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Meridian Elementary

Q: Is Meridian Elementary a good school?

Meridian Elementary ranks in the bottom 2.9% of California elementary schools.

Q: How many students attend Meridian Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 570 students attended Meridian Elementary.

Q: What is the racial makeup of Meridian Elementary?

Students at Meridian Elementary are 48% White, 20% Hispanic, 16% Asian, 10% Two or more races, 5% African American.

Q: What schools do graduates of Meridian Elementary attend?

Students who attend Meridian Elementary usually go on to attend: Middle : Montgomery Middle

Public Grades K-5

5651^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,817 California Elementary Schools

Better than 3% of California elementary schools

Summary

Meridian Elementary serves 570 students in kindergarten through grade 5 in El Cajon, in the Cajon Valley Union district. In 2025–26, SchoolDigger placed it at the 3rd percentile statewide, with 0 stars. The central concern is that proficiency is low in all three tested subjects and has declined while state results have improved.

Among six nearby K–5 schools, Meridian is comparatively stronger in English language arts (ELA), ranking fourth, but is last in math and fifth in science. Its 2025–26 proficiency was 19% in ELA, 10% in math and 9% in science. It was below district results by 11, 13 and 15 percentage points, respectively, and below state results by 30, 28 and 27 points. ELA is therefore its strongest subject locally and against the district; math is its clearest local weakness, while science has the smallest gap to the state.

Results have weakened over time: from 2022–23 to 2025–26, proficiency fell from 23% to 19% in ELA, 17% to 10% in math and 15% to 9% in science. Over the same period, the gaps to state results widened by 6 points in ELA, 10 in math and 12 in science. SchoolDigger’s statewide percentile fell from 25th in 2021–22 to 3rd in 2025–26. Attendance has improved: chronic absenteeism dropped from 32% to 17%, below the district’s 18% and state’s 18%. The 2024–25 student–teacher ratio was 23.3, lower than the 24.4–27.3 range at nearby traditional district schools. Meridian reported 93% free/reduced lunch eligible in 2024–25; this is a separate measure from California’s free-meal policy. SchoolDigger ranked the school’s performance for special education students at the 19th percentile in 2025–26, above its overall 3rd percentile, but down from the group’s 49th percentile in 2023–24. Its English learner ranking fell from the 61st percentile in 2021–22 to the 9th in 2023–24; no ranking is available for the latest two years.

570

Students ?

23.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$23,129

Per pupil spending ?

93.2%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

All students in California receive free school meals.

89%

Kindergartners with all required immunizations (2024-25)

Exemptions: 0% (any vaccine)

651 South Third St.
El Cajon, CA 92019-2517

(619) 588-3083

District: Cajon Valley Union

Students who attend Meridian Elementary usually attend:

Middle:

Montgomery Middle

Racial breakdown:

White:

47.5%

Hispanic:

20.4%

Asian:

15.8%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Meridian Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 49th percentile in 2015 → 3rd in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (14% vs 42% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (3rd percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 46 percentile points since 2015

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school14%

District avg26%

California avg42%

5,651^st of 5,817

California public elementary schools ?

Bottom 3%▼ down 35 pts since 2016

From bottom 38% (2016) to bottom 3% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

