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La Mesa Arts Academy

Q: Is La Mesa Arts Academy a good school?

La Mesa Arts Academy ranks 490 th of 2761 California middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 5-8

490^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,761 California Middle Schools

Better than 82% of California middle schools

Summary

La Mesa Arts Academy is a well-regarded public middle school serving 1,059 students in grades 5-8 within the La Mesa-Spring Valley district, consistently ranking in the top 20% of California schools.

The school stands out for its strong academic results, with proficiency rates in English, math, and science that are significantly higher than both the district and state averages. It is the clear leader within its own district, outperforming other local schools like Parkway Sports and Health Science Academy and Sci Technical Engr Arts and Math Academy at La Presa. Furthermore, it maintains a lower rate of chronic absenteeism than many neighboring schools, including Lemon Grove Academy for the Sciences and Humanities.

While a couple of nearby schools, such as College Preparatory Middle and Lewis Middle in the San Diego Unified district, show similar or higher performance, La Mesa Arts Academy delivers this quality as a traditional public school serving a broad and diverse student population. The school successfully balances its arts-integration focus with rigorous academics, demonstrating effective support for various student groups and consistent excellence over time.

1,059

Students ?

20.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$18,556

Per pupil spending ?

46.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

4200 Parks Ave.
La Mesa, CA 91941-6212

(619) 668-5730

District: La Mesa-Spring Valley

Students who attend La Mesa Arts Academy usually attend:

High:

Mount Miguel High

Feeder schools for La Mesa Arts Academy:

Elementary:	La Mesa Dale Elementary
	Lemon Avenue Elementary
	Rolando Elementary

Racial breakdown:

White:

38.7%

Hispanic:

38.4%

Two or more races:

10.6%

See top rated California middle schools

Compare La Mesa Arts Academy to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Recently slipping — 89th percentile in 2024 → 82nd in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the California average (55% vs 41% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 18% of California middle schools

✓Among the top-ranked schools in La Mesa-Spring Valley

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped from its 89th-percentile peak (2024) to 82nd (2025)

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school55%

District avg41%

California avg41%

Elementary school

1,040^th of 5,857

California public elementary schools ?

Top 18%▼ down 5 pts since 2015

From top 13% (2015) to top 18% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

Middle school

490^th of 2,761

California public middle schools ?

Top 18%▲ up 2 pts since 2015

See the entire ranking list of California Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 4Middle Schools in the La Mesa-Spring Valley

723^rd of 1,543La Mesa-Spring Valley 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)

