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Hawthorne Elementary

Q: Is Hawthorne Elementary a good school?

Hawthorne Elementary ranks 1693 rd of 5817 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-5

1693^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,817 California Elementary Schools

Better than 71% of California elementary schools

Summary

Hawthorne Elementary serves 248 students in grades K–5 in San Diego and is part of San Diego Unified. Its results show a strong overall picture, but meaningful differences by grade: fifth-grade scores stand out, while third-grade English language arts (ELA) is a concern. The clearest headline is that in 2025–26 the school scored above California in ELA, math, and science, with its biggest advantage in math.

Math is Hawthorne Elementary’s strongest subject compared with the district, state, and nearby schools: 55% of students met the standard, versus 38% statewide, 46% districtwide, and a 49% average among nearby K–5 schools. ELA was 54%—above the state’s 49% and nearby schools’ 48% average, but essentially level with the district. Science was 43%, above the state’s 36% and nearby schools’ 42% average, though that is a modest nearby advantage. Grade results are less even: fifth-grade ELA was 75%, tied with Curie Elementary for the highest nearby result, while third-grade ELA was 42%, below the district’s 51% and state’s 44%.

Over the four reported years, math rose 3 points and science 10 points, while ELA dipped 1 point; science’s lead over the state also grew from 2 to 7 points. Chronic absenteeism fell from 42% in 2021–22 to 10% in 2025–26, below the district’s 17% and state’s 18%. SchoolDigger ranks the school at the 71st percentile with four stars in 2025–26, down from the 74th percentile the year before. Its student-teacher ratio was 22.5 in 2024–25, and 62% of students were reported as free/reduced lunch eligible that year—an eligibility measure, not a count of students receiving meals. SchoolDigger’s statewide ranking for Low Socio Economic Status Students rose from the 68th percentile in 2023–24 to the 82nd in 2025–26, 11 points above the school’s overall percentile.

248

Students ?

22.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$26,254

Per pupil spending ?

61.7%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

All students in California receive free school meals.

≥ 98%

Kindergartners with all required immunizations (2024-25)

4750 Lehrer Dr.
San Diego, CA 92117-1358

(858) 634-5701

District: San Diego Unified

Students who attend Hawthorne Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Innovation Middle
High:	Madison High

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

39.9%

White:

31.5%

Two or more races:

13.3%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Hawthorne Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 59th percentile in 2015 → 71st in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the California average (53% vs 42% meeting standards)

✓Ranking is trending up — up 12 percentile points since 2015

✓Above the California median (71st percentile)

Worth a look

!Large classes — about 22 students per teacher

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school53%

District avg48%

California avg42%

1,693^rd of 5,817

California public elementary schools ?

Top 29%▲ up 20 pts since 2016

From top 49% (2016) to top 29% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

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

600^th 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

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	67.9	1693 of 5817	70.9%	★★★★☆
2025	72.5	1498 of 5857	74.4%	★★★★☆
2024	69.4	1617 of 5869	72.4%	★★★★☆
2023	68.4	1650 of 5859	71.8%	★★★★☆
2022	79.5	1207 of 5883	79.5%	★★★★☆
2019	83.9	972 of 5789	83.2%	★★★★☆
2018	59.4	2065 of 5662	63.5%	★★★☆☆
2017	45.0	2800 of 5692	50.8%	★★★☆☆
2016	45.6	2734 of 5614	51.3%	★★★☆☆
2015	53.0	2288 of 5611	59.2%	★★★☆☆
2013	52.3	2553 of 5530	53.8%	★★★☆☆
2012	50.1	2611 of 5390	51.6%	★★★☆☆
2011	67.1	1631 of 5377	69.7%	★★★☆☆
2010	60.3	1968 of 5314	63.0%	★★★☆☆
2009	67.3	1578 of 5193	69.6%	★★★☆☆
2008	61.1	1805 of 5113	64.7%	★★★☆☆
2007	61.3	1756 of 5113	65.7%	★★★☆☆
2006	60.7	1714 of 4818	64.4%	★★★☆☆
2005	57.0	1877 of 4822	61.1%	★★★☆☆
2004	56.6	1846 of 4809	61.6%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	56.5	2164 of 5581	61.2%	★★★☆☆
2025	64.2	1767 of 5597	68.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	62.1	1859 of 5612	66.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	64.6	1735 of 5609	69.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	77.5	1224 of 5635	78.3%	★★★★☆
2019	75.4	1279 of 5492	76.7%	★★★★☆
2018	53.8	2284 of 5413	57.8%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	53.8	2106 of 5094	58.7%	★★★☆☆
2025	52.2	2141 of 5107	58.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	60.7	1648 of 5107	67.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	50.4	2211 of 5087	56.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	85.4	529 of 5084	89.6%	★★★★☆
2019	78.1	783 of 4963	84.2%	★★★★☆
2018	50.8	2173 of 4830	55.0%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	75.9	957 of 5423	82.4%	★★★★☆
2025	65.6	1515 of 5460	72.3%	★★★★☆
2024	60.7	1751 of 5517	68.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	63.6	1536 of 5363	71.4%	★★★★☆
2022	84.0	595 of 5264	88.7%	★★★★☆
2019	91.2	265 of 5173	94.9%	★★★★★
2018	58.1	1854 of 5084	63.5%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	75.9	1237 of 5603	77.9%	★★★★☆
2025	76.2	1226 of 5628	78.2%	★★★★☆
2024	73.0	1360 of 5643	75.9%	★★★★☆
2023	69.2	1539 of 5638	72.7%	★★★★☆
2022	77.2	1234 of 5663	78.2%	★★★★☆
2019	83.9	871 of 5510	84.2%	★★★★☆
2018	62.9	1814 of 5431	66.6%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2019	89.2	118 of 2834	95.8%	★★★★★

