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Carlton Hills Elementary

Q: Is Carlton Hills Elementary a good school?

Carlton Hills Elementary ranks 1425 th of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-8

1425^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,857 California Elementary Schools

Better than 76% of California elementary schools

Summary

Carlton Hills Elementary is a well-regarded K-8 public school serving 601 students in the Santee School District, consistently earning a 4-star rating and performing well above the state average, particularly in mathematics.

Academically, the school stands out for its strength in math, where 57.85% of students are proficient, outperforming most nearby schools like Chet F. Harritt Elementary and Cajon Park Elementary, and performing strongly in science. It also shows consistent success across different student groups, maintaining high rankings even as the number of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch has increased. The school is part of a high-performing district; for example, its math scores are dramatically higher than those at Flying Hills School of Arts in the neighboring Cajon Valley Union district.

An area for potential improvement is chronic absenteeism, which at 14.4% is higher than other Santee schools such as Carlton Oaks Elementary (6.0%) and Rio Seco Elementary (7.7%), though it has improved since the pandemic. Performance varies by grade, with exceptional 8th-grade English scores but a notable dip in 6th grade, suggesting targeted support may be beneficial at certain levels.

601

Students ?

23.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$13,198

Per pupil spending ?

47.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

9353 Pike Rd.
Santee, CA 92071-2515

(619) 258-3400

District: Santee

Students who attend Carlton Hills Elementary usually attend:

High:

West Hills High

Racial breakdown:

White:

52.2%

Hispanic:

32.9%

Two or more races:

8.2%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Carlton Hills Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 69th percentile in 2015 → 76th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the California average (57% vs 41% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 24% of California elementary schools

✓Ranking is trending up — up 7 percentile points since 2015

Worth a look

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

!Large classes — about 23 students per teacher

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school57%

District avg53%

California avg41%

Elementary school

1,425^th of 5,857

California public elementary schools ?

Top 24%▲ up 6 pts since 2015

From top 31% (2015) to top 24% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

Middle school

479^th of 2,761

California public middle schools ?

Top 17%▲ up 5 pts since 2015

From top 23% (2015) to top 17% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

4^th of 9Elementary Schools in the Santee

305^th of 1,543Santee 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)

