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DREAM Academy

Q: Is DREAM Academy a good school?

DREAM Academy ranks 2699 th of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-8

2699^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,857 California Elementary Schools

Better than 54% of California elementary schools

Summary

DREAM Academy is a small K-8 public school serving 138 students in the Lakeside Union Elementary district, notable for its recent dramatic improvement in student attendance but also for significant swings in its academic performance from year to year.

The school's story is one of contrasts: it has successfully reduced chronic student absenteeism to just 4.1%, which is the best rate among local schools and far better than the Lakeside Union Elementary district average of 15.1%. However, its test scores have recently declined sharply after a strong showing the previous year, now trailing both district and state averages in English and Math. This volatility is unusual, especially when compared to more stable nearby schools like Riverview Elementary. A particular area of concern is 3rd grade English proficiency, which is very low at 7.14%.

DREAM Academy operates with the highest per-student spending among compared schools at over $27,000, which is significantly more than higher-performing schools in the area. For example, Riverview Elementary spends about half that amount. Furthermore, schools in the neighboring Santee district, such as Sycamore Canyon Elementary and Hill Creek Elementary, generally spend less per student but achieve higher and more consistent academic results, suggesting district-level practices may influence outcomes.

138

Students ?

23.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$27,220

Per pupil spending ?

39.1%

Free/discounted lunch ?

11838 Valle Vista Rd
Lakeside, CA 92040-1046

(619) 390-2600

District: Lakeside Union Elementary

Racial breakdown:

White:

51.4%

Hispanic:

32.6%

Two or more races:

13.0%

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Compare DREAM Academy to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 37th percentile in 2022 → 54th in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 17 percentile points since 2022

✓Above the California median (54th percentile)

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (35% vs 41% meeting standards)

!Large classes — about 23 students per teacher

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school35%

District avg40%

California avg41%

Elementary school

2,699^th of 5,857

California public elementary schools ?

Top 46%▲ up 17 pts since 2022

From bottom 37% (2022) to top 46% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

Middle school

1,138^th of 2,761

California public middle schools ?

Top 41%

See the entire ranking list of California Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

4^th of 6Elementary Schools in the Lakeside Union Elementary

716^th of 1,543Lakeside 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)

Elementary school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	48.0	2699 of 5857	53.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	90.4	682 of 5869	88.4%	★★★★☆
2022	31.8	3720 of 5883	36.8%	★★☆☆☆

