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John A. Otis Elementary

Public Grades K-6

4579^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,804 California Elementary Schools

Better than 21% of California elementary schools

Summary

John A. Otis Elementary is a 367-student K–6 school in National City, part of the National Elementary district. Its most important takeaway for families is that 2025–26 proficiency was below both district and state rates in ELA, math, and science.

Science is the clearest weakness: 15% of students were proficient, compared with 27% in the district and 36% statewide, and Otis had the lowest science result among nine nearby K–6 district schools. It also scored below nearby schools’ averages in ELA (28% versus 35%) and math (24% versus 27%), ranking seventh of nine in both subjects. Sixth grade is a notable bright spot: ELA proficiency was 43.4%, just above the district’s 42.6%, while math was 40%, above the district’s 32% and the state’s 37%. In math overall, Otis’s 5-point district gap was its smallest subject shortfall.

Results have declined from 2022–23 to 2025–26: ELA proficiency fell 9 percentage points to 28%, math fell 12 points to 24%, and science fell 2 points to 15%, although scores fluctuated in between. SchoolDigger’s statewide ranking dropped from the 39th percentile in 2024–25 to the 21st in 2025–26, earning 1 star; Otis tied with Las Palmas for the lowest percentile among nearby schools. The student–teacher ratio was 22.9 in 2024–25, the second-lowest in the local comparison, and 84% of students were free/reduced lunch eligible that year. SchoolDigger’s measure of how well Otis serves English Language Learner Students stood well above its overall ranking: the group ranked in the 62nd percentile in 2023–24, compared with 29th overall. In contrast, the Special Education Students ranking fell from the 31st percentile in 2024–25 to the 8th in 2025–26.

367

Students ?

22.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$28,958

Per pupil spending ?

84.2%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

All students in California receive free school meals.

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 — 41st percentile in 2015 → 21st in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (24% vs 42% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (21st percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (28% vs 18% California)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school24%

District avg31%

California avg42%

4,579^th of 5,804

California public elementary schools ?

Bottom 21%▼ down 23 pts since 2016

From bottom 44% (2016) to bottom 21% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

11^th of 11Elementary Schools in the National Elementary

661^st of 968National 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
2026	22.5	4579 of 5804	21.1%	★☆☆☆☆
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
2026	22.2	4476 of 5569	19.6%	★☆☆☆☆
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
2026	27.8	3897 of 5085	23.4%	★☆☆☆☆
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
2026	27.3	4143 of 5412	23.4%	★☆☆☆☆
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
2026	24.5	4331 of 5590	22.5%	★☆☆☆☆
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
2026	19.8	2678 of 2920	8.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
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 (2026)23rd percentile~ school

Hispanic (2026)23rd percentile~ school

Male (2026)23rd percentile~ school

Female (2026)20th percentile~ school

Special Education (2026)8th percentile-13 vs school

By subject vs California (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy28%-21 vs state

Mathematics24%-15 vs state

Science15%-21 vs state

★

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Schools Near John A. Otis Elementary

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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 (2026)				Ranking (2025)				CAST Science (2026)		Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy (2026)					Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2026)					% Completely Immunized (2022)	% Polio (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/reduced lunch (2024-25)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	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	% 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%)	22.5	4579^th of 5804 public elementary schools	21.1%		35.2	3559^th of 5857 public elementary schools	39.2%	1020	14.8	14.8	17.0	20.0	29.5	43.4	27.8	20.8	18.2	16.4	39.6	23.5						$28,958	$26,812	$2,146
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%)	35.7	3521^st of 5804 public elementary schools	39.3%		28.7	4078^th of 5857 public elementary schools	30.4%	557	27.0	27.0	33.9	22.0	40.3	57.4	38.6	40.7	11.9	21.0	38.7	28.1						$28,116	$25,918	$2,198
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%)	33	3726^th of 5804 public elementary schools	35.8%		27.3	4195^th of 5857 public elementary schools	28.4%	469	18.2	18.2	31.9	30.5	36.9	42.6	35.8	41.7	37.3	19.7	32.8	32.1	97.2	97.2		97.2		$30,524	$28,316	$2,208
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%)	30.8	3921^st of 5804 public elementary schools	32.4%		30.4	3929^th of 5857 public elementary schools	32.9%	8	19.2	19.2	25.5	39.5	51.9	43.1	38.3	27.5	29.0	33.3	15.7	25.2						$33,763	$31,798	$1,965
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%)								(n/a)
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%)	22.8	4565^th of 5804 public elementary schools	21.3%		20.1	4821^st of 5857 public elementary schools	17.7%	256	18.2	18.2	17.7	18.0	26.4	43.1	27.0	11.3	14.0	10.9	43.9	21.0	97.4					$28,139	$26,280	$1,859
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%)	27.4	4184^th of 5804 public elementary schools	27.9%		21.3	4718^th of 5857 public elementary schools	19.4%	534	27.0	27.0	15.9	37.3	52.6	25.5	34.2	8.5	27.5	27.0	12.8	19.7	94.4		94.4		96.3	$29,608	$27,784	$1,824
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%)	50.5	2581^st of 5804 public elementary schools	55.5%		39.5	3253^rd of 5857 public elementary schools	44.5%	672	47.7	47.7	35.6	33.3	54.6	51.4	43.6	39.1	37.5	36.4	40.0	38.2						$29,192	$27,338	$1,854
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%)	26.2	4284^th of 5804 public elementary schools	26.2%		31.7	3826^th of 5857 public elementary schools	34.7%	458	20.3	20.3	15.0	9.5	28.8	39.1	25.4	52.5	7.3	22.0	31.3	27.9						$33,384	$31,512	$1,872
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%)	42.3	3084^th of 5804 public elementary schools	46.9%		45.1	2876^th of 5857 public elementary schools	50.9%	208	41.5	41.5	41.4	46.2	55.8	22.5	41.4	44.8	32.5	26.4	18.0	30.9	94.8			96.6		$35,312	$33,288	$2,024

Frequently Asked Questions about John A. Otis Elementary

Is John A. Otis Elementary a good school?

John A. Otis Elementary ranks in the bottom 21.1% of California elementary schools.

What district is John A. Otis Elementary in?

National Elementary

How many students attend John A. Otis Elementary?

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

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

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Latest California data All new data »

2025–26 attendance data, dropout rates & graduation ratesNewOct 15, 2026

2025–26 CAST, CSA Spanish & Smarter Balanced Assessments scoresNewOct 15, 2026

2024–25 school spending dataJul 1, 2026

2024–25 attendance dataMar 13, 2026

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.