Elementary school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	73.8	1425 of 5857	75.7%	★★★★☆
2024	77.7	1259 of 5869	78.5%	★★★★☆
2023	66.1	1750 of 5859	70.1%	★★★★☆
2022	72.3	1516 of 5883	74.2%	★★★★☆
2021	72.1	363 of 1417	74.4%	★★★★☆
2019	66.8	1755 of 5789	69.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	64.2	1853 of 5662	67.3%	★★★☆☆
2017	52.1	2434 of 5692	57.2%	★★★☆☆
2016	59.8	1998 of 5614	64.4%	★★★☆☆
2015	64.6	1725 of 5611	69.3%	★★★☆☆
2013	77.3	1206 of 5530	78.2%	★★★★☆
2012	83.3	828 of 5390	84.6%	★★★★☆
2011	82.6	864 of 5377	83.9%	★★★★☆
2010	83.6	796 of 5314	85.0%	★★★★☆
2009	75.5	1183 of 5193	77.2%	★★★★☆
2008	70.6	1375 of 5113	73.1%	★★★★☆
2007	70.5	1351 of 5113	73.6%	★★★★☆
2006	63.5	1609 of 4818	66.6%	★★★☆☆
2005	73.4	1193 of 4822	75.3%	★★★★☆
2004	68.1	1362 of 4809	71.7%	★★★★☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	69.4	423 of 2227	81.0%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	69.8	1512 of 5597	73.0%	★★★★☆
2024	72.7	1372 of 5612	75.6%	★★★★☆
2023	61.3	1887 of 5609	66.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	70.1	1521 of 5635	73.0%	★★★★☆
2021	64.2	395 of 1267	68.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	60.3	1955 of 5492	64.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	67.8	1608 of 5413	70.3%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	77.4	839 of 5107	83.6%	★★★★☆
2024	76.2	890 of 5107	82.6%	★★★★☆
2023	71.8	1084 of 5087	78.7%	★★★★☆
2022	80.9	703 of 5084	86.2%	★★★★☆
2019	72.8	1018 of 4963	79.5%	★★★★☆
2018	60.6	1597 of 4830	66.9%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	72.5	1141 of 5460	79.1%	★★★★☆
2024	82.2	745 of 5517	86.5%	★★★★☆
2023	62.1	1622 of 5363	69.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	69.7	1187 of 5264	77.5%	★★★★☆
2021	78.2	160 of 1110	85.6%	★★★★☆
2019	59.6	1799 of 5173	65.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	62.6	1593 of 5084	68.7%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	73.1	1384 of 5628	75.4%	★★★★☆
2024	78.5	1121 of 5643	80.1%	★★★★☆
2023	69.2	1540 of 5638	72.7%	★★★★☆
2022	72.2	1432 of 5663	74.7%	★★★★☆
2021	75.9	286 of 1272	77.5%	★★★★☆
2019	70.2	1511 of 5510	72.6%	★★★★☆
2018	60.2	1923 of 5431	64.6%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2023	46.8	989 of 2420	59.1%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	54.5	1270 of 2598	51.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	61.3	1085 of 2651	59.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	38.5	1759 of 2661	33.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	48.9	1497 of 2726	45.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	41.2	1819 of 2834	35.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	39.9	1824 of 2737	33.4%	★★☆☆☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	79.7	479 of 2761	82.7%	★★★★☆
2024	80.3	472 of 2783	83.0%	★★★★☆
2023	81.8	442 of 2781	84.1%	★★★★☆
2022	79.3	493 of 2740	82.0%	★★★★☆
2021	76.5	168 of 894	81.2%	★★★★☆
2019	67.6	738 of 2715	72.8%	★★★★☆
2018	73.0	577 of 2480	76.7%	★★★★☆
2017	72.9	605 of 2508	75.9%	★★★★☆
2016	76.5	527 of 2497	78.9%	★★★★☆
2015	73.7	558 of 2477	77.5%	★★★★☆
2013	78.8	353 of 2379	85.2%	★★★★☆
2012	76.5	388 of 2259	82.8%	★★★★☆
2011	76.7	370 of 2236	83.5%	★★★★☆
2010	76.6	387 of 2179	82.2%	★★★★☆
2009	71.2	487 of 2063	76.4%	★★★★☆
2008	60.5	695 of 2005	65.3%	★★★☆☆
2007	60.3	674 of 1999	66.3%	★★★☆☆
2006	69.6	464 of 1804	74.3%	★★★★☆
2005	67.8	478 of 1777	73.1%	★★★★☆
2004	65.8	505 of 1769	71.5%	★★★★☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	82.6	154 of 1531	89.9%	★★★★★
2021	82.7	26 of 354	92.7%	★★★★★
2019	56.2	455 of 1491	69.5%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	78.7	472 of 2533	81.4%	★★★★☆
2024	77.4	487 of 2551	80.9%	★★★★☆
2023	68.9	645 of 2531	74.5%	★★★★☆
2022	68.4	640 of 2509	74.5%	★★★★☆
2021	71.5	179 of 738	75.7%	★★★★☆
2019	61.8	800 of 2380	66.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	69.7	600 of 2262	73.5%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	80.2	319 of 2395	86.7%	★★★★☆
2024	83.8	241 of 2388	89.9%	★★★★☆
2023	81.4	286 of 2374	88.0%	★★★★☆
2022	91.2	125 of 2359	94.7%	★★★★★
2019	52.4	872 of 2213	60.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	62.6	609 of 2072	70.6%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	71.6	501 of 2542	80.3%	★★★★☆
2024	84.0	278 of 2579	89.2%	★★★★☆
2023	85.1	244 of 2531	90.4%	★★★★★
2022	78.6	326 of 2458	86.7%	★★★★☆
2021	75.6	114 of 721	84.2%	★★★★☆
2019	80.3	303 of 2369	87.2%	★★★★☆
2018	71.7	448 of 2230	79.9%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	76.6	492 of 2534	80.6%	★★★★☆
2024	80.9	412 of 2552	83.9%	★★★★☆
2023	90.8	226 of 2538	91.1%	★★★★★
2022	85.8	335 of 2527	86.7%	★★★★☆
2021	78.8	125 of 763	83.6%	★★★★☆
2019	70.0	613 of 2407	74.5%	★★★★☆
2018	74.6	507 of 2273	77.7%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	63.2	552 of 1520	63.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	66.0	487 of 1537	68.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	67.6	455 of 1543	70.5%	★★★★☆
2022	56.0	654 of 1555	57.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	51.9	754 of 1602	52.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	56.5	652 of 1496	56.4%	★★★☆☆

