Is Vista Square Elementary a good school?

Vista Square Elementary ranks 3602 nd of 5862 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Vista Square Elementary?

In the 2022-23 school year, 574 students attended Vista Square Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Vista Square Elementary?

Students at Vista Square Elementary are 87% Hispanic, 4% White, 2% Two or more races, 2% African American, 2% Asian, 1% Pacific Islander.

What schools do graduates of Vista Square Elementary attend?

Students who attend Vista Square Elementary usually go on to attend: Middle : Chula Vista Middle High : Chula Vista Senior High

Vista Square Elementary

Summary:

Vista Square Elementary is a public elementary school in Chula Vista, California, serving 574 students in grades K-6. The school faces significant challenges, including high chronic absenteeism rates, low academic performance, and equity concerns for underserved student subgroups.

Vista Square Elementary has seen a sharp increase in chronic absenteeism, rising from 14.2% in 2017-2018 to 38.9% in 2022-2023, notably higher than the 24.4% rate at nearby Rice (Lilian J.) Elementary. Academically, the school consistently underperforms compared to the Chula Vista Elementary District and the state of California in Smarter Balanced Assessments, with only 35.45% of students proficient or better in English Language Arts/Literacy and 30.29% in Mathematics, far below the district and state averages.

While Vista Square Elementary struggles, some nearby schools within the same district, such as Hilltop Drive Elementary and Cook (Hazel Goes) Elementary, perform significantly better on standardized tests. Additionally, the school's high percentage of students (82.93%) receiving free or reduced-price lunch indicates a high level of economic disadvantage. Addressing the chronic absenteeism and equity concerns, potentially through targeted interventions and collaboration with higher-performing schools, could be key to improving student outcomes at Vista Square Elementary.

Detail:

Public K-6

540 G St.
Chula Vista, CA 91910-3604

(619) 422-8374

District: Chula Vista Elementary

SchoolDigger Rank:
3602^nd of 5,862 California Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $11,285

Students who attend Vista Square Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Chula Vista Middle
High:	Chula Vista Senior High

Student/teacher ratio: 20.6

Number of students: 574

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

87.5%

White:

4.0%

Two or more races:

2.4%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 82.9%

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Compare Vista Square Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Vista Square Elementary ranks worse than 61.4% of elementary schools in California. It also ranks 34^th among 41 ranked elementary schools in the Chula Vista Elementary School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 33.87. (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: Hispanic (87.5%), White (4%), two or more races (2.4%). (See more...)

Compare Details 82.9% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Vista Square Elementary is 20.6, which is the 12^th best among 41 elementary schools in the Chula Vista Elementary School District. (See more...)

Compare Vista Square Elementary employs 27.8 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Vista Square Elementary is $11,285, which is the 12^th highest among 41 elementary schools in the Chula Vista Elementary School District.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Vista Square Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Vista Square Elementary 3602^nd of 5862 California public elementary schools. (See Vista Square Elementary in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

English Language Learner students:

Special Education students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

Hispanic students:

Chula Vista Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Chula Vista Elementary 537^th of 1568 California school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for Vista Square Elementary

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Rank History for all students at Vista Square Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2004	21.42	3838^th	4809	20.2%
2005	17.96	4105^th	4822	14.9%
2006	27.04	3515^th	4818	27.0%
2007	38.09	3039^th	5113	40.6%
2008	47.50	2514^th	5113	50.8%
2009	58.09	2020^th	5193	61.1%
2010	46.17	2787^th	5314	47.6%
2011	51.00	2538^th	5377	52.8%
2012	49.49	2651^st	5390	50.8%
2013	50.33	2671^st	5530	51.7%
2015	37.95	3138^th	5611	44.1%
2016	35.55	3373^rd	5614	39.9%
2017	42.08	2969^th	5692	47.8%
2018	40.83	3099^th	5662	45.3%
2019	38.61	3267^th	5789	43.6%
2022	31.41	3754^th	5883	36.2%
2023	41.39	3047^th	5874	48.1%
2024	33.87	3602^nd	5862	38.6%

See the entire list of California Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Vista Square Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	60.93	820^th	3246	74.7%
2019	52.54	1118^th	3275	65.9%
2022	43.62	1559^th	3311	52.9%
2023	60.52	756^th	3250	76.7%
2024	61.23	676^th	3160	78.6%

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

Rank History for Special Education students at Vista Square Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	33.54	1488^th	2420	38.5%
2024	38.61	1397^th	2634	47.0%

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

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Vista Square Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	52.73	2187^th	5084	57.0%
2019	53.11	2194^th	5173	57.6%
2022	44.08	2680^th	5264	49.1%
2023	57.02	1935^th	5374	64.0%
2024	43.94	2820^th	5511	48.8%

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

Rank History for Female students at Vista Square Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	36.31	3330^th	5413	38.5%
2019	38.61	3197^th	5492	41.8%
2022	30.65	3664^th	5635	35.0%
2023	37.10	3212^th	5617	42.8%
2024	35.03	3405^th	5605	39.3%

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

Rank History for Disabled students at Vista Square Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	44.71	906^th	2128	57.4%
2019	33.64	1598^th	2585	38.2%
2022	33.40	1333^rd	2227	40.1%

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

Rank History for Male students at Vista Square Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	46.79	2642^nd	5431	51.4%
2019	38.25	3164^th	5510	42.6%
2022	32.91	3549^th	5663	37.3%
2023	45.22	2727^th	5650	51.7%
2024	33.01	3556^th	5636	36.9%

