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Monterey Heights Elementary

Q: Is Monterey Heights Elementary a good school?

Monterey Heights Elementary ranks 2610 th of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-6

2610^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,857 California Elementary Schools

Better than 55% of California elementary schools

Summary

Monterey Heights Elementary is a K-6 public school serving 341 students in the Lemon Grove School District, and it has recently achieved its highest state ranking in over a decade, now performing in the 55th percentile.

The school is showing strong, improving results, particularly in mathematics where it outperforms both the Lemon Grove district and state averages; its third graders, for example, are notably proficient. This success is happening even though the school serves a community with significant economic need and does so with lower per-pupil spending than some district peers like San Altos Elementary. Furthermore, Monterey Heights has made exceptional progress in improving student attendance, with its chronic absenteeism rate now much better than nearby schools such as Lemon Grove Academy Elementary and San Miguel Elementary.

While the school excels in early grades and with English Learner students, areas like special education and a dip in fifth-grade math scores indicate room for growth. Compared to other schools in similar circumstances, such as Bancroft Elementary or Audubon K-8, Monterey Heights stands out for its academic outcomes. Within its own district, it is a leading performer alongside Mt. Vernon Elementary, demonstrating effective practices in a challenging context.

341

Students ?

25.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$20,194

Per pupil spending ?

67.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

7550 Canton Dr.
Lemon Grove, CA 91945-2515

(619) 825-5633

District: Lemon Grove

Students who attend Monterey Heights Elementary usually attend:

High:

Mount Miguel High

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

67.7%

Two or more races:

9.4%

African American:

7.9%

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Compare Monterey Heights Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 55th percentile in 2013 → 55th in 2025

Strengths

✓Above the California median (55th percentile)

Worth a look

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

!Large classes — about 26 students per teacher

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school41%

District avg32%

California avg41%

2,610^th of 5,857

California public elementary schools ?

Top 45%▲ up 19 pts since 2015

From bottom 37% (2015) to top 45% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 6Elementary Schools in the Lemon Grove

929^th of 1,543Lemon Grove 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	49.7	2610 of 5857	55.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	34.3	3572 of 5869	39.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	42.3	2985 of 5859	49.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	36.0	3376 of 5883	42.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	36.2	3448 of 5789	40.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	35.1	3465 of 5662	38.8%	★★☆☆☆
2017	37.2	3292 of 5692	42.2%	★★☆☆☆
2016	34.8	3428 of 5614	38.9%	★★☆☆☆
2015	31.9	3553 of 5611	36.7%	★★☆☆☆
2013	53.6	2469 of 5530	55.4%	★★★☆☆
2012	49.5	2649 of 5390	50.9%	★★★☆☆
2011	54.0	2353 of 5377	56.2%	★★★☆☆
2010	58.9	2045 of 5314	61.5%	★★★☆☆
2009	35.9	3313 of 5193	36.2%	★★☆☆☆
2008	40.2	2933 of 5113	42.6%	★★☆☆☆
2007	41.5	2810 of 5113	45.0%	★★☆☆☆
2006	51.1	2139 of 4818	55.6%	★★★☆☆
2005	61.3	1686 of 4822	65.0%	★★★☆☆
2004	49.5	2182 of 4809	54.6%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2019	86.0	64 of 747	91.4%	★★★★★
2018	17.8	655 of 700	6.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2019	44.6	1139 of 2585	55.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	33.4	1289 of 2128	39.4%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	59.8	733 of 3162	76.8%	★★★★☆
2023	55.4	970 of 3245	70.1%	★★★★☆
2022	61.8	700 of 3311	78.9%	★★★★☆
2019	52.8	1107 of 3275	66.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	44.8	1517 of 3246	53.3%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	42.9	2902 of 5597	48.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	31.7	3669 of 5612	34.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	36.5	3262 of 5609	41.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	33.6	3445 of 5635	38.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	42.6	2942 of 5492	46.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	44.8	2790 of 5413	48.5%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	58.8	1780 of 5107	65.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	43.3	2732 of 5107	46.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	56.5	1856 of 5087	63.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	46.8	2402 of 5084	52.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	46.3	2528 of 4963	49.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	55.1	1897 of 4830	60.7%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	49.4	2471 of 5460	54.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	33.0	3704 of 5517	32.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	43.7	2793 of 5363	47.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	37.1	3250 of 5264	38.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	41.8	2984 of 5173	42.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	40.9	2958 of 5084	41.8%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	54.0	2286 of 5628	59.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	36.5	3315 of 5643	41.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	47.4	2595 of 5638	54.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	39.4	3037 of 5663	46.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	31.6	3660 of 5510	33.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	29.0	3773 of 5431	30.5%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2023	22.1	2095 of 2420	13.4%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

