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Coming soon: We're expecting this year's test scores from the California Department of Education any day now — new rankings will be posted the moment they're released!

Coming soon: This year's test scores are expected from the California Department of Education any day now — new rankings will follow the moment they're released!

Ballington Academy for the Arts and Sciences

Q: Is Ballington Academy for the Arts and Sciences a good school?

Ballington Academy for the Arts and Sciences ranks 2830 th of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public, Charter Grades K-6

2830^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,857 California Elementary Schools

Better than 52% of California elementary schools

Summary

Ballington Academy for the Arts and Sciences is a public elementary school (grades K-6) serving 230 students in El Centro, CA, that has shown remarkable improvement, moving from a 1-star to a 3-star state rating over the past several years.

The school's standout strength is in science, where nearly half of its students scored proficient in 2024-2025, a rate that significantly beats the state average and outperforms all other local schools like McKinley Elementary. It also excels at supporting English Language Learners and does an excellent job ensuring students come to school regularly, with a chronic absenteeism rate better than both the state and the El Centro Elementary district average. This is particularly impressive given that over three-quarters of its students come from economically disadvantaged backgrounds.

While math scores are an area for growth, the school achieves these positive results in a cost-effective manner, spending less per student than many nearby schools such as Sunflower Elementary. As its own independent district, Ballington Academy demonstrates a clear, upward trajectory and offers a distinctive educational focus on the arts and sciences for families in the area.

230

Students ?

19.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

76.5%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1525 West Main St.
El Centro, CA 92108-2211

(760) 353-0140

District: Ballington Academy for the Arts and Sciences District

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

97.0%

White:

1.7%

Two or more races:

0.9%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Ballington Academy for the Arts and Sciences to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 27th percentile in 2019 → 52nd in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 25 percentile points since 2019

✓Above the California median (52nd percentile)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school38%

California avg41%

2,830^th of 5,857

California public elementary schools ?

Top 48%▲ up 24 pts since 2019

From bottom 27% (2019) to top 48% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

722^nd of 1,543Ballington Academy for the Arts and Sciences District 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	46.0	2830 of 5857	51.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	40.7	3144 of 5869	46.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	38.0	3278 of 5859	44.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	27.4	4108 of 5883	30.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	26.8	4208 of 5789	27.3%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	59.7	741 of 3162	76.6%	★★★★☆
2023	56.4	937 of 3245	71.1%	★★★★☆
2022	43.6	1562 of 3311	52.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	58.9	870 of 3275	73.4%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	36.1	3381 of 5597	39.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	41.2	2969 of 5612	47.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	35.8	3304 of 5609	41.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	29.0	3828 of 5635	32.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	35.6	3371 of 5492	38.6%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	59.5	1728 of 5107	66.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	56.1	1887 of 5107	63.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	53.0	2053 of 5087	59.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	39.6	2929 of 5084	42.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	34.0	3386 of 4963	31.8%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	57.1	2017 of 5460	63.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	48.5	2490 of 5517	54.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	43.5	2801 of 5363	47.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	48.4	2371 of 5264	55.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	42.3	2949 of 5173	43.0%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	62.5	1859 of 5628	67.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	40.5	3043 of 5643	46.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	39.0	3121 of 5638	44.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	32.4	3585 of 5663	36.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	23.9	4300 of 5510	22.0%	★☆☆☆☆

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 (2024)77th percentile+30 vs school

Male (2025)67th percentile+15 vs school

Hispanic (2025)66th percentile+14 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)63rd percentile+11 vs school

Female (2025)40th percentile-12 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

Science48%+15 vs state

English Language Arts/Literacy43%-6 vs state

Mathematics30%-7 vs state

★

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Schools Near Ballington Academy for the Arts and Sciences

