Is Balboa Elementary a good school?

Balboa Elementary ranks 4263 rd of 5862 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

How many students attend Balboa Elementary?

In the 2023-24 school year, 453 students attended Balboa Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Balboa Elementary?

Students at Balboa Elementary are 85% Hispanic, 5% Asian, 4% African American, 3% White, 3% Two or more races.

What schools do graduates of Balboa Elementary attend?

Students who attend Balboa Elementary usually go on to attend: Middle : Knox Middle High : Lincoln High

Balboa Elementary

Summary:

Balboa Elementary is a public elementary school in San Diego, California, serving 422 students in grades K-5. The school is part of the San Diego Unified School District, which is ranked 604 out of 1,568 districts in the state and has a 3-star rating.

Balboa Elementary faces significant challenges, including high chronic absenteeism rates that have risen from 17.4% in 2017-2018 to 62.7% in 2021-2022, well above the district and state averages. Academically, the school consistently underperforms compared to the district and state in Smarter Balanced Assessments for English Language Arts/Literacy and Mathematics, with only 32.2% of students proficient or better in ELA and 22.99% in Math, compared to 54.22% and 43.89% for the district, respectively. The school's performance in Science and Spanish Language Arts assessments is also significantly lower than the district and state averages. Additionally, there are notable gaps in performance between different student groups, with female students ranking 2 out of 5 stars and male students ranking 1 out of 5 stars.

Interestingly, the nearby schools within the San Diego Unified School District also struggle with academic performance, while the nearby Integrity Charter and schools in the National Elementary School District tend to perform better, particularly in English Language Arts/Literacy. The high chronic absenteeism rates at Balboa Elementary appear to be closely linked to the school's poor academic performance, and addressing the root causes of absenteeism could be a key strategy to improve student outcomes. Additionally, the significant performance gaps between different student groups suggest that the school may need to focus on more targeted interventions and support to ensure equitable educational opportunities.

Detail:

Public K-5

1844 South 40th St.
San Diego, CA 92113-4017

(619) 362-4100

District: San Diego Unified

SchoolDigger Rank:
4263^rd of 5,862 California Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $8,959

Students who attend Balboa Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Knox Middle
High:	Lincoln High

Student/teacher ratio: 20.5

Number of students: 453

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

84.5%

Asian:

5.3%

African American:

3.8%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 91.8%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Balboa Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Balboa Elementary ranks worse than 72.7% of elementary schools in California. It also ranks 95^th among 117 ranked elementary schools in the San Diego Unified School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 26.24. (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 (84.5%), Asian (5.3%), African American (3.8%). (See more...)

Compare Details 91.8% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Balboa Elementary is 20.5, which is the 17^th best among 117 elementary schools in the San Diego Unified School District. (See more...)

Compare Balboa Elementary employs 22 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Balboa Elementary is $8,959, which is the 45^th highest among 117 elementary schools in the San Diego Unified School District.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Balboa Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Balboa Elementary 4263^rd of 5862 California public elementary schools. (See Balboa Elementary in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

English Language Learner students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Homeless students:

Female students:

Male students:

Hispanic students:

San Diego Unified:

SchoolDigger ranks San Diego Unified 604^th of 1568 California school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for Balboa Elementary

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Rank History for all students at Balboa Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2004	13.77	4430^th	4809	7.9%
2005	16.70	4196^th	4822	13.0%
2006	16.46	4254^th	4818	11.7%
2007	18.46	4416^th	5113	13.6%
2008	21.70	4216^th	5113	17.5%
2009	29.27	3761^st	5193	27.6%
2010	27.33	4057^th	5314	23.7%
2011	24.23	4388^th	5377	18.4%
2012	20.57	4605^th	5390	14.6%
2013	29.73	4069^th	5530	26.4%
2015	21.44	4477^th	5611	20.2%
2016	26.09	4087^th	5614	27.2%
2017	19.54	4736^th	5692	16.8%
2018	35.05	3467^th	5662	38.8%
2019	30.86	3867^th	5789	33.2%
2022	18.81	4973^rd	5883	15.5%
2023	22.39	4619^th	5874	21.4%
2024	26.24	4263^rd	5862	27.3%

See the entire list of California Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Balboa Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	54.14	1066^th	3246	67.2%
2019	64.54	695^th	3275	78.8%
2022	35.94	2125^th	3311	35.8%
2023	20.20	3142^nd	3250	3.3%
2024	35.10	2172^nd	3160	31.3%

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

Rank History for Special Education students at Balboa Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	37.30	1306^th	2420	46.0%

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

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Balboa Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	50.43	2332^nd	5084	54.1%
2019	44.22	2806^th	5173	45.8%
2022	25.68	4198^th	5264	20.3%
2023	28.73	4005^th	5374	25.5%
2024	32.79	3719^th	5511	32.5%

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

Rank History for Homeless students at Balboa Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2022	35.35	242^nd	356	32.0%
2023	47.75	151^st	336	55.1%
2024	59.73	108^th	364	70.3%

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

Rank History for Female students at Balboa Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	31.75	3623^rd	5413	33.1%
2019	29.05	3900^th	5492	29.0%
2022	14.70	5212^th	5635	7.5%
2023	22.67	4461^st	5617	20.6%
2024	36.21	3318^th	5605	40.8%

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

Rank History for Male students at Balboa Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	39.18	3101^st	5431	42.9%
2019	33.61	3493^rd	5510	36.6%
2022	23.62	4353^rd	5663	23.1%
2023	23.59	4393^rd	5650	22.2%
2024	20.35	4676^th	5636	17.0%

