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

Fuerte Elementary

Q: Is Fuerte Elementary a good school?

Fuerte Elementary ranks 1257 th of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-5

1257^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,857 California Elementary Schools

Better than 79% of California elementary schools

Summary

Fuerte Elementary is a K-5 public school serving about 686 students in El Cajon, part of the Cajon Valley Union School District, and it stands out as a high-performing school that excels even as the number of students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds has grown significantly.

Academically, Fuerte is a top-tier school, performing well above both its district and California state averages in all subjects, especially science where students are more than three times as likely to be proficient compared to the district average. The school is particularly effective in supporting its students, as shown by its very low chronic absenteeism rate—less than half the district's rate—and its strong performance with specific student groups. While the school's statewide ranking has seen a slight dip from its historical peak, it remains in the top quartile of all schools, a notable achievement given that the Cajon Valley Union district itself is ranked in the bottom quartile.

When compared to nearby schools like Lexington Elementary, Anza Elementary, and Chase Avenue Elementary, Fuerte's advantage is stark, with proficiency rates in English Language Arts that are four to five times higher. Among the ten nearby schools analyzed, Fuerte ranks first in overall academic performance and has the lowest rate of chronic absenteeism, solidifying its reputation as an exceptional school within its community context.

686

Students ?

25.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$20,159

Per pupil spending ?

58.6%

Free/discounted lunch ?

11625 Fuerte Dr.
El Cajon, CA 92020-8309

(619) 588-3134

District: Cajon Valley Union

Students who attend Fuerte Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Hillsdale Middle
High:	Valhalla High

Racial breakdown:

White:

64.7%

Hispanic:

17.5%

Two or more races:

9.2%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Fuerte Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 93rd percentile in 2013 → 79th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the California average (59% vs 41% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 21% of California elementary schools

✓Among the top-ranked schools in Cajon Valley Union

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 14 percentile points since 2013

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

!Large classes — about 26 students per teacher

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school59%

District avg26%

California avg41%

1,257^th of 5,857

California public elementary schools ?

Top 21%▼ down 8 pts since 2015

From top 13% (2015) to top 21% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 19Elementary Schools in the Cajon Valley Union

1184^th of 1,543Cajon Valley Union 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	77.7	1257 of 5857	78.5%	★★★★☆
2024	80.9	1121 of 5869	80.9%	★★★★☆
2023	78.4	1224 of 5859	79.1%	★★★★☆
2022	78.7	1248 of 5883	78.8%	★★★★☆
2019	91.3	578 of 5789	90.0%	★★★★★
2018	85.5	865 of 5662	84.7%	★★★★☆
2017	85.4	894 of 5692	84.3%	★★★★☆
2016	86.9	803 of 5614	85.7%	★★★★☆
2015	87.9	728 of 5611	87.0%	★★★★☆
2013	91.3	379 of 5530	93.1%	★★★★★
2012	88.1	543 of 5390	89.9%	★★★★☆
2011	89.5	461 of 5377	91.4%	★★★★★
2010	93.0	265 of 5314	95.0%	★★★★★
2009	94.4	192 of 5193	96.3%	★★★★★
2008	91.8	383 of 5113	92.5%	★★★★★
2007	87.3	657 of 5113	87.2%	★★★★☆
2006	95.3	203 of 4818	95.8%	★★★★★
2005	93.2	311 of 4822	93.6%	★★★★★
2004	96.6	147 of 4809	96.9%	★★★★★

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	66.6	481 of 2227	78.4%	★★★★☆
2019	95.4	81 of 2585	96.9%	★★★★★

