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Central Elementary

Public Grades K-5

5283^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,857 California Elementary Schools

Better than 10% of California elementary schools

Summary

Central Elementary is a K-5 public school serving 497 students in the San Diego Unified district, located in a neighborhood where nearby schools show a wide range of academic performance.

Academically, Central Elementary faces significant challenges, with proficiency rates in English, math, and science far below the district and state averages, placing it in the bottom 10% of California elementary schools. This performance is notably lower than that of several nearby schools, such as Edison Elementary and Normal Heights Elementary, which serve similar student populations but achieve much higher rankings and proficiency scores. The school's statewide ranking has also declined over the past decade.

A notable bright spot is the school's substantial improvement in chronic absenteeism, which has dropped dramatically over three years, though it remains slightly above average. However, this improvement has not yet translated into better test scores. Compared to a nearby charter school, San Diego Global Vision Academy, which spends a similar amount per student, Central's outcomes are significantly different, suggesting internal educational approaches may be a key factor. The school shows particular need for growth in supporting students with special education needs and in upper-grade math and science.

497

Students ?

21.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$24,401

Per pupil spending ?

95.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

3878 Orange Ave.
San Diego, CA 92105

(619) 344-6100

District: San Diego Unified

Students who attend Central Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Wilson Middle
High:	Hoover High

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

69.0%

Asian:

14.5%

African American:

13.5%

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At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 27th percentile in 2013 → 10th in 2025

Worth a look

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

!In the lower quartile statewide (10th percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 17 percentile points since 2013

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school19%

District avg49%

California avg41%

5,283^rd of 5,857

California public elementary schools ?

Bottom 10%▼ down 14 pts since 2015

From bottom 24% (2015) to bottom 10% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

115^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	14.8	5283 of 5857	9.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	21.1	4767 of 5869	18.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	22.4	4614 of 5859	21.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	24.3	4416 of 5883	24.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	17.2	5060 of 5789	12.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	12.1	5313 of 5662	6.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	12.8	5298 of 5692	6.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	18.6	4740 of 5614	15.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	23.6	4279 of 5611	23.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	29.9	4050 of 5530	26.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	32.4	3775 of 5390	30.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	29.3	4047 of 5377	24.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	34.8	3499 of 5314	34.2%	★★☆☆☆
2009	20.4	4392 of 5193	15.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	22.5	4160 of 5113	18.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	21.9	4142 of 5113	19.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	23.9	3733 of 4818	22.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	26.0	3552 of 4822	26.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	34.5	2964 of 4809	38.4%	★★☆☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	13.8	1053 of 1205	12.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	4.3	1121 of 1190	5.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	12.9	1018 of 1154	11.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	18.9	992 of 1149	13.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	2.5	1042 of 1071	2.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2019	21.0	2295 of 2585	11.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	21.0	1921 of 2128	9.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	38.9	1901 of 3162	39.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	34.8	2181 of 3245	32.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	28.1	2750 of 3311	16.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	32.8	2288 of 3275	30.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	25.7	2669 of 3246	17.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	15.4	5075 of 5597	9.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	21.3	4585 of 5612	18.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	28.4	3919 of 5609	30.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	25.9	4130 of 5635	26.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	22.1	4452 of 5492	18.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	11.8	5147 of 5413	4.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	16.3	4685 of 5107	8.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	19.7	4473 of 5107	12.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	25.2	4090 of 5087	19.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	26.8	3977 of 5084	21.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	20.3	4356 of 4963	12.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	14.7	4520 of 4830	6.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2023	43.0	184 of 335	45.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	59.4	103 of 356	71.1%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	18.9	4801 of 5460	12.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	28.4	4116 of 5517	25.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	31.7	3752 of 5363	30.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	34.7	3457 of 5264	34.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	23.9	4308 of 5173	16.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	17.1	4658 of 5084	8.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	15.6	5062 of 5628	10.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	22.0	4540 of 5643	19.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	18.2	4885 of 5638	13.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	23.2	4406 of 5663	22.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	15.0	5055 of 5510	8.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	13.6	5055 of 5431	6.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	19.3	2629 of 2847	7.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	26.6	2027 of 2635	23.1%	★☆☆☆☆

