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Pierce Elementary

Q: Is Pierce Elementary a good school?

Pierce Elementary ranks 4140 th of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

Public Grades K-5

4140^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,857 California Elementary Schools

Better than 29% of California elementary schools

Summary

Pierce Elementary is a public K-5 school serving 297 students in the Sierra Sands Unified school district in Ridgecrest, CA, but it faces significant academic challenges, ranking in the 29th percentile statewide with a high rate of chronic student absenteeism.

The school's performance has declined over the past decade, and it now ranks lower than all other elementary schools in its district, including Inyokern Elementary and Las Flores Elementary. A key differentiator is chronic absenteeism, with 38.5% of Pierce students missing significant school, a rate much higher than at Faller Elementary (15.0%) and other nearby schools. While Pierce serves a high percentage of economically disadvantaged students and spends more per student than most district peers, these resources have not translated into stronger academic outcomes.

Despite the overall struggles, the school shows relative strength with its special education students. The data suggests that targeted efforts to improve attendance and upper-grade math and science instruction could be crucial for improvement, especially since demographically similar schools in the same district achieve better results.

297

Students ?

19.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$19,337

Per pupil spending ?

82.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

674 North Gold Canyon
Ridgecrest, CA 93555-5797

(760) 499-1670

District: Sierra Sands Unified

Students who attend Pierce Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Murray Middle
High:	Burroughs High

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

40.1%

White:

32.7%

African American:

18.5%

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Compare Pierce Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Rebounding — 9th percentile in 2024 → 29th in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is rebounding — up to 29th (2025) from a 9th-percentile low (2024)

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (29% vs 41% meeting standards)

!High chronic absenteeism (38% vs 19% California)

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school29%

District avg33%

California avg41%

4,140^th of 5,857

California public elementary schools ?

Bottom 29%▼ down 43 pts since 2015

From top 28% (2015) to bottom 29% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

6^th of 6Elementary Schools in the Sierra Sands Unified

882^nd of 1,543Sierra 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
2025	27.9	4140 of 5857	29.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	14.5	5355 of 5869	8.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	16.9	5149 of 5859	12.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	21.0	4756 of 5883	19.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	21.0	1134 of 1417	20.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	29.4	3976 of 5789	31.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	32.6	3625 of 5662	36.0%	★★☆☆☆
2017	45.2	2791 of 5692	51.0%	★★★☆☆
2016	67.4	1644 of 5614	70.7%	★★★★☆
2015	68.3	1565 of 5611	72.1%	★★★★☆
2013	57.9	2245 of 5530	59.4%	★★★☆☆
2012	56.4	2247 of 5390	58.3%	★★★☆☆
2011	41.0	3167 of 5377	41.1%	★★☆☆☆
2010	44.3	2890 of 5314	45.6%	★★☆☆☆
2009	48.7	2564 of 5193	50.6%	★★★☆☆
2008	40.6	2910 of 5113	43.1%	★★☆☆☆
2007	47.1	2487 of 5113	51.4%	★★★☆☆
2006	28.2	3438 of 4818	28.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	34.8	3015 of 4822	37.5%	★★☆☆☆
2004	27.1	3414 of 4809	29.0%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	12.9	581 of 593	2.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	20.5	1990 of 2227	10.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	60.0	78 of 293	73.4%	★★★★☆
2019	59.6	741 of 2585	71.3%	★★★★☆
2018	26.4	1625 of 2128	23.6%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	21.1	3029 of 3162	4.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	31.8	3713 of 5597	33.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	19.4	4762 of 5612	15.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	22.0	4526 of 5609	19.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	21.3	4584 of 5635	18.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	17.9	1099 of 1267	13.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	27.4	4041 of 5492	26.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	27.7	3945 of 5413	27.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	37.0	3241 of 5107	36.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	24.8	4123 of 5107	19.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	19.5	4524 of 5087	11.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	21.3	4420 of 5084	13.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	44.8	2625 of 4963	47.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	23.7	4002 of 4830	17.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	31.1	3895 of 5460	28.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	11.5	5335 of 5517	3.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	15.0	5032 of 5363	6.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	22.4	4477 of 5264	15.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	26.4	884 of 1110	20.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	26.3	4138 of 5173	20.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	33.8	3498 of 5084	31.2%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	26.5	4149 of 5628	26.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	11.6	5396 of 5643	4.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	14.4	5205 of 5638	7.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	23.8	4341 of 5663	23.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	26.7	904 of 1272	28.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	32.2	3611 of 5510	34.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	38.1	3153 of 5431	41.9%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	44.5	1268 of 2847	55.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	34.2	1602 of 2635	39.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	25.9	1864 of 2420	23.0%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	14.5	2288 of 2598	11.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	5.6	2566 of 2651	3.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	10.8	2452 of 2661	7.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	14.5	2408 of 2726	11.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	11.3	2590 of 2834	8.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	24.4	2226 of 2737	18.7%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Special Education (2025)55th percentile+26 vs school

