How does Pierce Elementary compare to other elementary schools in Ridgecrest?

Pierce Elementary has a SchoolScope composite score of 29.1/100, placing it at the 8th percentile statewide. 11% of students exceed standard, with a total of 598 students tested across grades and subjects.

What percentage of students exceed standards at Pierce Elementary?

11.3% of students at Pierce Elementary exceed the state standard on CAASPP assessments, while 30.1% meet or exceed it. The gap between these two numbers reveals whether the school pushes students beyond basic proficiency.

Is Pierce Elementary improving or declining?

Pierce Elementary's proficiency rate decreases by 11.8 percentage points from grade 3 to grade 5, suggesting the school is not sustaining early academic gains.

What is the chronic absenteeism rate at Pierce Elementary?

38.5% of students at Pierce Elementary are chronically absent (missing 10% or more of school days). This metric reflects school culture and family engagement, and is weighted at 15% in our composite score.

Pierce Elementary

Sierra Sands Unified Ridgecrest Kern County 93555

Composite Score

out of 100

State Percentile

of elementary schools

State Rank

598 students tested

School overview

Enrollment

318 students

Student-Teacher Ratio

20:1

Free/Reduced Lunch

81%

Teachers

16 full-time

Student demographics

Hispanic 39.0%

White 32.7%

Asian 1.6%

Black 18.6%

Other 8.2%

Performance breakdown

Performance breakdown for Pierce Elementary
Category	Percentage
Exceeded Standard	11.3%
Met Standard	18.8%
Below Standard	69.9%

Exceeded

11.3%

Met

18.8%

Below

69.9%

What other rankings don't show you

Most rating sites report "30% proficient" for Pierce Elementary and stop there. Here's what that number hides:

11.3% of students exceeded standard while 18.8% merely met it. That exceeded rate is 9.7 points below the state average of 21.0%. That's 5.8 points below the Sierra Sands Unified district average of 17.0%. The 3 nearby schools within ~3 miles average 20.6% exceeded — 9.3 points higher. The gap between "met" and "exceeded" is the difference between a school that clears the bar and one that raises it.

Proficiency drops by 11.8 percentage points from grade 3 to grade 5 — a signal that the school may not be sustaining early gains.

Chronic absenteeism is 38.5%, above the state average of 18.7%.