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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)				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)	% DTP (2022)	% MMR (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 (2025)	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 6th Grade	CSA Spanish Overall All Grades	CSA Spanish Listening 3rd Grade	CSA Spanish Listening 4th Grade	CSA Spanish Listening 5th Grade	CSA Spanish Listening 6th Grade	CSA Spanish Listening All Grades	CSA Spanish Writing 3rd Grade	CSA Spanish Writing 4th Grade	CSA Spanish Writing 5th Grade	CSA Spanish Writing 6th Grade	CSA Spanish Writing All Grades	CSA Spanish Reading 3rd Grade	CSA Spanish Reading 4th Grade	CSA Spanish Reading 5th Grade	CSA Spanish Reading 6th 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	% DTP KG	% MMR KG	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Ballington Academy for the Arts and Sciences	Public, Charter	K-6	1525 West Main St.	El Centro	92108	San Diego County	Ballington Academy for the Arts and Sciences District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 353-0140	230	12	19.1	76.5%	4 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	223 (97.0%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.9%)	46	2830^th of 5857 public elementary schools	51.7%		40.7	3144^th of 5869 public elementary schools	46.4%	314																					47.5		47.5	30.4	40.0	57.5	35.0			43.2	26.1	25.7	40.0	22.7			30.0
Margaret Hedrick Elementary	Public	K-6	550 South Waterman Ave.	El Centro	92243	Imperial County	El Centro Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 352-4750	446	20	22.3	78.5%	5 (1.1%)	3 (0.7%)	429 (96.2%)	4 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.1%)	23.2	4574^th of 5857 public elementary schools	21.9%		20	4863^rd of 5869 public elementary schools	17.1%	289																					9.8		9.8	23.0	17.9	45.9	45.3			32.8	29.5	16.4	16.4	17.2			19.8				$31,318	$29,536	$1,782
Lincoln Elementary	Public	K-6	200 North Twelfth St.	El Centro	92243	Imperial County	El Centro Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 352-3060	399	19	21.0	89.0%	5 (1.3%)	3 (0.8%)	380 (95.2%)	5 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.5%)	46.1	2829^th of 5857 public elementary schools	51.7%		25.3	4338^th of 5869 public elementary schools	26.1%	1509	33.3	50.0	20.0	29.4	32.9	76.2	44.4	70.0	52.9	61.8	33.3	66.7	10.0	52.9	39.5	14.3	55.6	15.0	23.5	26.3	19.1		19.1	42.7	46.2	41.5	43.1			43.4	45.7	34.6	36.6	37.3			39.3	95.7	96.8	96.8	$34,864	$33,016	$1,848
Imperial Valley Home School Academy	Public, Charter	K-8	2370 Main St.	El Centro	92243	Imperial County	El Centro Elementary	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 335-5100	131	5	26.2	58.0%	15 (11.5%)	2 (1.5%)	107 (81.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (5.3%)	39.5	3255^th of 5857 public elementary schools	44.4%		50.3	2537^th of 5869 public elementary schools	56.8%	718																					31.3	12.5	21.9	46.2	46.2	37.5		58.8	25.0	45.9	30.8	38.5	18.8		35.3	12.5	27.1
Sunflower Elementary	Public	K-6	2450 Main St.	El Centro	92243	Imperial County	El Centro Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 337-4890	427	20	21.3	79.2%	10 (2.3%)	3 (0.7%)	405 (94.8%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (1.9%)	42.9	3014^th of 5857 public elementary schools	48.5%		54	2342^nd of 5869 public elementary schools	60.1%	672																					13.6		13.6	72.0	50.0	35.6	51.5			51.6	52.0	33.3	15.3	19.1			28.4				$32,654	$30,850	$1,804
Harding Elementary	Public	K-6	950 South Seventh St.	El Centro	92243	Imperial County	El Centro Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 352-4791	601	25	24.0	70.5%	23 (3.8%)	5 (0.8%)	560 (93.2%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (1.8%)	29.8	3978^th of 5857 public elementary schools	32.1%		38.1	3300^th of 5869 public elementary schools	43.8%	678	4.2	21.7	0.0	9.5	8.9	33.3	17.4	31.8	23.8	26.7	4.2	34.8	0.0	14.3	13.3	0.0	26.1	0.0	0.0	6.7	19.0		19.0	34.6	33.0	44.3	37.0			37.1	26.6	23.9	27.9	22.4			25.2				$23,626	$21,918	$1,708
De Anza Magnet	Public	K-8	1530 South Waterman Ave.	El Centro	92243	Imperial County	El Centro Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 352-9811	504	21	23.9	68.7%	19 (3.8%)	1 (0.2%)	479 (95.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.4%)	42.9	3013^th of 5857 public elementary schools	48.6%		44.5	2897^th of 5869 public elementary schools	50.6%	116																					31.1	31.8	31.5	25.9	47.5	57.8	46.2	63.2	58.7	50.3	35.2	28.8	37.8	26.2	41.2	42.9	35.3				$27,871	$26,138	$1,733
Martin Luther King Junior Elementary	Public	K-6	1950 Villa Ave.	El Centro	92243	Imperial County	El Centro Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 337-6555	445	19	23.4	90.1%	5 (1.1%)	3 (0.7%)	437 (98.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	31.5	3845^th of 5857 public elementary schools	34.4%		34.4	3568^th of 5869 public elementary schools	39.2%	277																					25.0		25.0	35.3	27.5	40.0	43.9			37.3	33.3	25.5	16.7	25.8			25.0				$31,384	$29,602	$1,782
McKinley Elementary	Public	K-6	1177 North Eighth St.	El Centro	92243	Imperial County	El Centro Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 352-3225	456	18	25.3	87.1%	6 (1.3%)	3 (0.7%)	438 (96.1%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.3%)	46.7	2786^th of 5857 public elementary schools	52.4%		42.8	3010^th of 5869 public elementary schools	48.7%	224																					33.9		33.9	29.0	41.7	50.0	45.1			40.9	42.1	44.1	43.6	27.5			39.1				$30,658	$28,888	$1,770
Desert Garden Elementary	Public	K-6	1900 South Sixth St.	El Centro	92243	Imperial County	El Centro Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 352-2051	358	16	22.3	81.8%	1 (0.3%)	4 (1.1%)	349 (97.5%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.6%)	39.2	3278^th of 5857 public elementary schools	44.0%		43.7	2941^st of 5869 public elementary schools	49.9%	337																					19.6		19.6	35.3	38.5	39.2	47.8			40.8	45.1	30.8	13.7	37.7			32.3	98.1	98.1		$38,733	$36,796	$1,937

Frequently Asked Questions about Ballington Academy for the Arts and Sciences

How many students attend Ballington Academy for the Arts and Sciences?

In the 2024-25 school year, 230 students attended Ballington Academy for the Arts and Sciences.

What district is Ballington Academy for the Arts and Sciences in?

Ballington Academy for the Arts and Sciences District

What is the racial makeup of Ballington Academy for the Arts and Sciences?

Students at Ballington Academy for the Arts and Sciences are 97% Hispanic, 2% White.

Is Ballington Academy for the Arts and Sciences a good school?

Ballington Academy for the Arts and Sciences ranks 2830^th of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Rate Ballington Academy for the Arts and Sciences!

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Latest California data All new data »

2024–25 school spending dataJul 1, 2026

2024–25 attendance dataMar 13, 2026

2024–25 CSA Spanish test scoresDec 22, 2025

2024–25 dropout rates & graduation ratesNov 14, 2025

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.