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	66.6	498 of 3162	84.3%	★★★★☆
2023	40.8	1751 of 3245	46.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	52.6	1068 of 3311	67.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	82.2	285 of 3275	91.3%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	72.6	1386 of 5597	75.2%	★★★★☆
2024	76.5	1231 of 5612	78.1%	★★★★☆
2023	79.3	1126 of 5609	79.9%	★★★★☆
2022	78.7	1166 of 5635	79.3%	★★★★☆
2019	87.1	709 of 5492	87.1%	★★★★☆
2018	80.1	1042 of 5413	80.8%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	87.4	441 of 5107	91.4%	★★★★★
2024	91.5	299 of 5107	94.1%	★★★★★
2023	79.2	779 of 5087	84.7%	★★★★☆
2022	81.1	698 of 5084	86.3%	★★★★☆
2019	91.6	238 of 4963	95.2%	★★★★★
2018	81.4	622 of 4830	87.1%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	84.4	597 of 5460	89.1%	★★★★☆
2024	79.1	876 of 5517	84.1%	★★★★☆
2023	71.1	1161 of 5363	78.4%	★★★★☆
2022	66.0	1361 of 5264	74.1%	★★★★☆
2019	87.6	378 of 5173	92.7%	★★★★★
2018	84.2	522 of 5084	89.7%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	80.3	1062 of 5628	81.1%	★★★★☆
2024	81.4	1029 of 5643	81.8%	★★★★☆
2023	74.9	1296 of 5638	77.0%	★★★★☆
2022	76.0	1282 of 5663	77.4%	★★★★☆
2019	92.5	416 of 5510	92.5%	★★★★★
2018	87.6	707 of 5431	87.0%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	62.5	730 of 2847	74.4%	★★★★☆
2024	79.0	364 of 2635	86.2%	★★★★☆
2023	77.1	350 of 2420	85.5%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	51.3	1366 of 2598	47.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	55.2	1262 of 2651	52.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	54.5	1307 of 2661	50.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	55.9	1292 of 2726	52.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	74.8	638 of 2834	77.5%	★★★★☆
2018	67.2	932 of 2737	65.9%	★★★☆☆

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)

Hispanic (2025)91st percentile+13 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)89th percentile+11 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)84th percentile+3 vs school

Male (2025)81st percentile+3 vs school

Disabled (2022)78th percentile~ school

Female (2025)75th percentile-3 vs school

Special Education (2025)74th percentile-4 vs school

White (2025)47th percentile-31 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