African American (2019)91st percentile+51 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)77th percentile+38 vs school

Hispanic (2025)65th percentile+10 vs school

Male (2025)59th percentile+4 vs school

Disabled (2019)56th percentile+15 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)55th percentile~ school

Female (2025)48th percentile-7 vs school

Special Education (2023)13th percentile-36 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy44%-5 vs state

Mathematics41%+4 vs state

Science31%~ state avg

★

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Schools Near Monterey Heights Elementary

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)	% 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	CSA Spanish Overall 3rd Grade	CSA Spanish Overall 4th Grade	CSA Spanish Overall All Grades	CSA Spanish Listening 3rd Grade	CSA Spanish Listening 4th Grade	CSA Spanish Listening All Grades	CSA Spanish Writing 3rd Grade	CSA Spanish Writing 4th Grade	CSA Spanish Writing All Grades	CSA Spanish Reading 3rd Grade	CSA Spanish Reading 4th 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	% Hepatitis B KG	% Varicella KG	% DTP KG	% MMR KG	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Monterey Heights Elementary	Public	K-6	7550 Canton Dr.	Lemon Grove	91945	San Diego County	Lemon Grove	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 825-5633	341	13	25.7	67.2%	26 (7.6%)	27 (7.9%)	231 (67.7%)	18 (5.3%)	2 (0.6%)	5 (1.5%)	32 (9.4%)	49.7	2610^th of 5857 public elementary schools	55.4%		34.3	3572^nd of 5869 public elementary schools	39.1%	962													30.8		30.8	62.2	33.3	34.4	52.5			43.8	68.9	38.9	20.0	47.5			41.2	94.4				96.3		$20,194	$3,002	$17,192
San Altos Elementary	Public	K-6	1750 Madera St.	Lemon Grove	91945	San Diego County	Lemon Grove	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 825-5621	338	16	21.1	70.4%	18 (5.3%)	23 (6.8%)	236 (69.8%)	33 (9.8%)	2 (0.6%)	3 (0.9%)	23 (6.8%)	36.1	3475^th of 5857 public elementary schools	40.7%		37.3	3345^th of 5869 public elementary schools	43.0%	130													20.4		20.4	14.0	36.8	37.5	56.8			35.5	22.7	33.3	29.2	48.7			32.7							$22,046	$4,169	$17,877
Audubon K-8	Public	K-8	8111 San Vicente	San Diego	92114	San Diego County	San Diego Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 344-5800	495	21	23.5	87.9%	15 (3.0%)	28 (5.7%)	403 (81.4%)	29 (5.9%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.4%)	18 (3.6%)	22.5	4634^th of 5857 public elementary schools	20.9%		26.3	4263^rd of 5869 public elementary schools	27.4%	371													10.8	25.6	18.8	18.8	26.3	18.9	34.0	22.7	35.7	26.1	28.6	30.0	18.9	29.1	27.3	34.9	28.3	90.6	96.2	96.2	96.2	96.2	96.2	$22,168	$4,050	$18,118
Keiller Leadership Academy	Public, Charter	K-8	7270 Lisbon St.	San Diego	92114	San Diego County	Keiller Leadership Academy District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 263-9266	635	36	17.5	84.6%	28 (4.4%)	51 (8.0%)	507 (79.8%)	33 (5.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (2.5%)	29.4	4010^th of 5857 public elementary schools	31.5%		35.7	3458^th of 5869 public elementary schools	41.1%	552													23.3	22.5	22.8	25.5	48.2	42.3	31.9	42.2	46.6	39.8	31.4	35.7	19.2	11.0	18.7	22.5	21.5							$18,585	$2,839	$15,746
Avondale Elementary	Public	K-5	8401 Stansbury St.	Spring Valley	91977	San Diego County	La Mesa-Spring Valley	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 668-5880	291	11	26.4	88.7%	10 (3.4%)	17 (5.8%)	218 (74.9%)	22 (7.6%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.0%)	21 (7.2%)	40.1	3210^th of 5857 public elementary schools	45.2%		34.9	3527^th of 5869 public elementary schools	39.9%	317													17.1		17.1	39.6	41.8	39.0				40.3	41.7	36.8	34.2				37.7	96.6				96.6		$18,607	$1,598	$17,009