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)

White (2019)96th percentile+13 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)82nd percentile+11 vs school

Male (2026)78th percentile+7 vs school

Female (2026)61st percentile-10 vs school

Hispanic (2026)59th percentile-12 vs school

By subject vs California (2025-2026) ?

Mathematics55%+17 vs state

English Language Arts/Literacy54%+5 vs state

Science43%+7 vs state

4.0

1 rating

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Schools Near Hawthorne Elementary

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Vaccination Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				CAST Science (2026)			Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy (2026)							Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2026)							Vaccination (2024-25)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
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/reduced lunch (2024-25)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	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	Vaccination: Kindergartners with all required immunizations	Vaccination: Exemption rate	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Hawthorne Elementary	Public	K-5	4750 Lehrer Dr.	San Diego	92117	San Diego County	San Diego Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(858) 634-5701	248	11	22.5	61.7%	78 (31.5%)	6 (2.4%)	99 (39.9%)	28 (11.3%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.6%)	33 (13.3%)	67.9	1693^rd of 5817 public elementary schools	70.9%		72.5	1498^th of 5857 public elementary schools	74.4%	195	42.9		42.9	42.1	51.3	75.0				54.3	47.4	53.9	67.9				55.2	≥ 98%		$26,254	$2,691	$23,563
Field Elementary	Public	K-5	4375 Bannock Ave.	San Diego	92117	San Diego County	San Diego Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(858) 800-5900	238	10	23.8	68.5%	43 (18.1%)	4 (1.7%)	166 (69.7%)	11 (4.6%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (5.5%)	58.2	2149^th of 5817 public elementary schools	63.1%		71.3	1545^th of 5857 public elementary schools	73.6%	604	37.8		37.8	50.0	37.9	47.2				45.5	57.1	62.1	35.1				50.5	≥ 95%		$28,368	$2,759	$25,609
Sequoia Elementary	Public	K-5	4690 Limerick Ave.	San Diego	92117	San Diego County	San Diego Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 605-1800	180	10	18.0	74.4%	37 (20.6%)	5 (2.8%)	97 (53.9%)	21 (11.7%)	1 (0.6%)	1 (0.6%)	18 (10.0%)	65.2	1816^th of 5817 public elementary schools	68.8%		80.6	1136^th of 5857 public elementary schools	80.6%	680	48.2		48.2	51.5	60.7	55.6				55.7	46.9	64.3	25.9				46.0	93%	0%	$29,352	$2,466	$26,886
Whitman Elementary	Public	K-5	4050 Appleton St.	San Diego	92117	San Diego County	San Diego Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(858) 935-2900	102	4	25.5	72.5%	17 (16.7%)	2 (2.0%)	65 (63.7%)	8 (7.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (9.8%)	66.7	1743^rd of 5817 public elementary schools	70.0%		47.7	2720^th of 5857 public elementary schools	53.6%	977	47.1		47.1		35.3	64.7				43.2		47.1	58.8				59.1	90%	0%	$32,232	$1,673	$30,559
John Muir Language Academy	Public	K-8	4431 Mt. Herbert Ave.	San Diego	92117	San Diego County	San Diego Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(858) 268-1954	336	17	19.7	43.8%	100 (29.8%)	21 (6.3%)	181 (53.9%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	33 (9.8%)	80.7	1104^th of 5817 public elementary schools	81.0%		86.2	867^th of 5857 public elementary schools	85.2%	237	76.5	18.8	48.5	56.5	50.0	76.5	76.1	69.0	37.5	63.9	56.5	62.5	64.7	45.7	41.4	18.8	48.4	97%	0%	$23,553	$1,391	$22,162
