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Ira Harbison

Q: Is Ira Harbison a good school?

Ira Harbison ranks 2922 nd of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-6

2922^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,857 California Elementary Schools

Better than 50% of California elementary schools

Summary

Ira Harbison Elementary is a K-6 public school serving 393 students in National City, part of the National Elementary School District, and it stands out as a strong performer on an upward trajectory within its local community.

The school has shown impressive improvement, moving to a 3-star rating and outperforming other schools in its own district in core subjects like English and Math. A major strength is its remarkably low chronic absenteeism rate of 14.3%, which is significantly better than the district average and all nearby schools in the National Elementary district, such as Palmer Way and El Toyon. Ira Harbison is also particularly effective in supporting English Language Learners and students with special needs, achieving higher statewide rankings for these groups than for its overall student body.

Interestingly, the analysis reveals a stark contrast based on district boundaries. While Ira Harbison is a leader within its district, nearby schools just blocks away in the San Diego Unified district, like Nye Elementary and Bethune K-8, have higher academic rankings, highlighting how district resources and policies can create different educational experiences in the same geographic area. Parents should note that Ira Harbison's performance varies by grade, with 4th grade being a particular strength, and the school has made a dramatic and successful effort to improve student attendance in recent years.

393

Students ?

23.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$27,982

Per pupil spending ?

76.6%

Free/discounted lunch ?

3235 EastEighth St.
National City, CA 91950-3116

(619) 336-8200

District: National Elementary

Students who attend Ira Harbison usually attend:

Middle:	Granger Junior High
High:	Sweetwater High

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

61.6%

Asian:

26.7%

Two or more races:

4.6%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Ira Harbison to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Rebounding — 28th percentile in 2019 → 50th in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is rebounding — up to 50th (2025) from a 28th-percentile low (2019)

✓Among the top-ranked schools in National Elementary

✓Above the California median (50th percentile)

Worth a look

!Large classes — about 23 students per teacher

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school38%

District avg30%

California avg41%

2,922^nd of 5,857

California public elementary schools ?

Top 50%▼ down 10 pts since 2015

From top 39% (2015) to top 50% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 10Elementary Schools in the National Elementary

1079^th of 1,543National 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	44.4	2922 of 5857	50.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	37.2	3353 of 5869	42.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	45.1	2818 of 5859	51.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	28.5	3990 of 5883	32.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	27.2	4173 of 5789	27.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	48.9	2619 of 5662	53.7%	★★★☆☆
2017	52.8	2386 of 5692	58.1%	★★★☆☆
2016	46.3	2700 of 5614	51.9%	★★★☆☆
2015	54.6	2211 of 5611	60.6%	★★★☆☆
2013	58.3	2223 of 5530	59.8%	★★★☆☆
2012	56.3	2252 of 5390	58.2%	★★★☆☆
2011	57.1	2189 of 5377	59.3%	★★★☆☆
2010	59.5	2008 of 5314	62.2%	★★★☆☆
2009	62.6	1787 of 5193	65.6%	★★★☆☆
2008	65.4	1608 of 5113	68.6%	★★★☆☆
2007	63.0	1686 of 5113	67.0%	★★★☆☆
2006	58.5	1797 of 4818	62.7%	★★★☆☆
2005	55.7	1924 of 4822	60.1%	★★★☆☆
2004	54.8	1930 of 4809	59.9%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	53.8	985 of 3162	68.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	50.2	1189 of 3245	63.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	34.8	2216 of 3311	33.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	24.6	2892 of 3275	11.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	74.4	460 of 3246	85.8%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	42.0	2956 of 5597	47.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	40.7	3009 of 5612	46.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	42.6	2843 of 5609	49.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	32.5	3538 of 5635	37.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	28.6	3938 of 5492	28.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	44.8	2789 of 5413	48.5%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	39.9	3024 of 5107	40.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	35.6	3306 of 5107	35.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	36.7	3162 of 5087	37.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	19.1	4571 of 5084	10.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	19.4	4413 of 4963	11.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	38.0	2995 of 4830	38.0%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	51.9	2306 of 5460	57.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	45.3	2726 of 5517	50.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	47.9	2509 of 5363	53.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	29.5	3890 of 5264	26.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	31.0	3794 of 5173	26.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	54.5	2072 of 5084	59.2%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	47.5	2637 of 5628	53.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	35.4	3388 of 5643	40.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	47.9	2570 of 5638	54.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	26.2	4120 of 5663	27.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	26.7	4048 of 5510	26.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	52.6	2303 of 5431	57.6%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	52.8	977 of 2847	65.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	27.8	1952 of 2635	25.9%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

