Beta You're viewing our redesigned school page. Prefer the classic layout?

Foster Elementary

Q: Is Foster Elementary a good school?

Foster Elementary ranks 3343 rd of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-5

3343^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,857 California Elementary Schools

Better than 43% of California elementary schools

Summary

Foster Elementary is a public elementary school in San Diego, California, serving 502 students in grades K-5. It is part of the San Diego Unified School District, which is ranked 588 out of 1,565 districts in the state.

Foster Elementary faces significant academic challenges, with consistently lower proficiency rates in English Language Arts and Mathematics compared to the district and state averages. In the 2024-2025 school year, only 40.39% of Foster Elementary students were proficient or better in English Language Arts/Literacy, compared to 56.17% for the San Diego Unified School District and 48.81% for California. In Mathematics, only 33.5% of Foster Elementary students were proficient or better, compared to 45.3% for the San Diego Unified School District and 37.3% for California. The school also has high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 20.4% to 28.9% over the past few years, which is significantly higher than the district and state averages.

Interestingly, nearby schools in the same district, such as Hancock Elementary, have similar demographic characteristics but outperform Foster Elementary academically. In contrast, Dailard Elementary and Green Elementary have significantly higher academic performance and lower rates of chronic absenteeism and free/reduced-price lunch eligibility compared to Foster Elementary. Despite the higher per-student spending at Foster Elementary, ranging from $17,791 to $23,352 over the past few years, the school's academic performance has declined over time, suggesting that factors beyond just funding may be at play in driving student success.

518

Students ?

23.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$23,352

Per pupil spending ?

59.3%

Free/discounted lunch ?

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%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Foster Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 47th percentile in 2013 → 43rd in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (34% vs 41% meeting standards)

!High chronic absenteeism (29% vs 19% California)

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school34%

District avg49%

California avg41%

3,343^rd of 5,857

California public elementary schools ?

Bottom 43%▼ down 20 pts since 2015

From top 37% (2015) to bottom 43% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

83^rd 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	38.0	3343 of 5857	42.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	31.2	3847 of 5869	34.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	37.9	3281 of 5859	44.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	37.3	3278 of 5883	44.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	54.3	2364 of 5789	59.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	63.2	1903 of 5662	66.4%	★★★☆☆
2017	54.6	2296 of 5692	59.7%	★★★☆☆
2016	65.1	1761 of 5614	68.6%	★★★☆☆
2015	56.6	2096 of 5611	62.6%	★★★☆☆
2013	45.8	2941 of 5530	46.8%	★★☆☆☆
2012	55.0	2327 of 5390	56.8%	★★★☆☆
2011	35.1	3607 of 5377	32.9%	★★☆☆☆
2010	43.8	2932 of 5314	44.8%	★★☆☆☆
2009	54.8	2195 of 5193	57.7%	★★★☆☆
2008	39.6	2968 of 5113	42.0%	★★☆☆☆
2007	51.6	2225 of 5113	56.5%	★★★☆☆
2006	45.6	2399 of 4818	50.2%	★★★☆☆
2005	49.6	2216 of 4822	54.0%	★★★☆☆
2004	60.9	1667 of 4809	65.3%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	37.0	3296 of 5597	41.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	35.9	3341 of 5612	40.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	32.3	3551 of 5609	36.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	35.3	3304 of 5635	41.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	51.9	2397 of 5492	56.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	56.6	2150 of 5413	60.3%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	39.4	3070 of 5107	39.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	24.8	4128 of 5107	19.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	33.2	3451 of 5087	32.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	39.7	2927 of 5084	42.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	62.0	1577 of 4963	68.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	75.5	873 of 4830	81.9%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	26.8	4224 of 5460	22.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	24.9	4393 of 5517	20.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	27.3	4132 of 5363	23.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	33.4	3550 of 5264	32.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	73.8	978 of 5173	81.1%	★★★★☆
2018	69.0	1240 of 5084	75.6%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	38.7	3207 of 5628	43.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	29.2	3897 of 5643	30.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	42.2	2909 of 5638	48.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	38.7	3084 of 5663	45.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	55.1	2191 of 5510	60.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	66.7	1628 of 5431	70.0%	★★★★☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	9.5	661 of 718	7.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	64.7	684 of 2847	76.0%	★★★★☆
2024	46.8	1068 of 2635	59.5%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	25.7	2044 of 2598	21.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	30.9	1933 of 2651	27.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	38.2	1770 of 2661	33.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	36.6	1835 of 2726	32.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	38.5	1900 of 2834	33.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	58.4	1241 of 2737	54.7%	★★★☆☆

