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Garfield Elementary

Q: Is Garfield Elementary a good school?

Garfield Elementary ranks 1123 rd of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-5

1123^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,857 California Elementary Schools

Better than 81% of California elementary schools

Summary

Garfield Elementary is a K-5 public school serving 308 students in San Diego, part of the San Diego Unified district, that consistently achieves strong academic results while serving a community where many families face economic challenges.

The school is a standout for its effectiveness, earning a 4-star rating and performing significantly better than other local schools with similar student populations. For example, while Cherokee Point Elementary and Central Elementary have much lower test scores, Garfield's students excel, particularly in English Language Arts. The school has shown impressive, steady improvement over the last decade and is exceptionally effective in supporting its students, ranking in the top tiers statewide for several key groups. While attendance is an area for continued focus, the chronic absenteeism rate has been cut nearly in half over two years, showing positive momentum.

When compared to higher-performing schools like McKinley Elementary or Birney Elementary, which serve fewer economically disadvantaged students, Garfield demonstrates that excellent outcomes are achievable in any community. A notable pattern is a dip in 5th-grade math scores, which the school can likely address. Overall, Garfield Elementary proves itself as a school where dedicated teaching and leadership create a successful learning environment for all its students.

308

Students ?

22.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$23,563

Per pupil spending ?

77.6%

Free/discounted lunch ?

4487 Oregon St.
San Diego, CA 92116-3018

(619) 362-4300

District: San Diego Unified

Students who attend Garfield Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Roosevelt International Middle
High:	San Diego High

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

56.2%

White:

17.5%

African American:

16.9%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Garfield Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 67th percentile in 2013 → 81st in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the California average (61% vs 41% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 19% of California elementary schools

✓Ranking is trending up — up 14 percentile points since 2013

Worth a look

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

!Large classes — about 22 students per teacher

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school61%

District avg49%

California avg41%

1,123^rd of 5,857

California public elementary schools ?

Top 19%▲ up 32 pts since 2015

From bottom 48% (2015) to top 19% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

39^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	80.8	1123 of 5857	80.8%	★★★★☆
2024	67.7	1697 of 5869	71.1%	★★★★☆
2023	78.4	1222 of 5859	79.1%	★★★★☆
2022	86.4	879 of 5883	85.1%	★★★★☆
2019	80.1	1163 of 5789	79.9%	★★★★☆
2018	74.7	1371 of 5662	75.8%	★★★★☆
2017	74.6	1355 of 5692	76.2%	★★★★☆
2016	59.0	2043 of 5614	63.6%	★★★☆☆
2015	42.2	2899 of 5611	48.3%	★★☆☆☆
2013	65.1	1828 of 5530	66.9%	★★★☆☆
2012	67.0	1675 of 5390	68.9%	★★★☆☆
2011	72.4	1375 of 5377	74.4%	★★★★☆
2010	79.1	1041 of 5314	80.4%	★★★★☆
2009	49.6	2513 of 5193	51.6%	★★★☆☆
2008	25.8	3912 of 5113	23.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	16.0	4570 of 5113	10.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	15.8	4298 of 4818	10.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	20.8	3912 of 4822	18.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	17.8	4134 of 4809	14.0%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	36.0	2111 of 3162	33.2%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	73.9	1334 of 5597	76.2%	★★★★☆
2024	63.7	1775 of 5612	68.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	71.4	1441 of 5609	74.3%	★★★★☆
2022	82.4	989 of 5635	82.4%	★★★★☆
2019	87.6	685 of 5492	87.5%	★★★★☆
2018	65.2	1740 of 5413	67.9%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	88.4	400 of 5107	92.2%	★★★★★
2024	82.1	643 of 5107	87.4%	★★★★☆
2023	80.7	706 of 5087	86.1%	★★★★☆
2022	96.1	157 of 5084	96.9%	★★★★★
2019	88.5	358 of 4963	92.8%	★★★★★
2018	79.5	715 of 4830	85.2%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	91.2	321 of 5460	94.1%	★★★★★
2024	74.4	1081 of 5517	80.4%	★★★★☆
2023	86.7	506 of 5363	90.6%	★★★★★
2022	96.5	132 of 5264	97.5%	★★★★★
2019	91.8	240 of 5173	95.4%	★★★★★
2018	88.4	349 of 5084	93.1%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	85.6	807 of 5628	85.7%	★★★★☆
2024	70.7	1471 of 5643	73.9%	★★★★☆
2023	82.9	972 of 5638	82.8%	★★★★☆
2022	86.0	827 of 5663	85.4%	★★★★☆
2019	65.6	1692 of 5510	69.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	80.1	1050 of 5431	80.7%	★★★★☆