Science61%+29 vs state

English Language Arts/Literacy59%+10 vs state

Mathematics57%+20 vs state

★

No ratings yet

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

Rate Fuerte 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 Fuerte 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 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 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 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
Fuerte Elementary	Public	K-5	11625 Fuerte Dr.	El Cajon	92020	San Diego County	Cajon Valley Union	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 588-3134	686	27	25.6	58.6%	444 (64.7%)	15 (2.2%)	120 (17.5%)	36 (5.2%)	2 (0.3%)	6 (0.9%)	63 (9.2%)	77.7	1257^th of 5857 public elementary schools	78.5%		80.9	1121^st of 5869 public elementary schools	80.9%	136	61.4	61.4	60.7	49.1	70.6		59.2	68.6	51.8	48.3		57.1							$20,159	$2,090	$18,069
Rancho San Diego Elementary	Public	K-5	12151 Calle Albara	El Cajon	92019	San Diego County	Cajon Valley Union	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 588-3211	533	21	25.2	78.6%	295 (55.3%)	13 (2.4%)	139 (26.1%)	36 (6.8%)	6 (1.1%)	7 (1.3%)	37 (6.9%)	67.7	1706^th of 5857 public elementary schools	70.9%		67.2	1721^st of 5869 public elementary schools	70.7%	15	49.5	49.5	45.7	54.8	57.3		52.8	45.8	56.8	46.9		49.4	96.1	97.4		96.1	97.4	96.1	$22,297	$2,246	$20,051
Avocado Elementary	Public	K-5	3845 Avocado School Rd.	La Mesa	91941	San Diego County	Cajon Valley Union	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 588-3100	573	23	25.1	73.1%	201 (35.1%)	50 (8.7%)	244 (42.6%)	27 (4.7%)	5 (0.9%)	10 (1.7%)	36 (6.3%)	40.5	3180^th of 5857 public elementary schools	45.7%		45.7	2812^th of 5869 public elementary schools	52.1%	368	30.4	30.4	32.1	37.8	48.2		40.5	31.2	32.9	33.9		32.8							$19,869	$2,407	$17,462
Anza Elementary	Public	K-6	1005 South Anza St.	El Cajon	92020	San Diego County	Cajon Valley Union	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 588-3116	687	28	24.9	91.1%	262 (38.1%)	56 (8.2%)	182 (26.5%)	112 (16.3%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (1.3%)	66 (9.6%)	7.6	5757^th of 5857 public elementary schools	1.7%		12.1	5552^nd of 5869 public elementary schools	5.4%	205	6.9	6.9	9.2	9.4	18.1	10.1	11.6	15.8	8.1	12.6	5.3	10.7	94.1			96.0	98.0		$20,419	$2,734	$17,685
Chase Avenue Elementary	Public	K-6	195 East Chase Ave.	El Cajon	92020	San Diego County	Cajon Valley Union	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 588-3123	757	31	24.4	94.6%	250 (33.0%)	54 (7.1%)	255 (33.7%)	129 (17.0%)	2 (0.3%)	10 (1.3%)	57 (7.5%)	7.7	5748^th of 5857 public elementary schools	1.9%		7.3	5799^th of 5869 public elementary schools	1.2%	51	2.6	2.6	22.1	15.6	17.0	16.1	17.6	9.8	6.7	6.1	5.2	6.9	95.6	98.2	98.2	96.5	97.4		$20,058	$2,663	$17,395
Vista Grande Elementary	Public	K-5	1908 Vista Grande Rd.	El Cajon	92019	San Diego County	Cajon Valley Union	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 588-3170	633	25	25.2	61.3%	421 (66.5%)	5 (0.8%)	103 (16.3%)	25 (3.9%)	3 (0.5%)	6 (0.9%)	70 (11.1%)	63.4	1905^th of 5857 public elementary schools	67.5%		60.9	2033^rd of 5869 public elementary schools	65.4%	128	32.5	32.5	50.0	48.0	59.8		52.1	56.5	55.0	37.4		50.5	98.3	98.3	98.3		98.3		$20,019	$2,329	$17,690
Casa de Oro Elementary	Public	K-5	10227 Ramona Dr.	Spring Valley	91977	San Diego County	La Mesa-Spring Valley	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 668-5715	320	13	24.6	73.8%	51 (15.9%)	26 (8.1%)	204 (63.8%)	11 (3.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (8.8%)	23.7	4532^nd of 5857 public elementary schools	22.6%		28.1	4105^th of 5869 public elementary schools	30.1%	427	10.0	10.0	40.5	37.0	20.4		31.8	34.2	28.6	10.2		23.5							$18,536	$1,720	$16,816
Lexington Elementary	Public	K-5	1145 Redwood Ave.	El Cajon	92019	San Diego County	Cajon Valley Union	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 588-3075	878	35	25.2	91.1%	305 (34.7%)	58 (6.6%)	382 (43.5%)	99 (11.3%)	3 (0.3%)	5 (0.6%)	26 (3.0%)	9.5	5658^th of 5857 public elementary schools	3.4%		12.1	5547^th of 5869 public elementary schools	5.5%	111	9.7	9.7	11.7	12.7	19.1		14.6	21.1	9.9	11.0		13.8	92.5		97.7	98.5	95.5	98.5	$20,300	$3,014	$17,286
EJE Elementary Academy Charter	Public, Charter	K-5	851 South Johnson Ave.	El Cajon	92020	San Diego County	EJE Elementary Academy Charter District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 401-4150	582	25	23.2	67.0%	16 (2.7%)	8 (1.4%)	542 (93.1%)	6 (1.0%)	2 (0.3%)	2 (0.3%)	6 (1.0%)	20.6	4775^th of 5857 public elementary schools	18.5%		14.6	5347^th of 5869 public elementary schools	8.9%	572	18.4	18.4	28.4	27.3	29.9		28.5	23.9	21.6	19.5		21.7	92.3	92.3		92.3	92.3	92.3	$18,148	$1,716	$16,432
Loma Elementary	Public	K-5	10355 Loma Ln.	Spring Valley	91978	San Diego County	La Mesa-Spring Valley	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 668-5862	315	11	28.6	73.0%	53 (16.8%)	41 (13.0%)	169 (53.7%)	17 (5.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	34 (10.8%)	39.6	3246^th of 5857 public elementary schools	44.6%		28.4	4078^th of 5869 public elementary schools	30.5%	832	30.2	30.2	37.5	33.3	53.9		41.9	27.1	29.2	34.6		30.4							$18,074	$1,483	$16,591

Frequently Asked Questions about Fuerte Elementary

What district is Fuerte Elementary in?

Cajon Valley Union

Is Fuerte Elementary a good school?

Fuerte Elementary ranks 1257^th of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Fuerte Elementary?

Students at Fuerte Elementary are 65% White, 17% Hispanic, 9% Two or more races, 5% Asian, 2% African American.

What schools do graduates of Fuerte Elementary attend?

Students who attend Fuerte Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Hillsdale Middle
High : Valhalla High

How many students attend Fuerte Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 686 students attended Fuerte Elementary.

Rate Fuerte Elementary!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

CACalifornia Elementary School Rankings

CACalifornia District Rankings

Schools in El Cajon, CA

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for Fuerte 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.