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Balboa Elementary

Public Grades K-5

4424^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,857 California Elementary Schools

Better than 24% of California elementary schools

Summary

Balboa Elementary is a K-5 public school in the San Diego Unified district, serving 457 students in a high-needs community where over 90% qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, and it currently ranks in the bottom quartile of California elementary schools with test scores below district and state averages.

While the school faces significant academic challenges, it shows important signs of improvement, such as reducing chronic absenteeism from over 60% to 27% since the pandemic and rising in its statewide ranking. Interestingly, Balboa Elementary performs better in mathematics than several nearby San Diego Unified schools like Ralph Waldo Emerson Elementary and Porter Elementary, and it is notably effective in supporting homeless students, ranking in the 76th percentile for that group.

The school spends more per student than many neighbors, yet nearby schools in the National Elementary district, such as Rancho de la Nacion and Central Elementary, achieve stronger academic results with similar student populations, suggesting different approaches may influence outcomes. Parents may also note a performance gap between female and male students and that math proficiency drops sharply in upper grades, indicating areas where targeted support could help.

457

Students ?

21.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$24,682

Per pupil spending ?

92.1%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1844 South 40th St.
San Diego, CA 92113-4017

(619) 362-4100

District: San Diego Unified

Students who attend Balboa Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Knox Middle
High:	Lincoln High

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

86.9%

Asian:

4.2%

African American:

3.9%

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At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 26th percentile in 2013 → 24th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (27% vs 41% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (24th percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (27% vs 19% California)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school27%

District avg49%

California avg41%

4,424^th of 5,857

California public elementary schools ?

Bottom 24%▲ up 4 pts since 2015

From bottom 20% (2015) to bottom 24% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

98^th of 120Elementary Schools in the San Diego Unified

577^th of 1,543San Diego 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	24.8	4424 of 5857	24.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	26.2	4269 of 5869	27.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	22.4	4608 of 5859	21.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	18.8	4973 of 5883	15.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	30.9	3867 of 5789	33.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	35.0	3467 of 5662	38.8%	★★☆☆☆
2017	19.5	4736 of 5692	16.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	26.1	4087 of 5614	27.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	21.4	4477 of 5611	20.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	29.7	4069 of 5530	26.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	20.6	4605 of 5390	14.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	24.2	4388 of 5377	18.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	27.3	4057 of 5314	23.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	29.3	3761 of 5193	27.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	21.7	4216 of 5113	17.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	18.5	4416 of 5113	13.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	16.5	4254 of 4818	11.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	16.7	4196 of 4822	13.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	13.8	4430 of 4809	7.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	35.1	2174 of 3162	31.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	20.2	3137 of 3245	3.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	35.9	2125 of 3311	35.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	64.5	695 of 3275	78.8%	★★★★☆
2018	54.1	1066 of 3246	67.2%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	32.2	3679 of 5597	34.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	36.2	3324 of 5612	40.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	22.7	4455 of 5609	20.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	14.7	5212 of 5635	7.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	29.1	3900 of 5492	29.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	31.8	3623 of 5413	33.1%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	33.3	3517 of 5107	31.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	34.6	3383 of 5107	33.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	32.4	3509 of 5087	31.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	23.4	4249 of 5084	16.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	42.5	2787 of 4963	43.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	49.1	2282 of 4830	52.8%	★★★☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	64.3	105 of 429	75.5%	★★★★☆
2024	59.7	108 of 364	70.3%	★★★★☆
2023	47.8	151 of 335	54.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	35.4	242 of 356	32.0%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	34.2	3644 of 5460	33.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	32.8	3723 of 5517	32.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	28.7	4000 of 5363	25.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	25.7	4198 of 5264	20.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	44.2	2806 of 5173	45.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	50.4	2332 of 5084	54.1%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	21.3	4610 of 5628	18.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	20.4	4682 of 5643	17.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	23.6	4384 of 5638	22.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	23.6	4353 of 5663	23.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	33.6	3493 of 5510	36.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	39.2	3101 of 5431	42.9%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	29.2	2041 of 2847	28.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	37.3	1306 of 2420	46.0%	★★☆☆☆

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 (2025)76th percentile+51 vs school

Female (2025)34th percentile+10 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)33rd percentile+9 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)31st percentile+4 vs school

Hispanic (2025)31st percentile+7 vs school

Special Education (2025)28th percentile+4 vs school

Male (2025)18th percentile-6 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

