Is La Mesa Dale Elementary a good school?

La Mesa Dale Elementary ranks 2363 rd of 5862 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

How many students attend La Mesa Dale Elementary?

In the 2023-24 school year, 520 students attended La Mesa Dale Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of La Mesa Dale Elementary?

Students at La Mesa Dale Elementary are 54% Hispanic, 18% White, 12% African American, 8% Asian, 8% Two or more races.

What schools do graduates of La Mesa Dale Elementary attend?

Students who attend La Mesa Dale Elementary usually go on to attend: Middle : La Mesa Arts Academy High : Mount Miguel High

La Mesa Dale Elementary

Summary:

La Mesa Dale Elementary is a public elementary school in La Mesa, California, serving 524 students in grades K-6 as part of the La Mesa-Spring Valley School District.

While La Mesa Dale Elementary generally performs on par with or slightly above district and state averages on standardized tests, the school stands out in a few key areas. Its African American and Hispanic students consistently score in the top 25% of California elementary schools, suggesting the school is effectively supporting the academic achievement of these subgroups. However, the school has seen a significant increase in chronic absenteeism, rising from 10.9% in 2017-2018 to 31.6% in 2021-2022, which is notably higher than the district average. Additionally, with 73% of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch and a relatively high student-teacher ratio of 27.5, the school may face challenges in supporting the needs of its socioeconomically disadvantaged population.

Compared to nearby schools like Lemon Avenue Elementary, La Mesa Dale Elementary lags behind in certain academic metrics, suggesting the school could benefit from learning from the practices and strategies of higher-performing neighboring schools. By addressing the concerns around chronic absenteeism, leveraging the success of its subgroups, and collaborating with nearby schools, La Mesa Dale Elementary can continue to enhance the educational experience and outcomes for its students.

Detail:

Public K-6

4370 Parks Ave.
La Mesa, CA 91941-5214

(619) 668-5740

District: La Mesa-Spring Valley

SchoolDigger Rank:
2363^rd of 5,862 California Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $6,074

Students who attend La Mesa Dale Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	La Mesa Arts Academy
High:	Mount Miguel High

Student/teacher ratio: 26.6

Number of students: 520

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

54.0%

White:

18.3%

African American:

11.7%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 66.7%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare La Mesa Dale Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details La Mesa Dale Elementary ranks better than 59.7% of elementary schools in California. It also ranks 6^th among 17 ranked elementary schools in the La Mesa-Spring Valley School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 53.61. (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 (54%), White (18.3%), African American (11.7%). (See more...)

Compare Details 66.7% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at La Mesa Dale Elementary is 26.6. 12 elementary schools in the La Mesa-Spring Valley School District have better student/teacher ratios. (See more...)

Compare La Mesa Dale Elementary employs 19.5 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at La Mesa Dale Elementary is $6,074, which is the 6^th highest among 17 elementary schools in the La Mesa-Spring Valley School District.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

La Mesa Dale Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks La Mesa Dale Elementary 2363^rd of 5862 California public elementary schools. (See La Mesa Dale 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:

Military Connected students:

Male students:

Hispanic students:

White students:

La Mesa-Spring Valley:

SchoolDigger ranks La Mesa-Spring Valley 766^th of 1568 California school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for La Mesa Dale Elementary

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Rank History for all students at La Mesa Dale Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2004	70.46	1286^th	4809	73.3%
2005	61.17	1696^th	4822	64.8%
2006	70.63	1305^th	4818	72.9%
2007	66.08	1550^th	5113	69.7%
2008	49.37	2406^th	5113	52.9%
2009	48.27	2591^st	5193	50.1%
2010	31.33	3751^st	5314	29.4%
2011	36.27	3515^th	5377	34.6%
2012	40.92	3210^th	5390	40.4%
2013	39.58	3335^th	5530	39.7%
2015	52.91	2294^th	5611	59.1%
2016	59.35	2021^st	5614	64.0%
2017	57.17	2169^th	5692	61.9%
2018	52.40	2423^rd	5662	57.2%
2019	53.27	2407^th	5789	58.4%
2022	44.66	2818^th	5883	52.1%
2023	40.15	3116^th	5874	47.0%
2024	53.61	2363^rd	5862	59.7%

