Is Central Elementary a good school?

Central Elementary ranks in the bottom 19.1% of California elementary schools.

How many students attend Central Elementary?

In the 2023-24 school year, 547 students attended Central Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Central Elementary?

Students at Central Elementary are 93% Hispanic, 4% White, 2% Two or more races.

What schools do graduates of Central Elementary attend?

Students who attend Central Elementary usually go on to attend: Middle : Del Dios Academy of Arts and Sciences

Central Elementary

Summary:

Central Elementary is a public elementary school in Escondido, California, serving 573 students in grades K-5. The school is part of the Escondido Union School District, which is ranked 994 out of 1,568 districts in the state and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Central Elementary faces significant challenges, with high chronic absenteeism rates, consistently underperforming academic results, and a very high percentage of students from low socioeconomic backgrounds. In 2023-2024, only 22.03% of Central Elementary students were proficient or better in English Language Arts/Literacy, compared to 35.59% for the district and 47.04% for the state. The school's student-teacher ratio of 18.9 is also higher than nearby schools like Rose Elementary (17.4) and Oak Hill Elementary (20.1). While Central Elementary's performance is poor, some nearby schools within the same district, such as Juniper Elementary and Miller Elementary, have significantly higher academic achievement and lower chronic absenteeism rates.

The high percentage of students from low socioeconomic backgrounds, coupled with the increasing chronic absenteeism rates, may be significant factors contributing to Central Elementary's underperformance. Addressing these underlying issues could be crucial in improving student outcomes at the school. Overall, Central Elementary faces significant challenges that will require a comprehensive, data-driven approach to address the root causes of the school's struggles and leverage the strengths of nearby higher-performing schools within the district.

Detail:

Public K-5

122 West Fourth Ave.
Escondido, CA 92025-4134

(760) 432-2431

District: Escondido Union

SchoolDigger Rank:
4744^th of 5,862 California Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $8,121

Students who attend Central Elementary usually attend:

Middle:

Del Dios Academy of Arts and Sciences

Student/teacher ratio: 19.0

Number of students: 547

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

92.9%

White:

4.4%

Two or more races:

1.6%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 93.6%

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Performance Trends

Compare Details Central Elementary ranks worse than 80.9% of elementary schools in California. It also ranks 13^th among 17 ranked elementary schools in the Escondido Union School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 21.28. (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 (92.9%), White (4.4%), two or more races (1.6%). (See more...)

Compare Details 93.6% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. This is the highest percentage in the Escondido Union School District. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Central Elementary is 19, which is the highest among 17 elementary schools in the Escondido Union School District! (See more...)

Compare Central Elementary employs 28.6 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Central Elementary is $8,121, which is the 5^th highest among 17 elementary schools in the Escondido Union School District.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Central Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Central Elementary 4744^th of 5862 California public elementary schools. (See Central 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:

Escondido Union:

SchoolDigger ranks Escondido Union 994^th of 1568 California school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for Central Elementary

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Rank History for all students at Central Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2004	20.82	3879^th	4809	19.3%
2005	31.39	3191^st	4822	33.8%
2006	26.04	3580^th	4818	25.7%
2007	28.44	3680^th	5113	28.0%
2008	25.27	3949^th	5113	22.8%
2009	13.82	4812^th	5193	7.3%
2010	10.94	5117^th	5314	3.7%
2011	12.24	5117^th	5377	4.8%
2012	7.37	5289^th	5390	1.9%
2013	12.14	5198^th	5530	6.0%
2015	15.32	5073^rd	5611	9.6%
2016	13.01	5214^th	5614	7.1%
2017	14.35	5171^st	5692	9.2%
2018	14.75	5118^th	5662	9.6%
2019	10.98	5509^th	5789	4.8%
2022	22.91	4551^st	5883	22.6%
2023	21.25	4731^st	5874	19.5%
2024	21.28	4744^th	5862	19.1%

See the entire list of California Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Central Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	27.62	2551^st	3246	21.4%
2019	25.54	2827^th	3275	13.7%
2022	39.98	1805^th	3311	45.5%
2023	39.06	1891^st	3250	41.8%
2024	38.21	1940^th	3160	38.6%

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

Rank History for Special Education students at Central Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2024	23.44	2203^rd	2634	16.4%

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

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Central Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	21.37	4376^th	5084	13.9%
2019	14.30	4875^th	5173	5.8%
2022	31.43	3717^th	5264	29.4%
2023	28.37	4039^th	5374	24.8%
2024	27.01	4229^th	5511	23.3%

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

Rank History for Female students at Central Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	18.29	4677^th	5413	13.6%
2019	15.45	5000^th	5492	9.0%
2022	28.92	3838^th	5635	31.9%
2023	29.14	3844^th	5617	31.6%
2024	28.68	3906^th	5605	30.3%

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

Rank History for Male students at Central Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	14.88	4972^nd	5431	8.5%
2019	9.12	5379^th	5510	2.4%
2022	18.74	4841^st	5663	14.5%
2023	17.03	4992^nd	5650	11.6%
2024	17.02	4975^th	5636	11.7%

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

Rank History for Hispanic students at Central Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	20.20	4234^th	4830	12.3%
2019	14.18	4702^nd	4963	5.3%
2022	31.16	3606^th	5084	29.1%
2023	28.96	3797^th	5098	25.5%
2024	28.27	3849^th	5102	24.6%