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

Male (2025)43rd percentile~ school

Female (2025)41st percentile~ school

Hispanic (2025)40th percentile-3 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)23rd percentile-20 vs school

White (2025)21st percentile-22 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)8th percentile-35 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy40%-8 vs state

Mathematics34%-4 vs state

Science22%-10 vs state

5.0

1 rating · 1 written review

5★1

4★0

3★0

2★0

1★0

Rate Foster Elementary

Have first-hand experience? A quick rating - and a sentence or two about what stands out (teachers, academics, safety, communication) - helps other families know what to expect.

Takes about a minute. We email you a link to verify your review - your address is never shown publicly.

Tap a star to rate

What people are saying

by a student
Sunday, April 5, 2020

Amazing school Close Quote

Schools Near Foster 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
Foster Elementary	Public	K-5	6550 51st St.	San Diego	92120	San Diego County	San Diego Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 510-4100	518	22	23.7	59.3%	149 (28.8%)	51 (9.8%)	202 (39.0%)	39 (7.5%)	3 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	74 (14.3%)	38	3343^rd of 5857 public elementary schools	42.9%		31.2	3847^th of 5869 public elementary schools	34.5%	504																	22.2		22.2	44.4	36.7	40.0				40.4	44.6	32.8	25.0				33.5	95.8			95.8	97.2	97.2	$23,352	$4,351	$19,001
Marvin Elementary	Public	K-5	5720 Brunswick Ave.	San Diego	92120	San Diego County	San Diego Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 583-1355	543	21	26.1	28.4%	251 (46.2%)	18 (3.3%)	127 (23.4%)	49 (9.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	97 (17.9%)	94.3	377^th of 5857 public elementary schools	93.6%		95.5	301^st of 5869 public elementary schools	94.9%	76																	62.8		62.8	78.6	77.5	79.1				78.4	92.9	67.9	69.8				76.0							$19,412	$2,490	$16,922
Hearst Elementary	Public	K-5	6230 Del Cerro Blvd.	San Diego	92120	San Diego County	San Diego Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 860-5400	527	21	25.5	25.8%	303 (57.5%)	5 (0.9%)	99 (18.8%)	27 (5.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	92 (17.5%)	94.7	357^th of 5857 public elementary schools	93.9%		94.4	396^th of 5869 public elementary schools	93.3%	39																	62.5		62.5	75.3	87.1	75.0				78.2	78.7	82.3	72.7				77.4							$18,141	$2,198	$15,943
Hardy Elementary	Public	K-5	5420 Montezuma Rd.	San Diego	92115	San Diego County	San Diego Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 860-5700	353	14	26.1	54.4%	75 (21.2%)	28 (7.9%)	121 (34.3%)	96 (27.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	32 (9.1%)	87	823^rd of 5857 public elementary schools	85.9%		71	1553^rd of 5869 public elementary schools	73.5%	730																	62.5		62.5	67.3	54.2	71.4				64.8	74.6	60.4	69.6				68.6							$20,499	$3,100	$17,399
Hancock Elementary	Public	K-5	3303 Taussig St.	San Diego	92124	San Diego County	San Diego Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 605-3200	644	28	22.6	68.8%	253 (39.3%)	59 (9.2%)	204 (31.7%)	16 (2.5%)	7 (1.1%)	4 (0.6%)	101 (15.7%)	46.5	2796^th of 5857 public elementary schools	52.3%		60.7	2040^th of 5869 public elementary schools	65.2%	756																	38.1		38.1	45.5	41.6	44.4				44.0	38.6	36.4	31.8				36.1	93.5	96.1	96.1	95.5	94.2	97.4	$20,104	$3,102	$17,002
