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La Mesa

Public Grades K-8
1319th
SchoolDigger Rank ?
of 5,857 California Elementary Schools
Better than 77% of California elementary schools
Summary

La Mesa is a K-8 elementary school serving 689 students in Monterey, CA, and stands out as a consistently high-performing school within the Monterey Peninsula Unified district, which itself ranks in the lower half of the state.

The school significantly outperforms its district peers, especially in math where students are nearly twice as likely to be proficient, and maintains exceptionally low chronic absenteeism. It achieves these strong results while serving a socioeconomically diverse student body and operating with moderate per-student spending, demonstrating notable resource efficiency. While it doesn't match the test scores of schools in wealthier neighboring districts like Carmel Unified (e.g., Carmel River Elementary), La Mesa's performance is impressive within its context and it consistently outranks nearby charter schools such as International School of Monterey and Bay View Academy.

Key strengths include remarkable stability in its 4-star rating over the past decade and particularly effective support for military-connected students. Areas to watch include a dip in math performance in 7th grade and recent trends for English Language Learners. Overall, La Mesa proves that a public school can deliver above-average academic outcomes and a strong, consistent learning environment for a diverse community.

689
Students ?
23.4
Student/teacher ratio ?
$19,072
Per pupil spending ?
45.3%
Free/discounted lunch ?
 1 La Mesa Way
       Monterey, CA  93940-4894

(831) 649-1872

District: Monterey Peninsula Unified

Racial breakdown:

White:
44.4%
Hispanic:
29.0%
Asian:
10.7%
more
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 Compare La Mesa to nearby elementary schools!
At a glance
▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 67th percentile in 2013 → 77th in 2025
Strengths
✓Test scores above the California average (52% vs 41% meeting standards)
✓Ranks in the top 23% of California elementary schools
✓Ranking is trending up — up 10 percentile points since 2013
Worth a look
!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing
!Large classes — about 23 students per teacher
Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?
This school52%
District avg33%
California avg41%
Elementary school
1,319th of 5,857
California public elementary schools ?
Top 23%▼ down 5 pts since 2015
From top 18% (2015) to top 23% (2025)
See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →
★★★★★
SchoolDigger rating ?
Middle school
766th of 2,761
California public middle schools ?
Top 28%▬ steady since 2023
See the entire ranking list of California Middle Schools →
★★★★★
SchoolDigger rating ?
1st of 10Elementary Schools in the Monterey Peninsula Unified
893rd of 1,543Monterey Peninsula 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)
Elementary school ranking
Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202576.41319 of 585777.5%★★★★☆
202480.21143 of 586980.5%★★★★☆
202373.81432 of 585975.6%★★★★☆
202278.61255 of 588378.7%★★★★☆
201982.81023 of 578982.3%★★★★☆
201879.01186 of 566279.1%★★★★☆
201774.41366 of 569276.0%★★★★☆
201673.51372 of 561475.6%★★★★☆
201582.71000 of 561182.2%★★★★☆
201365.11824 of 553067.0%★★★☆☆
201264.81793 of 539066.7%★★★☆☆
201178.61075 of 537780.0%★★★★☆
201080.31001 of 531481.2%★★★★☆
200984.6772 of 519385.1%★★★★☆
200892.7337 of 511393.4%★★★★★
200788.7580 of 511388.7%★★★★☆
200687.2635 of 481886.8%★★★★☆
200581.2879 of 482281.8%★★★★☆
200477.21024 of 480978.7%★★★★☆

English Language Learner

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202449.51205 of 316261.9%★★★☆☆
202364.1646 of 324580.1%★★★★☆
202281.8274 of 331191.7%★★★★★

Female

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202571.11454 of 559774.0%★★★★☆
202471.81416 of 561274.8%★★★★☆
202372.71390 of 560975.2%★★★★☆
202275.81290 of 563577.1%★★★★☆
201987.0716 of 549287.0%★★★★☆
201879.81054 of 541380.5%★★★★☆

Hispanic

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202555.61944 of 510761.9%★★★☆☆
202447.52438 of 510752.3%★★★☆☆
202352.82070 of 508759.3%★★★☆☆
202272.21056 of 508479.2%★★★★☆
201962.51552 of 496368.7%★★★☆☆
201836.83090 of 483036.0%★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202564.11620 of 546070.3%★★★★☆
202461.71696 of 551769.3%★★★☆☆
202356.51958 of 536363.5%★★★☆☆
202276.5893 of 526483.0%★★★★☆
201965.61431 of 517372.3%★★★★☆

Male

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202578.61129 of 562879.9%★★★★☆
202484.1917 of 564383.7%★★★★☆
202371.71422 of 563874.8%★★★★☆
202277.31226 of 566378.4%★★★★☆
201974.81306 of 551076.3%★★★★☆
201875.01269 of 543176.6%★★★★☆

