Beta You're viewing our redesigned school page. Prefer the classic layout?

Penn Elementary

Q: Is Penn Elementary a good school?

Penn Elementary ranks 2417 th of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-5

2417^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,857 California Elementary Schools

Better than 59% of California elementary schools

Summary

Penn Elementary is a K-5 public school serving 366 students in the San Diego Unified district, performing in the middle-upper tier of California schools while serving a predominantly economically disadvantaged community.

The school shows clear strengths, particularly in English Language Arts where it outperforms the state average, and has made impressive progress in improving student attendance over the last few years. It performs better than some nearby schools with similar student populations, like Boone Elementary and Perry Elementary. However, challenges remain in mathematics and science, and there is a notable performance gap between female and male students. While the school spends more per student than many peers in its district, its academic results are comparable, raising questions about resource efficiency compared to a school like Zamorano Elementary.

Interesting comparisons emerge when looking at schools just outside the district. For instance, Allen (Ella B.) Elementary in the neighboring Chula Vista Elementary district achieves higher rankings. Closer to home, the success of the nearby Bethune K-8 school, which serves a similar population but uses a K-8 model, suggests there may be valuable strategies to learn from regarding academic continuity and support.

366

Students ?

22.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$23,212

Per pupil spending ?

81.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

2797 Utica Dr.
San Diego, CA 92139-3843

(619) 430-1700

District: San Diego Unified

Students who attend Penn Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Bell Middle
High:	Morse High

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

58.2%

Asian:

17.8%

African American:

10.7%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Penn Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Recently slipping — 74th percentile in 2017 → 59th in 2025

Strengths

✓Above the California median (59th percentile)

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped from its 74th-percentile peak (2017) to 59th (2025)

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

!Large classes — about 23 students per teacher

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school43%

District avg49%

California avg41%

2,417^th of 5,857

California public elementary schools ?

Top 41%▼ down 3 pts since 2015

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

67^th of 120Elementary Schools in the San Diego Unified

577^th of 1,543San Diego 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	53.2	2417 of 5857	58.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	56.5	2212 of 5869	62.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	48.0	2635 of 5859	55.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	62.1	1938 of 5883	67.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	54.9	2328 of 5789	59.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	65.7	1775 of 5662	68.7%	★★★☆☆
2017	72.1	1467 of 5692	74.2%	★★★★☆
2016	58.7	2055 of 5614	63.4%	★★★☆☆
2015	55.3	2161 of 5611	61.5%	★★★☆☆
2013	46.2	2912 of 5530	47.3%	★★☆☆☆
2012	40.6	3228 of 5390	40.1%	★★☆☆☆
2011	48.9	2657 of 5377	50.6%	★★★☆☆
2010	57.6	2133 of 5314	59.9%	★★★☆☆
2009	66.3	1624 of 5193	68.7%	★★★☆☆
2008	49.8	2383 of 5113	53.4%	★★★☆☆
2007	63.9	1642 of 5113	67.9%	★★★☆☆
2006	54.8	1973 of 4818	59.0%	★★★☆☆
2005	58.9	1797 of 4822	62.7%	★★★☆☆
2004	59.5	1735 of 4809	63.9%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	85.3	227 of 3311	93.1%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	63.5	1804 of 5597	67.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	60.3	1944 of 5612	65.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	47.4	2556 of 5609	54.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	52.4	2287 of 5635	59.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	57.6	2077 of 5492	62.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	70.0	1504 of 5413	72.2%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	51.3	2192 of 5107	57.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	50.2	2255 of 5107	55.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	57.0	1821 of 5087	64.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	62.2	1512 of 5084	70.3%	★★★★☆
2019	59.3	1727 of 4963	65.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	65.4	1358 of 4830	71.9%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	62.0	1749 of 5460	68.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	68.7	1325 of 5517	76.0%	★★★★☆
2023	56.2	1974 of 5363	63.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	76.6	891 of 5264	83.1%	★★★★☆
2019	64.1	1508 of 5173	70.8%	★★★★☆
2018	75.7	887 of 5084	82.6%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	41.1	3043 of 5628	45.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	50.5	2434 of 5643	56.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	47.9	2569 of 5638	54.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	70.4	1508 of 5663	73.4%	★★★★☆
2019	50.0	2457 of 5510	55.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	56.8	2076 of 5431	61.8%	★★★☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2023	2.9	657 of 669	1.8%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