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 Central Elementary

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	276	8	21	427	8	n/a	n/a	0	740
1989	285	6	16	489	8	n/a	n/a	0	804
1990	250	4	12	515	4	n/a	n/a	0	785
1991	242	5	15	548	5	n/a	n/a	0	815
1992	212	3	9	500	2	n/a	n/a	0	726
1993	204	8	8	527	1	n/a	n/a	0	748
1994	201	11	6	562	4	n/a	n/a	0	784
1995	156	16	4	661	4	n/a	n/a	0	841
1996	156	16	4	661	4	n/a	n/a	0	841
1997	135	12	4	618	4	n/a	n/a	0	773
1998	140	13	14	606	3	n/a	n/a	0	776
1999	104	13	16	656	3	n/a	n/a	0	792
2000	116	14	17	673	1	n/a	n/a	0	821
2001	105	13	12	715	1	n/a	n/a	0	846
2002	92	18	13	755	4	n/a	n/a	0	882
2003	92	18	13	755	4	n/a	n/a	0	882
2004	78	13	17	759	3	n/a	n/a	0	870
2005	81	16	19	695	2	n/a	n/a	0	813
2006	57	14	13	695	1	n/a	n/a	0	780
2007	50	16	12	683	1	n/a	n/a	1	763
2008	53	15	10	641	2	n/a	n/a	0	721
2009	52	16	6	680	1	3	29	0	787
2010	31	11	4	728	0	8	42	0	824
2011	27	10	5	654	0	2	138	0	836
2012	30	9	6	640	0	1	89	0	775
2013	33	11	8	667	0	0	76	0	795
2014	29	5	6	705	1	0	2	0	748
2015	29	3	9	689	1	0	1	0	732
2016	19	9	6	682	3	0	12	0	731
2017	18	4	9	624	1	0	11	0	667
2018	19	3	5	576	2	0	6	0	611
2019	19	8	2	555	4	0	9	0	597
2020	22	5	4	515	4	2	12	0	564
2021	20	6	6	495	2	0	11	0	540
2022	18	3	6	507	0	0	9	0	543
2023	22	4	6	529	0	0	12	0	573
2024	24	3	3	508	0	0	9	0	547

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 Central Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	740	29.7	24.9	n/a
1989	804	32.0	25.1	n/a
1990	785	32.0	24.5	n/a
1991	815	32.0	25.4	n/a
1992	726	32.5	22.3	83.7
1993	748	29.0	25.8	84.6
1994	784	29.0	27.0	84.7
1995	841	31.8	26.4	84.8
1996	841	31.8	26.4	84.8
1997	773	34.5	22.4	87.7
1998	776	38.0	20.4	95
1999	792	41.0	19.3	92.4
2000	821	41.0	20.0	86.4
2001	846	44.0	19.2	87.8
2002	882	47.0	18.8	92.2
2003	882	47.0	18.8	92.2
2004	870	44.5	19.6	91.6
2005	813	44.0	18.5	85.4
2006	780	42.5	18.4	88.3
2007	763	42.5	18.0	86
2008	721	42.3	17.0	84.6
2009	787	40.1	18.7	82.1
2010	824	38.7	21.2	90.2
2011	836	n/a	n/a	91.4
2012	775	29.0	26.7	n/a
2013	795	30.5	26.0	92.2
2014	748	28.5	26.2	89.7
2015	732	28.0	26.1	93.7
2016	731	29.0	25.2	85.6
2017	667	27.5	24.2	92.4
2018	611	26.0	23.5	93.1
2019	597	23.0	25.9	88.4
2020	564	n/a	n/a	87.9
2021	540	24.7	21.8	89.4
2022	543	26.7	20.2	81.4
2023	573	30.1	18.9	90.1
2024	547	28.6	19.0	93.6

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 Central Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	740	29.7	24.9	n/a
1989	804	32.0	25.1	n/a
1990	785	32.0	24.5	n/a
1991	815	32.0	25.4	n/a
1992	726	32.5	22.3	83.7
1993	748	29.0	25.8	84.6
1994	784	29.0	27.0	84.7
1995	841	31.8	26.4	84.8
1996	841	31.8	26.4	84.8
1997	773	34.5	22.4	87.7
1998	776	38.0	20.4	95
1999	792	41.0	19.3	92.4
2000	821	41.0	20.0	86.4
2001	846	44.0	19.2	87.8
2002	882	47.0	18.8	92.2
2003	882	47.0	18.8	92.2
2004	870	44.5	19.6	91.6
2005	813	44.0	18.5	85.4
2006	780	42.5	18.4	88.3
2007	763	42.5	18.0	86
2008	721	42.3	17.0	84.6
2009	787	40.1	18.7	82.1
2010	824	38.7	21.2	90.2
2011	836	n/a	n/a	91.4
2012	775	29.0	26.7	n/a
2013	795	30.5	26.0	92.2
2014	748	28.5	26.2	89.7
2015	732	28.0	26.1	93.7
2016	731	29.0	25.2	85.6
2017	667	27.5	24.2	92.4
2018	611	26.0	23.5	93.1
2019	597	23.0	25.9	88.4
2020	564	n/a	n/a	87.9
2021	540	24.7	21.8	89.4
2022	543	26.7	20.2	81.4
2023	573	30.1	18.9	90.1
2024	547	28.6	19.0	93.6

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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