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)

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)94th percentile+13 vs school

Hispanic (2025)92nd percentile+11 vs school

Male (2025)86th percentile+5 vs school

Female (2025)76th percentile-5 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)33rd percentile-38 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy69%+20 vs state

Mathematics59%+21 vs state

Science44%+12 vs state

2.5

2 ratings · 2 written reviews

5★0

4★1

3★0

2★0

1★1

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What people are saying

by a parent
Tuesday, September 6, 2011

In brief, my daughter attended 1st grade at Garfield for most of the year 2010-11. After a few months of attendance she told me about a bully in her class and the actions by him. I approached the staff (teacher) and was told changes were being made that would end the bullying.

My daughter continued to complain about the bully and later I got to see first-hand on a field trip the actions of this child. I again spoke with the teacher and the next day the principle.

I was assured “aggressive measures” were being taken and that within 6 weeks of their new adjustments that all would be well. Needless to say, this went on from November to June.

The last report of the bully was the last straw for my ex and me so we filed a police report and immediately moved my daughter out of the school to another. This was a last resort and was not desired by myself as she was mere weeks from ending school.

To our delight, my daughter was clearly not stressed about going to her new school and loved it immediately. Garfield Elementary’s administration does not handle bullying at all, they do nothing. In fact, after a few weeks at this new school, we found out that ANOTHER child was pulled out by his parents for the same EXACT reasons and for the exact same child at the same school.

That was ANOTHER verification for me; What will it take for you to decide where to send your child? Don’t send them to Garfield Elementary on Oregon St in San Diego whatever you do. Close Quote

by a parent
Monday, January 26, 2009

Lovely school with a great bunch of teachers. My son really loves going to school. Close Quote

