Best Public Schools in Descanso, CA

Summary:

The city of Descanso, California is home to a single elementary school, Descanso Elementary, which serves students from kindergarten through 6th grade. This standout school consistently outperforms the Mountain Empire Unified School District and the state of California in academic assessments, particularly in English Language Arts/Literacy and Mathematics.

Descanso Elementary boasts impressive academic achievements, with 56.78% of students proficient or better in ELA/Literacy, compared to just 24.95% for the district and 47.04% for the state. The school also excels in science, with 66.67% of students proficient or better on the CAST assessment, far surpassing the district's 13.36% and the state's 30.7%. Additionally, Descanso Elementary has seen a steady improvement in its statewide ranking, moving from 2173 out of 5,883 California elementary schools in 2021-2022 to 1,380 out of 5,862 in 2023-2024, earning a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger.

While Descanso Elementary faces some challenges, such as a relatively high chronic absenteeism rate of 28.7%, the school's overall performance and improvement suggest it is providing a quality education to its diverse student population, with 35% of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. The school's consistent academic excellence and growing statewide recognition make it a standout choice for families in the Descanso area.

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2024)				Ranking (2023)				CAST Science (2024)		Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy (2024)					Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2024)					Per Pupil Expenditures (2018)
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 (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	SchoolDigger Rating (2024)	Average Standard Score (2023)	Statewide Rank (2023)	State Percentile (2023)	Rank Change from Previous Year	CAST Science 5th Grade	CAST Science End of Course	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 End of Course	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 End of Course	Total
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	200	8	24.3	35.0%	112 (56.0%)	3 (1.5%)	78 (39.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (2.5%)	74.6	1380^th of 5862 public elementary schools	76.5%		66.3	1742^nd of 5874 public elementary schools	70.3%	362	66.7	66.7	50.0	64.5	66.7	45.5	56.8	65.8	58.1	37.0	36.4	51.7

Cities Near Descanso

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Pine Valley	9.15 mi	8	601^st
Alpine	9.41 mi	7	201^st
Julian	10.88 mi	7	501^st
Ramona	11.03 mi	11	429^th
El Cajon	11.69 mi	53	549^th

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.