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

Rank History for Hispanic students at Vista Square Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	51.72	2123^rd	4830	56.0%
2019	50.28	2271^st	4963	54.2%
2022	42.56	2704^th	5084	46.8%
2023	56.10	1885^th	5098	63.0%
2024	44.38	2650^th	5102	48.1%

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

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Enrollment information for Vista Square Elementary

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	131	26	23	212	1	n/a	n/a	0	393
1989	147	27	24	239	4	n/a	n/a	0	441
1990	143	24	26	268	7	n/a	n/a	0	468
1991	152	27	24	323	6	n/a	n/a	0	532
1992	164	22	32	353	4	n/a	n/a	0	575
1993	139	29	31	352	3	n/a	n/a	0	554
1994	130	22	36	389	4	n/a	n/a	0	581
1995	95	36	38	462	8	n/a	n/a	0	639
1996	95	36	38	462	8	n/a	n/a	0	639
1997	97	35	38	490	6	n/a	n/a	0	666
1998	98	33	35	480	4	n/a	n/a	0	650
1999	84	41	40	510	5	n/a	n/a	0	680
2000	78	39	33	536	3	n/a	n/a	0	689
2001	93	44	26	559	1	n/a	n/a	0	723
2002	66	40	25	564	4	n/a	n/a	0	699
2003	66	40	25	564	4	n/a	n/a	0	699
2004	67	36	38	577	3	n/a	n/a	0	721
2005	65	43	38	589	2	n/a	n/a	1	738
2006	58	35	29	543	2	n/a	n/a	12	679
2007	49	29	33	526	0	n/a	n/a	13	650
2008	48	24	33	517	3	n/a	n/a	0	625
2009	48	26	36	499	4	2	11	0	626
2010	208	28	32	323	2	2	6	0	601
2011	47	32	28	485	3	4	4	0	603
2012	41	22	25	490	4	0	4	0	586
2013	43	16	19	466	1	1	1	0	547
2014	47	22	20	523	0	3	3	0	618
2015	38	16	20	499	1	2	5	0	581
2016	43	18	16	555	1	1	3	0	637
2017	40	13	21	568	2	0	4	0	648
2018	39	12	15	573	1	1	11	0	652
2019	32	23	12	574	3	1	5	0	650
2020	35	9	12	572	3	4	7	0	642
2021	32	11	12	502	2	3	9	0	571
2022	24	12	13	520	1	4	16	0	590
2023	23	13	13	502	3	6	14	0	574

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 Vista Square Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	393	19.9	19.7	n/a
1989	441	21.0	21.0	n/a
1990	468	26.2	17.8	n/a
1991	532	26.0	20.4	n/a
1992	575	26.4	21.7	55.3
1993	554	29.3	18.9	61.2
1994	581	30.8	18.9	62.3
1995	639	30.4	21.0	72.5
1996	639	30.4	21.0	72.5
1997	666	29.5	22.6	71.9
1998	650	34.5	18.8	67.1
1999	680	37.0	18.4	75.6
2000	689	37.5	18.4	73.7
2001	723	39.3	18.4	72.2
2002	699	41.5	16.8	75
2003	699	41.5	16.8	75
2004	721	43.0	16.8	74.3
2005	738	41.0	18.0	76.9
2006	679	39.5	17.2	73
2007	650	40.0	16.3	69.2
2008	625	48.0	13.0	72.2
2009	626	37.0	14.2	65.3
2010	601	31.0	19.3	71.4
2011	603	n/a	n/a	66.8
2012	586	27.0	21.7	n/a
2013	547	27.0	20.2	81.2
2014	618	25.0	24.7	82
2015	581	25.0	23.2	85.5
2016	637	28.0	22.7	84.8
2017	648	29.0	22.3	84.6
2018	652	30.0	21.7	87.7
2019	650	29.0	22.4	91.4
2020	642	n/a	n/a	89.6
2021	571	26.1	21.8	89.8
2022	590	27.3	21.5	84.9
2023	574	27.8	20.6	82.9

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 Vista Square Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	393	19.9	19.7	n/a
1989	441	21.0	21.0	n/a
1990	468	26.2	17.8	n/a
1991	532	26.0	20.4	n/a
1992	575	26.4	21.7	55.3
1993	554	29.3	18.9	61.2
1994	581	30.8	18.9	62.3
1995	639	30.4	21.0	72.5
1996	639	30.4	21.0	72.5
1997	666	29.5	22.6	71.9
1998	650	34.5	18.8	67.1
1999	680	37.0	18.4	75.6
2000	689	37.5	18.4	73.7
2001	723	39.3	18.4	72.2
2002	699	41.5	16.8	75
2003	699	41.5	16.8	75
2004	721	43.0	16.8	74.3
2005	738	41.0	18.0	76.9
2006	679	39.5	17.2	73
2007	650	40.0	16.3	69.2
2008	625	48.0	13.0	72.2
2009	626	37.0	14.2	65.3
2010	601	31.0	19.3	71.4
2011	603	n/a	n/a	66.8
2012	586	27.0	21.7	n/a
2013	547	27.0	20.2	81.2
2014	618	25.0	24.7	82
2015	581	25.0	23.2	85.5
2016	637	28.0	22.7	84.8
2017	648	29.0	22.3	84.6
2018	652	30.0	21.7	87.7
2019	650	29.0	22.4	91.4
2020	642	n/a	n/a	89.6
2021	571	26.1	21.8	89.8
2022	590	27.3	21.5	84.9
2023	574	27.8	20.6	82.9

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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