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John A. Otis Elementary

Q: Is John A. Otis Elementary a good school?

John A. Otis Elementary ranks 3559 th of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-6

3559^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,857 California Elementary Schools

Better than 39% of California elementary schools

Summary

John A. Otis Elementary is a K-6 public school serving 367 students in the National Elementary district of National City, CA, and stands out for its strong support of high-need students and a remarkable turnaround in student attendance.

Academically, the school performs well compared to many nearby schools, particularly in science where it has the highest proficiency among local National Elementary schools, and in math where it outperforms six of eight district peers like Las Palmas and Kimball. It shows special strength in upper grades and in effectively teaching English Learners, while also achieving these outcomes with lower per-student spending than some neighboring schools such as Palmer Way and El Toyon Elementary.

The school's most notable success is its dramatic reduction in chronic absenteeism, cutting the rate by 65% to 17.7%, which is now the lowest among all local schools including Integrity Charter and Balboa Elementary. While there is room for growth in early grade math and special education services, John A. Otis provides a consistently effective education within its community, often outperforming other local options.

367

Students ?

22.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$23,955

Per pupil spending ?

84.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

621 East 18th St.
National City, CA 91950-4630

(619) 336-8800

District: National Elementary

Students who attend John A. Otis Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	National City Middle
High:	Sweetwater High

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

88.6%

Asian:

7.9%

Two or more races:

1.9%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare John A. Otis Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 57th percentile in 2013 → 39th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (32% vs 41% meeting standards)

!Ranking has slipped — down 18 percentile points since 2013

!English Language Arts/Literacy scores 14 pts below the California average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school32%

District avg30%

California avg41%

3,559^th of 5,857

California public elementary schools ?

Bottom 39%▼ down 2 pts since 2015

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

4^th 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	35.2	3559 of 5857	39.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	27.7	4145 of 5869	29.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	41.8	3012 of 5859	48.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	36.1	3365 of 5883	42.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	46.6	2790 of 5789	51.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	43.5	2929 of 5662	48.3%	★★☆☆☆
2017	43.8	2872 of 5692	49.5%	★★☆☆☆
2016	39.1	3132 of 5614	44.2%	★★☆☆☆
2015	35.5	3293 of 5611	41.3%	★★☆☆☆
2013	55.6	2378 of 5530	57.0%	★★★☆☆
2012	38.2	3379 of 5390	37.3%	★★☆☆☆
2011	53.9	2364 of 5377	56.0%	★★★☆☆
2010	43.9	2927 of 5314	44.9%	★★☆☆☆
2009	50.8	2436 of 5193	53.1%	★★★☆☆
2008	45.5	2639 of 5113	48.4%	★★☆☆☆
2007	45.7	2580 of 5113	49.5%	★★☆☆☆
2006	33.2	3089 of 4818	35.9%	★★☆☆☆
2005	32.6	3131 of 4822	35.1%	★★☆☆☆
2004	41.3	2581 of 4809	46.3%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	49.5	1206 of 3162	61.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	59.4	803 of 3245	75.3%	★★★★☆
2022	51.0	1144 of 3311	65.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	54.7	1012 of 3275	69.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	54.9	1043 of 3246	67.9%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	35.8	3405 of 5597	39.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	30.3	3776 of 5612	32.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	44.0	2752 of 5609	50.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	40.7	2963 of 5635	47.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	46.2	2713 of 5492	50.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	43.1	2882 of 5413	46.8%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	44.7	2672 of 5107	47.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	32.3	3553 of 5107	30.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	51.0	2176 of 5087	57.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	45.8	2472 of 5084	51.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	56.3	1888 of 4963	62.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	49.6	2254 of 4830	53.3%	★★★☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2023	85.7	30 of 335	91.0%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	45.9	2727 of 5460	50.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	34.0	3625 of 5517	34.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	56.7	1948 of 5363	63.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	52.7	2111 of 5264	59.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	59.8	1792 of 5173	65.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	52.1	2227 of 5084	56.2%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	34.7	3498 of 5628	37.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	26.6	4124 of 5643	26.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	39.7	3078 of 5638	45.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	31.3	3680 of 5663	35.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	46.1	2670 of 5510	51.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	44.0	2789 of 5431	48.6%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	30.6	1961 of 2847	31.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	20.9	2351 of 2635	10.8%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Homeless (2023)91st percentile+42 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)62nd percentile+32 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)50th percentile+11 vs school