English Language Learner (2024)69th percentile+26 vs school

Special Education (2025)66th percentile+16 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)58th percentile+8 vs school

Male (2025)53rd percentile+3 vs school

Female (2025)47th percentile-3 vs school

Hispanic (2025)41st percentile-9 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy42%-7 vs state

Mathematics36%~ state avg

Science31%~ state avg

5.0

1 rating

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4★0

3★0

2★0

1★0

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Schools Near Ira Harbison

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

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 (2025)
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	% Hepatitis B KG	% Varicella KG	% DTP KG	% MMR KG	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Ira Harbison	Public	K-6	3235 EastEighth St.	National City	91950	San Diego County	National Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 336-8200	393	17	23.1	76.6%	8 (2.0%)	12 (3.1%)	242 (61.6%)	105 (26.7%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.5%)	18 (4.6%)	44.4	2922^nd of 5857 public elementary schools	50.1%		37.2	3353^rd of 5869 public elementary schools	42.9%	431	30.9	30.9	28.3	47.9	47.3	42.6	41.9	36.2	47.9	29.1	31.0	35.6	96.9				96.9		$27,982	$25,906	$2,076
Palmer Way	Public	K-6	2900 Palmer St.	National City	91950	San Diego County	National Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 336-8900	387	17	22.7	82.2%	4 (1.0%)	5 (1.3%)	279 (72.1%)	79 (20.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (5.2%)	45.1	2876^th of 5857 public elementary schools	50.9%		42.1	3058^th of 5869 public elementary schools	47.9%	182	18.9	18.9	46.3	68.5	15.4	44.3	43.8	52.4	48.2	13.2	32.3	35.7	94.8				96.6		$35,312	$33,288	$2,024
Paradise Hills Elementary	Public	K-5	5816 Alleghany St.	San Diego	92139	San Diego County	San Diego Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 344-5200	213	9	23.6	75.1%	10 (4.7%)	8 (3.8%)	143 (67.1%)	18 (8.5%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (3.3%)	27 (12.7%)	22.2	4657^th of 5857 public elementary schools	20.5%		20.6	4797^th of 5869 public elementary schools	18.3%	140	16.7	16.7	38.1	25.0	40.0		34.1	31.8	8.8	13.9		16.3	77.1	80.0	85.7	80.0	77.1	80.0	$33,395	$30,802	$2,593
Nye Elementary	Public	K-5	981 Valencia Pkwy.	San Diego	92114	San Diego County	San Diego Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 430-1200	385	16	24.0	71.7%	21 (5.5%)	79 (20.5%)	116 (30.1%)	121 (31.4%)	2 (0.5%)	2 (0.5%)	44 (11.4%)	89.6	684^th of 5857 public elementary schools	88.3%		89.6	722^nd of 5869 public elementary schools	87.7%	38	64.9	64.9	67.8	72.7	70.2		70.0	61.7	72.7	73.7		68.9	97.2	97.2					$27,912	$25,462	$2,450
Perry Elementary	Public	K-5	6290 Oriskany Rd.	San Diego	92139	San Diego County	San Diego Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 479-4040	341	16	21.8	73.0%	47 (13.8%)	57 (16.7%)	131 (38.4%)	55 (16.1%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.2%)	46 (13.5%)	35.3	3558^th of 5857 public elementary schools	39.3%		51.5	2473^rd of 5869 public elementary schools	57.9%	1085	18.2	18.2	41.5	38.2	34.2		37.9	46.3	29.4	25.0		33.6	96.0				96.0		$32,468	$30,472	$1,996
