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Emmett S. Finley Elementary

Q: Is Emmett S. Finley Elementary a good school?

Emmett S. Finley Elementary ranks 3522 nd of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-5

3522^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,857 California Elementary Schools

Better than 40% of California elementary schools

Summary

Emmett S. Finley Elementary is a K-5 public school serving 559 students in the Holtville Unified school district, which is generally well-regarded in the state, but the school itself has seen its academic ranking decline over the past three years to the 40th percentile.

The school shows notable strengths in Spanish language instruction, with student proficiency far exceeding state averages, and has historically performed well in supporting English Learners and migrant students. However, there are significant areas of concern, including a sharp decline in mathematics scores in the upper grades and a very low ranking for its special education services. While per-student spending is relatively high, academic outcomes have not kept pace, and chronic absenteeism, though lower than the state average, is higher than at the higher-performing Pine Elementary in the same district.

Compared to nearby schools, Emmett S. Finley's performance is mixed; it ranks below other schools with similar student demographics like Imperial Cross Elementary and Dogwood Elementary, but outperforms others in the region struggling with very high absenteeism. The most striking local comparison is with Pine Elementary, which consistently achieves much higher proficiency rates and rankings despite being in the same district, highlighting a key area for potential improvement at Emmett S. Finley.

559

Students ?

21.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$21,134

Per pupil spending ?

80%

Free/discounted lunch ?

640 Chestnut Ave.
Holtville, CA 92250

(760) 356-2929

District: Holtville Unified

Students who attend Emmett S. Finley Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Holtville Middle
High:	Holtville High

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

93.6%

White:

5.0%

African American:

0.5%

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Compare Emmett S. Finley Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Recently slipping — 70th percentile in 2019 → 40th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (33% vs 41% meeting standards)

!Ranking has slipped from its 70th-percentile peak (2019) to 40th (2025)

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school33%

District avg39%

California avg41%

3,522^nd of 5,857

California public elementary schools ?

Bottom 40%▬ steady since 2015

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 2Elementary Schools in the Holtville Unified

534^th of 1,543Holtville 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	35.7	3522 of 5857	39.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	43.5	2961 of 5869	49.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	56.6	2204 of 5859	62.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	51.6	2469 of 5883	58.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	67.7	1710 of 5789	70.5%	★★★★☆
2018	66.5	1740 of 5662	69.3%	★★★☆☆
2017	60.1	2007 of 5692	64.7%	★★★☆☆
2016	50.9	2447 of 5614	56.4%	★★★☆☆
2015	34.0	3399 of 5611	39.4%	★★☆☆☆
2013	34.0	3744 of 5530	32.3%	★★☆☆☆
2012	13.8	5028 of 5390	6.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	12.6	5099 of 5377	5.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	13.8	4972 of 5314	6.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	17.1	4613 of 5193	11.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	15.4	4643 of 5113	9.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	32.7	3384 of 5113	33.8%	★★☆☆☆
2006	29.6	3328 of 4818	30.9%	★★☆☆☆
2005	39.4	2753 of 4822	42.9%	★★☆☆☆
2004	33.5	3027 of 4809	37.1%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	49.0	1237 of 3162	60.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	85.3	195 of 3245	94.0%	★★★★★
2022	82.6	259 of 3311	92.2%	★★★★★
2019	94.4	104 of 3275	96.8%	★★★★★
2018	91.8	150 of 3246	95.4%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	34.2	3534 of 5597	36.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	43.5	2826 of 5612	49.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	57.8	2040 of 5609	63.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	41.7	2897 of 5635	48.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	64.8	1757 of 5492	68.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	71.8	1414 of 5413	73.9%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	48.0	2427 of 5107	52.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	57.0	1840 of 5107	64.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	74.1	992 of 5087	80.5%	★★★★☆
2022	68.9	1205 of 5084	76.3%	★★★★☆
2019	82.8	601 of 4963	87.9%	★★★★☆
2018	78.6	747 of 4830	84.5%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	40.5	3150 of 5460	42.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	48.7	2474 of 5517	55.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	66.8	1404 of 5363	73.8%	★★★★☆
2022	64.1	1467 of 5264	72.1%	★★★★☆
2019	79.1	759 of 5173	85.3%	★★★★☆
2018	72.4	1053 of 5084	79.3%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	38.2	3253 of 5628	42.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	43.3	2862 of 5643	49.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	53.9	2234 of 5638	60.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	62.0	1868 of 5663	67.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	67.5	1614 of 5510	70.7%	★★★★☆
2018	59.2	1975 of 5431	63.6%	★★★☆☆

Migrant

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	50.5	31 of 78	60.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	52.3	31 of 74	58.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	74.0	9 of 68	86.8%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	17.9	2501 of 2635	5.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)61st percentile+11 vs school

Migrant (2025)60th percentile+20 vs school

Hispanic (2025)52nd percentile+13 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)42nd percentile~ school

Male (2025)42nd percentile~ school

Female (2025)37th percentile-3 vs school

Special Education (2024)5th percentile-44 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