Curie Elementary	Public	K-5	4080 Governor Dr.	San Diego	92122	San Diego County	San Diego Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(858) 221-5500	536	22	24.3	18.8%	307 (57.3%)	9 (1.7%)	92 (17.2%)	67 (12.5%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	60 (11.2%)	95.6	277^th of 5817 public elementary schools	95.2%		97	152^nd of 5857 public elementary schools	97.4%	125	69.3		69.3	69.6	80.0	75.0				75.1	87.3	87.8	80.7				85.2	98%	0%	$18,343	$1,113	$17,230
Lafayette Elementary	Public	K-5	6125 Printwood Way	San Diego	92117	San Diego County	San Diego Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(858) 987-5000	208	16	13.4	76.0%	49 (23.6%)	7 (3.4%)	123 (59.1%)	8 (3.8%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.5%)	20 (9.6%)	23.6	4514^th of 5817 public elementary schools	22.4%		32.6	3759^th of 5857 public elementary schools	35.8%	755	17.2		17.2	37.0	22.2	37.9				32.5	29.6	14.8	24.1				22.9	97%	0%	$26,160	$1,755	$24,405
Spreckels Elementary	Public	K-5	6033 Stadium St.	San Diego	92122	San Diego County	San Diego Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(858) 453-5377	680	25	27.2	35.6%	321 (47.2%)	6 (0.9%)	204 (30.0%)	61 (9.0%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	85 (12.5%)	85.2	903^rd of 5817 public elementary schools	84.5%		86.6	843^rd of 5857 public elementary schools	85.6%	60	58.5		58.5	61.1	65.7	62.3				63.0	69.3	69.4	59.4				66.2	96%	0%	$19,714	$1,163	$18,551
High Technical Elementary Mesa	Public, Charter	K-5	5331 Mt. Alifan Dr.	San Diego	92106	San Diego County	High Technical Elementary Mesa District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 510-4620	423	18	23.5	38.5%	139 (32.9%)	28 (6.6%)	136 (32.2%)	95 (22.5%)	3 (0.7%)	4 (0.9%)	17 (4.0%)	37.7	3386^th of 5817 public elementary schools	41.8%		46.9	2771^st of 5857 public elementary schools	52.7%	615	33.8		33.8	22.2	48.6	46.0				38.9	29.2	35.7	27.0				30.6	≥ 98%		$16,142	$789	$15,353
Clairemont Canyons Academy	Public	K-5	4133 Mt. Albertine Ave.	San Diego	92111	San Diego County	San Diego Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 605-1350	318	17	18.7	73.3%	84 (26.4%)	44 (13.8%)	105 (33.0%)	56 (17.6%)	1 (0.3%)	2 (0.6%)	26 (8.2%)	26.9	4238^th of 5817 public elementary schools	27.1%		41.6	3106^th of 5857 public elementary schools	47.0%	1132	21.4		21.4	28.9	26.1	35.7				30.0	30.8	34.8	26.2				30.7	92%	0%	$32,658	$2,251	$30,407

Frequently Asked Questions about Hawthorne Elementary

What is the racial makeup of Hawthorne Elementary?

Students at Hawthorne Elementary are 40% Hispanic, 31% White, 13% Two or more races, 11% Asian, 2% African American, 2% Pacific Islander.

Is Hawthorne Elementary a good school?

Hawthorne Elementary ranks 1693^rd of 5817 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What schools do graduates of Hawthorne Elementary attend?

Students who attend Hawthorne Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Innovation Middle
High : Madison High

What district is Hawthorne Elementary in?

San Diego Unified

How many students attend Hawthorne Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 248 students attended Hawthorne Elementary.

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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.