Gateway Elementary School in Ridgecrest, California on DonorsChoose

{"monthlySchoolDonationEnabled":false,"callToActionDisplayName":"Gateway Elementary School","outOfStateSupporters":12.5,"allowSchoolLevelGiving":true,"hasFundedProjects":true,"projectGratitudeData":[{"teacherId":3477681,"projectId":9143572,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for the support in bringing fun learning activities into my classroom. My students are enjoying the engaging activities during our small groups. While my students participate in small group activities it allows me to pull small groups of students together to work on specific needs throughout the year. \r\n\r\nWhen my students first saw the learning activities they had a huge smile on their faces and wanted to get right to playing with them. During their time with these activities, I have been hearing conversations about the different letters they are looking for and how to match the uppercase letters with the lowercase letters. They are also discussing the different numbers on the ice cream cones and counting out how many scoops they need to put on the top. This conversation amongst students helps them learn from one another. \r\n\r\nCurrently, my students are learning letter recognition and sounds. As the year progresses we will be putting our sounds together to create words. The CVC board and magnets will come in place at that time. All of the learning activities provided through donors like you will create a fun learning environment throughout the whole school year.","fullyFundedDate":1745847020295,"projectUrl":"project/make-learning-fun/9143572/","projectTitle":"Make Learning Fun!","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Lovato","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp3477681_orig.jpg?crop=1:1,smart&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1741226830055","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/3477681"}],"pageName":"schoolpage_59024","usesDonorsChoose":true,"infoPageType":"school","demographicsInfo":{"numStudents":371,"numTeachers":16,"percentFrplEligible":65,"percentAsian":2,"percentBlack":8,"percentWhite":45,"percentIndigenous":1,"percentLatinx":33,"showFreeAndReducedPriceLunchInfo":true,"showDemographicsInfo":true,"sourceTooltipString":"the National Center for Education Statistics","gradesServed":"Pre-K - 5","studentTeacherRatio":"23.2:1","demographicsDataSource":"MDR School","equityFocus":true,"titleOne":true,"metroType":"TOWN","ncesMetroType":"TOWN_REMOTE"},"inStateSupporters":87.5,"schoolId":59024,"financialInfo":null,"twitterShareText":"Learn more about Gateway Elementary School on @DonorsChoose:","schoolName":"Gateway Elementary School","canonicalPageUrl":"schools/california/sierra-sands-unified-school-district/gateway-elementary-school/59024"}

About this school

Gateway Elementary School is a town public school in Ridgecrest, California that is part of Sierra Sands Unified School District. It serves 371 students in grades Pre-K - 5 with a student/teacher ratio of 23.2:1. Its teachers have had 9 projects funded on DonorsChoose.

Equity Focus School

Support towards this school will directly impact historically underfunded classrooms.

Public School

Title 1

Grades Pre-K - 5

371 Students

16 Teachers

501 S Gateway Blvd

Ridgecrest, CA 93555 View local requests

Evidence-based impact

Inspire teachers to stay in the classroom and boost student achievement.¹

Give to this school

Ms. Vero, a DonorsChoose teacher for 9 years.

Kindergarten teacher at PS81 - Robert J. Christen School in Bronx, NY

Gateway Elementary School Teachers on DonorsChoose

Mrs. Eldred

Ms. Lovato

DonorsChoose is the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.

As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. Each classroom request for funding was created by a classroom teacher and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.

See how DonorsChoose works

Gateway Elementary School Demographics

65%

of students receive free or reduced price lunch

Source: the National Center for Education Statistics

44%

of students are Black, Latino, Native American, or Asian

Schools in districts that mainly serve students of color receive substantially less state and local support than similar districts that serve primarily White students. Learn more about this gap, why it exists, and how you can help close it.

Gateway Elementary School Support on DonorsChoose Last updated Dec 5, 2025

DonorsChoose makes it easy for anyone to help a teacher in need, moving us closer to a nation where students in every community have the tools and experiences they need for a great education.