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Santee

At a glance

305^thof 1,543 California districts▲ 5

Better than 80% of California districts

Elementary 11Grades K-8

9625 Cuyamaca St.
Santee, CA 92071-2674·(619) 258-2300·All California district rankings →

Statewide performance 2017–2025

2025: better than 80.2% of districts

Schools

6,066

Students

Top rankedSycamore Canyon Elementary1018^th of 5,857 California elementary schools

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Biggest riser

Hill Creek Elementary up 315 spots statewide this year

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Smallest classes

Sycamore Canyon Elementary 20.7 students per teacher

SchoolDigger ratings

4★

3★

2 schools without a SchoolDigger rating (too few tested students)

Compare California districts →See the top-ranked California schools →

Summary:

The Santee School District, serving approximately 6,061 students across 10 elementary schools (mostly K-8) in the San Diego area, is a high-performing district ranked in the 80th percentile statewide, with all of its schools exceeding California averages in English, math, and science.

Among the standout schools, Rio Seco Elementary and Sycamore Canyon Elementary are top academic performers, with Sycamore Canyon showing particular strength in math and science. Hill Creek Elementary excels in English Language Arts, while Carlton Oaks Elementary has the district's lowest chronic absenteeism rate. It's noteworthy that schools like PRIDE Academy at Prospect Avenue maintain solid performance despite higher economic need, indicating that factors beyond demographics influence success.

The district's main opportunity for improvement lies in mathematics, where scores dip in 5th and 6th grades before recovering in middle school, and where a significant gap exists between the highest and lowest performing schools. Overall, the Santee district provides a consistently strong educational foundation, with chronic absenteeism rates roughly half the state average, though parents may want to note the variation in program strengths between individual schools.