Elementary school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	82.6	1040 of 5857	82.2%	★★★★☆
2024	89.4	729 of 5869	87.6%	★★★★☆
2023	88.5	795 of 5859	86.4%	★★★★☆
2022	89.3	730 of 5883	87.6%	★★★★☆
2019	88.9	710 of 5789	87.7%	★★★★☆
2018	78.1	1221 of 5662	78.4%	★★★★☆
2015	87.7	743 of 5611	86.8%	★★★★☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	58.0	636 of 2227	71.4%	★★★★☆
2019	62.0	681 of 2585	73.7%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	76.2	1235 of 5597	77.9%	★★★★☆
2024	88.9	678 of 5612	87.9%	★★★★☆
2023	87.1	782 of 5609	86.1%	★★★★☆
2022	88.1	733 of 5635	87.0%	★★★★☆
2019	82.5	951 of 5492	82.7%	★★★★☆
2018	72.0	1408 of 5413	74.0%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	77.6	833 of 5107	83.7%	★★★★☆
2024	89.1	387 of 5107	92.4%	★★★★★
2023	89.4	379 of 5087	92.5%	★★★★★
2022	93.2	256 of 5084	95.0%	★★★★★
2019	87.0	425 of 4963	91.4%	★★★★★
2018	74.4	934 of 4830	80.7%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	79.0	815 of 5460	85.1%	★★★★☆
2024	86.1	588 of 5517	89.3%	★★★★☆
2023	90.9	352 of 5363	93.4%	★★★★★
2022	93.1	242 of 5264	95.4%	★★★★★
2019	85.7	462 of 5173	91.1%	★★★★★
2018	77.8	782 of 5084	84.6%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	86.5	769 of 5628	86.3%	★★★★☆
2024	86.5	792 of 5643	86.0%	★★★★☆
2023	87.4	755 of 5638	86.6%	★★★★☆
2022	88.2	721 of 5663	87.3%	★★★★☆
2019	91.8	456 of 5510	91.7%	★★★★★
2018	82.9	942 of 5431	82.7%	★★★★☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	67.2	241 of 670	64.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	52.8	363 of 669	45.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	53.4	331 of 610	45.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	53.2	242 of 445	45.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	35.3	256 of 339	24.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2023	71.3	456 of 2420	81.2%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	73.1	647 of 2598	75.1%	★★★★☆
2024	75.9	598 of 2651	77.4%	★★★★☆
2023	81.3	378 of 2661	85.8%	★★★★☆
2022	79.0	485 of 2726	82.2%	★★★★☆
2019	82.0	391 of 2834	86.2%	★★★★☆
2018	63.9	1042 of 2737	61.9%	★★★☆☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	79.2	490 of 2761	82.3%	★★★★☆
2024	88.3	313 of 2783	88.8%	★★★★☆
2023	85.4	363 of 2781	86.9%	★★★★☆
2022	88.0	319 of 2740	88.4%	★★★★☆
2019	87.1	327 of 2715	88.0%	★★★★☆
2018	82.5	397 of 2480	84.0%	★★★★☆
2015	77.5	479 of 2477	80.7%	★★★★☆
2013	66.6	692 of 2379	70.9%	★★★★☆
2012	74.2	472 of 2259	79.1%	★★★★☆
2011	51.8	1043 of 2236	53.4%	★★★☆☆
2010	58.1	835 of 2179	61.7%	★★★☆☆
2009	56.4	828 of 2063	59.9%	★★★☆☆
2008	54.3	830 of 2005	58.6%	★★★☆☆
2007	52.8	837 of 1999	58.1%	★★★☆☆
2006	58.0	670 of 1804	62.9%	★★★☆☆
2005	59.3	624 of 1777	64.9%	★★★☆☆
2004	56.9	642 of 1769	63.7%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	67.7	148 of 609	75.7%	★★★★☆
2024	83.2	73 of 627	88.4%	★★★★☆
2023	54.4	236 of 613	61.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	82.4	76 of 643	88.2%	★★★★☆
2018	57.1	221 of 600	63.2%	★★★☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	44.3	465 of 739	37.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	71.4	219 of 743	70.5%	★★★★☆
2023	47.8	436 of 715	39.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	55.8	384 of 733	47.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	64.4	303 of 745	59.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	54.4	386 of 700	44.9%	★★☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	61.9	379 of 1531	75.2%	★★★★☆
2019	53.9	488 of 1491	67.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	51.4	473 of 1369	65.4%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	89.8	54 of 1478	96.3%	★★★★★
2023	79.7	112 of 1521	92.6%	★★★★★
2022	83.7	90 of 1540	94.2%	★★★★★
2019	79.2	130 of 1442	91.0%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	79.3	455 of 2533	82.0%	★★★★☆
2024	86.7	314 of 2551	87.7%	★★★★☆
2023	86.4	317 of 2531	87.5%	★★★★☆
2022	86.0	318 of 2509	87.3%	★★★★☆
2019	83.3	358 of 2380	85.0%	★★★★☆
2018	77.2	460 of 2262	79.7%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	75.9	407 of 2395	83.0%	★★★★☆
2024	90.0	142 of 2388	94.1%	★★★★★
2023	88.9	157 of 2374	93.4%	★★★★★
2022	88.5	158 of 2359	93.3%	★★★★★
2019	89.3	151 of 2213	93.2%	★★★★★
2018	84.0	208 of 2072	90.0%	★★★★★

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	69.8	93 of 477	80.5%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	67.0	601 of 2542	76.4%	★★★★☆
2024	80.9	324 of 2579	87.4%	★★★★☆
2023	88.3	189 of 2531	92.5%	★★★★★
2022	87.2	183 of 2458	92.6%	★★★★★
2019	89.2	153 of 2369	93.5%	★★★★★
2018	81.3	265 of 2230	88.1%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	75.9	502 of 2534	80.2%	★★★★☆
2024	87.4	302 of 2552	88.2%	★★★★☆
2023	81.4	403 of 2538	84.1%	★★★★☆
2022	87.3	310 of 2527	87.7%	★★★★☆
2019	88.0	281 of 2407	88.3%	★★★★☆
2018	84.3	336 of 2273	85.2%	★★★★☆