Listening51%+26 vs state

English Language Arts/Literacy39%-10 vs state

Writing37%+20 vs state

Science32%~ state avg

Mathematics28%-10 vs state

Overall26%+17 vs state

Reading17%+10 vs state

★

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Schools Near Emmett S. Finley 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 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)	% Polio (2022)	% Varicella (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	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	% Polio KG	% Varicella KG	% DTP KG	% MMR KG	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Emmett S. Finley Elementary	Public	K-5	640 Chestnut Ave.	Holtville	92250	Imperial County	Holtville Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 356-2929	559	26	21.5	80.0%	28 (5.0%)	3 (0.5%)	523 (93.6%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.4%)	35.7	3522^nd of 5857 public elementary schools	39.9%		43.5	2961^st of 5869 public elementary schools	49.5%	561	26.3	40.0	16.7		26.4	50.0	46.7	54.8		50.9	36.8	60.0	21.4		37.3	10.5	33.3	11.9		17.3	32.0		32.0	41.3	41.0	35.1				39.0	39.4	27.2	16.5				27.6						$21,134	$19,968	$1,166
Pine Elementary	Public	K-8	3295 Holt Rd.	Holtville	92250	Imperial County	Holtville Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 356-2615	210	11	18.8	65.7%	71 (33.8%)	0 (0.0%)	138 (65.7%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	66.4	1770^th of 5857 public elementary schools	69.8%		79.3	1186^th of 5869 public elementary schools	79.8%	584																					38.1	34.5	36.0	39.1	72.2	66.7	62.5	46.2	48.3	54.6	30.4	38.9	61.9	54.2	46.2	37.9	44.7						$26,863	$25,502	$1,361
Meadows Elementary	Public	K-8	2059 Bowker Rd.	El Centro	92243	Imperial County	Meadows Union	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 352-7512	352	19	18.5	78.7%	22 (6.3%)	3 (0.9%)	322 (91.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	3 (0.9%)	20.9	4754^th of 5857 public elementary schools	18.8%		23.2	4563^rd of 5869 public elementary schools	22.3%	191																					15.9	8.9	12.4	14.3	9.5	34.1	25.0	41.9	36.4	28.0	33.3	24.4	29.6	15.6	35.6	17.8	26.2						$50,771	$48,282	$2,489
Booker T. Washington Elementary	Public	K-6	223 South First St.	El Centro	92243	Imperial County	El Centro Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 352-6611	351	19	18.4	94.6%	1 (0.3%)	2 (0.6%)	346 (98.6%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	28.3	4109^th of 5857 public elementary schools	29.8%		18.7	4968^th of 5869 public elementary schools	15.4%	859																					8.9		8.9	45.5	19.5	28.9	41.9			34.8	41.8	16.3	20.0	20.9			25.8						$39,485	$37,530	$1,955
Cesar Chavez Elementary	Public	K-6	1251 East Zapata St.	Calexico	92231	Imperial County	Calexico Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 768-6400	765	30	25.5	78.8%	9 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	751 (98.2%)	3 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.3%)	32.5	3766^th of 5857 public elementary schools	35.7%		32.5	3739^th of 5869 public elementary schools	36.3%	27																					24.0		24.0	26.7	39.2	28.1	44.4			34.8	32.4	29.2	19.8	36.0			29.5	98.4	98.4		98.4		$21,872	$18,762	$3,110
Imperial Cross Elementary	Public	K-5	2462 Cross Rd.	Imperial	92251	Imperial County	Imperial Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 355-3250	760	34	22.3	61.3%	48 (6.3%)	3 (0.4%)	701 (92.2%)	2 (0.3%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (0.7%)	57.4	2197^th of 5857 public elementary schools	62.5%		52.9	2406^th of 5869 public elementary schools	59.0%	209	22.9				22.9	54.2				54.2	47.9				47.9	22.9				22.9	23.7		23.7	50.0	49.1	52.7				50.7	44.8	51.9	47.3				47.7	92.7	97.8		97.8		$23,095	$21,842	$1,253
Dogwood Elementary	Public	K-4	44 East Correll Rd.	Heber	92249	Imperial County	Heber Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 337-6530	606	31	19.5	71.3%	12 (2.0%)	0 (0.0%)	591 (97.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.3%)	60.6	2033^rd of 5857 public elementary schools	65.3%		53.9	2351^st of 5869 public elementary schools	59.9%	318																								55.8	42.7					49.1	59.7	40.2					49.8	92.6	92.6	92.6	92.6	92.6	$38,124	$35,016	$3,108
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
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

Frequently Asked Questions about Emmett S. Finley Elementary

What district is Emmett S. Finley Elementary in?

Holtville Unified

Is Emmett S. Finley Elementary a good school?

Emmett S. Finley Elementary ranks 3522^nd of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Emmett S. Finley Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 559 students attended Emmett S. Finley Elementary.

What schools do graduates of Emmett S. Finley Elementary attend?

Students who attend Emmett S. Finley Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Holtville Middle
High : Holtville High

What is the racial makeup of Emmett S. Finley Elementary?

Students at Emmett S. Finley Elementary are 94% Hispanic, 5% White.

Rate Emmett S. Finley Elementary!

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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.