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Whittier Elementary

Q: Is Whittier Elementary a good school?

Whittier Elementary ranks 4361 st of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

Public Grades K-6

4361^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,857 California Elementary Schools

Better than 26% of California elementary schools

Summary

Whittier Elementary is a K-6 public school serving 454 students in Costa Mesa's Newport-Mesa Unified district, a community with significant disparities in educational outcomes between nearby schools.

Academically, Whittier faces considerable challenges, with proficiency rates in English (32%) and math (25%) falling 40-60 points behind high-performing neighbors like Mariners Elementary and Newport Heights Elementary. Science proficiency is critically low at 5%. This gap persists even when compared to other schools with similar high rates of students qualifying for free/reduced lunch, such as Pomona Elementary. Notably, the school's performance has been volatile, showing some improvement during pandemic years but declining since.

Despite these overall struggles, Whittier has a significant strength in its Special Education program, which ranks in the 71st percentile statewide. The school also benefits from higher per-student spending and a more favorable student-teacher ratio than some nearby schools, including Woodland Elementary. Chronic absenteeism, while above the district average, has been cut nearly in half since 2022, showing progress in that area. The extreme performance differences within a small geographic area highlight systemic challenges that the district is working to address.

454

Students ?

17.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$26,324

Per pupil spending ?

89.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1800 Whittier Ave.
Costa Mesa, CA 92627-4558

(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: Recently slipping — 43rd percentile in 2021 → 26th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (19% vs 41% meeting standards)

!Ranking has slipped from its 43rd-percentile peak (2021) to 26th (2025)

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school19%

District avg51%

California avg41%

4,361^st of 5,857

California public elementary schools ?

Bottom 26%▲ up 8 pts since 2015

From bottom 17% (2015) to bottom 26% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

20^th of 21Elementary Schools in the Newport-Mesa Unified

437^th of 1,543Newport-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
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
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
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
2022	42.4	193 of 356	45.8%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
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
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%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
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)

Special Education (2025)71st percentile+46 vs school

Homeless (2022)46th percentile+15 vs school

Hispanic (2025)32nd percentile+6 vs school

Female (2025)29th percentile+3 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)28th percentile~ school

Male (2025)21st percentile-5 vs school

Disabled (2022)14th percentile-17 vs school

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

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy32%-17 vs state

Mathematics25%-12 vs state

Listening24%~ state avg

Writing15%~ state avg

Overall8%~ state avg

Reading6%~ state avg

Science5%-28 vs state

★

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Schools Near Whittier 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 (2025)				Ranking (2024)				CSA Spanish Overall (2025)					CSA Spanish Listening (2025)					CSA Spanish Writing (2025)					CSA Spanish Reading (2025)					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 (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	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 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
Whittier Elementary	Public	K-6	1800 Whittier Ave.	Costa Mesa	92627	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%)	25.4	4361^st of 5857 public elementary schools	25.5%		22.5	4628^th of 5869 public elementary schools	21.1%	267	2.3	23.8	0.0	2.8	7.8	32.6	28.6	21.2	11.1	24.0	9.3	33.3	0.0	13.9	14.9	0.0	21.4	0.0	0.0	5.8	4.9	4.9	33.3	33.3	21.3	38.8	31.9	49.2	28.0	8.2	15.7	24.9	97.1					$26,324	$24,188	$2,136
Victoria Elementary	Public	K-6	1025 Victoria St.	Costa Mesa	92627	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%)	52.5	2469^th of 5857 public elementary schools	57.8%		61.5	2006^th of 5869 public elementary schools	65.8%	463																					32.5	32.5	46.9	61.5	57.5	40.4	49.7	40.8	50.0	27.5	35.3	37.4						$25,716	$23,896	$1,820
Pomona Elementary	Public	K-6	2051 Pomona Ave.	Costa Mesa	92627	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%)	34.3	3634^th of 5857 public elementary schools	38.0%		22.7	4606^th of 5869 public elementary schools	21.5%	972																					11.4	11.4	32.4	62.2	27.3	48.2	41.6	29.4	51.4	13.6	14.3	27.3						$31,608	$28,936	$2,672
Everett A. Rea Elementary	Public	K-6	661 Hamilton St.	Costa Mesa	92627	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%)	46.9	2768^th of 5857 public elementary schools	52.7%		43.2	2981^st of 5869 public elementary schools	49.2%	213																					31.8	31.8	28.2	39.0	60.0	32.0	40.0	40.0	38.1	48.9	35.3	40.5						$27,171	$24,712	$2,459
Wilson Elementary	Public	K-6	801 Wilson St.	Costa Mesa	92627	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%)	19.8	4842^nd of 5857 public elementary schools	17.3%		22.5	4629^th of 5869 public elementary schools	21.1%	213																					12.5	12.5	28.9	22.2	25.5	27.5	26.0	43.5	15.2	12.5	16.7	22.0						$26,761	$24,394	$2,367
Newport Heights Elementary	Public	K-6	300 East 15th St.	Newport Beach	92663	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%)	93.4	448^th of 5857 public elementary schools	92.4%		88	816^th of 5869 public elementary schools	86.1%	368																					62.1	62.1	68.8	81.3	78.8	89.5	79.3	68.8	70.3	74.2	68.4	70.5	95.2			96.8		$22,376	$21,058	$1,318
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%)	91.1	603^rd of 5857 public elementary schools	89.7%		93.3	492^nd of 5869 public elementary schools	91.6%	111																					57.8	57.8	81.4	84.7	60.0		75.9	81.4	87.7	55.7		75.6	94.9		96.2	97.4	97.4	$16,184	$15,150	$1,034
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%)	88.1	768^th of 5857 public elementary schools	86.9%					(n/a)																						64.3	93.3	100.0			86.3	86.7	41.7			72.6	64.7	79.4	76.5	76.5	79.4	$32,929	$31,528	$1,401
Woodland Elementary	Public	K-2	2025 Garden Ln.	Costa Mesa	92627	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)																																						$22,020	$20,776	$1,244
Mariners Elementary	Public	K-6	2100 Mariners Dr.	Newport Beach	92660	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%)	92.8	486^th of 5857 public elementary schools	91.7%		89.1	741^st of 5869 public elementary schools	87.4%	255																					63.8	63.8	66.2	73.2	81.2	77.9	74.4	67.5	72.2	75.4	80.5	73.8						$21,319	$20,088	$1,231

Frequently Asked Questions about Whittier Elementary

What district is Whittier Elementary in?

Newport-Mesa Unified

Is Whittier Elementary a good school?

Whittier Elementary ranks 4361^st of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

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 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.