15^th of 19Elementary Schools in the Cajon Valley Union

1149^th of 1,530Cajon 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
2026	9.1	5651 of 5817	2.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	11.9	5512 of 5857	5.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	16.2	5202 of 5869	11.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	17.2	5122 of 5859	12.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	24.1	4440 of 5883	24.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	16.3	5131 of 5789	11.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	18.0	4848 of 5662	14.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	21.3	4573 of 5692	19.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	34.2	3463 of 5614	38.3%	★★☆☆☆
2015	43.1	2854 of 5611	49.1%	★★☆☆☆
2013	45.4	2981 of 5530	46.1%	★★☆☆☆
2012	39.6	3290 of 5390	39.0%	★★☆☆☆
2011	27.3	4173 of 5377	22.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	37.1	3348 of 5314	37.0%	★★☆☆☆
2009	37.0	3244 of 5193	37.5%	★★☆☆☆
2008	27.7	3773 of 5113	26.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	41.1	2837 of 5113	44.5%	★★☆☆☆
2006	47.3	2303 of 4818	52.2%	★★★☆☆
2005	45.5	2417 of 4822	49.9%	★★☆☆☆
2004	49.5	2181 of 4809	54.6%	★★★☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	0.2	1209 of 1210	0.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	0.5	1194 of 1203	0.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	0.2	1204 of 1205	0.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	48.1	853 of 2227	61.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	27.3	1930 of 2585	25.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	17.6	2087 of 2128	1.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	24.3	2882 of 3162	8.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	34.1	2230 of 3245	31.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	48.3	1295 of 3311	60.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	32.3	2320 of 3275	29.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	36.6	1971 of 3246	39.3%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	11.9	5289 of 5581	5.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	15.4	5082 of 5597	9.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	22.0	4510 of 5612	19.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	21.1	4600 of 5609	18.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	29.5	3778 of 5635	33.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	18.3	4775 of 5492	13.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	16.8	4791 of 5413	11.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	15.7	4696 of 5094	7.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	23.4	4210 of 5107	17.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	19.2	4519 of 5107	11.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	21.6	4362 of 5087	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	29.4	3753 of 5084	26.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	22.5	4214 of 4963	15.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	19.4	4290 of 4830	11.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	10.9	5260 of 5423	3.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	15.8	5009 of 5460	8.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	19.6	4814 of 5517	12.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	23.9	4386 of 5363	18.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	38.0	3175 of 5264	39.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	20.8	4516 of 5173	12.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	26.3	4034 of 5084	20.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	8.2	5504 of 5603	1.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	10.5	5405 of 5628	4.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	12.4	5349 of 5643	5.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	15.2	5140 of 5638	8.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	20.9	4632 of 5663	18.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	16.6	4930 of 5510	10.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	20.1	4565 of 5431	15.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	0.9	749 of 753	0.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	0.3	670 of 670	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	25.1	2375 of 2927	18.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	27.3	2170 of 2847	23.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	39.7	1342 of 2635	49.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	41.2	1180 of 2420	51.2%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	2.4	2514 of 2536	0.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	3.0	2557 of 2598	1.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	6.4	2544 of 2651	4.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	5.1	2582 of 2661	3.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	6.3	2615 of 2726	4.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	3.7	2780 of 2834	1.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	6.7	2629 of 2737	3.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

Disabled (2022)62nd percentile+37 vs school

Special Education (2026)19th percentile+16 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)9th percentile-3 vs school

Hispanic (2026)8th percentile+5 vs school

Female (2026)5th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)3rd percentile~ school

Male (2026)2nd percentile~ school

White (2026)1st percentile~ school

Multi-racial (2026)1st percentile~ school

Asian (2026)<1st percentile-3 vs school

By subject vs California (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy19%-30 vs state

Mathematics10%-28 vs state

Science9%-27 vs state

★

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Schools Near Meridian Elementary

