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Best Public Schools in Imperial, CA

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At a glance

Schools

4,794

Students

Top rankedImperial High822^nd of 2,135 California high schools

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Smallest classes

T. L. Waggoner Elementary 21.8 students per teacher

SchoolDigger ratings

3★

1★

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Summary:

Imperial, California, has six schools serving students from elementary through high school, with 4,794 students across the group; enrollment ranges from 28 at Imperial Ave. Holbrook High to 1,439 at Imperial High. The clearest concern is Holbrook: its 11th-grade proficiency is 30% in English, 0% in math and 20% in science, while chronic absenteeism is 78%, compared with 18% statewide. At the same grade, Imperial High posts 64% in English, 20% in math and 40% in science, exceeding Holbrook by 34, 20 and 20 percentage points, respectively; its absenteeism is 22%. Because Holbrook enrolls just 28 students, its rates may be especially sensitive to small changes in student counts.

Among the high schools, Imperial High is the standout: its 11th-grade English and science results are above state results of 57% and 38%, while Holbrook is below the state in all three subjects. Elementary results vary considerably by grade. Imperial Cross Elementary leads grade 5 English at 61%, 12 points above the state, but has the lowest grade 3 English result among the elementary schools, at 35% versus 44% statewide. T. L. Waggoner Elementary leads grade 3 math at 59%, compared with 47% statewide, but its grade 5 math is 32%, below the state’s 37%. Frank M. Wright Middle is above state English results in grades 6–8 and below state math results in all three grades. Cross and Waggoner are nearly tied in all-grades math, at 45% each.

Recent changes are mixed rather than uniformly upward or downward: Cross gained 7 percentage points in science, while Wright gained 3 points each in math and science; Waggoner fell in all three subjects. SchoolDigger ranks Imperial High and Wright in the 62nd percentile statewide, while Holbrook has a 1-star rating and ranks in the 23rd percentile; the other four schools have 3-star ratings. For sy 2024–2025, free/reduced lunch eligible (FRL) figures range from 47% at Imperial High to 67% at Ben Hulse Elementary. Student-teacher ratios range from 11.1 at Holbrook to 23.0 at Imperial High, while the elementary schools are clustered between 21.8 and 22.3.

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				CSA Spanish Overall (2026)			CSA Spanish Listening (2026)			CSA Spanish Writing (2026)			CSA Spanish Reading (2026)			CAST Science (2026)					Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy (2026)								Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2026)								Vaccination (2024-25)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
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/reduced lunch (2024-25)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	CSA Spanish Overall 3rd Grade	CSA Spanish Overall 4th Grade	CSA Spanish Overall All Grades	CSA Spanish Listening 3rd Grade	CSA Spanish Listening 4th Grade	CSA Spanish Listening All Grades	CSA Spanish Writing 3rd Grade	CSA Spanish Writing 4th Grade	CSA Spanish Writing All Grades	CSA Spanish Reading 3rd Grade	CSA Spanish Reading 4th Grade	CSA Spanish Reading All Grades	CAST Science 5th Grade	CAST Science 8th Grade	CAST Science 11th Grade	CAST Science 12th 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 11th 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 11th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics All Grades	Vaccination: Kindergartners with all required immunizations	Vaccination: Exemption rate	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Ben Hulse Elementary	Public	K-5	303 South D St.	Imperial	92251	Imperial County	Imperial Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 355-3210	838	38	22.0	66.7%	53 (6.3%)	1 (0.1%)	762 (90.9%)	13 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (1.1%)	50.4	2589^th of 5817 public elementary schools	55.5%		55.3	2293^rd of 5857 public elementary schools	60.9%	296													29.9				29.9	38.9	46.7	53.7					46.5	45.9	44.1	34.3					41.5	97%	0%	$19,355	$1,316	$18,039
Frank M. Wright Middle	Public	6-8	885 North Imperial Ave.	Imperial	92251	Imperial County	Imperial Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 355-3240	1,116	49	22.6	54.7%	77 (6.9%)	5 (0.4%)	1,014 (90.9%)	10 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	8 (0.7%)	55.5	1046^th of 2740 public middle schools	61.8%		55	1031^st of 2761 public middle schools	62.7%	15														36.6			36.6				50.3	55.0	50.8		52.0				36.0	35.5	32.6		34.7			$17,759	$1,243	$16,516
Imperial Ave. Holbrook High	Public	9-12	322 North Imperial Ave.	Imperial	92251	Imperial County	Imperial Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 355-3207	28	3	11.1	60.7%	3 (10.7%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (89.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	20.2	1651^st of 2135 public high schools	22.7%		34.1	1400^th of 2162 public high schools	35.2%	251															20.0		20.0							30.0	30.0							0.0	0.0			$19,678	$7,643	$12,035
Imperial High	Public	9-12	517 West Barioni Blvd.	Imperial	92251	Imperial County	Imperial Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 355-3220	1,439	62	23.0	47.0%	117 (8.1%)	12 (0.8%)	1,278 (88.8%)	22 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (0.7%)	59.7	822^nd of 2135 public high schools	61.5%		64.3	702^nd of 2162 public high schools	67.5%	120															40.3		40.2							63.9	63.9							19.6	19.6			$18,868	$1,019	$17,849
T. L. Waggoner Elementary	Public	K-5	627 Joshua Tree St.	Imperial	92251	Imperial County	Imperial Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 355-3266	613	28	21.8	58.9%	40 (6.5%)	0 (0.0%)	565 (92.2%)	5 (0.8%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.3%)	51.2	2543^rd of 5817 public elementary schools	56.3%		60.2	2058^th of 5857 public elementary schools	64.9%	485													24.7				24.7	47.5	48.2	43.8					46.4	58.8	42.9	32.0					44.9	97%	0%	$20,149	$1,469	$18,680
Imperial Cross Elementary	Public	K-5	2462 Cross Rd.	Imperial	92251	Imperial County	Imperial Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 355-3250	760	34	22.3	61.3%	48 (6.3%)	3 (0.4%)	701 (92.2%)	2 (0.3%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (0.7%)	55.7	2279^th of 5817 public elementary schools	60.8%		57.4	2197^th of 5857 public elementary schools	62.5%	82	22.0	35.4	28.6	58.0	35.4	46.9	32.0	68.8	50.0	12.0	22.9	17.4	30.4				30.4	35.4	54.1	60.9					49.7	40.9	51.1	42.0					44.9	98%	0%	$19,049	$1,253	$17,796

Cities Near Imperial

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
El Centro	3.12 mi	26	500^th
Seeley	7.17 mi	1	526^th
Heber	8.23 mi	2	267^th
Brawley	8.93 mi	11	611^th
Holtville	11.83 mi	6	277^th

See the top CA California cities

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.