English Language Learner (2022)93rd percentile+26 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)68th percentile+9 vs school

Female (2025)68th percentile+9 vs school

Hispanic (2025)57th percentile~ school

Male (2025)46th percentile-13 vs school

Multi-racial (2023)2nd percentile-53 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy56%+7 vs state

Mathematics36%~ state avg

Science27%-6 vs state

★

No ratings yet

Be the first to rate Penn Elementary and help other families decide.

Rate Penn Elementary

Have first-hand experience? A quick rating - and a sentence or two about what stands out (teachers, academics, safety, communication) - helps other families know what to expect.

Takes about a minute. We email you a link to verify your review - your address is never shown publicly.

Tap a star to rate

Reviews

No written reviews yet. If you know this school, be the first to share what stands out.

Schools Near Penn Elementary

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 (2024)
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 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	% 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
Penn Elementary	Public	K-5	2797 Utica Dr.	San Diego	92139	San Diego County	San Diego Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 430-1700	366	16	22.8	81.4%	11 (3.0%)	39 (10.7%)	213 (58.2%)	65 (17.8%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.5%)	36 (9.8%)	53.2	2417^th of 5857 public elementary schools	58.7%		56.5	2212^th of 5869 public elementary schools	62.3%	205	27.0		27.0	62.3	55.4	50.8				55.8	50.0	33.9	25.4				35.7	90.0	97.1	95.7	95.7	92.9	95.7	$23,212	$3,540	$19,672
Pacific View Leadership Elementary	Public	K-5	6196 Childs Ave.	San Diego	92139	San Diego County	San Diego Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 430-1600	227	9	26.3	76.7%	4 (1.8%)	9 (4.0%)	163 (71.8%)	36 (15.9%)	3 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (5.3%)	39.2	3275^th of 5857 public elementary schools	44.1%		27.2	4191^st of 5869 public elementary schools	28.6%	916	30.6		30.6	29.2	41.9	55.9				43.8	25.0	28.1	27.8				27.2	94.4	94.4	94.4	94.4	94.4		$22,556	$3,079	$19,477
Zamorano Elementary	Public	K-5	2655 Casey St.	San Diego	92139	San Diego County	San Diego Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 430-1400	823	33	24.9	71.0%	25 (3.0%)	94 (11.4%)	358 (43.5%)	211 (25.6%)	1 (0.1%)	9 (1.1%)	125 (15.2%)	62.1	1958^th of 5857 public elementary schools	66.6%		66.1	1774^th of 5869 public elementary schools	69.8%	184	40.9		40.9	52.7	46.5	61.7				53.8	45.1	41.7	44.5				43.6	96.2	98.5	97.7	97.7	97.7	97.7	$21,016	$4,167	$16,849
Valley Vista Elementary	Public	K-6	3724 Valley Vista Way	Bonita	91902	San Diego County	Chula Vista Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 479-7171	513	23	22.3	53.6%	36 (7.0%)	7 (1.4%)	428 (83.4%)	16 (3.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	26 (5.1%)	56.2	2246^th of 5857 public elementary schools	61.7%		46	2793^rd of 5869 public elementary schools	52.4%	547	45.6		45.6	53.8	58.5	55.9	66.1			58.2	40.7	30.3	17.7	30.7			30.3							$15,969	$1,715	$14,254
Bethune K-8	Public	K-8	6835 Benjamin Holt Rd.	San Diego	92114	San Diego County	San Diego Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 860-5800	520	23	22.6	72.1%	8 (1.5%)	26 (5.0%)	121 (23.3%)	308 (59.2%)	1 (0.2%)	4 (0.8%)	52 (10.0%)	70.8	1562^nd of 5857 public elementary schools	73.3%		60	2065^th of 5869 public elementary schools	64.8%	503	35.3	48.7	43.4	41.2	54.8	60.8	64.4	57.8	65.4	58.6	49.0	80.7	43.1	58.9	46.5	55.8	54.0	96.8						$20,014	$3,437	$16,577