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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)				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	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	Vaccination: Kindergartners with all required immunizations	Vaccination: Exemption rate	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Meridian Elementary	Public	K-5	651 South Third St.	El Cajon	92019	San Diego County	Cajon Valley Union	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 588-3083	570	24	23.3	93.2%	271 (47.5%)	28 (4.9%)	116 (20.4%)	90 (15.8%)	2 (0.4%)	5 (0.9%)	58 (10.2%)	9.1	5651^st of 5817 public elementary schools	2.9%		11.9	5512^th of 5857 public elementary schools	5.9%	139	8.7		8.7	24.4	19.4	14.1				19.2	15.1	10.4	4.4				9.9	89%	0%	$23,129	$21,324	$1,805
Madison Avenue Elementary	Public	K-5	1615 East Madison Ave.	El Cajon	92019	San Diego County	Cajon Valley Union	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 588-3077	670	27	24.5	90.9%	313 (46.7%)	26 (3.9%)	232 (34.6%)	34 (5.1%)	2 (0.3%)	7 (1.0%)	56 (8.4%)	13.1	5378^th of 5817 public elementary schools	7.5%		15.3	5233^rd of 5857 public elementary schools	10.7%	145	16.7		16.7	21.0	22.1	26.9				23.2	16.4	13.7	13.0				14.5	88%	1%	$22,877	$21,118	$1,759
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%)	7.8	5710^th of 5817 public elementary schools	1.8%		9.5	5658^th of 5857 public elementary schools	3.4%	52	7.8		7.8	13.0	18.7	16.7				16.1	15.3	11.1	5.0				10.3	91%	0%	$20,646	$18,846	$1,800
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%)	9.5	5634^th of 5817 public elementary schools	3.1%		7.6	5757^th of 5857 public elementary schools	1.7%	123	8.0		8.0	10.0	13.5	15.0	17.3			13.8	17.7	21.0	10.0	14.7			15.9	89%	0%	$23,193	$21,488	$1,705
Kidinnu Academy	Public, Charter	K-8	1025 North Second St.	El Cajon	92021	San Diego County	Kidinnu Academy District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 938-4864	433	17	25.4	89.8%	426 (98.4%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	65.5	1805^th of 5817 public elementary schools	69.0%		53.5	2394^th of 5857 public elementary schools	59.1%	589	42.0	13.3	35.4	48.1	44.0	50.0	56.0	47.6	60.0	49.8	65.4	50.0	46.0	48.0	23.8	33.3	46.7	≥ 98%		$32,024	$31,296	$728
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%)	6.8	5737^th of 5817 public elementary schools	1.4%		7.7	5752^nd of 5857 public elementary schools	1.8%	15	12.1		12.1	13.3	7.9	13.7				11.7	9.8	6.8	7.3				7.9	86%	0%	$18,927	$17,130	$1,797
Empower	Public	K-8	165 Roanoke Rd.	El Cajon	92022	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							0.0
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%)	47.8	2731^st of 5817 public elementary schools	53.1%		63.4	1905^th of 5857 public elementary schools	67.5%	826	31.1		31.1	34.5	52.4	47.8				44.5	39.5	48.6	31.1				40.1	96%	0%	$20,809	$19,678	$1,131
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%)	7.1	5730^th of 5817 public elementary schools	1.5%		7.7	5748^th of 5857 public elementary schools	1.9%	18	6.9		6.9	14.0	17.0	9.6	12.6			13.2	17.4	10.0	6.9	5.4			10.0	96%	0%	$23,106	$21,294	$1,812
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%)	79.9	1132^nd of 5817 public elementary schools	80.5%		77.7	1257^th of 5857 public elementary schools	78.5%	125	47.4		47.4	63.6	62.7	59.4				62.0	77.8	62.7	44.8				62.0	98%	0%	$19,340	$18,210	$1,130

Frequently Asked Questions about Meridian Elementary

What is the racial makeup of Meridian Elementary?

Students at Meridian Elementary are 48% White, 20% Hispanic, 16% Asian, 10% Two or more races, 5% African American.

What schools do graduates of Meridian Elementary attend?

Students who attend Meridian Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Montgomery Middle

What district is Meridian Elementary in?

Cajon Valley Union

Is Meridian Elementary a good school?

Meridian Elementary ranks in the bottom 2.9% of California elementary schools.

How many students attend Meridian Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 570 students attended Meridian Elementary.

Rate Meridian Elementary!

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Latest California data All new data »

2013–14 through 2024–25 immunization rates (updated)NewOct 19, 2026

2025–26 attendance data, dropout rates & graduation ratesNewOct 15, 2026

2025–26 CAST, CSA Spanish & Smarter Balanced Assessments scoresNewOct 15, 2026

2024–25 school spending dataJul 1, 2026

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.