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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 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)	% DTP (2022)	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/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	% DTP KG	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Santee Alternative	Public	K-8	10250 El Nopal	Santee	92071	San Diego County	Santee	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 956-2490	11	1	11.0	45.5%	6 (54.5%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (36.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (9.1%)								(n/a)																					$40,274	$39,464	$810
Cajon Park Elementary	Public	K-8	10300 Magnolia Ave.	Santee	92071	San Diego County	Santee	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 956-2400	830	35	23.7	48.8%	508 (61.2%)	6 (0.7%)	200 (24.1%)	22 (2.7%)	1 (0.1%)	3 (0.4%)	90 (10.8%)	51.7	2519^th of 5857 public elementary schools	57.0%		55.9	2242^nd of 5869 public elementary schools	61.8%	277	28.9	43.0	37.1	53.2	38.9	48.8	57.5	59.3	65.5	55.0	46.8	37.0	27.4	35.8	43.3	45.6	39.6				$13,544	$12,608	$936
Carlton Hills Elementary	Public	K-8	9353 Pike Rd.	Santee	92071	San Diego County	Santee	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 258-3400	601	26	23.1	47.9%	314 (52.2%)	7 (1.2%)	198 (32.9%)	33 (5.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	49 (8.2%)	73.8	1425^th of 5857 public elementary schools	75.7%		77.7	1259^th of 5869 public elementary schools	78.5%	166	42.0	48.4	45.5	46.8	66.1	64.0	44.3	59.8	77.4	60.1	61.7	66.1	54.0	52.5	56.3	58.1	57.9				$13,198	$12,280	$918
Carlton Oaks Elementary	Public	K-8	9353 Wethersfield Rd.	Santee	92071	San Diego County	Santee	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 956-4500	823	36	22.8	37.5%	412 (50.1%)	10 (1.2%)	240 (29.2%)	47 (5.7%)	1 (0.1%)	2 (0.2%)	111 (13.5%)	72.1	1514^th of 5857 public elementary schools	74.2%		77.2	1279^th of 5869 public elementary schools	78.2%	235	41.4	46.2	44.2	60.4	65.0	58.6	58.1	58.6	50.0	58.3	56.5	56.8	28.6	52.3	60.6	56.5	52.9				$12,856	$12,046	$810
Chet F. Harritt Elementary	Public	K-8	8120 Arlette St.	Santee	92071	San Diego County	Santee	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 258-4800	606	24	25.4	46.4%	288 (47.5%)	19 (3.1%)	200 (33.0%)	23 (3.8%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	75 (12.4%)	67.9	1692^nd of 5857 public elementary schools	71.1%		73.1	1446^th of 5869 public elementary schools	75.4%	246	34.3	34.4	34.4	50.0	65.6	56.1	76.7	54.6	42.6	57.3	50.7	50.8	33.3	51.7	39.4	29.5	42.6				$12,095	$11,186	$909
Hill Creek Elementary	Public	K-8	9665 Jeremy St.	Santee	92071	San Diego County	Santee	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 956-5000	695	29	23.8	47.3%	364 (52.4%)	5 (0.7%)	219 (31.5%)	29 (4.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	78 (11.2%)	74.7	1385^th of 5857 public elementary schools	76.4%		67.6	1700^th of 5869 public elementary schools	71.0%	315	54.1	44.4	49.6	51.3	69.0	62.2	72.9	66.2	82.5	66.6	50.0	60.6	54.1	30.0	36.4	44.4	46.6				$13,326	$12,516	$810
Pepper Drive Elementary	Public	K-8	1935 Marlinda Way	El Cajon	92021	San Diego County	Santee	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 956-5100	661	27	24.5	58.2%	288 (43.6%)	29 (4.4%)	257 (38.9%)	31 (4.7%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.3%)	54 (8.2%)	59	2119^th of 5857 public elementary schools	63.8%		59.6	2084^th of 5869 public elementary schools	64.5%	35	42.3	31.3	35.6	53.5	52.6	59.6	46.9	55.8	57.5	54.0	46.6	51.3	28.9	32.1	32.6	36.3	37.9				$14,130	$13,196	$934
PRIDE Academy at Prospect Avenue	Public	K-8	9303 Prospect Ave.	Santee	92071	San Diego County	Santee	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 956-5200	548	22	25.1	57.5%	206 (37.6%)	8 (1.5%)	227 (41.4%)	47 (8.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	59 (10.8%)	69.9	1606^th of 5857 public elementary schools	72.6%		71.5	1529^th of 5869 public elementary schools	73.9%	77	46.8	44.4	45.6	60.7	45.6	61.3	55.1	48.2	73.0	57.4	67.9	45.6	41.9	49.0	38.9	60.3	50.6				$14,937	$13,934	$1,003
Rio Seco Elementary	Public	K-8	9545 Cuyamaca St.	Santee	92071	San Diego County	Santee	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 956-5500	913	39	23.4	42.5%	465 (50.9%)	7 (0.8%)	246 (26.9%)	75 (8.2%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (0.7%)	114 (12.5%)	79	1195^th of 5857 public elementary schools	79.6%		82.2	1064^th of 5869 public elementary schools	81.9%	131	50.0	52.5	51.4	58.0	61.8	61.5	64.6	66.3	60.2	61.9	60.2	67.6	50.0	46.9	64.9	58.5	58.3				$12,838	$12,028	$810
Sycamore Canyon Elementary	Public	K-6	10201 Settle Rd.	Santee	92071	San Diego County	Santee	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 956-5400	373	18	20.7	37.0%	192 (51.5%)	8 (2.1%)	112 (30.0%)	13 (3.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	48 (12.9%)	83	1018^th of 5857 public elementary schools	82.6%		87.9	817^th of 5869 public elementary schools	86.1%	201	52.0		52.0	65.2	54.2	68.0	72.7			63.9	76.1	54.2	62.0	54.6			62.7	96.9	96.9	96.9	$13,848	$13,038	$810
Santee Success Program	Public	K-8	10280 North Magnolia Ave.	Santee	92071	San Diego County	Santee	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 956-2453	5	1	5.0		2 (40.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (40.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (20.0%)								(n/a)																					$81,290	$80,480	$810

Districts nearby

District	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Grossmont Union High	0.41 mi	18	750^th
Lakeside Union Elementary	1.97 mi	12	716^th
River Valley Charter District	2.03 mi	1	69^th
Cajon Valley Union	3.52 mi	29	1184^th
Altus Schools East County District	3.89 mi	1	1137^th

See the top CA California districts

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.