See the entire list of California Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at La Mesa Dale Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	91.60	154^th	3246	95.3%
2019	93.32	121^st	3275	96.3%
2023	60.68	753^rd	3250	76.8%
2024	35.75	2123^rd	3160	32.8%

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

Rank History for Special Education students at La Mesa Dale Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	35.28	1419^th	2420	41.4%
2024	37.68	1434^th	2634	45.6%

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

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at La Mesa Dale Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	63.94	1518^th	5084	70.1%
2019	60.67	1742^nd	5173	66.3%
2022	59.14	1726^th	5264	67.2%
2023	45.78	2653^rd	5374	50.6%
2024	59.61	1815^th	5511	67.1%

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

Rank History for Female students at La Mesa Dale Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	50.18	2485^th	5413	54.1%
2019	52.75	2348^th	5492	57.2%
2022	48.14	2515^th	5635	55.4%
2023	40.01	3014^th	5617	46.3%
2024	46.07	2647^th	5605	52.8%

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

Rank History for Disabled students at La Mesa Dale Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2022	43.46	975^th	2227	56.2%

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

Rank History for Military Connected students at La Mesa Dale Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2024	67.35	30^th	118	74.6%

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

Rank History for Male students at La Mesa Dale Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	53.70	2243^rd	5431	58.7%
2019	52.51	2340^th	5510	57.5%
2022	41.47	2920^th	5663	48.4%
2023	40.97	3000^th	5650	46.9%
2024	59.16	2022^nd	5636	64.1%

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

Rank History for African American students at La Mesa Dale Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	69.20	153^rd	700	78.1%
2022	72.05	127^th	663	80.8%
2023	62.43	188^th	662	71.6%

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

Rank History for Hispanic students at La Mesa Dale Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	68.19	1225^th	4830	74.6%
2019	56.13	1900^th	4963	61.7%
2022	59.82	1650^th	5084	67.5%
2023	43.68	2630^th	5098	48.4%
2024	52.11	2123^rd	5102	58.4%

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

Rank History for White students at La Mesa Dale Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2019	53.57	1439^th	2834	49.2%
2022	14.23	2415^th	2726	11.4%
2023	31.72	1937^th	2662	27.2%
2024	61.15	1090^th	2647	58.8%

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

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Enrollment information for La Mesa Dale Elementary

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	319	21	19	68	1	n/a	n/a	0	428
1989	358	27	25	65	2	n/a	n/a	0	477
1990	356	40	20	76	3	n/a	n/a	0	495
1991	362	37	26	94	5	n/a	n/a	0	524
1992	362	42	30	102	3	n/a	n/a	0	539
1993	320	52	29	94	0	n/a	n/a	0	495
1994	336	90	49	105	0	n/a	n/a	0	580
1995	294	94	45	130	5	n/a	n/a	0	568
1996	294	94	45	130	5	n/a	n/a	0	568
1997	279	97	40	147	5	n/a	n/a	0	568
1998	299	103	37	154	8	n/a	n/a	0	601
1999	255	93	37	146	5	n/a	n/a	22	558
2000	249	88	34	144	2	n/a	n/a	42	559
2001	243	92	49	140	1	n/a	n/a	62	587
2002	220	89	40	166	3	n/a	n/a	85	603
2003	220	89	40	166	3	n/a	n/a	85	603
2004	196	92	44	173	9	n/a	n/a	67	581
2005	173	89	36	175	9	n/a	n/a	67	549
2006	159	87	25	156	10	n/a	n/a	70	507
2007	146	75	24	143	11	n/a	n/a	49	448
2008	133	69	27	124	4	n/a	n/a	0	357
2009	137	91	29	130	2	0	74	0	463
2010	119	91	22	152	0	0	27	0	411
2011	105	77	22	158	0	0	32	0	394
2012	110	108	37	208	0	8	45	0	516
2013	95	108	32	220	2	9	46	0	512
2014	82	82	32	196	3	5	41	0	441
2015	85	95	32	193	2	1	60	0	468
2016	88	85	23	202	2	2	52	0	454
2017	83	72	26	205	0	3	70	0	459
2018	80	81	30	202	0	4	69	0	466
2019	94	65	31	215	2	3	66	0	476
2020	99	79	33	239	3	3	61	0	517
2021	103	77	33	248	4	2	55	0	522
2022	91	72	34	250	1	1	51	0	500
2023	108	82	37	256	1	1	39	0	524
2024	95	61	42	281	0	0	41	0	520

