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Julian Elementary

Q: Is Julian Elementary a good school?

Julian Elementary ranks 2221 st of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-5

2221^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,857 California Elementary Schools

Better than 62% of California elementary schools

Summary

Julian Elementary is a small, rural K-5 school serving 189 students in the mountain town of Julian, California, and it stands out as a remarkable success story of recent and consistent improvement.

The school has made impressive gains, climbing from a 2-star to a 3-star rating and now performing in the 62nd percentile statewide, a trajectory that outpaces most nearby schools like Borrego Springs Elementary and Hanson Elementary. It particularly excels in science, where its proficiency rate far exceeds both the Julian Union Elementary district and state averages, and it has dramatically reduced chronic absenteeism to just 9%, a rate much better than the state and many local peers.

This "Julian Turnaround" is notable for its balance and efficiency; the school shows strong, equitable performance across different student groups while spending significantly less per student than other very small rural schools such as Spencer Valley Elementary. The data suggests Julian Elementary has found effective strategies to deliver high-quality, well-rounded education, making it a leading example among rural elementary schools in the region.

189

Students ?

19.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

54%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1704 Cape Horn Ave.
Julian, CA 92036-0337

(760) 765-0661

District: Julian Union Elementary

Students who attend Julian Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Julian Junior High
High:	Julian High

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

43.4%

White:

39.7%

Two or more races:

14.8%

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At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 48th percentile in 2013 → 62nd in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 14 percentile points since 2013

✓Above the California median (62nd percentile)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school45%

District avg34%

California avg41%

2,221^st of 5,857

California public elementary schools ?

Top 38%▲ up 21 pts since 2015

From bottom 41% (2015) to top 38% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

853^rd of 1,543Julian Union Elementary 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	56.8	2221 of 5857	62.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	41.1	3125 of 5869	46.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	39.8	3147 of 5859	46.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	27.7	4075 of 5883	30.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	38.1	3304 of 5789	42.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	31.2	3733 of 5662	34.1%	★★☆☆☆
2017	36.7	3330 of 5692	41.5%	★★☆☆☆
2016	41.5	2987 of 5614	46.8%	★★☆☆☆
2015	35.5	3286 of 5611	41.4%	★★☆☆☆
2013	46.9	2866 of 5530	48.2%	★★☆☆☆
2012	37.8	3410 of 5390	36.7%	★★☆☆☆
2011	47.5	2752 of 5377	48.8%	★★☆☆☆
2010	55.5	2252 of 5314	57.6%	★★★☆☆
2009	54.0	2242 of 5193	56.8%	★★★☆☆
2008	60.5	1826 of 5113	64.3%	★★★☆☆
2007	61.1	1765 of 5113	65.5%	★★★☆☆
2006	64.0	1580 of 4818	67.2%	★★★☆☆
2005	75.2	1117 of 4822	76.8%	★★★★☆
2004	69.4	1323 of 4809	72.5%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	56.6	2123 of 5597	62.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	47.9	2527 of 5612	55.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	37.4	3182 of 5609	43.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	31.2	3630 of 5635	35.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	24.5	4274 of 5492	22.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	32.3	3585 of 5413	33.8%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	55.5	1951 of 5107	61.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	43.6	2706 of 5107	47.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	49.6	2247 of 5087	55.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	28.7	3821 of 5084	24.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	41.4	2768 of 4830	42.7%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	57.5	1993 of 5460	63.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	36.5	3411 of 5517	38.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	45.5	2663 of 5363	50.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	26.1	4159 of 5264	21.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	42.1	2962 of 5173	42.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	34.0	3474 of 5084	31.7%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	55.9	2187 of 5628	61.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	34.3	3467 of 5643	38.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	47.7	2582 of 5638	54.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	27.6	3996 of 5663	29.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	35.5	3364 of 5510	38.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	30.8	3642 of 5431	32.9%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	54.4	1275 of 2598	50.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	24.7	2098 of 2651	20.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	20.8	2256 of 2726	17.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	25.8	2256 of 2834	20.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	19.7	2329 of 2737	14.9%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)63rd percentile~ school

Female (2025)62nd percentile~ school

Hispanic (2025)62nd percentile~ school

Male (2025)61st percentile~ school

White (2025)51st percentile-11 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy46%~ state avg