Military Connected

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202581.121 of 15386.3%★★★★☆
202492.85 of 11895.8%★★★★★

Special Education

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202541.21414 of 284750.3%★★★☆☆
202457.1788 of 263570.1%★★★★☆
202351.1882 of 242063.6%★★★☆☆

White

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202572.6660 of 259874.6%★★★★☆
202478.7471 of 265182.2%★★★★☆
202369.4816 of 266169.3%★★★☆☆
202267.5894 of 272667.2%★★★☆☆
201972.4722 of 283474.5%★★★★☆
201869.7840 of 273769.3%★★★☆☆
Middle school ranking
Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202565.8766 of 276172.3%★★★★☆
202468.0722 of 278374.1%★★★★☆
202364.4781 of 278171.9%★★★★☆

English Language Learner

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202454.8351 of 147876.3%★★★★☆

Female

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202575.8528 of 253379.2%★★★★☆
202464.8728 of 255171.5%★★★★☆
202358.0865 of 253165.8%★★★☆☆

Hispanic

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202549.31045 of 239556.4%★★★☆☆
202441.41266 of 238847.0%★★☆☆☆
202340.61253 of 237447.2%★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202558.3832 of 254267.3%★★★☆☆
202448.11104 of 257957.2%★★★☆☆
202366.7598 of 253176.4%★★★★☆

Male

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202554.4976 of 253461.5%★★★☆☆
202467.3685 of 255273.2%★★★★☆
202367.3665 of 253873.8%★★★★☆

Military Connected

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202565.760 of 19469.1%★★★★☆
202484.522 of 19288.5%★★★★☆

Special Education

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202533.7990 of 156636.8%★★☆☆☆

White

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202562.5562 of 152063.0%★★★☆☆
202472.7377 of 153775.5%★★★★☆
202357.5622 of 154359.7%★★★☆☆
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
Military Connected (2025)86th percentile+9 vs school
Male (2025)80th percentile~ school
White (2025)75th percentile-3 vs school
Female (2025)74th percentile-3 vs school
Low Socio Economic Status (2025)70th percentile-7 vs school
Hispanic (2025)62nd percentile-16 vs school
English Language Learner (2024)62nd percentile-19 vs school
Special Education (2025)50th percentile-27 vs school
Middle school
Female (2025)79th percentile+7 vs school
English Language Learner (2024)76th percentile~ school
Military Connected (2025)69th percentile-3 vs school
Low Socio Economic Status (2025)67th percentile-5 vs school
White (2025)63rd percentile-9 vs school
Male (2025)61st percentile-11 vs school
Hispanic (2025)56th percentile-16 vs school
Special Education (2025)37th percentile-35 vs school
By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?
English Language Arts/Literacy57%+8 vs state
Mathematics50%+13 vs state
Science43%+10 vs state

3.0
3 ratings · 2 written reviews
5★1
4★0
3★0
2★2
1★0
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What people are saying
by a parent
Saturday, July 23, 2016

Open Quote This school is a mixed bag. Previous comments are on point about the military kids holding this schools academic ratings so high. If not for it being directly placed in the middle of officer housing, and primarily filled with the kids of higher educated parents, the scores of this school would be the same as the surrounding area. Unfortunately, that means the kids attending will have education outcomes below what they are use to. This is frustrating for the parents. I DO NOT fault the teachers, it is the the district. That being said, when you meet the office staff and get a bad feeling about the school, listen to your instinct. There are lots of charter school alternatives. I recommend looking at Big Sur Charter in Monterey. Close Quote


by a parent
Monday, September 5, 2011

Open Quote I have a child that has been a student at La Mesa for the past 3 years. I have other children that have attended other elementary schools on the peninsula. The sterling reputation that La Mesa enjoys in the community is no longer deserved. Perhaps La Mesa earned this reputation many years ago, but other schools in the area actually perform to a much higher standard.

The most upsetting factor at La Mesa is the unprofessional and simply rude 'ladies' that 'work' in the front office. They treat the children and the parents as unwelcome interruptions of these 'ladies' gossip sessions. They will speak loudly to each other about subjects that should be carefully guarded with confidentiality, with their backs turned to the entrance. I have seen visitors stand at the entrance for 2 minutes waiting for assistance while these 'ladies' finished their gossip section. Terrible. Close Quote




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Frequently Asked Questions about La Mesa

Students who attend La Mesa usually go on to attend:

High : Monterey High

La Mesa ranks 1319th of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Students at La Mesa are 44% White, 29% Hispanic, 11% Asian, 10% Two or more races, 4% African American, 1% Pacific Islander.

In the 2024-25 school year, 689 students attended La Mesa.


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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.




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