 8% African American, 7% Two or more races, 2% Asian, 1% Pacific Islander.

Is Gateway Elementary a good school?

Gateway Elementary ranks 3316^th of 5817 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What schools do graduates of Gateway Elementary attend?

Students who attend Gateway Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : China Lake Junior High
High : Sherman E. Burroughs High

What district is Gateway Elementary in?

Sierra Sands Unified

How many students attend Gateway Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 346 students attended Gateway Elementary.

Rate Gateway Elementary!

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Latest California data All new data »

2024–25 school spending data (updated)NewNov 2, 2026

2013–14 through 2024–25 immunization rates (updated)Oct 19, 2026

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

2025–26 CAST, CSA Spanish & Smarter Balanced Assessments scoresOct 15, 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.