Is Monterey Highlands Elementary a good school?

Yes. Monterey Highlands Elementary ranks in the top 9.2% of California elementary schools.

How many students attend Monterey Highlands Elementary?

In the 2023-24 school year, 919 students attended Monterey Highlands Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Monterey Highlands Elementary?

Students at Monterey Highlands Elementary are 58% Asian, 34% Hispanic, 5% Two or more races, 2% White.

What schools do graduates of Monterey Highlands Elementary attend?

Students who attend Monterey Highlands Elementary usually go on to attend: High : Mark Keppel High

Monterey Highlands Elementary

Summary:

Monterey Highlands Elementary is a highly successful public elementary school serving grades K-8 in Monterey Park, California, with 931 students. It is part of the Alhambra Unified School District, which is ranked 266 out of 1,568 districts in California and has a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger. Monterey Highlands Elementary has consistently been ranked among the top elementary schools in California, with a 5-star rating from SchoolDigger in the most recent school year.

Monterey Highlands Elementary stands out for its exceptional academic performance, consistently outperforming the Alhambra Unified School District and the state of California in standardized test scores across all grade levels and subject areas. For example, in the 2023-2024 school year, 75% of Monterey Highlands students were proficient or better in English Language Arts/Literacy, compared to 63.53% for the Alhambra Unified School District and 47.04% for the state of California. The school also has consistently high performance across different student subgroups, ranking in the top 5% of California elementary schools for English Language Learners and low socioeconomic status students. Additionally, Monterey Highlands Elementary has relatively low chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 2.7% to 10.8%, significantly lower than the nearby Alhambra Unified schools.

Compared to other schools in the area, Monterey Highlands Elementary stands out as a top-performing institution. Its academic excellence, commitment to equity, and positive learning environment make it a standout in the local community and the state of California. While the school is already highly successful, there may be opportunities for further improvement, such as exploring strategies to support the academic growth of specific student subgroups or reducing chronic absenteeism rates even further.

Detail:

Public K-8

400 Casuda Canyon Dr.
Monterey Park, CA 91754-2204

(626) 570-6220

District: Alhambra Unified

SchoolDigger Rank:
538^th of 5,862 California Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $11,278

Students who attend Monterey Highlands Elementary usually attend:

High:

Mark Keppel High

Student/teacher ratio: 23.8

Number of students: 919

Racial breakdown:

Asian:

58.0%

Hispanic:

34.3%

Two or more races:

5.0%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 44.1%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Monterey Highlands Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Monterey Highlands Elementary ranks better than 90.8% of elementary schools in California. It also ranks first among 13 ranked elementary schools in the Alhambra Unified School District! (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 92.5. (See more...)

Compare Details Monterey Highlands Elementary ranks better than 97% of middle schools in California. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 97.18. (See more...)

Chronic absenteeism in a school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.

Student Body

Compare Details Monterey Highlands Elementary has the largest elementary school student body size in the Alhambra Unified School District. Racial makeup is: Asian (58%), Hispanic (34.3%), two or more races (5%). (See more...)

Compare Details 44.1% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Monterey Highlands Elementary is 23.8. 10 elementary schools in the Alhambra Unified School District have better student/teacher ratios. (See more...)

Compare Monterey Highlands Elementary employs 38.4 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Monterey Highlands Elementary is $11,278. 11 elementary schools in the Alhambra Unified School District spend more per student.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Monterey Highlands Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Monterey Highlands Elementary 538^th of 5862 California public elementary schools. (See Monterey Highlands Elementary in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

English Language Learner students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

Asian students:

Hispanic students:

SchoolDigger ranks Monterey Highlands Elementary 84^th of 2777 California public middle schools. (See Monterey Highlands Elementary in the ranking list.)

Middle School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

Asian students:

Hispanic students:

Alhambra Unified:

SchoolDigger ranks Alhambra Unified 266^th of 1568 California school districts. (See district ranking list.)

