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James Monroe Elementary

Q: Is James Monroe Elementary a good school?

James Monroe Elementary ranks 2052 nd of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-6

2052^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,857 California Elementary Schools

Better than 65% of California elementary schools

Summary

James Monroe Elementary is a K-6 public school serving 555 students in the Garden Grove Unified School District, consistently performing in the 65th percentile statewide while serving a community where a significant majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.

The school has particular strengths in supporting English Language Learners, ranking in the state's top 10% for this group, and boasts an exceptionally low chronic absenteeism rate of 8.1%, which is far better than both the district and state averages. While its overall test scores are solid, the school shows interesting variations by grade, with sixth graders excelling in math but fifth grade being an area for potential growth. Compared to nearby schools with similar student demographics, such as Thomas Paine Elementary (89th percentile) or Heritage Elementary (43rd percentile), this shows that school-level practices greatly influence outcomes.

James Monroe operates very efficiently, achieving its results with lower per-student spending than many comparison schools. For example, it outperforms Andrew Jackson Elementary in Santa Ana Unified (65th vs. 34th percentile) while spending about $11,000 less per student. The school's successful post-pandemic recovery in student attendance, dropping from over 24% to 8.1%, is a notable achievement that highlights strong family engagement and effective school systems.

555

Students ?

24.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$16,399

Per pupil spending ?

69.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

16225 Newhope St.
Fountain Valley, CA 92708-1703

(714) 663-6264

District: Garden Grove Unified

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

88.5%

White:

5.0%

Asian:

3.1%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare James Monroe Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 79th percentile in 2008 → 65th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the California average (47% vs 41% meeting standards)

✓Above the California median (65th percentile)

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 14 percentile points since 2008

!Large classes — about 25 students per teacher

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school47%

District avg53%

California avg41%

2,052^nd of 5,857

California public elementary schools ?

Top 35%▲ up 3 pts since 2022

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

26^th of 44Elementary Schools in the Garden Grove Unified

403^rd of 1,543Garden Grove Unified 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	60.3	2052 of 5857	65.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	59.9	2069 of 5869	64.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	62.8	1905 of 5859	67.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	56.4	2222 of 5883	62.2%	★★★☆☆
2013	66.1	1765 of 5530	68.1%	★★★☆☆
2012	69.8	1541 of 5390	71.4%	★★★★☆
2011	72.2	1381 of 5377	74.3%	★★★★☆
2010	78.5	1069 of 5314	79.9%	★★★★☆
2009	77.9	1096 of 5193	78.9%	★★★★☆
2008	77.9	1068 of 5113	79.1%	★★★★☆
2007	61.9	1728 of 5113	66.2%	★★★☆☆
2006	53.0	2043 of 4818	57.6%	★★★☆☆
2005	69.5	1365 of 4822	71.7%	★★★★☆
2004	68.6	1346 of 4809	72.0%	★★★★☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	75.2	309 of 3162	90.2%	★★★★★
2023	82.9	228 of 3245	93.0%	★★★★★
2022	77.3	342 of 3311	89.7%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	64.7	1749 of 5597	68.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	64.9	1717 of 5612	69.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	54.0	2207 of 5609	60.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	52.1	2311 of 5635	59.0%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	68.3	1282 of 5107	74.9%	★★★★☆
2024	69.7	1200 of 5107	76.5%	★★★★☆
2023	71.7	1089 of 5087	78.6%	★★★★☆
2022	61.8	1532 of 5084	69.9%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	63.6	1639 of 5460	70.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	55.4	2043 of 5517	63.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	63.2	1558 of 5363	70.9%	★★★★☆
2022	50.5	2249 of 5264	57.3%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	52.4	2359 of 5628	58.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	51.7	2382 of 5643	57.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	70.6	1482 of 5638	73.7%	★★★★☆
2022	59.5	1983 of 5663	65.0%	★★★☆☆

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)90th percentile+25 vs school

Hispanic (2025)75th percentile+10 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)70th percentile+5 vs school

Female (2025)69th percentile+4 vs school

Male (2025)58th percentile-7 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy50%~ state avg

