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Rio Seco Elementary

Q: Is Rio Seco Elementary a good school?

Rio Seco Elementary ranks 1195 th of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-8

1195^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,857 California Elementary Schools

Better than 80% of California elementary schools

Summary

Rio Seco Elementary is a public K-8 school in Santee, California, serving 920 students. This high-performing school consistently ranks among the top 20% of elementary schools in the state, with strong academic achievement across grade levels and subject areas.

Rio Seco Elementary's students outperform their peers in the Santee School District and across California on Smarter Balanced Assessments. In 2024-2025, the school's proficiency rates in English Language Arts and Mathematics were significantly higher than the district and state averages. The school also excels in supporting certain student subgroups, such as Hispanic and Special Education students, whose performance has improved in recent years.

While Rio Seco Elementary's academic success is noteworthy, the school has seen a concerning increase in chronic absenteeism, from 9.7% in 2021-2022 to 24.9% in 2022-2023. This trend warrants further investigation and targeted interventions to address the underlying causes. Overall, Rio Seco Elementary is a standout institution within the Santee School District, offering a high-quality education to its diverse student population.

913

Students ?

23.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$15,245

Per pupil spending ?

42.5%

Free/discounted lunch ?

9545 Cuyamaca St.
Santee, CA 92071-2674

(619) 956-5500

District: Santee

Students who attend Rio Seco Elementary usually attend:

High:

Santana High

Racial breakdown:

White:

50.9%

Hispanic:

26.9%

Two or more races:

12.5%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Rio Seco Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 86th percentile in 2015 → 80th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the California average (59% vs 41% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 20% of California elementary schools

✓Among the top-ranked schools in Santee

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 6 percentile points since 2015

!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 school59%

District avg53%

California avg41%

Elementary school

1,195^th of 5,857

California public elementary schools ?

Top 20%▼ down 6 pts since 2015

From top 14% (2015) to top 20% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

Middle school

388^th of 2,761

California public middle schools ?

Top 14%▼ down 5 pts since 2015

From top 9% (2015) to top 14% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd 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	79.0	1195 of 5857	79.6%	★★★★☆
2024	82.2	1064 of 5869	81.9%	★★★★☆
2023	85.9	915 of 5859	84.4%	★★★★☆
2022	81.3	1131 of 5883	80.8%	★★★★☆
2021	85.7	197 of 1417	86.1%	★★★★☆
2019	81.1	1117 of 5789	80.7%	★★★★☆
2018	84.7	905 of 5662	84.0%	★★★★☆
2017	84.1	953 of 5692	83.3%	★★★★☆
2016	88.2	726 of 5614	87.1%	★★★★☆
2015	86.9	783 of 5611	86.0%	★★★★☆
2013	84.5	793 of 5530	85.7%	★★★★☆
2012	84.9	733 of 5390	86.4%	★★★★☆
2011	77.1	1152 of 5377	78.6%	★★★★☆
2010	88.5	540 of 5314	89.8%	★★★★☆
2009	86.7	664 of 5193	87.2%	★★★★☆
2008	86.8	666 of 5113	87.0%	★★★★☆
2007	79.1	1005 of 5113	80.3%	★★★★☆
2006	80.0	965 of 4818	80.0%	★★★★☆
2005	73.5	1188 of 4822	75.4%	★★★★☆
2004	68.3	1355 of 4809	71.8%	★★★★☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	79.6	309 of 2227	86.1%	★★★★☆
2021	75.7	46 of 293	84.3%	★★★★☆
2019	74.3	432 of 2585	83.3%	★★★★☆
2018	65.1	489 of 2128	77.0%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	80.6	1051 of 5597	81.2%	★★★★☆
2024	82.5	985 of 5612	82.4%	★★★★☆
2023	83.6	958 of 5609	82.9%	★★★★☆
2022	78.3	1185 of 5635	79.0%	★★★★☆
2021	84.2	198 of 1267	84.4%	★★★★☆
2019	82.1	980 of 5492	82.2%	★★★★☆
2018	85.1	824 of 5413	84.8%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	74.4	986 of 5107	80.7%	★★★★☆
2024	82.6	627 of 5107	87.7%	★★★★☆
2023	92.9	239 of 5087	95.3%	★★★★★
2022	82.6	649 of 5084	87.2%	★★★★☆
2019	73.1	1008 of 4963	79.7%	★★★★☆
2018	91.1	265 of 4830	94.5%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	81.6	710 of 5460	87.0%	★★★★☆
2024	65.6	1467 of 5517	73.4%	★★★★☆
2023	80.4	760 of 5363	85.8%	★★★★☆
2022	81.0	718 of 5264	86.4%	★★★★☆
2021	88.7	75 of 1110	93.2%	★★★★★
2019	84.7	507 of 5173	90.2%	★★★★★
2018	86.2	442 of 5084	91.3%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	73.1	1382 of 5628	75.4%	★★★★☆
2024	78.5	1126 of 5643	80.0%	★★★★☆
2023	84.9	872 of 5638	84.5%	★★★★☆
2022	82.0	1012 of 5663	82.1%	★★★★☆
2021	84.9	190 of 1272	85.1%	★★★★☆
2019	77.7	1189 of 5510	78.4%	★★★★☆
2018	81.1	1013 of 5431	81.3%	★★★★☆