Average Parent Rating:

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Rank History for Monterey Highlands Elementary

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Rank History for all elementary school students at Monterey Highlands Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2007	79.63	983^rd	5113	80.8%
2008	82.06	880^th	5113	82.8%
2009	81.75	904^th	5193	82.6%
2010	85.70	692^nd	5314	87.0%
2011	80.65	965^th	5377	82.1%
2012	76.44	1205^th	5390	77.6%
2013	83.93	824^th	5530	85.1%
2015	87.26	768^th	5611	86.3%
2016	86.53	822^nd	5614	85.4%
2017	89.25	679^th	5692	88.1%
2018	90.34	616^th	5662	89.1%
2019	89.53	667^th	5789	88.5%
2022	91.52	622^nd	5883	89.4%
2023	92.34	549^th	5874	90.7%
2024	92.50	538^th	5862	90.8%

See the entire list of California Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for elementary school English Language Learner students at Monterey Highlands Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	88.54	205^th	3246	93.7%
2019	91.83	142^nd	3275	95.7%
2022	91.83	144^th	3311	95.7%
2023	84.53	207^th	3250	93.6%
2024	89.63	117^th	3160	96.3%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for English Language Learner Students!

Rank History for elementary school Low Socio Economic Status students at Monterey Highlands Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	87.52	392^nd	5084	92.3%
2019	89.28	313^th	5173	93.9%
2022	87.94	432^nd	5264	91.8%
2023	92.09	309^th	5374	94.3%
2024	90.14	444^th	5511	91.9%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for elementary school Female students at Monterey Highlands Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	90.93	518^th	5413	90.4%
2019	87.71	675^th	5492	87.7%
2022	91.20	567^th	5635	89.9%
2023	93.49	401^st	5617	92.9%
2024	91.94	503^rd	5605	91.0%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for elementary school Male students at Monterey Highlands Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	86.93	742^nd	5431	86.3%
2019	88.30	674^th	5510	87.8%
2022	88.76	697^th	5663	87.7%
2023	87.65	742^nd	5650	86.9%
2024	89.21	655^th	5636	88.4%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for elementary school Asian students at Monterey Highlands Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	68.61	389^th	1071	63.7%
2019	71.22	351^st	1149	69.5%
2022	64.92	496^th	1154	57.0%
2023	68.40	442^nd	1190	62.9%
2024	68.68	435^th	1203	63.8%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Asian Students!

Rank History for elementary school Hispanic students at Monterey Highlands Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	79.63	706^th	4830	85.4%
2019	74.81	928^th	4963	81.3%
2022	82.25	661^st	5084	87.0%
2023	85.68	521^st	5098	89.8%
2024	84.84	550^th	5102	89.2%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Hispanic Students!

Data source: test scores: California Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

Rank History for Monterey Highlands Elementary

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Rank History for all middle school students at Monterey Highlands Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	CA State Percentile
2007	73.05	422^nd	1999	78.9%
2008	68.19	521^st	2005	74.0%
2009	69.73	523^rd	2063	74.6%
2010	76.71	381^st	2179	82.5%
2011	79.42	304^th	2236	86.4%
2012	70.87	552^nd	2259	75.6%
2013	78.03	373^rd	2379	84.3%
2015	89.19	244^th	2477	90.1%
2016	83.97	351^st	2497	85.9%
2017	88.70	274^th	2508	89.1%
2018	92.05	188^th	2480	92.4%
2019	92.28	210^th	2715	92.3%
2022	96.19	108^th	2740	96.1%
2023	97.52	77^th	2802	97.3%
2024	97.18	84^th	2777	97.0%

See the entire list of California Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for middle school English Language Learner students at Monterey Highlands Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	91.27	68^th	1364	95.0%
2019	93.93	39^th	1442	97.3%
2022	93.68	43^rd	1540	97.2%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for English Language Learner Students!

Rank History for middle school Low Socio Economic Status students at Monterey Highlands Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	93.40	83^rd	2230	96.3%
2019	92.43	114^th	2369	95.2%
2022	96.00	64^th	2458	97.4%
2023	97.98	32^nd	2549	98.7%
2024	97.72	51^st	2575	98.0%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for middle school Female students at Monterey Highlands Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	92.61	156^th	2262	93.1%
2019	93.88	131^st	2380	94.5%
2022	94.76	132^nd	2509	94.7%
2023	96.36	89^th	2547	96.5%
2024	96.31	89^th	2546	96.5%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for middle school Disabled students at Monterey Highlands Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	71.73	235^th	1369	82.8%
2019	81.31	174^th	1491	88.3%
2022	59.12	420^th	1531	72.6%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Disabled Students!

