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Foster Elementary

Public Grades K-5
3349th
SchoolDigger Rank ?
of 5,817 California Elementary Schools
Better than 42% of California elementary schools
Summary

Foster Elementary serves 518 students in grades K–5 in San Diego, within San Diego Unified. The biggest concern is that the school trails nearby same-district K–5 schools in all three tested subjects, with its largest gap in science.

In 2025–2026, 38% of students were proficient in English language arts, compared with 49% statewide, 54% in the district, and a 62% average among nearby K–5 schools. Math was the closest subject to the state result: 37% at Foster versus 38% statewide, though the nearby-school average was 63%. Science was weakest against nearby schools: 26% at Foster versus 53% nearby, a 27-point gap. Foster ranked second-lowest among nine same-district K–5 schools in ELA and math, and lowest in science. Within the school, grade 4 math was a relative bright spot at 41%, close to the state’s 42%; grade 5 math was 31%, compared with 37% statewide and 54% at nearby schools.

Math proficiency rose 6 points from 2022–2023 to 2025–2026, narrowing its gap with the state by 2 points; ELA rose 2 points, but its state gap widened by 1 point. Science fell 6 points while the state improved, leaving Foster 10 points below the state, compared with being 2 points above it four years earlier. SchoolDigger places the school at the 42nd percentile statewide with 2 stars; its percentile was 69 in 2015–2016. The 2024–2025 student–teacher ratio was 23.7, below the nearby-school average of 25.2. In 2024–2025, 59% of students were reported as free/reduced lunch eligible, compared with a 44% average among nearby schools; California provides statewide free meals, so this is an eligibility measure, not whether students can receive free meals. SchoolDigger’s 2024–2025 ranking was notably stronger for Special Education Students (76th percentile, versus 43rd overall) and weaker for Multi-racial Students (8th percentile).

518
Students ?
23.7
Student/teacher ratio ?
$23,405
Per pupil spending ?
59.3%
Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?
All students in California receive free school meals.
97%
Kindergartners with all required immunizations (2024-25)
Exemptions: 0% (any vaccine)
 6550 51st St.
       San Diego, CA  92120-2794

(619) 510-4100

District: San Diego Unified


Students who attend Foster Elementary usually attend:

Middle:    Lewis Middle
High:    Henry High
Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:
39.0%
White:
28.8%
Two or more races:
14.3%
more
 See top rated California elementary schools

 Compare Foster Elementary to nearby elementary schools!
At a glance
▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 63rd percentile in 2015 → 42nd in 2026
Worth a look
!Test scores below the California average (36% vs 42% meeting standards)
!High chronic absenteeism (25% vs 18% California)
!Ranking has slipped — down 21 percentile points since 2015
Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?
This school36%
District avg48%
California avg42%
3,349th of 5,817
California public elementary schools ?
Bottom 42%▼ down 26 pts since 2016
From top 31% (2016) to bottom 42% (2026)
See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →
★★★★★
SchoolDigger rating ?
81st of 120Elementary Schools in the San Diego Unified
600th of 1,530San 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

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202638.23349 of 581742.4%★★☆☆☆
202538.03343 of 585742.9%★★☆☆☆
202431.23847 of 586934.5%★★☆☆☆
202337.93281 of 585944.0%★★☆☆☆
202237.33278 of 588344.3%★★☆☆☆
201954.32364 of 578959.2%★★★☆☆
201863.21903 of 566266.4%★★★☆☆
201754.62296 of 569259.7%★★★☆☆
201665.11761 of 561468.6%★★★☆☆
201556.62096 of 561162.6%★★★☆☆
201345.82941 of 553046.8%★★☆☆☆
201255.02327 of 539056.8%★★★☆☆
201135.13607 of 537732.9%★★☆☆☆
201043.82932 of 531444.8%★★☆☆☆
200954.82195 of 519357.7%★★★☆☆
200839.62968 of 511342.0%★★☆☆☆
200751.62225 of 511356.5%★★★☆☆
200645.62399 of 481850.2%★★★☆☆
200549.62216 of 482254.0%★★★☆☆
200460.91667 of 480965.3%★★★☆☆

Female

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202639.93124 of 558144.0%★★☆☆☆
202537.03296 of 559741.1%★★☆☆☆
202435.93341 of 561240.5%★★☆☆☆
202332.33551 of 560936.7%★★☆☆☆
202235.33304 of 563541.4%★★☆☆☆
201951.92397 of 549256.4%★★★☆☆
201856.62150 of 541360.3%★★★☆☆

Hispanic

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202638.73091 of 509439.3%★★☆☆☆
202539.43070 of 510739.9%★★☆☆☆
202424.84128 of 510719.2%★☆☆☆☆
202333.23451 of 508732.2%★★☆☆☆
202239.72927 of 508442.4%★★☆☆☆
201962.01577 of 496368.2%★★★☆☆
201875.5873 of 483081.9%★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202632.63748 of 542330.9%★★☆☆☆
202526.84224 of 546022.6%★☆☆☆☆
202424.94393 of 551720.4%★☆☆☆☆
202327.34132 of 536323.0%★☆☆☆☆
202233.43550 of 526432.6%★★☆☆☆
201973.8978 of 517381.1%★★★★☆
201869.01240 of 508475.6%★★★★☆

Male

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202637.53296 of 560341.2%★★☆☆☆
202538.73207 of 562843.0%★★☆☆☆
202429.23897 of 564330.9%★★☆☆☆
202342.22909 of 563848.4%★★☆☆☆
202238.73084 of 566345.5%★★☆☆☆
201955.12191 of 551060.2%★★★☆☆
201866.71628 of 543170.0%★★★★☆

Multi-racial

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
20259.5661 of 7187.9%☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202564.7684 of 284776.0%★★★★☆
202446.81068 of 263559.5%★★★☆☆

White

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202627.51946 of 253623.3%★☆☆☆☆
202525.72044 of 259821.3%★☆☆☆☆
202430.91933 of 265127.1%★☆☆☆☆
202338.21770 of 266133.5%★★☆☆☆
202236.61835 of 272632.7%★★☆☆☆
201938.51900 of 283433.0%★★☆☆☆
201858.41241 of 273754.7%★★★☆☆
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)76th percentile+33 vs school
Female (2026)44th percentile~ school
Male (2026)41st percentile~ school
Hispanic (2026)39th percentile-3 vs school
Low Socio Economic Status (2026)31st percentile-12 vs school
White (2026)23rd percentile-19 vs school
Multi-racial (2025)8th percentile-35 vs school
By subject vs California (2025-2026) ?
English Language Arts/Literacy38%-11 vs state
Mathematics37%~ state avg
Science26%-10 vs state

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by a student
Sunday, April 5, 2020

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Frequently Asked Questions about Foster Elementary

In the 2024-25 school year, 518 students attended Foster Elementary.

Foster Elementary ranks 3349th of 5817 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Students who attend Foster Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Lewis Middle
High : Henry High

Students at Foster Elementary are 39% Hispanic, 29% White, 14% Two or more races, 10% African American, 8% Asian.

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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.

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