Military Connected

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	72.6	35 of 153	77.1%	★★★★☆
2024	80.4	18 of 118	84.7%	★★★★☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	49.2	424 of 718	40.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	51.1	389 of 670	41.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	40.4	459 of 669	31.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	34.6	434 of 610	28.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	72.7	114 of 445	74.4%	★★★★☆
2018	71.6	98 of 339	71.1%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	54.7	920 of 2847	67.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	75.3	423 of 2635	83.9%	★★★★☆
2023	83.3	261 of 2420	89.2%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	53.4	1312 of 2598	49.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	58.6	1174 of 2651	55.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	67.0	895 of 2661	66.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	61.5	1100 of 2726	59.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	68.0	895 of 2834	68.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	65.3	996 of 2737	63.6%	★★★☆☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	84.1	388 of 2761	85.9%	★★★★☆
2024	86.4	357 of 2783	87.2%	★★★★☆
2023	83.1	406 of 2781	85.4%	★★★★☆
2022	79.2	497 of 2740	81.9%	★★★★☆
2021	80.1	145 of 894	83.8%	★★★★☆
2019	82.1	433 of 2715	84.1%	★★★★☆
2018	85.8	327 of 2480	86.8%	★★★★☆
2017	87.4	302 of 2508	88.0%	★★★★☆
2016	89.6	235 of 2497	90.6%	★★★★★
2015	89.7	231 of 2477	90.7%	★★★★★
2013	77.0	402 of 2379	83.1%	★★★★☆
2012	74.1	476 of 2259	78.9%	★★★★☆
2011	69.0	585 of 2236	73.8%	★★★★☆
2010	82.3	249 of 2179	88.6%	★★★★☆
2009	73.5	434 of 2063	79.0%	★★★★☆
2008	83.9	214 of 2005	89.3%	★★★★☆
2007	73.0	427 of 1999	78.6%	★★★★☆
2006	85.0	206 of 1804	88.6%	★★★★☆
2005	77.2	326 of 1777	81.7%	★★★★☆
2004	52.5	731 of 1769	58.7%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	73.1	247 of 1531	83.9%	★★★★☆
2021	79.0	38 of 354	89.3%	★★★★☆
2019	74.8	234 of 1491	84.3%	★★★★☆
2018	70.9	246 of 1369	82.0%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	82.4	392 of 2533	84.5%	★★★★☆
2024	81.3	416 of 2551	83.7%	★★★★☆
2023	78.3	470 of 2531	81.4%	★★★★☆
2022	80.7	414 of 2509	83.5%	★★★★☆
2021	80.4	118 of 738	84.0%	★★★★☆
2019	81.9	392 of 2380	83.5%	★★★★☆
2018	81.5	373 of 2262	83.5%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	82.8	271 of 2395	88.7%	★★★★☆
2024	90.8	133 of 2388	94.4%	★★★★★
2023	90.4	134 of 2374	94.4%	★★★★★
2022	62.6	658 of 2359	72.1%	★★★★☆
2019	89.8	138 of 2213	93.8%	★★★★★
2018	88.6	159 of 2072	92.3%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	80.0	336 of 2542	86.8%	★★★★☆
2024	85.3	264 of 2579	89.8%	★★★★☆
2023	76.5	392 of 2531	84.5%	★★★★☆
2022	77.0	357 of 2458	85.5%	★★★★☆
2021	86.2	51 of 721	92.9%	★★★★★
2019	76.2	365 of 2369	84.6%	★★★★☆
2018	75.8	363 of 2230	83.7%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	83.0	385 of 2534	84.8%	★★★★☆
2024	87.5	300 of 2552	88.2%	★★★★☆
2023	85.0	342 of 2538	86.5%	★★★★☆
2022	74.4	546 of 2527	78.4%	★★★★☆
2021	78.4	129 of 763	83.1%	★★★★☆
2019	79.9	424 of 2407	82.4%	★★★★☆
2018	87.3	278 of 2273	87.8%	★★★★☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	50.0	375 of 726	48.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	48.3	373 of 701	46.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	52.6	336 of 677	50.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	72.6	148 of 554	73.3%	★★★★☆
2018	79.7	77 of 462	83.3%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	63.6	363 of 1566	76.8%	★★★★☆
2024	75.0	230 of 1552	85.2%	★★★★☆
2023	68.2	284 of 1531	81.5%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	72.0	388 of 1520	74.5%	★★★★☆
2024	71.0	409 of 1537	73.4%	★★★★☆
2023	63.8	515 of 1543	66.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	67.2	470 of 1555	69.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	60.7	621 of 1602	61.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	70.1	438 of 1496	70.7%	★★★★☆