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)

Elementary school

Hispanic (2025)84th percentile+8 vs school

Disabled (2022)81st percentile+7 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)79th percentile+3 vs school

Male (2025)75th percentile~ school

Female (2025)73rd percentile-3 vs school

Special Education (2023)59th percentile-11 vs school

White (2025)51st percentile-25 vs school

Middle school

Disabled (2022)90th percentile+8 vs school

Hispanic (2025)87th percentile+4 vs school

Female (2025)81st percentile~ school

Male (2025)81st percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)80th percentile~ school

White (2025)64th percentile-19 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy60%+11 vs state

Mathematics58%+21 vs state

Science46%+13 vs state

1.0

1 rating

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Schools Near Carlton Hills 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 Immunizations Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				CAST Science (2025)			Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy (2025)							Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2025)							% Completely Immunized (2022)	% Polio (2022)	% DTP (2022)	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/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	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	% DTP KG	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Carlton Hills Elementary	Public	K-8	9353 Pike Rd.	Santee	92071	San Diego County	Santee	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 258-3400	601	26	23.1	47.9%	314 (52.2%)	7 (1.2%)	198 (32.9%)	33 (5.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	49 (8.2%)	73.8	1425^th of 5857 public elementary schools	75.7%		77.7	1259^th of 5869 public elementary schools	78.5%	166	42.0	48.4	45.5	46.8	66.1	64.0	44.3	59.8	77.4	60.1	61.7	66.1	54.0	52.5	56.3	58.1	57.9				$13,198	$12,280	$918
Rio Seco Elementary	Public	K-8	9545 Cuyamaca St.	Santee	92071	San Diego County	Santee	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 956-5500	913	39	23.4	42.5%	465 (50.9%)	7 (0.8%)	246 (26.9%)	75 (8.2%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (0.7%)	114 (12.5%)	79	1195^th of 5857 public elementary schools	79.6%		82.2	1064^th of 5869 public elementary schools	81.9%	131	50.0	52.5	51.4	58.0	61.8	61.5	64.6	66.3	60.2	61.9	60.2	67.6	50.0	46.9	64.9	58.5	58.3				$12,838	$12,028	$810
PRIDE Academy at Prospect Avenue	Public	K-8	9303 Prospect Ave.	Santee	92071	San Diego County	Santee	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 956-5200	548	22	25.1	57.5%	206 (37.6%)	8 (1.5%)	227 (41.4%)	47 (8.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	59 (10.8%)	69.9	1606^th of 5857 public elementary schools	72.6%		71.5	1529^th of 5869 public elementary schools	73.9%	77	46.8	44.4	45.6	60.7	45.6	61.3	55.1	48.2	73.0	57.4	67.9	45.6	41.9	49.0	38.9	60.3	50.6				$14,937	$13,934	$1,003
Carlton Oaks Elementary	Public	K-8	9353 Wethersfield Rd.	Santee	92071	San Diego County	Santee	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 956-4500	823	36	22.8	37.5%	412 (50.1%)	10 (1.2%)	240 (29.2%)	47 (5.7%)	1 (0.1%)	2 (0.2%)	111 (13.5%)	72.1	1514^th of 5857 public elementary schools	74.2%		77.2	1279^th of 5869 public elementary schools	78.2%	235	41.4	46.2	44.2	60.4	65.0	58.6	58.1	58.6	50.0	58.3	56.5	56.8	28.6	52.3	60.6	56.5	52.9				$12,856	$12,046	$810