Hispanic (2025)37th percentile+7 vs school

Female (2025)34th percentile+4 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)29th percentile~ school

Male (2025)26th percentile-3 vs school

White (2025)12th percentile-17 vs school

Disabled (2022)11th percentile-9 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)4th percentile-5 vs school

African American (2024)2nd percentile-7 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

Mathematics30%-7 vs state

English Language Arts/Literacy30%-19 vs state

Science22%-11 vs state

★

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Schools Near Pierce 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)				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	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 6th 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 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
Pierce Elementary	Public	K-5	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%)	27.9	4140^th of 5857 public elementary schools	29.3%		14.5	5355^th of 5869 public elementary schools	8.8%	1215	21.8	21.8	34.9	27.5	27.3		29.5	34.1	39.2	18.2		30.0	94.3				94.3		$19,337	$18,306	$1,031
Richmond Elementary	Public	K-5	348 Rowe St.	Ridgecrest	93555	Kern County	Sierra Sands Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 499-1840	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%)	55.5	2276^th of 5857 public elementary schools	61.1%		54.7	2303^rd of 5869 public elementary schools	60.8%	27	49.2	49.2	42.9	40.0	63.3		49.4	35.6	31.4	45.0		37.7	81.2	82.6	95.7	84.1	82.6	84.1	$19,431	$17,886	$1,545
Gateway Elementary	Public	K-5	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%)	44.8	2900^th of 5857 public elementary schools	50.5%		46.3	2778^th of 5869 public elementary schools	52.7%	122	29.8	29.8	36.4	36.8	50.9		41.4	36.4	42.1	36.8		38.5	93.9	96.9		96.9	93.9	96.9	$17,631	$16,870	$761
Las Flores Elementary	Public	K-5	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%)	58.7	2134^th of 5857 public elementary schools	63.6%		49.9	2558^th of 5869 public elementary schools	56.4%	424	36.4	36.4	30.5	63.0	55.8		49.1	48.8	54.8	36.4		46.6	95.4	96.6	96.6	96.6	96.6	95.4	$14,913	$14,186	$727
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%)	16.9	5106^th of 5857 public elementary schools	12.8%		26.5	4248^th of 5869 public elementary schools	27.6%	858	19.1	19.1	19.4	20.0	14.3	19.2	18.5	25.0	32.0	14.3	19.2	23.2	25.7	31.4	48.6	40.0	45.7	42.9	$24,365	$22,676	$1,689
Faller Elementary	Public	K-5	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%)	35.1	3562^nd of 5857 public elementary schools	39.2%		38.2	3295^th of 5869 public elementary schools	43.9%	267	20.7	20.7	50.0	34.4	33.0		38.4	46.8	28.9	21.7		31.7	95.4	96.5			96.5		$13,930	$13,160	$770
Inyokern Elementary	Public	K-5	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%)	53.4	2397^th of 5857 public elementary schools	59.1%		59.8	2073^rd of 5869 public elementary schools	64.7%	324	50.0	50.0	35.5	45.2	65.4		47.7	38.7	32.3	42.3		37.5	88.2	91.2		91.2	91.2	91.2	$20,271	$19,340	$931
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%)	17.6	5041^st of 5857 public elementary schools	13.9%		17.3	5090^th of 5869 public elementary schools	13.3%	49	11.1	11.1	24.0	25.0	16.7	26.1	23.2	28.0	31.3	11.1	17.4	22.0							$24,164	$18,542	$5,622

Frequently Asked Questions about Pierce Elementary

What is the racial makeup of Pierce Elementary?

Students at Pierce Elementary are 40% Hispanic, 33% White, 19% African American, 7% Two or more races, 1% Asian.

Is Pierce Elementary a good school?

Pierce Elementary ranks 4140^th of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

What district is Pierce Elementary in?

Sierra Sands Unified

What schools do graduates of Pierce Elementary attend?

Students who attend Pierce Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Murray Middle
High : Burroughs High

How many students attend Pierce Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 297 students attended Pierce 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.