Mathematics31%-6 vs state

English Language Arts/Literacy28%-21 vs state

Science9%-24 vs state

★

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Schools Near Balboa 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)	% 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	% Varicella KG	% DTP KG	% MMR KG	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Balboa Elementary	Public	K-5	1844 South 40th St.	San Diego	92113	San Diego County	San Diego Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 362-4100	457	21	21.7	92.1%	12 (2.6%)	18 (3.9%)	397 (86.9%)	19 (4.2%)	2 (0.4%)	4 (0.9%)	5 (1.1%)	24.8	4424^th of 5857 public elementary schools	24.5%		26.2	4269^th of 5869 public elementary schools	27.3%	155	9.1		9.1	26.2	29.8	28.8				28.2	44.6	30.0	18.2				30.9	94.9	97.4	96.2		$24,682	$3,897	$20,785
Chavez Elementary	Public	K-5	1404 South 40th St.	San Diego	92113	San Diego County	San Diego Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 362-3200	361	15	24.0	96.4%	1 (0.3%)	8 (2.2%)	342 (94.7%)	6 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	3 (0.8%)	17.6	5045^th of 5857 public elementary schools	13.9%		18.9	4943^rd of 5869 public elementary schools	15.8%	102	10.7		10.7	27.8	21.4	38.2				29.1	21.4	16.1	14.3				17.3					$22,237	$3,998	$18,239
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
Ralph Waldo Emerson Elementary	Public	K-5	3510 Newton Ave.	San Diego	92113	San Diego County	San Diego Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 344-6200	456	18	25.3	96.7%	5 (1.1%)	14 (3.1%)	430 (94.3%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	5 (1.1%)	20	4822^nd of 5857 public elementary schools	17.7%		13.7	5415^th of 5869 public elementary schools	7.7%	593	10.5		10.5	30.3	33.3	31.3				31.6	26.0	21.7	10.5				19.7					$23,782	$3,979	$19,803
Baker Elementary	Public	K-5	4041 T St.	San Diego	92113	San Diego County	San Diego Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 344-4800	361	15	24.0	97.2%	3 (0.8%)	31 (8.6%)	315 (87.3%)	5 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (1.9%)	13.6	5378^th of 5857 public elementary schools	8.2%		21	4776^th of 5869 public elementary schools	18.6%	602	10.0		10.0	16.7	25.0	30.6				23.9	9.6	14.3	17.7				13.8	92.7	96.4	96.4	96.4	$23,082	$5,209	$17,873
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
Mountain View	Public	K-8	3550 Logan Ave.	San Diego	92113	San Diego County	San Diego Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 344-6210	195	11	18.2	87.2%	15 (7.7%)	1 (0.5%)	171 (87.7%)	2 (1.0%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (2.1%)	22.2	4654^th of 5857 public elementary schools	20.5%		31.2	3836^th of 5869 public elementary schools	34.6%	818	16.7	20.0	18.8	18.8	33.3	50.0	30.0	46.7	65.0	40.8	12.5	26.7	25.0	10.0	25.0	45.0	24.2	88.9		88.9		$25,965	$3,053	$22,912
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
Porter Elementary	Public	K-6	4800 T St.	San Diego	92113	San Diego County	San Diego Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 266-7700	590	25	23.6	96.1%	6 (1.0%)	98 (16.6%)	408 (69.2%)	26 (4.4%)	2 (0.3%)	13 (2.2%)	37 (6.3%)	10.9	5577^th of 5857 public elementary schools	4.8%		13.4	5441^st of 5869 public elementary schools	7.3%	136	8.6		8.6	21.9	11.6	27.0				20.0	13.4	4.0	16.1				11.0	97.0		98.0		$21,881	$4,092	$17,789

Frequently Asked Questions about Balboa Elementary

How many students attend Balboa Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 457 students attended Balboa Elementary.

What schools do graduates of Balboa Elementary attend?

Students who attend Balboa Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Knox Middle
High : Lincoln High

What district is Balboa Elementary in?

San Diego Unified

Is Balboa Elementary a good school?

Balboa Elementary ranks in the bottom 24.5% of California elementary schools.

What is the racial makeup of Balboa Elementary?

Students at Balboa Elementary are 87% Hispanic, 4% Asian, 4% African American, 3% White, 1% Two or more races.

Rate Balboa 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.