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Johnson Elementary

Public Grades K-5

4911^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,857 California Elementary Schools

Better than 16% of California elementary schools

Summary

Johnson Elementary is a public K-5 school serving 766 students in El Cajon, part of the Cajon Valley Union School District, which faces significant academic challenges across its schools.

Academically, Johnson Elementary ranks in the bottom tier of California schools, though it performs somewhat better within its own district than nearby Chase Avenue, Lexington, and Anza Elementary schools. A major concern is chronic absenteeism, with about one-third of students missing significant school, a rate much higher than the state average and similar to other schools in its district. Despite receiving over $20,000 per student in funding, the school maintains a high student-teacher ratio.

The school shows a complex picture, having improved from its lowest point and demonstrating notable effectiveness with some student groups. However, stark contrasts exist with schools just miles away in other districts, like Fletcher Hills Elementary in the La Mesa-Spring Valley district, which achieves much higher test scores. Similarly, the nearby EJE Elementary Academy Charter has comparable demographics but far lower absenteeism, suggesting different approaches within the same community can yield different results.

766

Students ?

24.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$20,245

Per pupil spending ?

95%

Free/discounted lunch ?

500 West Madison
El Cajon, CA 92020-3211

(619) 588-3139

District: Cajon Valley Union

Students who attend Johnson Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Cajon Valley Middle
High:	Grossmont High

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

44.0%

White:

23.5%

Asian:

17.1%

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At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 10th percentile in 2013 → 16th in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 6 percentile points since 2013

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (23% vs 41% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (16th percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (32% vs 19% California)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school23%

District avg26%

California avg41%

4,911^th of 5,857

California public elementary schools ?

Bottom 16%▲ up 4 pts since 2015

From bottom 12% (2015) to bottom 16% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

11^th 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	19.1	4911 of 5857	16.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	18.0	5028 of 5869	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	13.8	5408 of 5859	7.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	12.9	5542 of 5883	5.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	13.1	5374 of 5789	7.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	10.0	5436 of 5662	4.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	8.1	5591 of 5692	1.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	12.9	5228 of 5614	6.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	16.5	4943 of 5611	11.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	16.5	4962 of 5530	10.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	15.9	4902 of 5390	9.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	10.0	5216 of 5377	3.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	11.5	5082 of 5314	4.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	14.4	4767 of 5193	8.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	15.1	4661 of 5113	8.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	20.3	4268 of 5113	16.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	22.8	3806 of 4818	21.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	27.2	3465 of 4822	28.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	26.6	3436 of 4809	28.6%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	39.6	313 of 569	45.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	55.3	205 of 593	65.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	43.1	321 of 661	51.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	31.6	444 of 663	33.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	42.8	384 of 747	48.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	31.4	490 of 700	30.0%	★★☆☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	1.1	1178 of 1203	2.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	0.5	1194 of 1205	0.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	0.4	1185 of 1190	0.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	25.0	1730 of 2227	22.3%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	26.9	2757 of 3162	12.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	35.0	2165 of 3245	33.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	31.9	2460 of 3311	25.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	37.3	1958 of 3275	40.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	34.4	2095 of 3246	35.5%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	22.9	4442 of 5597	20.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	19.9	4718 of 5612	15.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	15.6	5091 of 5609	9.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	13.9	5283 of 5635	6.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	12.8	5155 of 5492	6.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	8.0	5317 of 5413	1.8%	☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	36.4	3285 of 5107	35.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	24.6	4135 of 5107	19.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	16.2	4709 of 5087	7.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	14.7	4816 of 5084	5.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	18.2	4497 of 4963	9.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	14.0	4551 of 4830	5.8%	☆☆☆☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	59.8	128 of 429	70.2%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	26.4	4254 of 5460	22.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	24.1	4444 of 5517	19.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	16.2	4947 of 5363	7.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	15.2	4953 of 5264	5.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	18.3	4677 of 5173	9.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	13.3	4818 of 5084	5.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	16.7	4997 of 5628	11.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	17.7	4927 of 5643	12.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	13.3	5281 of 5638	6.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	13.1	5366 of 5663	5.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	15.5	5022 of 5510	8.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	14.1	5023 of 5431	7.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	39.6	1477 of 2847	48.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	30.5	1798 of 2635	31.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	30.0	1649 of 2420	31.9%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	6.6	2481 of 2598	4.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	6.0	2557 of 2651	3.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	5.2	2581 of 2661	3.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	4.7	2648 of 2726	2.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	3.5	2781 of 2834	1.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	1.8	2727 of 2737	0.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

Homeless (2025)70th percentile+54 vs school

Special Education (2025)48th percentile+32 vs school

African American (2025)45th percentile+29 vs school

Hispanic (2025)36th percentile+20 vs school

Disabled (2022)22nd percentile+17 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)22nd percentile+6 vs school

Female (2025)21st percentile+4 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)13th percentile~ school