Science45%+12 vs state

Mathematics43%+6 vs state

★

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Schools Near Julian 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)	% Varicella (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	% Varicella KG	% MMR KG	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Julian Elementary	Public	K-5	1704 Cape Horn Ave.	Julian	92036	San Diego County	Julian Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 765-0661	189	10	19.4	54.0%	75 (39.7%)	0 (0.0%)	82 (43.4%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.6%)	1 (0.5%)	28 (14.8%)	56.8	2221^st of 5857 public elementary schools	62.1%		41.1	3125^th of 5869 public elementary schools	46.8%	904	44.8	44.8	44.0	35.7	58.6		46.3	50.0	35.7	44.8		43.2
Spencer Valley Elementary	Public	K-8	4414 Highway 78 and 79	Santa Ysabel	92070	San Diego County	Spencer Valley Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 765-0336	41	4	10.2	53.7%	20 (48.8%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (26.8%)	2 (4.9%)	4 (9.8%)	1 (2.4%)	3 (7.3%)								(n/a)							52.0					44.0					$35,517	$7,709	$27,808
James Dukes Elementary	Public	K-6	24908 Abalar Way	Ramona	92065	San Diego County	Ramona City Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 788-5060	502	23	21.8	39.2%	239 (47.6%)	4 (0.8%)	191 (38.0%)	4 (0.8%)	9 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	55 (11.0%)	72.5	1500^th of 5857 public elementary schools	74.4%		79	1197^th of 5869 public elementary schools	79.6%	303	34.4	34.4	51.5	66.7	51.6	62.5	57.9	61.8	54.4	42.2	63.9	55.9					$12,438	$1,447	$10,991
Barnett Elementary	Public	K-6	23925 Couna Way	Ramona	92065	San Diego County	Ramona City Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 787-3500	465	19	24.0	50.1%	230 (49.5%)	2 (0.4%)	195 (41.9%)	3 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	34 (7.3%)	34.9	3589^th of 5857 public elementary schools	38.7%		35.5	3479^th of 5869 public elementary schools	40.7%	110	23.8	23.8	45.2	28.6	36.5	46.0	38.6	33.3	27.1	12.7	37.3	27.6					$9,815	$1,479	$8,336
Warner Elementary	Public	K-6	30951 Highway 79	Warner Springs	92086	San Diego County	Warner Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 782-3517	106	5	21.2	71.7%	13 (12.3%)	3 (2.8%)	48 (45.3%)	0 (0.0%)	37 (34.9%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (4.7%)	19.6	4859^th of 5857 public elementary schools	17.0%		11.3	5600^th of 5869 public elementary schools	4.6%	741	13.3	13.3	27.8		20.0	11.1	18.0	50.0		6.7	11.1	24.6					$25,969	$4,355	$21,614
Descanso Elementary	Public	K-6	24842 Viejas Blvd.	Descanso	91916	San Diego County	Mountain Empire Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 445-2126	188	9	20.8	45.2%	102 (54.3%)	0 (0.0%)	74 (39.4%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (5.3%)	62.8	1928^th of 5857 public elementary schools	67.1%		74.6	1383^rd of 5869 public elementary schools	76.4%	545	39.3	39.3	33.3	60.0	78.6	84.2	65.0	27.8	42.9	25.0	57.9	38.0					$17,347	$1,884	$15,463
Ramona Elementary	Public	K-6	415 Eighth St.	Ramona	92065	San Diego County	Ramona City Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 787-4400	434	19	22.8	84.1%	98 (22.6%)	4 (0.9%)	309 (71.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	21 (4.8%)	17.6	5043^rd of 5857 public elementary schools	13.9%		22.1	4664^th of 5869 public elementary schools	20.5%	379	12.9	12.9	26.4	26.2	17.4	26.8	23.9	39.6	21.2	10.1	12.5	20.1	96.4				$9,106	$2,268	$6,838
Ramona Community Montessori	Public	K-6	1010 Ramona St.	Ramona	92065	San Diego County	Ramona City Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 787-3600	267	11	23.9	50.6%	147 (55.1%)	1 (0.4%)	95 (35.6%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (8.6%)	65	1841^st of 5857 public elementary schools	68.6%		61	2029^th of 5869 public elementary schools	65.4%	188	51.4	51.4	54.8	50.0	54.3	48.2	52.0	51.6	53.1	34.3	44.4	45.6	90.9	93.2	93.2	93.2	$11,227	$1,380	$9,847
Hanson Elementary	Public	K-6	2520 Boundary Ave.	Ramona	92065	San Diego County	Ramona City Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 787-2100	547	23	23.7	79.3%	190 (34.7%)	1 (0.2%)	335 (61.2%)	3 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (3.1%)	20.4	4794^th of 5857 public elementary schools	18.1%		24.8	4388^th of 5869 public elementary schools	25.2%	406	13.9	13.9	25.0	36.4	16.9	29.4	27.1	23.0	29.9	14.1	19.1	21.7					$9,233	$1,908	$7,325
Barona Indian Charter	Public, Charter	K-8	1095 Barona Rd.	Lakeside	92040	San Diego County	Barona Indian Charter District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 443-0948	86	6	14.3	54.7%	14 (16.3%)	1 (1.2%)	27 (31.4%)	0 (0.0%)	33 (38.4%)	2 (2.3%)	9 (10.5%)	10.3	5621^st of 5857 public elementary schools	4.0%		42.6	3025^th of 5869 public elementary schools	48.5%	2596	13.3	11.1			13.3		30.6			6.7		18.4					$21,070	$2,874	$18,196

Frequently Asked Questions about Julian Elementary

What is the racial makeup of Julian Elementary?

Students at Julian Elementary are 43% Hispanic, 40% White, 15% Two or more races, 2% American Indian.

What schools do graduates of Julian Elementary attend?

Students who attend Julian Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Julian Junior High
High : Julian High

Is Julian Elementary a good school?

Julian Elementary ranks 2221^st of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Julian Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 189 students attended Julian Elementary.

What district is Julian Elementary in?

Julian Union 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.