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)45th percentile+24 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)40th percentile+21 vs school

Asian (2024)13th percentile-6 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)12th percentile~ school

Disabled (2019)11th percentile~ school

Male (2025)10th percentile~ school

Female (2025)9th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2025)8th percentile~ school

Special Education (2025)8th percentile~ school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy25%-24 vs state

Mathematics17%-20 vs state

Science12%-21 vs state

★

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Schools Near Central Elementary

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)	% 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	CSA Spanish Overall 3rd Grade	CSA Spanish Overall 4th Grade	CSA Spanish Overall 5th Grade	CSA Spanish Overall All Grades	CSA Spanish Listening 3rd Grade	CSA Spanish Listening 4th Grade	CSA Spanish Listening 5th Grade	CSA Spanish Listening All Grades	CSA Spanish Writing 3rd Grade	CSA Spanish Writing 4th Grade	CSA Spanish Writing 5th Grade	CSA Spanish Writing All Grades	CSA Spanish Reading 3rd Grade	CSA Spanish Reading 4th Grade	CSA Spanish Reading 5th 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	% 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
Central Elementary	Public	K-5	3878 Orange Ave.	San Diego	92105	San Diego County	San Diego Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 344-6100	497	23	21.3	95.2%	6 (1.2%)	67 (13.5%)	343 (69.0%)	72 (14.5%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.4%)	7 (1.4%)	14.8	5283^rd of 5857 public elementary schools	9.8%		21.1	4767^th of 5869 public elementary schools	18.8%	516																	11.7		11.7	22.1	23.9	28.0				24.6	17.2	17.8	15.6				16.9	87.2	95.7	93.6	91.5	91.5	93.6	$24,401	$5,048	$19,353
Cherokee Point Elementary	Public	K-5	3735 38th St.	San Diego	92105	San Diego County	San Diego Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 641-3400	298	12	24.8	91.6%	5 (1.7%)	22 (7.4%)	229 (76.8%)	31 (10.4%)	2 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (3.0%)	24.9	4416^th of 5857 public elementary schools	24.6%		33.5	3641^st of 5869 public elementary schools	38.0%	775																	14.3		14.3	34.9	24.5	19.1				26.1	48.8	24.5	16.7				29.9							$23,894	$3,462	$20,432
Edison Elementary	Public	K-5	4077 35th St.	San Diego	92104	San Diego County	San Diego Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 344-5400	375	17	22.0	96.3%	6 (1.6%)	19 (5.1%)	328 (87.5%)	14 (3.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	7 (1.9%)	64.2	1879^th of 5857 public elementary schools	67.9%		66.7	1747^th of 5869 public elementary schools	70.2%	132																	28.9		28.9	53.9	50.9	62.0				55.3	44.8	58.9	47.2				50.0	96.2		97.4		97.4		$23,602	$4,758	$18,844
Normal Heights Elementary	Public	K-5	3750 Ward Rd.	San Diego	92116	San Diego County	San Diego Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 584-6000	275	12	22.9	85.8%	9 (3.3%)	35 (12.7%)	210 (76.4%)	9 (3.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (4.4%)	59.2	2105^th of 5857 public elementary schools	64.1%		72.9	1452^nd of 5869 public elementary schools	75.3%	653																	30.2		30.2	41.9	62.5	44.2				49.1	45.2	65.6	44.2				50.9							$29,286	$5,690	$23,596
Franklin Elementary	Public	K-5	4481 Copeland Ave.	San Diego	92116	San Diego County	San Diego Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 344-3000	380	15	25.3	64.5%	98 (25.8%)	24 (6.3%)	174 (45.8%)	48 (12.6%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	34 (8.9%)	38.9	3293^rd of 5857 public elementary schools	43.8%		43.2	2980^th of 5869 public elementary schools	49.2%	313																	25.5		25.5	46.7	32.1	42.9				40.7	49.2	27.8	17.7				32.5							$19,688	$3,383	$16,305