Hispanic (2025)48th percentile+8 vs school

Female (2025)39th percentile~ school

Male (2025)38th percentile~ school

Special Education (2025)31st percentile-8 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy35%-14 vs state

Mathematics31%-6 vs state

Science25%-7 vs state

★

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Schools Near John A. Otis Elementary

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)	% 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	% Varicella KG	% DTP KG	% MMR KG	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
John A. Otis Elementary	Public	K-6	621 East 18th St.	National City	91950	San Diego County	National Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 336-8800	367	16	22.9	84.2%	2 (0.5%)	3 (0.8%)	325 (88.6%)	29 (7.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (1.9%)	35.2	3559^th of 5857 public elementary schools	39.2%		27.7	4145^th of 5869 public elementary schools	29.4%	586	25.5		25.5	24.1	24.1	47.1	44.4			34.6	29.6	17.2	43.1	37.0			31.3						$23,955	$3,346	$20,609
Central Elementary	Public	K-6	933 E Ave.	National City	91950	San Diego County	National Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 336-7400	477	20	23.8	91.0%	7 (1.5%)	8 (1.7%)	398 (83.4%)	56 (11.7%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (1.5%)	28.7	4078^th of 5857 public elementary schools	30.4%		29.1	4005^th of 5869 public elementary schools	31.8%	73	31.8		31.8	24.6	20.3	45.3	39.2			32.8	24.2	10.6	26.6	25.9			22.0						$24,344	$3,206	$21,138
Olivewood	Public	K-6	2505 F Ave.	National City	91950	San Diego County	National Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 336-8700	424	18	23.5	86.6%	2 (0.5%)	4 (0.9%)	374 (88.2%)	29 (6.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (3.3%)	27.3	4195^th of 5857 public elementary schools	28.4%		18.9	4948^th of 5869 public elementary schools	15.7%	753	17.5		17.5	32.7	27.0	35.5	37.3			33.1	46.0	23.8	19.1	18.3			25.9	97.2	97.2		97.2		$24,465	$3,329	$21,136
Kimball	Public	K-6	302 West 18th St.	National City	91950	San Diego County	National Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 336-8300	322	13	24.7	82.0%	2 (0.6%)	4 (1.2%)	309 (96.0%)	3 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.2%)	30.4	3929^th of 5857 public elementary schools	32.9%		36.2	3428^th of 5869 public elementary schools	41.6%	501	20.0		20.0	25.0	42.3	44.4	26.2			34.8	26.3	42.3	32.7	7.1			26.1						$24,585	$3,102	$21,483
Integrity Charter	Public, Charter	K-8	701 National City Blvd.	National City	91950	San Diego County	Integrity Charter District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 336-0808	393	21	18.8	87.0%	6 (1.5%)	7 (1.8%)	366 (93.1%)	10 (2.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	3 (0.8%)	23.6	4533^rd of 5857 public elementary schools	22.6%		22.9	4592^nd of 5869 public elementary schools	21.8%	59	14.0	15.2	14.6	23.1	31.8	37.2	44.4	25.0	56.5	36.6	28.2	20.5	14.0	15.6	18.4	26.1	20.3						$19,440	$3,167	$16,273
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					$23,470	$3,090	$20,380
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	$25,411	$3,073	$22,338
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						$25,063	$3,158	$21,905
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						$26,070	$3,135	$22,935
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		$27,116	$3,331	$23,785

Frequently Asked Questions about John A. Otis Elementary

What schools do graduates of John A. Otis Elementary attend?

Students who attend John A. Otis Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : National City Middle
High : Sweetwater High

How many students attend John A. Otis Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 367 students attended John A. Otis Elementary.

Is John A. Otis Elementary a good school?

John A. Otis Elementary ranks 3559^th of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What district is John A. Otis Elementary in?

National Elementary

What is the racial makeup of John A. Otis Elementary?

Students at John A. Otis Elementary are 89% Hispanic, 8% Asian, 2% Two or more races.

Rate John A. Otis Elementary!

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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.