Military Connected

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	54.4	88 of 194	54.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	76.2	38 of 192	80.2%	★★★★☆
2023	79.8	34 of 197	82.7%	★★★★☆
2022	82.1	24 of 193	87.6%	★★★★☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	57.7	318 of 726	56.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	47.9	378 of 701	46.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	51.4	340 of 677	49.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	64.8	231 of 665	65.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	32.1	412 of 554	25.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	42.2	308 of 462	33.3%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	62.4	385 of 1566	75.4%	★★★★☆
2024	66.0	330 of 1552	78.7%	★★★★☆
2023	50.1	551 of 1531	64.0%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	78.1	271 of 1520	82.2%	★★★★☆
2024	86.0	136 of 1537	91.2%	★★★★★
2023	82.0	206 of 1543	86.6%	★★★★☆
2022	85.3	142 of 1555	90.9%	★★★★★
2019	83.6	193 of 1602	88.0%	★★★★☆
2018	76.4	332 of 1496	77.8%	★★★★☆

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)

Elementary school

Male (2025)86th percentile+4 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)85th percentile+3 vs school

Hispanic (2025)84th percentile~ school

Special Education (2023)81st percentile-5 vs school

Female (2025)78th percentile-4 vs school

White (2025)75th percentile-7 vs school

Disabled (2022)71st percentile-16 vs school

Multi-racial (2024)64th percentile-24 vs school

Middle school

English Language Learner (2024)96th percentile+8 vs school

Hispanic (2025)83rd percentile~ school

White (2025)82nd percentile~ school

Female (2025)82nd percentile~ school

Homeless (2025)81st percentile~ school

Male (2025)80th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)76th percentile-6 vs school

African American (2025)76th percentile-7 vs school

Special Education (2025)75th percentile-7 vs school

Disabled (2022)75th percentile-13 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)56th percentile-26 vs school

Military Connected (2025)55th percentile-28 vs school

Asian (2025)37th percentile-45 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy65%+16 vs state

Science51%+18 vs state

Mathematics48%+10 vs state

5.0

1 rating · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a parent
Sunday, December 30, 2018

My student enrolled in 7th grade after moving to the area. He was welcomed easily and completely among the student body, making the transition relatively painless. I have been impressed with the school's ability to provide a strong academic foundation, experience and opportunity in the arts, and a very inclusive social structure. Strong parent support and committed leadership make LMAAC a very good school. I look forward to my second child starting fourth grade at LMAAC when the time comes. Close Quote