Perry Elementary	Public	K-5	6290 Oriskany Rd.	San Diego	92139	San Diego County	San Diego Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 479-4040	341	16	21.8	73.0%	47 (13.8%)	57 (16.7%)	131 (38.4%)	55 (16.1%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.2%)	46 (13.5%)	35.3	3558^th of 5857 public elementary schools	39.3%		51.5	2473^rd of 5869 public elementary schools	57.9%	1085	18.2		18.2	41.5	38.2	34.2				37.9	46.3	29.4	25.0				33.6	96.0				96.0		$23,683	$3,614	$20,069
Paradise Hills Elementary	Public	K-5	5816 Alleghany St.	San Diego	92139	San Diego County	San Diego Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 344-5200	213	9	23.6	75.1%	10 (4.7%)	8 (3.8%)	143 (67.1%)	18 (8.5%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (3.3%)	27 (12.7%)	22.2	4657^th of 5857 public elementary schools	20.5%		20.6	4797^th of 5869 public elementary schools	18.3%	140	16.7		16.7	38.1	25.0	40.0				34.1	31.8	8.8	13.9				16.3	77.1	80.0	85.7	80.0	77.1	80.0	$25,704	$3,732	$21,972
Allen (Ella B.) Elementary	Public	K-6	4300 Allen School Rd.	Bonita	91902	San Diego County	Chula Vista Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 479-3662	422	20	21.6	48.6%	66 (15.6%)	7 (1.7%)	276 (65.4%)	39 (9.2%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.5%)	32 (7.6%)	82.7	1036^th of 5857 public elementary schools	82.3%		75.3	1357^th of 5869 public elementary schools	76.9%	321	48.6		48.6	56.5	66.2	71.4	77.2			68.5	59.6	53.9	60.0	55.2			57.1							$19,353	$2,683	$16,670
Boone Elementary	Public	K-5	7330 Brookhaven Rd.	San Diego	92114	San Diego County	San Diego Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 344-6000	342	14	24.4	84.2%	11 (3.2%)	41 (12.0%)	215 (62.9%)	48 (14.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	26 (7.6%)	29	4047^th of 5857 public elementary schools	30.9%		21.5	4718^th of 5869 public elementary schools	19.6%	671	30.2		30.2	30.2	28.1	36.5				31.8	24.5	35.1	19.1				26.0	96.4						$21,807	$3,835	$17,972
Lincoln Acres	Public	K-6	2200 Lanoitan Ave.	National City	91950	San Diego County	National Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 336-8600	423	17	24.8	86.3%	8 (1.9%)	0 (0.0%)	362 (85.6%)	39 (9.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	10 (2.4%)	21.3	4718^th of 5857 public elementary schools	19.4%		20.3	4829^th of 5869 public elementary schools	17.7%	111	13.0		13.0	16.7	12.7	28.9	41.6			26.3	24.5	18.8	20.4	25.0			22.2	94.4			94.4		96.3	$25,411	$3,073	$22,338

Frequently Asked Questions about Penn Elementary

Is Penn Elementary a good school?

Penn Elementary ranks 2417^th of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What schools do graduates of Penn Elementary attend?

Students who attend Penn Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Bell Middle
High : Morse High

What district is Penn Elementary in?

San Diego Unified

What is the racial makeup of Penn Elementary?

Students at Penn Elementary are 58% Hispanic, 18% Asian, 11% African American, 10% Two or more races, 3% White.

How many students attend Penn Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 366 students attended Penn Elementary.

Rate Penn Elementary!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

CACalifornia Elementary School Rankings

CACalifornia District Rankings

Schools in San Diego, CA

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for Penn Elementary!

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.