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 La Mesa Dale Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	428	17.6	24.3	n/a
1989	477	20.0	23.8	n/a
1990	495	20.0	24.7	n/a
1991	524	21.0	24.9	n/a
1992	539	21.3	25.3	40.3
1993	495	22.0	22.5	0
1994	580	22.0	26.4	52.8
1995	568	23.8	23.9	62.3
1996	568	23.8	23.9	62.3
1997	568	28.5	19.9	62
1998	601	28.0	21.5	59.9
1999	558	29.5	18.9	63.4
2000	559	27.5	20.3	55.7
2001	587	27.5	21.3	55.8
2002	603	28.0	21.5	53.9
2003	603	28.0	21.5	53.9
2004	581	27.0	21.5	52.7
2005	549	27.5	20.0	62.4
2006	507	25.5	19.9	72.3
2007	448	21.5	20.8	60.7
2008	357	27.9	12.8	76.5
2009	463	31.8	13.4	59.4
2010	411	20.9	19.6	69.1
2011	394	n/a	n/a	68.8
2012	516	17.0	30.3	99.4
2013	512	17.2	29.7	64.1
2014	441	15.6	28.1	75.3
2015	468	16.0	29.2	74.1
2016	454	16.0	28.3	77.5
2017	459	16.0	28.6	73.2
2018	466	16.0	29.1	75.1
2019	476	16.5	28.8	66.6
2020	517	n/a	n/a	69.8
2021	522	18.0	29.0	67.8
2022	500	19.0	26.3	73
2023	524	19.0	27.5	71.8
2024	520	19.5	26.6	66.7

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 La Mesa Dale Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	428	17.6	24.3	n/a
1989	477	20.0	23.8	n/a
1990	495	20.0	24.7	n/a
1991	524	21.0	24.9	n/a
1992	539	21.3	25.3	40.3
1993	495	22.0	22.5	0
1994	580	22.0	26.4	52.8
1995	568	23.8	23.9	62.3
1996	568	23.8	23.9	62.3
1997	568	28.5	19.9	62
1998	601	28.0	21.5	59.9
1999	558	29.5	18.9	63.4
2000	559	27.5	20.3	55.7
2001	587	27.5	21.3	55.8
2002	603	28.0	21.5	53.9
2003	603	28.0	21.5	53.9
2004	581	27.0	21.5	52.7
2005	549	27.5	20.0	62.4
2006	507	25.5	19.9	72.3
2007	448	21.5	20.8	60.7
2008	357	27.9	12.8	76.5
2009	463	31.8	13.4	59.4
2010	411	20.9	19.6	69.1
2011	394	n/a	n/a	68.8
2012	516	17.0	30.3	99.4
2013	512	17.2	29.7	64.1
2014	441	15.6	28.1	75.3
2015	468	16.0	29.2	74.1
2016	454	16.0	28.3	77.5
2017	459	16.0	28.6	73.2
2018	466	16.0	29.1	75.1
2019	476	16.5	28.8	66.6
2020	517	n/a	n/a	69.8
2021	522	18.0	29.0	67.8
2022	500	19.0	26.3	73
2023	524	19.0	27.5	71.8
2024	520	19.5	26.6	66.7

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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