Adams Elementary	Public	K-5	4672 35th St.	San Diego	92116	San Diego County	San Diego Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 362-4200	290	14	20.7	70.7%	48 (16.6%)	19 (6.6%)	205 (70.7%)	3 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (5.2%)	43	3002^nd of 5857 public elementary schools	48.7%		29.6	3957^th of 5869 public elementary schools	32.6%	955	0.0	33.3	0.0	10.3	26.7	41.7	16.7	28.2	0.0	58.3	0.0	18.0	0.0	25.0	0.0	7.7	24.3		24.3	45.2	47.1	52.8				48.5	41.9	38.2	10.8				29.4	96.4			96.4			$24,006	$4,774	$19,232
San Diego Global Vision Academy	Public, Charter	K-8	3430 School St.	San Diego	92116	San Diego County	San Diego Global Vision Academy District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 600-5321	463	22	21.0	62.0%	48 (10.4%)	69 (14.9%)	261 (56.4%)	22 (4.8%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	61 (13.2%)	74	1420^th of 5857 public elementary schools	75.8%		72.8	1458^th of 5869 public elementary schools	75.2%	38																	40.8	55.6	47.9	57.5	74.0	54.2	70.8	66.7	75.6	66.4	46.8	68.0	31.3	62.5	47.9	55.6	52.1							$29,729	$525	$29,204
Rosa Parks Elementary	Public	K-5	4510 Landis St.	San Diego	92105	San Diego County	San Diego Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 282-6803	705	27	26.1	97.6%	12 (1.7%)	48 (6.8%)	536 (76.0%)	97 (13.8%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	10 (1.4%)	15.6	5220^th of 5857 public elementary schools	10.9%		20.3	4840^th of 5869 public elementary schools	17.5%	380	12.9		10.2	11.2	50.0		45.8	46.4	23.0		13.6	17.7	11.5		5.1	8.1	16.7		16.7	21.9	25.0	30.8				25.7	15.1	16.1	13.9				15.0	98.0						$23,208	$4,452	$18,756
Joyner Elementary	Public	K-5	4271 Myrtle Ave.	San Diego	92105	San Diego County	San Diego Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 640-4000	410	17	24.6	93.7%	7 (1.7%)	34 (8.3%)	315 (76.8%)	34 (8.3%)	1 (0.2%)	9 (2.2%)	10 (2.4%)	20.2	4808^th of 5857 public elementary schools	17.9%		14.6	5345^th of 5869 public elementary schools	8.9%	537																	25.0		25.0	22.4	18.3	39.7				26.3	29.9	9.8	13.3				18.7	90.4	92.8		90.4	91.6	91.6	$19,901	$4,006	$15,895
Euclid Elementary	Public	K-5	4166 Euclid Ave.	San Diego	92105	San Diego County	San Diego Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 344-5600	509	23	22.1	96.3%	6 (1.2%)	113 (22.2%)	306 (60.1%)	61 (12.0%)	3 (0.6%)	8 (1.6%)	12 (2.4%)	34.7	3612^th of 5857 public elementary schools	38.3%		37.3	3346^th of 5869 public elementary schools	43.0%	266																	31.3		31.3	19.6	50.9	37.7				36.4	11.9	33.9	31.3				26.0	88.9	92.1		93.7	90.5	93.7	$21,992	$4,684	$17,308

Frequently Asked Questions about Central Elementary

What is the racial makeup of Central Elementary?

Students at Central Elementary are 69% Hispanic, 14% Asian, 13% African American, 1% Two or more races, 1% White.

Is Central Elementary a good school?

Central Elementary ranks in the bottom 9.8% of California elementary schools.

What schools do graduates of Central Elementary attend?

Students who attend Central Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Wilson Middle
High : Hoover High

How many students attend Central Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 497 students attended Central Elementary.

What district is Central Elementary in?

San Diego Unified

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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.