Is Crest Elementary a good school?

Crest Elementary ranks in the bottom 18.9% of California elementary schools.

How many students attend Crest Elementary?

In the 2023-24 school year, 269 students attended Crest Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Crest Elementary?

Students at Crest Elementary are 56% White, 29% Hispanic, 12% Two or more races, 1% Pacific Islander.

What schools do graduates of Crest Elementary attend?

Students who attend Crest Elementary usually go on to attend: Middle : Los Coches Creek Middle High : Granite Hills High

Crest Elementary

Summary:

Crest Elementary is a public elementary school located in El Cajon, California, serving grades K-8 with a student population of 259. The school is part of the Cajon Valley Union School District, which is ranked 1180 out of 1568 districts in California and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Crest Elementary consistently performs below the district and state averages in standardized test scores, with proficiency rates in English Language Arts and Mathematics significantly lower than the district and state. The school's performance has declined over the years, with its statewide ranking dropping from 2141 out of 5530 California elementary schools in 2012-2013 to 4754 out of 5862 in 2023-2024. Crest Elementary's performance is particularly low for certain student subgroups, such as White students and Low Socioeconomic Status students, who rank in the bottom 10-20% of California elementary schools. Additionally, the school has experienced a significant increase in chronic absenteeism, rising from 5.1% in 2017-2018 to 24.5% in 2022-2023, which is notably higher than the district and state averages.

Compared to nearby schools within the Cajon Valley Union district, such as Meridian Elementary, W.D. Hall Elementary, and Madison Avenue Elementary, Crest Elementary's academic performance is consistently lower. However, the school's performance is slightly better than Dehesa Elementary, which is also part of the Cajon Valley Union district and has similar demographic characteristics. Interestingly, the charter school Kidinnu Academy, located within 4 miles of Crest Elementary, outperforms the school and the district in both English Language Arts and Mathematics proficiency rates.

Detail:

Public K-8

2000 Suncrest Blvd.
El Cajon, CA 92021-4249

(619) 558-3128

District: Cajon Valley Union

SchoolDigger Rank:
4754^th of 5,862 California Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $11,827

Students who attend Crest Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Los Coches Creek Middle
High:	Granite Hills High

Student/teacher ratio: 26.9

Number of students: 269

Racial breakdown:

White:

55.8%

Hispanic:

29.4%

Two or more races:

11.5%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 52.8%

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Performance Trends

Compare Details Crest Elementary ranks worse than 81.1% of elementary schools in California. It also ranks 7^th among 19 ranked elementary schools in the Cajon Valley Union School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 21.11. (See more...)

Compare Details Crest Elementary ranks worse than 69.8% of middle schools in California. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 27.11. (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 Racial makeup is: White (55.8%), Hispanic (29.4%), two or more races (11.5%). (See more...)

Compare Details 52.8% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Crest Elementary is 26.9. 18 elementary schools in the Cajon Valley Union School District have better student/teacher ratios. (See more...)

Compare Crest Elementary employs 10 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Crest Elementary is $11,827, which is the 2^nd highest among 19 elementary schools in the Cajon Valley Union School District.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Crest Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Crest Elementary 4754^th of 5862 California public elementary schools. (See Crest Elementary in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

White students:

SchoolDigger ranks Crest Elementary 1938^th of 2777 California public middle schools. (See Crest Elementary in the ranking list.)

Middle School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

White students:

Cajon Valley Union:

SchoolDigger ranks Cajon Valley Union 1180^th of 1568 California school districts. (See district ranking list.)