Male (2025)11th percentile-5 vs school

White (2025)5th percentile-12 vs school

Asian (2025)2nd percentile-14 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy27%-22 vs state

Mathematics22%-15 vs state

Science9%-23 vs state

★

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Schools Near Johnson 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 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
Johnson Elementary	Public	K-5	500 West Madison	El Cajon	92020	San Diego County	Cajon Valley Union	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 588-3139	766	31	24.7	95.0%	180 (23.5%)	96 (12.5%)	337 (44.0%)	131 (17.1%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (0.7%)	17 (2.2%)	19.1	4911^th of 5857 public elementary schools	16.2%		18	5028^th of 5869 public elementary schools	14.3%	117	9.5		9.5	23.0	31.8	27.1				27.2	19.8	22.7	25.0				22.5	92.3	98.5	97.7		93.1		$20,245	$2,532	$17,713
Empower	Public	K-8	165 Roanoke Rd.	El Cajon	92020	San Diego County	Cajon Valley Union	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 588-3296	21	3	7.0	85.7%	7 (33.3%)	4 (19.0%)	8 (38.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (4.8%)	1 (4.8%)								(n/a)			0.0							8.0							7.7							$84,586	$7,505	$77,081
Flying Hills School of Arts	Public	K-8	1251 Finch St.	El Cajon	92020	San Diego County	Cajon Valley Union	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 588-3132	742	27	28.0	74.7%	244 (32.9%)	63 (8.5%)	331 (44.6%)	22 (3.0%)	3 (0.4%)	6 (0.8%)	70 (9.4%)	21.2	4724^th of 5857 public elementary schools	19.3%		20.2	4852^nd of 5869 public elementary schools	17.3%	128	22.7	23.1	22.9	23.1	27.3	39.1	32.1	33.8	47.4	33.9	19.5	19.5	15.9	14.3	16.7	19.2	17.5							$21,831	$2,393	$19,438
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
Magnolia Elementary	Public	K-5	650 Greenfield Dr.	El Cajon	92021	San Diego County	Cajon Valley Union	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 588-3080	703	27	26.2	91.0%	146 (20.8%)	98 (13.9%)	309 (44.0%)	85 (12.1%)	1 (0.1%)	9 (1.3%)	55 (7.8%)	6.8	5787^th of 5857 public elementary schools	1.2%		7.9	5782^nd of 5869 public elementary schools	1.5%	5	10.0		10.0	11.7	10.1	17.8				12.9	12.2	0.9	6.7				6.7							$19,871	$2,526	$17,345
Naranca Elementary	Public	K-6	1030 Naranca Ave.	El Cajon	92021	San Diego County	Cajon Valley Union	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 588-3087	985	36	27.3	96.1%	333 (33.8%)	71 (7.2%)	265 (26.9%)	274 (27.8%)	3 (0.3%)	7 (0.7%)	32 (3.2%)	7.7	5752^nd of 5857 public elementary schools	1.8%		8.9	5731^st of 5869 public elementary schools	2.4%	21	8.8		8.8	6.3	11.5	15.8	14.9			12.1	6.8	7.1	8.1	14.8			8.6	91.9		98.2	97.3	98.2	98.2	$18,972	$2,579	$16,393
Fletcher Hills Elementary	Public	K-5	2330 Center Pl.	El Cajon	92020	San Diego County	La Mesa-Spring Valley	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 668-5820	540	21	25.7	33.7%	267 (49.4%)	18 (3.3%)	185 (34.3%)	18 (3.3%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.7%)	48 (8.9%)	87.1	816^th of 5857 public elementary schools	86.1%		81.9	1077^th of 5869 public elementary schools	81.6%	261	52.9		52.9	71.1	77.8	64.3				71.0	67.0	70.0	56.0				64.4							$14,753	$1,176	$13,577
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
Northmont Elementary	Public	K-5	9405 Gregory St.	La Mesa	91942	San Diego County	La Mesa-Spring Valley	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 668-5830	422	17	24.8	54.5%	133 (31.5%)	37 (8.8%)	181 (42.9%)	16 (3.8%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.5%)	52 (12.3%)	46.8	2774^th of 5857 public elementary schools	52.6%		44.5	2891^st of 5869 public elementary schools	50.7%	117	29.0		29.0	48.6	47.5	44.3				46.9	28.8	45.0	33.9				35.4	94.5						$17,597	$1,180	$16,417
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

Frequently Asked Questions about Johnson Elementary

What schools do graduates of Johnson Elementary attend?

Students who attend Johnson Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Cajon Valley Middle
High : Grossmont High

Is Johnson Elementary a good school?

Johnson Elementary ranks in the bottom 16.2% of California elementary schools.

What is the racial makeup of Johnson Elementary?

Students at Johnson Elementary are 44% Hispanic, 23% White, 17% Asian, 13% African American, 2% Two or more races.

What district is Johnson Elementary in?

Cajon Valley Union

How many students attend Johnson Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 766 students attended Johnson Elementary.

Rate Johnson 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.