Best Public Schools in Zip Code 91916

Summary:

Zip code 91916 in Descanso, California, is served by a single public elementary school, Descanso Elementary, which educates about 188 students in grades K-6 within the larger Mountain Empire Unified school district.

Descanso Elementary stands out as a high-performing school, particularly in English Language Arts, where 65% of students are proficient—a rate much higher than both the district (26%) and state (49%) averages. This strength is especially evident in the upper grades, with sixth graders reaching 84% proficiency. The school also performs well in science and has a lower rate of chronic student absenteeism than surrounding areas, indicating a positive and engaged school climate.

While mathematics performance is solid and matches the state average, it is an area where the school has room to grow compared to its exceptional ELA results. The school benefits from a high level of funding per student, and its overall strong academic outcomes are notable given that the broader Mountain Empire Unified district is ranked in the bottom 12% in California, making Descanso Elementary a consistently successful institution within its community.

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores 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)					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 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 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 All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Descanso Elementary	Public	K-6	24842 Viejas Blvd.	Descanso	91916	San Diego County	Mountain Empire Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 445-2126	188	9	20.8	45.2%	102 (54.3%)	0 (0.0%)	74 (39.4%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (5.3%)	62.8	1928^th of 5857 public elementary schools	67.1%		74.6	1383^rd of 5869 public elementary schools	76.4%	545	39.3	39.3	33.3	60.0	78.6	84.2	65.0	27.8	42.9	25.0	57.9	38.0	$17,347	$1,884	$15,463

Cities Near Zip Code 91916

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Descanso	4.53 mi	1	246^th
Pine Valley	9.15 mi	8	636^th
Alpine	9.41 mi	7	251^st
Julian	10.88 mi	7	466^th
Ramona	11.03 mi	11	421^st

See the top CA California cities

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.