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

Rank History for Hispanic students at Balboa Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	49.13	2282^nd	4830	52.8%
2019	42.51	2787^th	4963	43.8%
2022	23.39	4249^th	5084	16.4%
2023	32.35	3516^th	5098	31.0%
2024	34.56	3379^th	5102	33.8%

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 Balboa Elementary

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Total
1988	136	99	58	861	0	n/a	n/a	1154
1989	152	80	53	929	0	n/a	n/a	1214
1990	143	88	45	1031	3	n/a	n/a	1310
1991	91	81	36	890	0	n/a	n/a	1098
1992	73	73	41	914	0	n/a	n/a	1101
1993	54	95	36	919	0	n/a	n/a	1104
1994	39	71	27	811	2	n/a	n/a	950
1995	41	83	21	886	1	n/a	n/a	1032
1996	41	83	21	886	1	n/a	n/a	1032
1997	36	84	22	887	3	n/a	n/a	1032
1998	39	30	19	703	0	n/a	n/a	791
1999	39	31	17	722	0	n/a	n/a	809
2000	69	50	22	785	1	n/a	n/a	927
2001	47	53	19	866	1	n/a	n/a	986
2002	29	26	24	818	1	n/a	n/a	898
2003	29	26	24	818	1	n/a	n/a	898
2004	26	11	19	760	1	n/a	n/a	817
2005	30	24	16	719	0	n/a	n/a	789
2006	21	31	15	688	2	n/a	n/a	757
2007	17	29	15	608	0	n/a	n/a	669
2008	16	24	18	624	n/a	n/a	n/a	682
2009	17	30	9	558	0	3	0	617
2010	18	22	16	523	1	3	4	587
2011	21	25	16	527	2	3	6	600
2012	15	17	13	534	2	0	8	589
2013	22	10	6	500	1	3	7	549
2014	21	9	9	507	1	2	4	553
2015	20	16	9	494	0	2	5	546
2016	18	15	10	471	0	0	10	524
2017	20	20	11	471	2	0	11	535
2018	16	19	12	458	2	1	14	522
2019	18	18	17	435	2	1	16	507
2020	20	22	17	423	2	1	15	500
2021	14	25	18	366	2	1	15	441
2022	15	15	16	362	2	0	13	423
2023	15	13	18	363	2	2	9	422
2024	14	17	24	383	1	2	12	453

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 Balboa Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	1154	42.2	27.3	n/a
1989	1214	47.2	25.7	n/a
1990	1310	53.3	24.5	n/a
1991	1098	46.2	23.7	n/a
1992	1101	46.9	23.4	92.2
1993	1104	47.2	23.4	93.9
1994	950	41.0	23.2	94.9
1995	1032	47.0	22.0	95
1996	1032	47.0	22.0	95
1997	1032	53.0	19.5	91.7
1998	791	41.1	19.2	94.9
1999	809	42.0	19.3	93.1
2000	927	45.0	20.6	95.9
2001	986	52.0	19.0	99.7
2002	898	55.8	16.1	99.1
2003	898	55.8	16.1	99.1
2004	817	57.8	14.1	51.3
2005	789	46.8	16.9	53.6
2006	757	47.0	16.1	94.1
2007	669	45.6	14.7	95.1
2008	682	49.6	13.8	95.6
2009	617	37.0	15.0	95
2010	587	31.2	18.7	95.1
2011	600	n/a	n/a	95
2012	589	33.0	17.8	n/a
2013	549	33.0	16.6	99.5
2014	553	21.5	25.7	89.5
2015	546	22.0	24.8	93.2
2016	524	22.0	23.8	91.2
2017	535	21.0	25.4	94
2018	522	20.0	26.1	94.3
2019	507	21.0	24.1	96.1
2020	500	n/a	n/a	94.4
2021	441	22.0	20.0	90.5
2022	423	22.0	19.2	93.1
2023	422	20.0	21.1	93.6
2024	453	22.0	20.5	91.8

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 Balboa Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	1154	42.2	27.3	n/a
1989	1214	47.2	25.7	n/a
1990	1310	53.3	24.5	n/a
1991	1098	46.2	23.7	n/a
1992	1101	46.9	23.4	92.2
1993	1104	47.2	23.4	93.9
1994	950	41.0	23.2	94.9
1995	1032	47.0	22.0	95
1996	1032	47.0	22.0	95
1997	1032	53.0	19.5	91.7
1998	791	41.1	19.2	94.9
1999	809	42.0	19.3	93.1
2000	927	45.0	20.6	95.9
2001	986	52.0	19.0	99.7
2002	898	55.8	16.1	99.1
2003	898	55.8	16.1	99.1
2004	817	57.8	14.1	51.3
2005	789	46.8	16.9	53.6
2006	757	47.0	16.1	94.1
2007	669	45.6	14.7	95.1
2008	682	49.6	13.8	95.6
2009	617	37.0	15.0	95
2010	587	31.2	18.7	95.1
2011	600	n/a	n/a	95
2012	589	33.0	17.8	n/a
2013	549	33.0	16.6	99.5
2014	553	21.5	25.7	89.5
2015	546	22.0	24.8	93.2
2016	524	22.0	23.8	91.2
2017	535	21.0	25.4	94
2018	522	20.0	26.1	94.3
2019	507	21.0	24.1	96.1
2020	500	n/a	n/a	94.4
2021	441	22.0	20.0	90.5
2022	423	22.0	19.2	93.1
2023	422	20.0	21.1	93.6
2024	453	22.0	20.5	91.8

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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