Is Normal Heights Elementary a good school?

Normal Heights Elementary ranks 1449 th of 5862 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Normal Heights Elementary?

In the 2022-23 school year, 258 students attended Normal Heights Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Normal Heights Elementary?

Students at Normal Heights Elementary are 78% Hispanic, 10% African American, 5% Two or more races, 4% White, 3% Asian.

What schools do graduates of Normal Heights Elementary attend?

Students who attend Normal Heights Elementary usually go on to attend: Middle : Wilson Middle High : Hoover High

Normal Heights Elementary

Summary:

Normal Heights Elementary is a public elementary school serving 258 students in grades K-5 in the San Diego Unified School District. This relatively small school has a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger and ranks 1449 out of 5,862 California elementary schools for the 2023-2024 school year.

Normal Heights Elementary outperforms the San Diego Unified School District and the state of California in Smarter Balanced Assessments for English Language Arts/Literacy and Mathematics across most grade levels. The school's proficiency rates range from 55.56% to 62.5% in English Language Arts/Literacy, compared to 52.54% to 55.3% for the district and 42.8% to 47.37% for the state. In Mathematics, Normal Heights Elementary's proficiency rates range from 37.04% to 65.63%, compared to 43.84% to 54.87% for the district and 35.02% to 45.64% for the state. The school also performs exceptionally well for its Hispanic and English Language Learner student populations, ranking in the top 10% and top 15% of California elementary schools, respectively.

However, Normal Heights Elementary has experienced a significant increase in chronic absenteeism, from 12.7% in 2017-2018 to 57.6% in 2021-2022, before declining to 39.8% in 2022-2023. This concerning trend may be impacting the school's overall academic performance. Compared to nearby schools, Normal Heights Elementary generally outperforms Franklin Elementary and Central Elementary, but Edison Elementary and Garfield Elementary demonstrate stronger academic performance, particularly in English Language Arts/Literacy.

Detail:

Public K-5

3750 Ward Rd.
San Diego, CA 92116-3737

(619) 584-6000

District: San Diego Unified

SchoolDigger Rank:
1449^th of 5,862 California Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $9,636

Students who attend Normal Heights Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Wilson Middle
High:	Hoover High

Student/teacher ratio: 20.6

Number of students: 258

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

77.5%

African American:

10.1%

Two or more races:

5.4%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 83.7%

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Performance Trends

Compare Details Normal Heights Elementary ranks better than 75.3% of elementary schools in California. It also ranks 40^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 72.94. (See more...)

Chronic absenteeism in a high 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 (77.5%), African American (10.1%), two or more races (5.4%). (See more...)

Compare Details 83.7% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Normal Heights Elementary is 20.6, which is the 30^th best among 117 elementary schools in the San Diego Unified School District. (See more...)

Compare Normal Heights Elementary employs 12.5 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Normal Heights Elementary is $9,636, which is the 26^th highest among 117 elementary schools in the San Diego Unified School District.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Normal Heights Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Normal Heights Elementary 1449^th of 5862 California public elementary schools. (See Normal Heights Elementary in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Low Socio Economic Status 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 Normal Heights Elementary

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Rank History for all students at Normal Heights Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2007	15.72	4594^th	5113	10.2%
2008	29.31	3646^th	5113	28.7%
2009	33.80	3454^th	5193	33.5%
2010	33.80	3561^st	5314	33.0%
2011	32.85	3777^th	5377	29.8%
2012	41.73	3151^st	5390	41.5%
2013	50.85	2635^th	5530	52.4%
2015	52.27	2329^th	5611	58.5%
2017	58.99	2066^th	5692	63.7%
2018	58.92	2082^nd	5662	63.2%
2019	64.10	1879^th	5789	67.5%
2022	61.15	1977^th	5883	66.4%
2023	61.62	1984^th	5874	66.2%
2024	72.94	1449^th	5862	75.3%

See the entire list of California Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Normal Heights Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2018	76.61	413^th	3246	87.3%
2019	72.44	469^th	3275	85.7%

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

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Normal Heights Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	76.49	842^nd	5084	83.4%
2019	82.56	599^th	5173	88.4%
2022	75.61	927^th	5264	82.4%
2023	75.32	975^th	5374	81.9%
2024	82.08	749^th	5511	86.4%

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

Rank History for Female students at Normal Heights Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	56.26	2174^th	5413	59.8%
2019	62.38	1874^th	5492	65.9%
2022	53.26	2252^nd	5635	60.0%
2023	48.98	2462^nd	5617	56.2%
2024	47.66	2544^th	5605	54.6%

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

Rank History for Male students at Normal Heights Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	58.70	1997^th	5431	63.2%
2019	63.75	1786^th	5510	67.6%
2022	64.67	1738^th	5663	69.3%
2023	69.00	1550^th	5650	72.6%
2024	89.90	618^th	5636	89.0%

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

Rank History for Hispanic students at Normal Heights Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	73.35	985^th	4830	79.6%
2019	78.44	763^rd	4963	84.6%
2022	70.38	1142^nd	5084	77.5%
2023	73.13	1029^th	5098	79.8%
2024	88.65	402^nd	5102	92.1%

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 Normal Heights Elementary

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
2007	23	46	20	332	4	n/a	n/a	3	428
2008	24	60	20	314	4	n/a	n/a	0	422
2009	28	46	12	196	3	7	0	0	292
2010	26	37	9	227	1	6	8	0	314
2011	25	45	10	223	1	5	11	0	320
2012	23	39	5	215	0	1	12	0	295
2013	28	35	6	238	1	2	8	0	318
2014	21	46	7	246	1	3	10	0	334
2015	15	46	11	235	0	1	8	0	316
2016	16	44	10	252	0	1	10	0	333
2017	11	37	10	253	0	1	18	0	330
2018	12	45	11	246	0	1	21	0	336
2019	17	36	12	238	0	0	16	0	319
2020	13	26	3	244	2	0	19	0	307
2021	10	22	5	207	2	0	15	0	261
2022	8	22	6	182	0	0	8	0	226
2023	10	26	8	200	0	0	14	0	258

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 Normal Heights Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2007	428	27.0	15.9	96
2008	422	31.0	13.6	95.5
2009	292	18.5	14.4	94.9
2010	314	16.6	18.9	94.9
2011	320	n/a	n/a	95
2012	295	16.8	17.5	n/a
2013	318	17.5	18.1	99.1
2014	334	11.5	29.0	90.1
2015	316	12.0	26.3	93
2016	333	14.0	23.7	91
2017	330	12.5	26.4	89.7
2018	336	12.5	26.8	87.8
2019	319	12.5	25.5	88.4
2020	307	n/a	n/a	87
2021	261	12.5	20.8	78.9
2022	226	11.5	19.6	84.5
2023	258	12.5	20.6	83.7

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 Normal Heights Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2007	428	27.0	15.9	96
2008	422	31.0	13.6	95.5
2009	292	18.5	14.4	94.9
2010	314	16.6	18.9	94.9
2011	320	n/a	n/a	95
2012	295	16.8	17.5	n/a
2013	318	17.5	18.1	99.1
2014	334	11.5	29.0	90.1
2015	316	12.0	26.3	93
2016	333	14.0	23.7	91
2017	330	12.5	26.4	89.7
2018	336	12.5	26.8	87.8
2019	319	12.5	25.5	88.4
2020	307	n/a	n/a	87
2021	261	12.5	20.8	78.9
2022	226	11.5	19.6	84.5
2023	258	12.5	20.6	83.7

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.

Kindergarten Immunization Rates