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Whittier Elementary

Public Grades K-6

4948^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,817 California Elementary Schools

Better than 15% of California elementary schools

Summary

Whittier Elementary serves 454 students in grades K–6 in Costa Mesa, in the Newport-Mesa Unified district. For 2025–26, SchoolDigger ranked it 4,936th of 5,804 California schools, at the 15th percentile with one star, compared with the district’s 76th percentile and four stars. The central concern is that Whittier’s proficiency was below both the district and state in ELA, math and science, and it ranked near the bottom among nearby schools with results for the same year.

ELA is Whittier’s least weak subject relative to nearby same-district schools, while math and science are its largest local shortfalls. In 2025–26, 29% of Whittier students were proficient in ELA, compared with 61% in the district, 49% statewide and an average of 57% at six nearby same-district schools; Whittier was second-lowest among those peers. In math, Whittier’s 19% was below the district’s 52%, the state’s 38% and the nearby-school average of 51%; it was lower than every peer. In science, 14% was below 43% in the district, 36% statewide and the nearby average of 46%, also the lowest among those peers.

Results over time are mixed: from 2022–23 to 2025–26, ELA proficiency slipped from 32% to 29% and math from 27% to 19%, while science rose from 8% to 14% but remained well below the state’s 36%. Attendance is a relative bright spot: chronic absenteeism fell from 28% in 2021–22 to 11% in 2025–26, below the district’s 12% and state’s 18%. Whittier’s 2024–25 student-teacher ratio was 17.2, below the nearby-school average of 19.5. Also in 2024–25, 89% of students were free/reduced lunch eligible, the fourth-highest share among nearby schools with the same measure; this is context, not an explanation for results. SchoolDigger’s subgroup rankings show notable differences: its ranking for homeless students was at the 38th percentile in 2025–26, above the school’s overall 15th percentile. Its English Language Learner ranking fell from the 51st percentile in 2021–22 to the 7th percentile in 2023–24, a sharp decline in its relative ranking for serving that group.

454

Students ?

17.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$29,648

Per pupil spending ?

89.4%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

All students in California receive free school meals.

95%

Kindergartners with all required immunizations (2024-25)

Exemptions: 0% (any vaccine)

1800 Whittier Ave.
Costa Mesa, CA 92626-4558

(949) 515-6990

District: Newport-Mesa Unified

Students who attend Whittier Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Horace Ensign Intermediate
High:	Newport Harbor High

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

95.8%

White:

1.8%

Asian:

0.9%

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Compare Whittier Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 15th percentile in 2016 → 15th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (17% vs 42% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (15th percentile)

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school17%

District avg52%

California avg42%

4,948^th of 5,817

California public elementary schools ?

Bottom 15%▬ steady since 2016

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

20^th of 20Elementary Schools in the Newport-Mesa Unified

390^th of 1,530Newport-Mesa 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)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	18.4	4948 of 5817	14.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	25.4	4361 of 5857	25.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	22.5	4628 of 5869	21.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	30.4	3842 of 5859	34.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	28.0	4049 of 5883	31.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	38.0	808 of 1417	43.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	28.1	4092 of 5789	29.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	22.3	4482 of 5662	20.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	14.6	5150 of 5692	9.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	18.1	4787 of 5614	14.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	19.9	4642 of 5611	17.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	23.5	4498 of 5530	18.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	27.1	4156 of 5390	22.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	15.2	4936 of 5377	8.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	27.1	4075 of 5314	23.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	18.0	4574 of 5193	11.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	22.0	1918 of 2227	13.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	25.7	2019 of 2585	21.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	24.2	1751 of 2128	17.7%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	23.5	2927 of 3162	7.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	42.7	1637 of 3245	49.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	42.8	1621 of 3311	51.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	47.9	229 of 602	62.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	54.8	1005 of 3275	69.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	44.2	1557 of 3246	52.0%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	26.2	4160 of 5581	25.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	28.3	3982 of 5597	28.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	26.9	4077 of 5612	27.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	32.5	3538 of 5609	36.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	22.5	4458 of 5635	20.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	42.3	666 of 1267	47.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	34.5	3457 of 5492	37.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	25.9	4098 of 5413	24.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	25.1	4092 of 5094	19.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	33.7	3481 of 5107	31.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	30.8	3689 of 5107	27.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	40.1	2893 of 5087	43.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	38.1	3045 of 5084	40.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	38.3	3076 of 4963	38.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	30.1	3544 of 4830	26.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	39.6	226 of 366	38.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	42.4	193 of 356	45.8%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	23.1	4474 of 5423	17.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	30.4	3954 of 5460	27.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	27.9	4158 of 5517	24.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	38.6	3170 of 5363	40.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	36.5	3294 of 5264	37.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	62.5	330 of 1110	70.3%	★★★★☆
2019	39.2	3180 of 5173	38.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	31.7	3646 of 5084	28.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	13.8	5193 of 5603	7.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	23.3	4449 of 5628	20.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	19.6	4770 of 5643	15.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	29.0	3857 of 5638	31.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	34.8	3390 of 5663	40.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	34.4	765 of 1272	39.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	23.3	4352 of 5510	21.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	19.7	4596 of 5431	15.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Military Connected

