Sandia Elementary, Apple Valley CA

Original Research by School Decision on Sandia Elementary

Sandia Elementary serves grades kindergarten through eighth in Apple Valley, a town in San Bernardino County experiencing industrial growth alongside efforts to preserve its rural identity. The school enrolls students across a full elementary and middle school span, with most coming from economically under-resourced households.

Academic performance across the school is persistently low. In English language arts, proficiency ranges from about one-eighth across the lower elementary grades up to just over one-quarter in middle grades. Math results are considerably weaker, with proficiency in the single digits or low double digits across all tested grades, including a severe decline in one middle-grade cohort. Science testing shows similarly weak results. These figures place the school at the bottom quartile for overall proficiency when compared to other schools across San Bernardino County's districts.

The student body is predominantly Hispanic, with a substantial Black enrollment. Most students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. English learner status data was not available, as were special education enrollment figures. The school's grade composition runs from roughly one hundred students in kindergarten down through the eighth grade, with enrollment distributed fairly evenly across grades three through eight.

Apple Valley itself is a mixed-character town. It was incorporated specifically to protect a rural, equestrian lifestyle, and that identity remains visible in neighborhoods and self-presentation. The town is simultaneously experiencing its largest wave of industrial development, with major distribution centers and a planned high-speed rail station bringing jobs and new housing. Historic neighborhoods in the Town Center consist mostly of single-family and mobile homes built over several decades, owner and renter-occupied. The town is car-dependent, though bus transit does serve it. A historic downtown revitalization district called the Village is underway, and the Civic Center on Dale Evans Parkway anchors public life with parks, library, and recreation facilities.

Housing in the zip code is moderately priced relative to parts of California but remains a substantial share of household income for many families. Rents have been climbing, and the affordability picture reflects the economic composition of the district's families. The town is drawing new development and new residents alongside its industrial growth.

A parent may want to look further into the school's specific interventions in math and the lower grades, which show the steepest performance gaps. The district is rolling out a new parent portal and student information system expected to go live in the 2026-27 school year, which will change how families enroll and track their child's progress online. Several district schools have reached capacity and are closed to in-district transfer requests, so families considering a specific school should confirm enrollment status early. The district serves nearly nine hundred students across about sixteen schools.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 316%

School 16% · District 28% · ▼ 11 pts below district

▼ 27 pts below state median · ▼ 19 pts below county median

Grade 412%

School 12% · District 20% · ▼ 9 pts below district

▼ 26 pts below state median · ▼ 17 pts below county median

Grade 52%

School 2% · District 13% · ▼ 11 pts below district

▼ 28 pts below state median · ▼ 20 pts below county median

Grade 611%

School 11% · District 16% · ▼ 5 pts below district

▼ 20 pts below state median · ▼ 12 pts below county median

Grade 712%

School 12% · District 15% · ▼ 3 pts below district

▼ 18 pts below state median · ▼ 9 pts below county median

Grade 86%

School 6% · District 16% · ▼ 9 pts below district

▼ 22 pts below state median · ▼ 13 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 314%

School 14% · District 26% · ▼ 12 pts below district

▼ 27 pts below state median · ▼ 20 pts below county median

Grade 413%

School 13% · District 27% · ▼ 14 pts below district

▼ 29 pts below state median · ▼ 22 pts below county median

Grade 512%

School 12% · District 26% · ▼ 14 pts below district

▼ 33 pts below state median · ▼ 28 pts below county median

Grade 627%

School 27% · District 30% · ▼ 4 pts below district

▼ 17 pts below state median · ▼ 12 pts below county median

Grade 728%

School 28% · District 31% · ▼ 3 pts below district

▼ 18 pts below state median · ▼ 10 pts below county median

Grade 821%

School 21% · District 29% · ▼ 8 pts below district

▼ 23 pts below state median · ▼ 14 pts below county median

Science

Grade 58%

School 8% · District 17% · ▼ 9 pts below district

▼ 20 pts below state median · ▼ 14 pts below county median

Grade 811%

School 11% · District 20% · ▼ 9 pts below district

▼ 15 pts below state median · ▼ 9 pts below county median

Social studies

Grade 837%

School 37% · District 47% · ▼ 10 pts below district

▼ 12 pts below state median · ▼ 7 pts below county median

This schoolApple Valley Unified, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 4Lower-income12%Higher-income18%6 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income11%Higher-income17%5 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income29%Higher-income18%11 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income18%Higher-income46%27 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 4Lower-income11%Higher-income18%8 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income1%Higher-income8%7 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income13%Higher-income0%13 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income6%Higher-income9%3 pp gap