Summary
Pendleton Elementary is a K–5 school in San Diego, part of San Diego Unified, with 352 students. Its latest reported results show that 31% of students are proficient in English language arts (ELA), 28% in math, and 27% in science. The central concern is that Pendleton trails the state, district, and all five nearby K–5 schools with results in each subject.
Science is Pendleton’s strongest subject relative to comparison results, while ELA is its weakest; however, it remains behind in all three. In 2025–2026, Pendleton was 9 percentage points below the state and 14 below the district in science, compared with gaps of 10 and 17 points in math, and 18 and 22 points in ELA. Nearby K–5 schools averaged 50% in science, 54% in math, and 60% in ELA—about 23, 25, and 29 points above Pendleton, respectively. Pendleton had the lowest results among the five nearby schools in every subject.
Results have fluctuated, but the latest year brought a sharp decline: from 2024–2025 to 2025–2026, Pendleton fell 9 percentage points in ELA, 3 in math, and 10 in science, while state results rose in all three. Compared with 2022–2023, Pendleton’s results are down 1 point in ELA, 4 in math, and 8 in science. SchoolDigger ranked the school in the 29th statewide percentile for 2025–2026, with 1 star, down 16 percentile points from the prior year; all eight nearby schools with rankings scored higher. One notable exception in its group rankings: SchoolDigger placed Pendleton’s effectiveness for African American students in the 66th percentile in 2024–2025, compared with the schoolwide 45th percentile. As context, the student–teacher ratio was 29.3 in 2024–2025, and 77% of students were reported as free/reduced lunch eligible that school year; these figures do not explain the test results.
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