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	3.8	121 of 123	1.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	23.1	2499 of 2927	14.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	58.6	815 of 2847	71.4%	★★★★☆
2024	38.4	1409 of 2635	46.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	34.1	1469 of 2420	39.3%	★★☆☆☆

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 (2026)38th percentile+23 vs school

Female (2026)25th percentile+11 vs school

Hispanic (2026)20th percentile+5 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)17th percentile+3 vs school

Special Education (2026)15th percentile~ school

Disabled (2022)14th percentile-17 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)7th percentile-14 vs school

Male (2026)7th percentile-8 vs school

Military Connected (2026)2nd percentile-13 vs school

By subject vs California (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy29%-20 vs state

Listening22%~ state avg

Mathematics19%-20 vs state

Science14%-22 vs state

Writing10%-7 vs state

Overall7%-3 vs state

Reading6%~ state avg

★

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Schools Near Whittier Elementary

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Ranking:

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Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Vaccination Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				CSA Spanish Overall (2026)					CSA Spanish Listening (2026)					CSA Spanish Writing (2026)					CSA Spanish Reading (2026)					CAST Science (2026)			Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy (2026)							Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2026)							Vaccination (2024-25)		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	CSA Spanish Overall 3rd Grade	CSA Spanish Overall 4th Grade	CSA Spanish Overall 5th Grade	CSA Spanish Overall 6th Grade	CSA Spanish Overall All Grades	CSA Spanish Listening 3rd Grade	CSA Spanish Listening 4th Grade	CSA Spanish Listening 5th Grade	CSA Spanish Listening 6th Grade	CSA Spanish Listening All Grades	CSA Spanish Writing 3rd Grade	CSA Spanish Writing 4th Grade	CSA Spanish Writing 5th Grade	CSA Spanish Writing 6th Grade	CSA Spanish Writing All Grades	CSA Spanish Reading 3rd Grade	CSA Spanish Reading 4th Grade	CSA Spanish Reading 5th Grade	CSA Spanish Reading 6th Grade	CSA Spanish Reading All Grades	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	Vaccination: Kindergartners with all required immunizations	Vaccination: Exemption rate	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Whittier Elementary	Public	K-6	1800 Whittier Ave.	Costa Mesa	92626	Orange County	Newport-Mesa Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 515-6990	454	26	17.2	89.4%	8 (1.8%)	1 (0.2%)	435 (95.8%)	4 (0.9%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.9%)	18.4	4948^th of 5817 public elementary schools	14.9%		25.4	4361^st of 5857 public elementary schools	25.5%	587	11.4	2.3	11.9	3.0	7.4	29.6	7.0	40.5	6.1	21.6	18.2	7.0	7.1	9.1	10.5	11.4	2.3	9.5	0.0	6.2	14.5		14.5	24.6	23.7	34.2	32.3			29.0	20.0	23.7	15.8	16.1			18.7	95%	0%	$29,648	$2,136	$27,512
Victoria Elementary	Public	K-6	1025 Victoria St.	Costa Mesa	92626	Orange County	Newport-Mesa Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 515-6985	301	21	14.4	57.1%	114 (37.9%)	0 (0.0%)	163 (54.2%)	4 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	19 (6.3%)	59	2116^th of 5817 public elementary schools	63.6%		52.5	2469^th of 5857 public elementary schools	57.8%	353																					40.0		40.0	46.9	42.9	68.0	56.8			51.8	53.1	40.8	54.2	29.7			43.0	93%	0%	$31,766	$1,820	$29,946
Pomona Elementary	Public	K-1	2051 Pomona Ave.	Costa Mesa	92626	Orange County	Newport-Mesa Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 515-6980	264	16	16.7	94.3%	2 (0.8%)	3 (1.1%)	257 (97.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)								(n/a)																																						≥ 95%		$34,079	$2,672	$31,407
Everett A. Rea Elementary	Public	2-6	661 Hamilton St.	Costa Mesa	92626	Orange County	Newport-Mesa Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 515-6905	344	21	16.2	93.3%	8 (2.3%)	0 (0.0%)	331 (96.2%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	2 (0.6%)	38.4	3338^th of 5817 public elementary schools	42.6%		46.9	2768^th of 5857 public elementary schools	52.7%	570																					28.0		28.0	25.0	39.2	52.0	44.4			40.0	32.5	29.7	34.7	30.5			31.8	89%	0%	$33,631	$2,459	$31,172