El Toyon Elementary	Public	K-6	2000 East Division St.	National City	91950	San Diego County	National Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 336-8000	381	17	22.4	86.6%	9 (2.4%)	14 (3.7%)	303 (79.5%)	32 (8.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (6.0%)	31.7	3826^th of 5857 public elementary schools	34.7%		24.3	4428^th of 5869 public elementary schools	24.6%	602	16.4	16.4	20.5	22.6	33.3	49.0	31.3	40.9	31.8	26.2	35.3	32.9							$33,384	$31,512	$1,872
Rancho de la Nacion	Public	K-6	1830 East Division St.	National City	91950	San Diego County	National Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 336-8100	332	14	23.6	88.9%	3 (0.9%)	6 (1.8%)	285 (85.8%)	22 (6.6%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.9%)	11 (3.3%)	39.5	3253^rd of 5857 public elementary schools	44.5%		36.6	3392^nd of 5869 public elementary schools	42.2%	139	27.5	27.5	53.7	29.4	52.6	30.0	40.0	52.3	32.1	27.5	18.0	32.1							$29,192	$27,338	$1,854
Lincoln Acres	Public	K-6	2200 Lanoitan Ave.	National City	91950	San Diego County	National Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 336-8600	423	17	24.8	86.3%	8 (1.9%)	0 (0.0%)	362 (85.6%)	39 (9.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	10 (2.4%)	21.3	4718^th of 5857 public elementary schools	19.4%		20.3	4829^th of 5869 public elementary schools	17.7%	111	13.0	13.0	16.7	12.7	28.9	41.6	26.3	24.5	18.8	20.4	25.0	22.2	94.4			94.4		96.3	$29,608	$27,784	$1,824
Valencia Park Elementary	Public	K-5	5880 Skyline Dr.	San Diego	92114	San Diego County	San Diego Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 344-3500	393	17	23.1	87.3%	4 (1.0%)	62 (15.8%)	248 (63.1%)	52 (13.2%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (1.8%)	20 (5.1%)	36	3492^nd of 5857 public elementary schools	40.4%		29.3	3993^rd of 5869 public elementary schools	32.0%	501	20.8	20.8	45.6	23.9	30.0		34.0	55.2	34.8	17.0		36.3							$30,637	$28,180	$2,457
Las Palmas	Public	K-6	1900 East 18th St.	National City	91950	San Diego County	National Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 336-8500	458	19	24.1	83.4%	13 (2.8%)	2 (0.4%)	376 (82.1%)	41 (9.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	25 (5.5%)	20.1	4821^st of 5857 public elementary schools	17.7%		27.8	4125^th of 5869 public elementary schools	29.7%	696	10.8	10.8	20.0	13.8	17.5	46.0	24.6	15.0	8.6	20.0	33.3	19.5	97.4						$28,139	$26,280	$1,859

Frequently Asked Questions about Ira Harbison

What schools do graduates of Ira Harbison attend?

Students who attend Ira Harbison usually go on to attend:

Middle : Granger Junior High
High : Sweetwater High

How many students attend Ira Harbison?

In the 2024-25 school year, 393 students attended Ira Harbison.

Is Ira Harbison a good school?

Ira Harbison ranks 2922^nd of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Ira Harbison?

Students at Ira Harbison are 62% Hispanic, 27% Asian, 5% Two or more races, 3% African American, 2% White, 2% Not Specified.

What district is Ira Harbison in?

National Elementary

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Latest California data All new data »

2024–25 school spending dataJul 1, 2026

2024–25 attendance dataMar 13, 2026

2024–25 CSA Spanish test scoresDec 22, 2025

2024–25 dropout rates & graduation ratesNov 14, 2025

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.