Rank History for middle school Male students at Monterey Highlands Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	87.77	268^th	2273	88.2%
2019	87.03	302^nd	2407	87.5%
2022	96.24	97^th	2527	96.2%
2023	97.48	67^th	2558	97.4%
2024	96.26	97^th	2547	96.2%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for middle school Asian students at Monterey Highlands Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	69.85	239^th	700	65.9%
2019	69.81	248^th	745	66.7%
2022	80.40	100^th	733	86.4%
2023	83.32	63^rd	718	91.2%
2024	82.99	70^th	741	90.6%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Asian Students!

Rank History for middle school Hispanic students at Monterey Highlands Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	88.37	161^st	2072	92.2%
2019	83.20	245^th	2213	88.9%
2022	93.54	84^th	2359	96.4%
2023	94.91	73^rd	2391	96.9%
2024	89.03	157^th	2383	93.4%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Hispanic Students!

Data source: test scores: California Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Data source: California Department of Education

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 4)

100%

Reviews:
No reviews have been submitted!

Enrollment information for Monterey Highlands Elementary

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
2005	31	4	561	272	3	n/a	n/a	0	871
2006	37	6	539	274	0	n/a	n/a	1	857
2007	35	7	533	266	0	n/a	n/a	3	844
2008	39	7	532	259	n/a	n/a	n/a	0	837
2009	27	4	550	269	1	2	11	0	864
2010	27	3	532	283	3	1	12	0	861
2011	25	4	511	326	3	0	14	0	883
2012	25	4	501	348	3	0	27	0	908
2013	23	4	528	378	4	0	32	0	969
2014	18	6	530	391	5	0	44	0	994
2015	20	4	536	371	5	0	42	0	978
2016	23	5	530	359	5	0	40	0	962
2017	22	4	553	351	3	0	38	0	971
2018	26	3	569	345	2	3	38	0	986
2019	21	5	595	359	1	3	41	0	1025
2020	21	2	578	354	1	2	47	0	1005
2021	22	2	578	338	3	2	46	0	991
2022	18	2	533	339	2	2	50	0	946
2023	16	2	533	332	0	1	47	0	931
2024	20	4	533	315	0	1	46	0	919

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Monterey Highlands Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2005	871	36.6	23.8	56.7
2006	857	35.0	24.5	60.2
2007	844	37.8	22.3	58.4
2008	837	40.8	20.5	61.6
2009	864	39.0	20.6	59.5
2010	861	39.6	21.7	58.9
2011	883	n/a	n/a	58.4
2012	908	36.8	24.6	n/a
2013	969	35.8	27.0	58.3
2014	994	37.6	26.3	50.5
2015	978	38.0	25.7	51.4
2016	962	37.0	26.0	52.3
2017	971	36.8	26.3	47.6
2018	986	36.2	27.2	48
2019	1025	38.2	26.8	44.4
2020	1005	n/a	n/a	45
2021	991	38.2	25.9	39.7
2022	946	41.0	23.0	36.3
2023	931	37.2	25.0	38.7
2024	919	38.4	23.8	44.1

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Monterey Highlands Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2005	871	36.6	23.8	56.7
2006	857	35.0	24.5	60.2
2007	844	37.8	22.3	58.4
2008	837	40.8	20.5	61.6
2009	864	39.0	20.6	59.5
2010	861	39.6	21.7	58.9
2011	883	n/a	n/a	58.4
2012	908	36.8	24.6	n/a
2013	969	35.8	27.0	58.3
2014	994	37.6	26.3	50.5
2015	978	38.0	25.7	51.4
2016	962	37.0	26.0	52.3
2017	971	36.8	26.3	47.6
2018	986	36.2	27.2	48
2019	1025	38.2	26.8	44.4
2020	1005	n/a	n/a	45
2021	991	38.2	25.9	39.7
2022	946	41.0	23.0	36.3
2023	931	37.2	25.0	38.7
2024	919	38.4	23.8	44.1

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.

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