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy41%-8 vs state

Science32%~ state avg

Mathematics31%-7 vs state

★

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Schools Near DREAM 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)	% 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 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	% Hepatitis B KG	% Varicella KG	% DTP KG	% MMR KG	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
DREAM Academy	Public	K-8	11838 Valle Vista Rd	Lakeside	92040	San Diego County	Lakeside Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 390-2600	138	6	23.0	39.1%	71 (51.4%)	3 (2.2%)	45 (32.6%)	1 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (13.0%)	48	2699^th of 5857 public elementary schools	53.9%		90.4	682^nd of 5869 public elementary schools	88.4%	2017	50.0		31.8	7.1	46.2	54.6	55.0	41.7		40.5	28.6	30.8	45.5	31.6	33.3		30.8							$27,220	$698	$26,522
Lakeside Farms Elementary	Public	K-5	11915 Lakeside Ave.	Lakeside	92040	San Diego County	Lakeside Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 390-2646	667	30	22.2	35.8%	367 (55.0%)	37 (5.5%)	182 (27.3%)	17 (2.5%)	6 (0.9%)	5 (0.7%)	53 (7.9%)	50	2589^th of 5857 public elementary schools	55.8%		42.4	3038^th of 5869 public elementary schools	48.2%	449	49.4		49.4	49.5	38.5	50.6				46.2	40.2	39.6	20.7				34.1	95.8	95.8	98.3		95.8		$18,145	$993	$17,152
Santee Success Program	Public	K-8	10280 North Magnolia Ave.	Santee	92071	San Diego County	Santee	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 956-2453	5	1	5.0		2 (40.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (40.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (20.0%)								(n/a)																								$105,626	$705	$104,921
Cajon Park Elementary	Public	K-8	10300 Magnolia Ave.	Santee	92071	San Diego County	Santee	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 956-2400	830	35	23.7	48.8%	508 (61.2%)	6 (0.7%)	200 (24.1%)	22 (2.7%)	1 (0.1%)	3 (0.4%)	90 (10.8%)	51.7	2519^th of 5857 public elementary schools	57.0%		55.9	2242^nd of 5869 public elementary schools	61.8%	277	28.9	43.0	37.1	53.2	38.9	48.8	57.5	59.3	65.5	55.0	46.8	37.0	27.4	35.8	43.3	45.6	39.6							$16,154	$803	$15,351
Santee Alternative	Public	K-8	10250 El Nopal	Santee	92071	San Diego County	Santee	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 956-2490	11	1	11.0	45.5%	6 (54.5%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (36.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (9.1%)								(n/a)																								$36,101	$705	$35,396
Hill Creek Elementary	Public	K-8	9665 Jeremy St.	Santee	92071	San Diego County	Santee	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 956-5000	695	29	23.8	47.3%	364 (52.4%)	5 (0.7%)	219 (31.5%)	29 (4.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	78 (11.2%)	74.7	1385^th of 5857 public elementary schools	76.4%		67.6	1700^th of 5869 public elementary schools	71.0%	315	54.1	44.4	49.6	51.3	69.0	62.2	72.9	66.2	82.5	66.6	50.0	60.6	54.1	30.0	36.4	44.4	46.6							$15,815	$709	$15,106
Lindo Park Elementary	Public	K-5	12824 Lakeshore Dr.	Lakeside	92040	San Diego County	Lakeside Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 390-2656	421	19	22.0	73.2%	153 (36.3%)	17 (4.0%)	208 (49.4%)	6 (1.4%)	8 (1.9%)	3 (0.7%)	26 (6.2%)	20.3	4801^st of 5857 public elementary schools	18.0%		20.3	4836^th of 5869 public elementary schools	17.6%	35	17.6		17.6	22.2	26.8	33.3				27.9	23.6	25.7	16.2				21.7	97.0			97.0			$16,981	$1,725	$15,256
Lemon Crest Elementary	Public	K-5	12463 Lemon Crest Dr.	Lakeside	92040	San Diego County	Lakeside Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 390-2527	437	20	21.7	59.0%	185 (42.3%)	19 (4.3%)	179 (41.0%)	13 (3.0%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.5%)	38 (8.7%)	21.5	4712^th of 5857 public elementary schools	19.5%		29	4021^st of 5869 public elementary schools	31.5%	691	18.6		18.6	41.5	19.1	26.8				29.2	20.6	15.9	22.5				19.8	92.6			95.4		96.3	$16,461	$803	$15,658
Riverview Elementary	Public	2-5	9308 Winter Gardens Blvd.	Lakeside	92040	San Diego County	Lakeside Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 390-2662	469	20	23.4	25.2%	184 (39.2%)	8 (1.7%)	208 (44.3%)	17 (3.6%)	4 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	48 (10.2%)	83.9	970^th of 5857 public elementary schools	83.4%		78.9	1200^th of 5869 public elementary schools	79.6%	230	55.0		55.0	60.7	70.5	76.5				69.1	64.8	61.3	47.9				58.0							$13,618	$506	$13,112
Rio Seco Elementary	Public	K-8	9545 Cuyamaca St.	Santee	92071	San Diego County	Santee	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 956-5500	913	39	23.4	42.5%	465 (50.9%)	7 (0.8%)	246 (26.9%)	75 (8.2%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (0.7%)	114 (12.5%)	79	1195^th of 5857 public elementary schools	79.6%		82.2	1064^th of 5869 public elementary schools	81.9%	131	50.0	52.5	51.4	58.0	61.8	61.5	64.6	66.3	60.2	61.9	60.2	67.6	50.0	46.9	64.9	58.5	58.3							$15,245	$705	$14,540

Frequently Asked Questions about DREAM Academy

What district is DREAM Academy in?

Lakeside Union Elementary

What is the racial makeup of DREAM Academy?

Students at DREAM Academy are 51% White, 33% Hispanic, 13% Two or more races, 2% African American.

Is DREAM Academy a good school?

DREAM Academy ranks 2699^th of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

How many students attend DREAM Academy?

In the 2024-25 school year, 138 students attended DREAM Academy.

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CACalifornia District Rankings

Schools in Lakeside, CA

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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.