Mathematics49%+12 vs state

Science30%-3 vs state

★

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Schools Near James Monroe 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
James Monroe Elementary	Public	K-6	16225 Newhope St.	Fountain Valley	92708	Orange County	Garden Grove Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(714) 663-6264	555	23	24.6	69.2%	28 (5.0%)	2 (0.4%)	491 (88.5%)	17 (3.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (3.1%)	60.3	2052^nd of 5857 public elementary schools	65.0%		59.9	2069^th of 5869 public elementary schools	64.7%	17	29.5	29.5	39.7	51.5	50.0	61.0	50.2	50.0	48.5	33.9	64.4	49.0	97.0				97.0		$16,399	$1,473	$14,926
Newhope Elementary	Public	K-6	4419 West Regent Dr.	Santa Ana	92704	Orange County	Garden Grove Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(714) 663-6581	334	17	19.5	91.9%	3 (0.9%)	4 (1.2%)	263 (78.7%)	54 (16.2%)	1 (0.3%)	4 (1.2%)	5 (1.5%)	41.7	3088^th of 5857 public elementary schools	47.3%		47.2	2725^th of 5869 public elementary schools	53.6%	363	20.0	20.0	21.7	38.9	33.3	61.4	39.2	25.0	43.2	33.3	45.6	36.3							$19,926	$1,704	$18,222
Mamie L. Northcutt Elementary	Public	K-6	11303 Sandstone St.	Fountain Valley	92708	Orange County	Garden Grove Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(714) 663-6537	400	16	24.9	84.0%	16 (4.0%)	2 (0.5%)	256 (64.0%)	112 (28.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.5%)	12 (3.0%)	61.5	1988^th of 5857 public elementary schools	66.1%		56.2	2228^th of 5869 public elementary schools	62.0%	240	35.0	35.0	40.0	55.6	53.3	57.1	51.6	46.0	46.3	38.3	57.1	46.5							$18,200	$1,540	$16,660
Heritage Elementary	Public	K-6	426 South Andres Pl.	Santa Ana	92704	Orange County	Garden Grove Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(714) 663-6108	376	16	23.5	96.0%	7 (1.9%)	1 (0.3%)	329 (87.5%)	39 (10.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	38.4	3322^nd of 5857 public elementary schools	43.3%		36.2	3426^th of 5869 public elementary schools	41.6%	104	20.4	20.4	44.2	30.4	40.8	47.4	41.0	46.5	23.9	30.6	26.3	31.3							$21,620	$3,611	$18,009
Thomas Paine Elementary	Public	K-6	15792 Ward St.	Garden Grove	92843	Orange County	Garden Grove Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(714) 663-6118	428	19	22.5	72.2%	8 (1.9%)	4 (0.9%)	149 (34.8%)	240 (56.1%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.5%)	25 (5.8%)	89.9	659^th of 5857 public elementary schools	88.7%		86.2	897^th of 5869 public elementary schools	84.7%	238	57.7	57.7	83.0	66.7	75.0	66.7	72.3	83.0	63.5	78.9	54.7	69.3							$23,579	$3,222	$20,357
Edward Russell Elementary	Public	K-6	600 South Jackson St.	Santa Ana	92704	Orange County	Garden Grove Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(714) 663-6151	473	15	32.0	92.8%	10 (2.1%)	0 (0.0%)	452 (95.6%)	10 (2.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	22.3	4651^st of 5857 public elementary schools	20.6%		29.3	3994^th of 5869 public elementary schools	31.9%	657	24.1	24.1	16.3	25.4	33.3	33.9	27.7	22.5	22.4	25.9	16.9	21.7							$17,360	$1,688	$15,672
Andrew Jackson Elementary	Public	K-5	1143 South Nakoma Dr.	Santa Ana	92704	Orange County	Santa Ana Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(714) 431-3700	493	22	22.3	91.1%	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	477 (96.8%)	12 (2.4%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	31.1	3864^th of 5857 public elementary schools	34.0%		26.4	4258^th of 5869 public elementary schools	27.4%	394	31.0	31.0	21.6	16.9	51.2		30.8	20.9	24.2	35.7		27.0	96.2	97.1	97.1	98.1	97.1	98.1	$27,777	$1,255	$26,522
Cox (James H.) Elementary	Public	K-5	17615 Los Jardines East	Fountain Valley	92708	Orange County	Fountain Valley Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(714) 378-4240	607	25	24.2	35.7%	127 (20.9%)	5 (0.8%)	161 (26.5%)	245 (40.4%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	67 (11.0%)	88.5	744^th of 5857 public elementary schools	87.3%		86.1	903^rd of 5869 public elementary schools	84.6%	159	55.4	55.4	72.0	55.0	76.6		68.5	81.3	66.7	65.2		70.8							$14,606	$857	$13,749
Susan B. Anthony Elementary	Public	K-6	15320 Pickford St.	Westminster	92683	Orange County	Garden Grove Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(714) 663-6104	332	14	23.6	73.2%	19 (5.7%)	2 (0.6%)	91 (27.4%)	202 (60.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (5.4%)	87.7	789^th of 5857 public elementary schools	86.5%		86.8	874^th of 5869 public elementary schools	85.1%	85	45.2	45.2	73.1	68.8	66.7	73.0	70.7	75.0	73.5	52.4	60.6	65.6							$17,310	$1,635	$15,675
Rosita Elementary	Public	K-6	4726 Hazard Ave.	Santa Ana	92703	Orange County	Garden Grove Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(714) 663-6418	305	12	25.2	89.5%	3 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	210 (68.9%)	88 (28.9%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.0%)	47.9	2713^th of 5857 public elementary schools	53.7%		64.9	1822^nd of 5869 public elementary schools	69.0%	891	25.9	25.9	25.0	46.7	48.2	52.9	44.0	45.0	56.7	25.9	37.3	38.9							$19,055	$1,710	$17,345

Frequently Asked Questions about James Monroe Elementary

What is the racial makeup of James Monroe Elementary?

Students at James Monroe Elementary are 88% Hispanic, 5% White, 3% Asian, 3% Two or more races.

Is James Monroe Elementary a good school?

James Monroe Elementary ranks 2052^nd of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

How many students attend James Monroe Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 555 students attended James Monroe Elementary.

What district is James Monroe Elementary in?

Garden Grove Unified

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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.