Schools Near Garfield Elementary

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Immunizations Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				CSA Spanish Overall (2025)				CSA Spanish Listening (2025)				CSA Spanish Writing (2025)				CSA Spanish Reading (2025)				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	CSA Spanish Overall 3rd Grade	CSA Spanish Overall 4th Grade	CSA Spanish Overall 5th Grade	CSA Spanish Overall All Grades	CSA Spanish Listening 3rd Grade	CSA Spanish Listening 4th Grade	CSA Spanish Listening 5th Grade	CSA Spanish Listening All Grades	CSA Spanish Writing 3rd Grade	CSA Spanish Writing 4th Grade	CSA Spanish Writing 5th Grade	CSA Spanish Writing All Grades	CSA Spanish Reading 3rd Grade	CSA Spanish Reading 4th Grade	CSA Spanish Reading 5th Grade	CSA Spanish Reading All Grades	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
Garfield Elementary	Public	K-5	4487 Oregon St.	San Diego	92116	San Diego County	San Diego Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 362-4300	308	14	22.0	77.6%	54 (17.5%)	52 (16.9%)	173 (56.2%)	5 (1.6%)	2 (0.6%)	1 (0.3%)	21 (6.8%)	80.8	1123^rd of 5857 public elementary schools	80.8%		67.7	1697^th of 5869 public elementary schools	71.1%	574																	44.2		44.2	62.2	75.0	69.8				68.8	71.1	67.5	37.2				58.6	96.2			96.2			$23,563	$4,192	$19,371
Jefferson Elementary	Public	K-5	3770 Utah St.	San Diego	92104	San Diego County	San Diego Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 344-3300	400	16	25.0	51.5%	135 (33.8%)	11 (2.8%)	181 (45.3%)	14 (3.5%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	58 (14.5%)	83.3	997^th of 5857 public elementary schools	83.0%		75.3	1360^th of 5869 public elementary schools	76.8%	363																	49.0		49.0	71.7	68.3	65.3				68.6	78.7	71.2	35.3				63.2							$22,346	$4,134	$18,212
Birney Elementary	Public	K-5	4345 Campus Ave.	San Diego	92103	San Diego County	San Diego Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 497-3500	535	22	24.3	45.2%	204 (38.1%)	50 (9.3%)	178 (33.3%)	22 (4.1%)	3 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	78 (14.6%)	93.4	449^th of 5857 public elementary schools	92.3%		90.5	666^th of 5869 public elementary schools	88.7%	217																	81.2		81.2	66.7	81.9	81.2				76.3	64.4	85.1	77.9				75.8	97.0				97.0		$19,097	$2,925	$16,172
San Diego Global Vision Academy	Public, Charter	K-8	3430 School St.	San Diego	92116	San Diego County	San Diego Global Vision Academy District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 600-5321	463	22	21.0	62.0%	48 (10.4%)	69 (14.9%)	261 (56.4%)	22 (4.8%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	61 (13.2%)	74	1420^th of 5857 public elementary schools	75.8%		72.8	1458^th of 5869 public elementary schools	75.2%	38																	40.8	55.6	47.9	57.5	74.0	54.2	70.8	66.7	75.6	66.4	46.8	68.0	31.3	62.5	47.9	55.6	52.1							$29,729	$525	$29,204
Adams Elementary	Public	K-5	4672 35th St.	San Diego	92116	San Diego County	San Diego Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 362-4200	290	14	20.7	70.7%	48 (16.6%)	19 (6.6%)	205 (70.7%)	3 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (5.2%)	43	3002^nd of 5857 public elementary schools	48.7%		29.6	3957^th of 5869 public elementary schools	32.6%	955	0.0	33.3	0.0	10.3	26.7	41.7	16.7	28.2	0.0	58.3	0.0	18.0	0.0	25.0	0.0	7.7	24.3		24.3	45.2	47.1	52.8				48.5	41.9	38.2	10.8				29.4	96.4			96.4			$24,006	$4,774	$19,232
Edison Elementary	Public	K-5	4077 35th St.	San Diego	92104	San Diego County	San Diego Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 344-5400	375	17	22.0	96.3%	6 (1.6%)	19 (5.1%)	328 (87.5%)	14 (3.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	7 (1.9%)	64.2	1879^th of 5857 public elementary schools	67.9%		66.7	1747^th of 5869 public elementary schools	70.2%	132																	28.9		28.9	53.9	50.9	62.0				55.3	44.8	58.9	47.2				50.0	96.2		97.4		97.4		$23,602	$4,758	$18,844
Normal Heights Elementary	Public	K-5	3750 Ward Rd.	San Diego	92116	San Diego County	San Diego Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 584-6000	275	12	22.9	85.8%	9 (3.3%)	35 (12.7%)	210 (76.4%)	9 (3.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (4.4%)	59.2	2105^th of 5857 public elementary schools	64.1%		72.9	1452^nd of 5869 public elementary schools	75.3%	653																	30.2		30.2	41.9	62.5	44.2				49.1	45.2	65.6	44.2				50.9							$29,286	$5,690	$23,596
Central Elementary	Public	K-5	3878 Orange Ave.	San Diego	92105	San Diego County	San Diego Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 344-6100	497	23	21.3	95.2%	6 (1.2%)	67 (13.5%)	343 (69.0%)	72 (14.5%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.4%)	7 (1.4%)	14.8	5283^rd of 5857 public elementary schools	9.8%		21.1	4767^th of 5869 public elementary schools	18.8%	516																	11.7		11.7	22.1	23.9	28.0				24.6	17.2	17.8	15.6				16.9	87.2	95.7	93.6	91.5	91.5	93.6	$24,401	$5,048	$19,353
Nipaquay Elementary	Public	K-5	7900 Civita Blvd.	San Diego	92108	San Diego County	San Diego Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 605-1900	378	15	25.2	61.1%	114 (30.2%)	33 (8.7%)	130 (34.4%)	49 (13.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	52 (13.8%)	45.1	2878^th of 5857 public elementary schools	50.9%					(n/a)																				37.8	40.0					38.9	38.0	48.9					43.2							$21,362	$2,951	$18,411
Cherokee Point Elementary	Public	K-5	3735 38th St.	San Diego	92105	San Diego County	San Diego Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 641-3400	298	12	24.8	91.6%	5 (1.7%)	22 (7.4%)	229 (76.8%)	31 (10.4%)	2 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (3.0%)	24.9	4416^th of 5857 public elementary schools	24.6%		33.5	3641^st of 5869 public elementary schools	38.0%	775																	14.3		14.3	34.9	24.5	19.1				26.1	48.8	24.5	16.7				29.9							$23,894	$3,462	$20,432

Frequently Asked Questions about Garfield Elementary

What district is Garfield Elementary in?

San Diego Unified

Is Garfield Elementary a good school?

Garfield Elementary ranks 1123^rd of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Garfield Elementary?

Students at Garfield Elementary are 56% Hispanic, 18% White, 17% African American, 7% Two or more races, 2% Asian.

What schools do graduates of Garfield Elementary attend?

Students who attend Garfield Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Roosevelt International Middle
High : San Diego High

How many students attend Garfield Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 308 students attended Garfield Elementary.

Rate Garfield Elementary!

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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.