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)

Elementary school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)87th percentile+7 vs school

Disabled (2022)86th percentile+5 vs school

Female (2025)81st percentile~ school

Hispanic (2025)81st percentile~ school

Military Connected (2025)77th percentile~ school

Male (2025)75th percentile-4 vs school

Special Education (2025)68th percentile-12 vs school

White (2025)49th percentile-30 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)41st percentile-39 vs school

Middle school

Hispanic (2025)89th percentile+3 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)87th percentile~ school

Male (2025)85th percentile~ school

Female (2025)85th percentile~ school

Disabled (2022)84th percentile~ school

Special Education (2025)77th percentile-9 vs school

White (2025)74th percentile-11 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)48th percentile-38 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy62%+13 vs state

Mathematics58%+21 vs state

Science51%+19 vs state

★

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Schools Near Rio Seco Elementary

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 (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	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
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				$15,245	$705	$14,540
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				$16,159	$743	$15,416
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)																					$36,101	$705	$35,396
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				$16,154	$803	$15,351
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)																					$105,626	$705	$104,921
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				$15,815	$709	$15,106
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				$16,310	$830	$15,480
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	$16,503	$705	$15,798
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				$15,766	$702	$15,064
Pepper Drive Elementary	Public	K-8	1935 Marlinda Way	El Cajon	92021	San Diego County	Santee	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 956-5100	661	27	24.5	58.2%	288 (43.6%)	29 (4.4%)	257 (38.9%)	31 (4.7%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.3%)	54 (8.2%)	59	2119^th of 5857 public elementary schools	63.8%		59.6	2084^th of 5869 public elementary schools	64.5%	35	42.3	31.3	35.6	53.5	52.6	59.6	46.9	55.8	57.5	54.0	46.6	51.3	28.9	32.1	32.6	36.3	37.9				$16,633	$876	$15,757

Frequently Asked Questions about Rio Seco Elementary

What district is Rio Seco Elementary in?

Santee

What schools do graduates of Rio Seco Elementary attend?

Students who attend Rio Seco Elementary usually go on to attend:

High : Santana High

What is the racial makeup of Rio Seco Elementary?

Students at Rio Seco Elementary are 51% White, 27% Hispanic, 12% Two or more races, 8% Asian.

Is Rio Seco Elementary a good school?

Rio Seco Elementary ranks 1195^th of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Rio Seco Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 913 students attended Rio Seco Elementary.

Rate Rio Seco Elementary!

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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.