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Palmer Way

Q: Is Palmer Way a good school?

Palmer Way ranks 2876 th of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-6

2876^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,857 California Elementary Schools

Better than 51% of California elementary schools

Summary

Palmer Way Elementary is a K-6 public school serving 387 students in National City, part of the National Elementary district, and stands out as a relative leader within its own district despite serving a community with significant economic need.

Academically, Palmer Way consistently outperforms most of its district peers, achieving the highest English and Math proficiency rates among schools like Lincoln Acres, Las Palmas, and El Toyon Elementary. The school shows particular strength in supporting English Learners and students from low-income families, and it has made notable progress in improving student attendance. However, performance varies dramatically by grade, with very strong 3rd and 4th-grade scores but concerningly low 5th-grade results, indicating a key area for focus.

When compared to schools just outside its district in San Diego Unified, such as the higher-performing Nye Elementary, Palmer Way's results are more modest. The school receives the highest per-student funding in its district, and its recent upward trajectory in statewide ranking suggests its improvement strategies are beginning to show positive effects.

387

Students ?

22.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$27,116

Per pupil spending ?

82.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

2900 Palmer St.
National City, CA 91950-5251

(619) 336-8900

District: National Elementary

Students who attend Palmer Way usually attend:

Middle:	Granger Junior High
High:	Sweetwater High

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

72.1%

Asian:

20.4%

Two or more races:

5.2%

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Compare Palmer Way to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 68th percentile in 2013 → 51st in 2025

Strengths

✓Among the top-ranked schools in National Elementary

✓Above the California median (51st percentile)

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 17 percentile points since 2013

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

!Science scores 14 pts below the California average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school37%

District avg30%

California avg41%

2,876^th of 5,857

California public elementary schools ?

Top 49%▼ down 10 pts since 2015

From top 39% (2015) to top 49% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st 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	45.1	2876 of 5857	50.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	42.1	3058 of 5869	47.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	41.4	3043 of 5859	48.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	39.7	3112 of 5883	47.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	50.9	2551 of 5789	55.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	58.9	2083 of 5662	63.2%	★★★☆☆
2017	55.9	2223 of 5692	60.9%	★★★☆☆
2016	51.2	2432 of 5614	56.7%	★★★☆☆
2015	54.6	2214 of 5611	60.5%	★★★☆☆
2013	66.1	1768 of 5530	68.0%	★★★☆☆
2012	68.1	1627 of 5390	69.8%	★★★☆☆
2011	48.5	2691 of 5377	50.0%	★★☆☆☆
2010	37.3	3330 of 5314	37.3%	★★☆☆☆
2009	51.8	2374 of 5193	54.3%	★★★☆☆
2008	54.4	2142 of 5113	58.1%	★★★☆☆
2007	53.0	2160 of 5113	57.8%	★★★☆☆
2006	57.2	1862 of 4818	61.4%	★★★☆☆
2005	50.2	2186 of 4822	54.7%	★★★☆☆
2004	50.8	2112 of 4809	56.1%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	62.3	641 of 3162	79.7%	★★★★☆
2023	57.5	878 of 3245	72.9%	★★★★☆
2022	38.8	1889 of 3311	42.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	53.0	1090 of 3275	66.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	79.0	358 of 3246	89.0%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	51.1	2396 of 5597	57.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	41.2	2972 of 5612	47.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	31.8	3592 of 5609	36.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	35.0	3324 of 5635	41.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	44.8	2815 of 5492	48.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	48.1	2590 of 5413	52.2%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	45.1	2638 of 5107	48.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	38.2	3101 of 5107	39.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	30.7	3644 of 5087	28.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	28.4	3845 of 5084	24.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	48.4	2393 of 4963	51.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	60.0	1627 of 4830	66.3%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	55.3	2117 of 5460	61.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	51.4	2303 of 5517	58.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	53.8	2110 of 5363	60.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	48.6	2355 of 5264	55.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	63.3	1551 of 5173	70.0%	★★★★☆
2018	70.6	1151 of 5084	77.4%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	39.2	3178 of 5628	43.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	42.8	2897 of 5643	48.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	50.7	2415 of 5638	57.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	45.2	2695 of 5663	52.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	54.5	2226 of 5510	59.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	66.6	1633 of 5431	69.9%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	20.2	2572 of 2847	9.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

English Language Learner (2024)80th percentile+32 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)61st percentile+10 vs school

Female (2025)57th percentile+6 vs school

Hispanic (2025)48th percentile-3 vs school

Male (2025)44th percentile-7 vs school

Special Education (2025)10th percentile-41 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy44%-5 vs state

Mathematics36%~ state avg

Science19%-14 vs state

★

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Schools Near Palmer Way

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 (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 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
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
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		$24,570	$3,079	$21,491
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	$25,704	$3,732	$21,972
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
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
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
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
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		$23,683	$3,614	$20,069
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					$20,516	$3,951	$16,565
Pacific View Leadership Elementary	Public	K-5	6196 Childs Ave.	San Diego	92139	San Diego County	San Diego Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 430-1600	227	9	26.3	76.7%	4 (1.8%)	9 (4.0%)	163 (71.8%)	36 (15.9%)	3 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (5.3%)	39.2	3275^th of 5857 public elementary schools	44.1%		27.2	4191^st of 5869 public elementary schools	28.6%	916	30.6	30.6	29.2	41.9	55.9		43.8	25.0	28.1	27.8		27.2	94.4	94.4	94.4	94.4	94.4		$22,556	$3,079	$19,477

Frequently Asked Questions about Palmer Way

What district is Palmer Way in?

National Elementary

How many students attend Palmer Way?

In the 2024-25 school year, 387 students attended Palmer Way.

What schools do graduates of Palmer Way attend?

Students who attend Palmer Way usually go on to attend:

Middle : Granger Junior High
High : Sweetwater High

Is Palmer Way a good school?

Palmer Way ranks 2876^th of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Palmer Way?

Students at Palmer Way are 72% Hispanic, 20% Asian, 5% Two or more races, 1% African American, 1% White.

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Schools in National City, CA

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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.