Wilson Elementary	Public	K-6	801 Wilson St.	Costa Mesa	92626	Orange County	Newport-Mesa Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 515-6995	323	17	18.5	94.1%	7 (2.2%)	3 (0.9%)	310 (96.0%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	24.1	4453^rd of 5817 public elementary schools	23.4%		19.8	4842^nd of 5857 public elementary schools	17.3%	389																					18.6		18.6	34.9	23.8	18.6	33.3			27.8	60.5	16.3	11.4	12.5			24.7	93%	0%	$31,373	$2,367	$29,006
Newport Heights Elementary	Public	K-6	300 East 15th St.	Newport Beach	92626	Orange County	Newport-Mesa Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 515-6970	502	26	19.2	30.3%	301 (60.0%)	3 (0.6%)	131 (26.1%)	18 (3.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	49 (9.8%)	94.3	389^th of 5817 public elementary schools	93.3%		93.4	448^th of 5857 public elementary schools	92.4%	59																					79.7		79.7	76.5	78.3	89.1	69.2			78.2	70.6	75.0	82.8	64.6			73.2	93%	0%	$26,729	$1,318	$25,411
John H. Eader Elementary	Public	K-5	9291 Banning Ave.	Huntington Beach	92646	Orange County	Huntington Beach City Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(714) 962-2451	416	17	24.4	27.9%	229 (55.0%)	5 (1.2%)	63 (15.1%)	58 (13.9%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	60 (14.4%)	95	327^th of 5817 public elementary schools	94.4%		91.1	603^rd of 5857 public elementary schools	89.7%	276																					71.1		71.1	74.7	83.0	76.0				78.2	80.3	78.9	67.1				75.5	83%	0%	$17,263	$1,034	$16,229
International School for Science and Culture	Public, Charter	K-8	1770 Tustin Ave.	Costa Mesa	92627	Orange County	International School for Science and Culture District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 441-4500	97	5	19.4	41.2%	19 (19.6%)	1 (1.0%)	44 (45.4%)	16 (16.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (17.5%)	89.1	695^th of 5817 public elementary schools	88.1%		88.1	768^th of 5857 public elementary schools	86.9%	73																							66.7	90.9	53.3					73.1	91.7	80.0					86.5	≥ 95%		$17,165	$1,401	$15,764
Woodland Elementary	Public	K-1	2025 Garden Ln.	Costa Mesa	92626	Orange County	Newport-Mesa Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 515-6945	487	22	21.7	26.7%	297 (61.0%)	1 (0.2%)	117 (24.0%)	10 (2.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	62 (12.7%)								(n/a)																																						97%	0%	$25,280	$1,244	$24,036
Mariners Elementary	Public	K-6	2100 Mariners Dr.	Newport Beach	92626	Orange County	Newport-Mesa Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 515-6960	573	31	18.7	21.6%	396 (69.1%)	3 (0.5%)	82 (14.3%)	17 (3.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	74 (12.9%)	86.6	821^st of 5817 public elementary schools	85.9%		92.8	486^th of 5857 public elementary schools	91.7%	335																					49.5		49.5	63.8	70.4	69.5	85.3			71.6	67.0	64.2	54.3	76.3			64.6	≥ 98%		$25,679	$1,231	$24,448

Frequently Asked Questions about Whittier Elementary

What district is Whittier Elementary in?

Newport-Mesa Unified

Is Whittier Elementary a good school?

Whittier Elementary ranks in the bottom 14.9% of California elementary schools.

What is the racial makeup of Whittier Elementary?

Students at Whittier Elementary are 96% Hispanic, 2% White.

What schools do graduates of Whittier Elementary attend?

Students who attend Whittier Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Horace Ensign Intermediate
High : Newport Harbor High

How many students attend Whittier Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 454 students attended Whittier Elementary.

Rate Whittier Elementary!

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Latest California data All new data »

2024–25 school spending data (updated)NewNov 2, 2026

2013–14 through 2024–25 immunization rates (updated)Oct 19, 2026

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

2025–26 CAST, CSA Spanish & Smarter Balanced Assessments scoresOct 15, 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.