Average Parent Rating:

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Rank History for Crest Elementary

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Rank History for all elementary school students at Crest Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2004	74.20	1148^th	4809	76.1%
2005	74.84	1128^th	4822	76.6%
2006	69.79	1349^th	4818	72.0%
2007	49.73	2348^th	5113	54.1%
2008	57.30	1976^th	5113	61.4%
2009	63.78	1735^th	5193	66.6%
2010	65.99	1674^th	5314	68.5%
2011	71.39	1429^th	5377	73.4%
2012	52.22	2487^th	5390	53.9%
2013	59.48	2141^st	5530	61.3%
2015	41.96	2907^th	5611	48.2%
2016	49.92	2493^rd	5614	55.6%
2017	41.46	3013^th	5692	47.1%
2018	44.51	2856^th	5662	49.6%
2019	52.77	2437^th	5789	57.9%
2022	29.43	3912^th	5883	33.5%
2023	27.56	4121^st	5874	29.8%
2024	21.11	4754^th	5862	18.9%

See the entire list of California Elementary School Rankings!

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

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2022	50.91	2226^th	5264	57.7%
2023	27.46	4122^nd	5374	23.3%
2024	21.00	4706^th	5511	14.6%

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

Rank History for elementary school Female students at Crest Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2022	46.14	2628^th	5635	53.4%
2023	33.62	3454^th	5617	38.5%
2024	21.45	4563^rd	5605	18.6%

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

Rank History for elementary school Male students at Crest Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	17.75	4762^nd	5431	12.3%
2022	28.98	3880^th	5663	31.5%
2023	24.17	4339^th	5650	23.2%
2024	21.87	4541^st	5636	19.4%

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

Rank History for elementary school White students at Crest Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	24.51	2222^nd	2737	18.8%
2022	15.22	2388^th	2726	12.4%
2023	14.34	2360^th	2662	11.3%
2024	7.55	2506^th	2647	5.3%

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

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

Rank History for Crest Elementary

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Rank History for all middle school students at Crest Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	CA State Percentile
2022	34.04	1651^st	2740	39.7%
2023	36.42	1581^st	2802	43.6%
2024	27.11	1938^th	2777	30.2%

See the entire list of California Elementary School Rankings!

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

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	31.67	1692^nd	2549	33.6%
2024	28.74	1833^rd	2575	28.8%

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

Rank History for middle school Female students at Crest Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	25.26	1883^rd	2547	26.1%
2024	19.63	2104^th	2546	17.4%

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

Rank History for middle school Male students at Crest Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	CA State Percentile
2022	40.24	1330^th	2527	47.4%
2023	39.12	1368^th	2558	46.5%
2024	34.81	1500^th	2547	41.1%

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

Rank History for middle school White students at Crest Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	CA State Percentile
2022	19.38	1287^th	1555	17.2%
2023	25.37	1168^th	1552	24.7%
2024	14.14	1353^rd	1535	11.9%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for White 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: 1)

100%

Reviews:

by a parent
Friday, January 31, 2020

Leadership at this school is effective.
Principal lacks any leadership skills. Does not follow California code of conduct. Looks good on the outside but it’s all a facade. Look deeper into this school. Go sit in the classrooms for a DAY. Close Quote

Enrollment information for Crest Elementary

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	282	2	1	22	3	n/a	n/a	0	310
1989	286	0	0	17	0	n/a	n/a	0	303
1990	272	0	0	18	2	n/a	n/a	0	292
1991	279	0	1	7	0	n/a	n/a	0	287
1992	293	2	0	8	1	n/a	n/a	0	304
1993	278	1	0	12	0	n/a	n/a	0	291
1994	267	2	1	9	0	n/a	n/a	0	279
1995	287	0	2	8	1	n/a	n/a	0	298
1996	287	0	2	8	1	n/a	n/a	0	298
1997	287	0	3	10	1	n/a	n/a	0	301
1998	271	2	0	12	1	n/a	n/a	0	286
1999	263	3	0	14	1	n/a	n/a	0	281
2000	272	3	0	13	2	n/a	n/a	0	290
2001	255	4	1	16	3	n/a	n/a	0	279
2002	221	1	0	18	2	n/a	n/a	0	242
2003	221	1	0	18	2	n/a	n/a	0	242
2004	202	3	0	30	4	n/a	n/a	0	239
2005	165	2	1	20	5	n/a	n/a	1	194
2006	149	1	1	28	5	n/a	n/a	3	187
2007	118	1	2	22	1	n/a	n/a	17	161
2008	114	1	3	17	2	n/a	n/a	0	137
2009	105	1	2	17	0	2	5	0	132
2010	96	2	4	20	1	1	3	0	127
2011	99	1	2	26	0	0	1	0	129
2012	93	0	3	24	0	1	1	0	122
2013	100	0	2	25	0	0	0	0	127
2014	107	0	2	32	2	1	0	0	144
2015	94	0	2	32	0	1	3	0	132
2016	97	0	1	35	0	0	12	0	145
2017	92	0	1	31	0	0	13	0	137
2018	82	2	2	34	1	0	12	0	133
2019	68	3	3	24	1	0	14	0	113
2020	53	4	1	27	1	0	19	0	105
2021	61	3	2	28	1	0	22	0	117
2022	144	6	2	55	1	0	38	0	246
2023	148	5	1	66	3	3	33	0	259
2024	150	2	2	79	2	3	31	0	269