Dailard Elementary	Public	K-5	6425 Cibola Rd.	San Diego	92120	San Diego County	San Diego Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 860-5900	567	22	25.7	23.5%	332 (58.6%)	12 (2.1%)	108 (19.0%)	24 (4.2%)	3 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	87 (15.3%)	94.3	374^th of 5857 public elementary schools	93.6%		95.1	333^rd of 5869 public elementary schools	94.3%	41																	63.7		63.7	74.4	78.6	81.3				78.3	84.6	72.6	65.9				73.9	97.0						$18,550	$2,466	$16,084
Language Academy	Public	K-8	4961 64th St.	San Diego	92115	San Diego County	San Diego Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 860-5150	1,015	43	23.7	43.9%	249 (24.5%)	94 (9.3%)	551 (54.3%)	21 (2.1%)	5 (0.5%)	1 (0.1%)	94 (9.3%)	69.9	1603^rd of 5857 public elementary schools	72.6%		69.1	1632^nd of 5869 public elementary schools	72.2%	29																	48.7	55.2	51.5	55.3	57.1	64.9	68.3	75.3	67.8	64.0	48.3	38.7	38.9	59.8	59.6	71.3	51.2	97.6	98.4			98.4		$18,868	$3,301	$15,567
Miller Elementary	Public	K-5	4343 Shields St.	San Diego	92124	San Diego County	San Diego Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(858) 221-5200	611	27	22.6	61.7%	212 (34.7%)	74 (12.1%)	208 (34.0%)	21 (3.4%)	4 (0.7%)	6 (1.0%)	86 (14.1%)	63.6	1897^th of 5857 public elementary schools	67.6%		70.1	1590^th of 5869 public elementary schools	72.9%	307																	42.2		42.2	49.5	45.2	60.2				51.8	51.0	49.3	42.2				47.6	96.2	97.2	98.1	97.2	96.2	98.1	$22,120	$4,691	$17,429
Green Elementary	Public	K-5	7030 Wandermere Pl.	San Diego	92119	San Diego County	San Diego Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 510-4200	493	19	26.2	32.3%	247 (50.1%)	32 (6.5%)	129 (26.2%)	27 (5.5%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.4%)	55 (11.2%)	93.1	467^th of 5857 public elementary schools	92.0%		94.7	368^th of 5869 public elementary schools	93.7%	99																	51.4		51.4	70.2	82.8	80.8				78.4	71.2	81.6	76.7				77.0	92.5	97.0		92.5	97.0	95.5	$18,833	$2,823	$16,010
Juarez Elementary	Public	K-5	2633 Melbourne Dr.	San Diego	92123	San Diego County	San Diego Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(858) 935-2800	264	10	26.4	57.6%	50 (18.9%)	13 (4.9%)	160 (60.6%)	8 (3.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	33 (12.5%)	26.2	4300^th of 5857 public elementary schools	26.6%		44.9	2866^th of 5869 public elementary schools	51.2%	1434	7.5	0.0	0.0	3.7	25.0	4.4	16.7	17.3	12.5	21.7	11.1	14.8	5.0	4.4	0.0	3.7	21.1		21.1	28.2	30.4	38.9				31.3	29.7	30.4	21.1				27.9	96.6			96.6			$20,354	$2,884	$17,470

Frequently Asked Questions about Foster Elementary

How many students attend Foster Elementary?

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

What is the racial makeup of Foster Elementary?

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

What district is Foster Elementary in?

San Diego Unified

Is Foster Elementary a good school?

Foster Elementary ranks 3343^rd of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What schools do graduates of Foster Elementary attend?

Students who attend Foster Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Lewis Middle
High : Henry High

Rate Foster Elementary!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

CACalifornia Elementary School Rankings

CACalifornia District Rankings

Schools in San Diego, CA

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for Foster Elementary!

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.