Schools Near La Mesa Arts Academy

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)	% DTP (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 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 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	% DTP KG	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
La Mesa Arts Academy	Public	5-8	4200 Parks Ave.	La Mesa	91941	San Diego County	La Mesa-Spring Valley	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 668-5730	1,059	51	20.7	46.4%	410 (38.7%)	60 (5.7%)	407 (38.4%)	65 (6.1%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.2%)	112 (10.6%)	79.2	490^th of 2761 public middle schools	82.3%		88.3	313^th of 2783 public middle schools	88.8%	177	60.9	48.2	51.0	78.2	63.8	63.1	63.1	64.7	40.2	55.1	43.3	46.9	47.6			$18,556	$1,513	$17,043
Lemon Grove Academy for the Sciences and Humanities	Public	6-8	7866 Lincoln St.	Lemon Grove	91945	San Diego County	Lemon Grove	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 825-5628	516	26	20.2	80.4%	45 (8.7%)	59 (11.4%)	340 (65.9%)	30 (5.8%)	9 (1.7%)	4 (0.8%)	29 (5.6%)	31.4	1784^th of 2761 public middle schools	35.4%		32	1732^nd of 2783 public middle schools	37.8%	52		21.7	21.7			37.1	38.0	37.6			22.2	21.0	21.6	97.5	97.5	$20,711	$2,902	$17,809
Spring Valley Academy	Public	6-8	3900 Conrad Dr.	Spring Valley	91977	San Diego County	La Mesa-Spring Valley	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 668-5750	597	35	16.8	77.4%	92 (15.4%)	57 (9.5%)	371 (62.1%)	26 (4.4%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	45 (7.5%)	25.5	1977^th of 2761 public middle schools	28.4%		31.1	1766^th of 2783 public middle schools	36.5%	211		15.8	15.8		30.4	33.3	37.1	33.5		19.4	22.0	18.3	19.9			$23,584	$2,522	$21,062
Mann Middle	Public	6-8	4345 54th St.	San Diego	92115	San Diego County	San Diego Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 560-4460	680	30	22.4	94.1%	18 (2.6%)	164 (24.1%)	332 (48.8%)	126 (18.5%)	4 (0.6%)	6 (0.9%)	30 (4.4%)	20.9	2188^th of 2761 public middle schools	20.8%		17.5	2368^th of 2783 public middle schools	14.9%	180		18.2	18.2		28.2	25.2	31.7	28.4		19.2	12.5	17.9	16.5			$20,891	$4,042	$16,849
Parkway Sports and Health Science Academy	Public	6-8	9009 Park Plaza Dr.	La Mesa	91942	San Diego County	La Mesa-Spring Valley	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 668-5810	897	50	18.0	48.8%	332 (37.0%)	60 (6.7%)	349 (38.9%)	49 (5.5%)	5 (0.6%)	10 (1.1%)	89 (9.9%)	54.7	1045^th of 2761 public middle schools	62.2%		56.6	975^th of 2783 public middle schools	65.0%	70		31.5	31.5		58.9	52.5	39.1	49.9		37.0	37.2	30.3	34.7			$17,388	$1,581	$15,807
Pershing Middle	Public	6-8	8204 San Carlos Dr.	San Diego	92119	San Diego County	San Diego Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 362-3550	980	39	24.8	35.8%	459 (46.8%)	46 (4.7%)	294 (30.0%)	60 (6.1%)	1 (0.1%)	3 (0.3%)	117 (11.9%)	82.1	440^th of 2761 public middle schools	84.1%		83.5	409^th of 2783 public middle schools	85.3%	31		43.3	43.3		69.6	68.0	54.5	64.7		55.7	56.1	50.2	54.3			$17,877	$2,413	$15,464
Sci Technical Engr Arts and Math Academy at La Presa	Public	5-8	1001 Leland St.	Spring Valley	91977	San Diego County	La Mesa-Spring Valley	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 668-5720	800	45	17.8	79.8%	70 (8.8%)	74 (9.3%)	558 (69.8%)	48 (6.0%)	1 (0.1%)	3 (0.4%)	46 (5.8%)	36.3	1605^th of 2761 public middle schools	41.9%		43.5	1358^th of 2783 public middle schools	51.2%	247		22.7	22.7		31.6	41.0	38.0	36.9		18.7	32.8	32.2	27.9			$19,929	$1,934	$17,995
College Preparatory Middle	Public, Charter	5-8	10269 Madrid Way	Spring Valley	91977	San Diego County	College Preparatory Middle District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 303-2782	397	20	19.6	42.8%	227 (57.2%)	17 (4.3%)	106 (26.7%)	20 (5.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	27 (6.8%)	98.6	25^th of 2761 public middle schools	99.1%		97.9	58^th of 2783 public middle schools	97.9%	33	75.8	80.4	78.0	80.8	87.9	84.0	91.5	86.0	75.8	81.8	79.0	79.8	79.1			$10,901	$00	$10,901
Lewis Middle	Public	6-8	5170 Greenbrier Ave.	San Diego	92120	San Diego County	San Diego Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 510-4300	1,013	42	23.8	48.5%	347 (34.3%)	66 (6.5%)	316 (31.2%)	157 (15.5%)	1 (0.1%)	2 (0.2%)	124 (12.2%)	83.3	409^th of 2761 public middle schools	85.2%		87.6	332^nd of 2783 public middle schools	88.1%	77		53.7	53.7		57.2	59.2	70.6	62.5		52.8	54.5	60.1	55.9			$18,399	$2,377	$16,022
EJE Middle Academy	Public, Charter	6-8	851 South Johnson Ave.	El Cajon	92020	San Diego County	EJE Middle Academy District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 401-4150	254	15	16.8	67.7%	10 (3.9%)	3 (1.2%)	237 (93.3%)	2 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.8%)	28.7	1870^th of 2761 public middle schools	32.3%		28.2	1896^th of 2783 public middle schools	31.9%	26		15.6	15.6		29.3	46.7	39.0	38.6		17.1	22.2	15.8	18.6			$17,637	$1,745	$15,892

Frequently Asked Questions about La Mesa Arts Academy

What is the racial makeup of La Mesa Arts Academy?

Students at La Mesa Arts Academy are 39% White, 38% Hispanic, 11% Two or more races, 6% Asian, 6% African American.

How many students attend La Mesa Arts Academy?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,059 students attended La Mesa Arts Academy.

What district is La Mesa Arts Academy in?

La Mesa-Spring Valley

Is La Mesa Arts Academy a good school?

La Mesa Arts Academy ranks 490^th of 2761 California middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What high school do graduates of La Mesa Arts Academy attend?

Students who attend La Mesa Arts Academy usually go on to attend Mount Miguel High

Rate La Mesa Arts Academy!

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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.