Mt. Vernon Elementary	Public	K-6	8350 Mount Vernon St.	Lemon Grove	91945	San Diego County	Lemon Grove	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 825-5613	359	16	21.9	69.9%	12 (3.3%)	22 (6.1%)	294 (81.9%)	11 (3.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (5.6%)	50.4	2566^th of 5857 public elementary schools	56.2%		48.6	2635^th of 5869 public elementary schools	55.1%	69	8.8	14.6	11.6	33.3	14.6	24.1	22.8	27.3	25.0	5.3	12.7	8.9	27.1		27.1	49.1	49.1	37.8	57.8			48.5	50.9	38.2	23.4	34.8			37.6							$19,267	$2,640	$16,627
Lemon Grove Early Childhood Education Center	Public	K	8425 Palm St.	Lemon Grove	91945	San Diego County	Lemon Grove	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 825-5600	142	8	17.7	51.4%	15 (10.6%)	15 (10.6%)	98 (69.0%)	8 (5.6%)	1 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (3.5%)								(n/a)																																				$27,544	$5,848	$21,696
San Miguel Elementary	Public	K-6	7059 San Miguel Ave.	Lemon Grove	91945	San Diego County	Lemon Grove	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 825-5619	435	19	22.8	81.8%	29 (6.7%)	74 (17.0%)	279 (64.1%)	23 (5.3%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.9%)	26 (6.0%)	23.8	4515^th of 5857 public elementary schools	22.9%		18	5027^th of 5869 public elementary schools	14.3%	512													11.4		11.4	33.9	32.2	13.0	40.0			29.8	30.2	25.4	11.6	26.3			23.2	96.7	96.7	96.7	96.7	96.7	96.7	$21,618	$3,595	$18,023
Freese Elementary	Public	K-5	8140 Greenlawn Dr.	San Diego	92114	San Diego County	San Diego Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 344-3100	280	13	21.5	82.1%	11 (3.9%)	41 (14.6%)	160 (57.1%)	45 (16.1%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.1%)	20 (7.1%)	29	4045^th of 5857 public elementary schools	30.9%		45.7	2814^th of 5869 public elementary schools	52.1%	1231													23.8		23.8	31.4	33.3	32.6				32.4	23.5	26.7	36.6				28.5	96.0				96.0		$26,039	$5,791	$20,248
Lemon Grove Academy Elementary	Public	K-6	7885 Golden Ave.	Lemon Grove	91945	San Diego County	Lemon Grove	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 825-5637	399	16	25.7	83.2%	33 (8.3%)	47 (11.8%)	282 (70.7%)	11 (2.8%)	2 (0.5%)	2 (0.5%)	22 (5.5%)	41.5	3116^th of 5857 public elementary schools	46.8%		36.4	3411^th of 5869 public elementary schools	41.9%	295													28.8		28.8	28.4	35.0	41.7	64.3			42.8	22.4	30.0	22.2	50.0			31.2							$19,739	$2,847	$16,892

Frequently Asked Questions about Monterey Heights Elementary

What schools do graduates of Monterey Heights Elementary attend?

Students who attend Monterey Heights Elementary usually go on to attend:

High : Mount Miguel High

What district is Monterey Heights Elementary in?

Lemon Grove

Is Monterey Heights Elementary a good school?

Monterey Heights Elementary ranks 2610^th of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Monterey Heights Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 341 students attended Monterey Heights Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Monterey Heights Elementary?

Students at Monterey Heights Elementary are 68% Hispanic, 9% Two or more races, 8% African American, 8% White, 5% Asian, 1% Pacific Islander.

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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.