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 Crest Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	310	11.5	26.9	n/a
1989	303	11.0	27.5	n/a
1990	292	11.2	26.0	n/a
1991	287	11.5	24.9	n/a
1992	304	11.7	25.9	17.4
1993	291	11.7	24.9	19.9
1994	279	10.0	27.9	24
1995	298	11.4	26.1	25.2
1996	298	11.4	26.1	25.2
1997	301	14.0	21.5	17.3
1998	286	14.0	20.4	17.8
1999	281	14.0	20.1	20.3
2000	290	13.0	22.3	18.6
2001	279	13.0	21.5	16.1
2002	242	12.2	19.8	19.8
2003	242	12.2	19.8	19.8
2004	239	11.2	21.3	24.3
2005	194	9.6	20.2	24.9
2006	187	9.2	20.3	20.1
2007	161	7.5	21.5	25
2008	137	8.5	16.1	26.3
2009	132	8.5	15.5	27.3
2010	127	7.5	16.9	42.5
2011	129	n/a	n/a	41.1
2012	122	5.0	24.4	n/a
2013	127	5.0	25.4	51.2
2014	144	6.0	24.0	52.1
2015	132	6.0	22.0	50.8
2016	145	6.0	24.1	44.1
2017	137	6.0	22.8	46
2018	133	6.0	22.1	36.8
2019	113	5.0	22.6	38.1
2020	105	n/a	n/a	36.2
2021	117	5.7	20.3	32.5
2022	246	10.0	24.6	22
2023	259	10.0	25.9	42.9
2024	269	10.0	26.9	52.8

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 Crest Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	310	11.5	26.9	n/a
1989	303	11.0	27.5	n/a
1990	292	11.2	26.0	n/a
1991	287	11.5	24.9	n/a
1992	304	11.7	25.9	17.4
1993	291	11.7	24.9	19.9
1994	279	10.0	27.9	24
1995	298	11.4	26.1	25.2
1996	298	11.4	26.1	25.2
1997	301	14.0	21.5	17.3
1998	286	14.0	20.4	17.8
1999	281	14.0	20.1	20.3
2000	290	13.0	22.3	18.6
2001	279	13.0	21.5	16.1
2002	242	12.2	19.8	19.8
2003	242	12.2	19.8	19.8
2004	239	11.2	21.3	24.3
2005	194	9.6	20.2	24.9
2006	187	9.2	20.3	20.1
2007	161	7.5	21.5	25
2008	137	8.5	16.1	26.3
2009	132	8.5	15.5	27.3
2010	127	7.5	16.9	42.5
2011	129	n/a	n/a	41.1
2012	122	5.0	24.4	n/a
2013	127	5.0	25.4	51.2
2014	144	6.0	24.0	52.1
2015	132	6.0	22.0	50.8
2016	145	6.0	24.1	44.1
2017	137	6.0	22.8	46
2018	133	6.0	22.1	36.8
2019	113	5.0	22.6	38.1
2020	105	n/a	n/a	36.2
2021	117	5.7	20.3	32.5
2022	246	10.0	24.6	22
2023	259	10.0	25.9	42.9
2024	269	10.0	26.9	52.8

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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