Sycamore Canyon Elementary	Public	K-6	10201 Settle Rd.	Santee	92071	San Diego County	Santee	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 956-5400	373	18	20.7	37.0%	192 (51.5%)	8 (2.1%)	112 (30.0%)	13 (3.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	48 (12.9%)	83	1018^th of 5857 public elementary schools	82.6%		87.9	817^th of 5869 public elementary schools	86.1%	201	52.0		52.0	65.2	54.2	68.0	72.7			63.9	76.1	54.2	62.0	54.6			62.7	96.9	96.9	96.9	$13,848	$13,038	$810
Chet F. Harritt Elementary	Public	K-8	8120 Arlette St.	Santee	92071	San Diego County	Santee	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 258-4800	606	24	25.4	46.4%	288 (47.5%)	19 (3.1%)	200 (33.0%)	23 (3.8%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	75 (12.4%)	67.9	1692^nd of 5857 public elementary schools	71.1%		73.1	1446^th of 5869 public elementary schools	75.4%	246	34.3	34.4	34.4	50.0	65.6	56.1	76.7	54.6	42.6	57.3	50.7	50.8	33.3	51.7	39.4	29.5	42.6				$12,095	$11,186	$909
Santee Alternative	Public	K-8	10250 El Nopal	Santee	92071	San Diego County	Santee	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 956-2490	11	1	11.0	45.5%	6 (54.5%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (36.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (9.1%)								(n/a)																					$40,274	$39,464	$810
Cajon Park Elementary	Public	K-8	10300 Magnolia Ave.	Santee	92071	San Diego County	Santee	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 956-2400	830	35	23.7	48.8%	508 (61.2%)	6 (0.7%)	200 (24.1%)	22 (2.7%)	1 (0.1%)	3 (0.4%)	90 (10.8%)	51.7	2519^th of 5857 public elementary schools	57.0%		55.9	2242^nd of 5869 public elementary schools	61.8%	277	28.9	43.0	37.1	53.2	38.9	48.8	57.5	59.3	65.5	55.0	46.8	37.0	27.4	35.8	43.3	45.6	39.6				$13,544	$12,608	$936
Santee Success Program	Public	K-8	10280 North Magnolia Ave.	Santee	92071	San Diego County	Santee	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 956-2453	5	1	5.0		2 (40.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (40.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (20.0%)								(n/a)																					$81,290	$80,480	$810
Hill Creek Elementary	Public	K-8	9665 Jeremy St.	Santee	92071	San Diego County	Santee	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 956-5000	695	29	23.8	47.3%	364 (52.4%)	5 (0.7%)	219 (31.5%)	29 (4.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	78 (11.2%)	74.7	1385^th of 5857 public elementary schools	76.4%		67.6	1700^th of 5869 public elementary schools	71.0%	315	54.1	44.4	49.6	51.3	69.0	62.2	72.9	66.2	82.5	66.6	50.0	60.6	54.1	30.0	36.4	44.4	46.6				$13,326	$12,516	$810

Frequently Asked Questions about Carlton Hills Elementary

What schools do graduates of Carlton Hills Elementary attend?

Students who attend Carlton Hills Elementary usually go on to attend:

High : West Hills High

How many students attend Carlton Hills Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 601 students attended Carlton Hills Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Carlton Hills Elementary?

Students at Carlton Hills Elementary are 52% White, 33% Hispanic, 8% Two or more races, 5% Asian, 1% African American.

What district is Carlton Hills Elementary in?

Santee

Is Carlton Hills Elementary a good school?

Carlton Hills Elementary ranks 1425^th of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

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Latest California data All new data »

2024–25 school spending dataJul 1, 2026

2024–25 attendance dataMar 13, 2026

2024–25 CSA Spanish test scoresDec 22, 2025

2024–25 dropout rates & graduation ratesNov 14, 2025

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.