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Parents: what's one thing you'd want the Balboa Elementary administration to hear?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
457
Elementary
DISTRICT 416 · STATE 465
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·SAN DIEGO UNIFIED·NCES 063432005413
Balboa Elementary
1844 South 40th St., San Diego, CA 92113 · (619) 362-4100 · San Diego County
GRADES KG–05ELEMENTARY11-CITYTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL457 STUDENTS
B-
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 45% of California public elementary schools
- CTest scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- BBeats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- AThree-year trend Change in reading and math proficiency over the last three test years.
Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded California public elementary schools
Student : Teacher
21.8:1
21 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 23.6:1 · STATE 22.3:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
92%
421 students
DISTRICT 63% · STATE 65%
Community
6
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other elementary schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Kindergarten | 130 | 28% |
| Grade 1 | 54 | 12% |
| Grade 2 | 68 | 15% |
| Grade 3 | 74 | 16% |
| Grade 4 | 63 | 14% |
| Grade 5 | 68 | 15% |
This year's kindergarten class (130) is 91% larger than its 5th grade class (68).
Student demographics
24%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 71% · STATE 62% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
Test scores
CAASPP 2024-25 . % met or exceeded standardEnglish Language Arts
28.2%
CA avg 49.1% . +6.2pp since 2014
Math
30.9%
CA avg 37.7% . +18.9pp since 2014
What this means: On the CAASPP, California's statewide test, about 28 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 31 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all California schools, those numbers are about 49 and 38. Reading and writing scores are up about 6 points since 2014, while math scores are up about 19 points.
Performance levels, 2024-25
| Subject | Standard Exceeded | Standard Met | Standard Nearly Met | Standard Not Met |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| English Language Arts | 11.7% | 16.5% | 29.8% | 42.0% |
| Math | 10.5% | 20.4% | 31.4% | 37.7% |
Share of tested students at each CAASPP level. Each student counts in one level, so a row adds to about 100%.
CAASPP results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 28.2% | 30.9% |
| 2023-24 | 32.2% | 23.0% |
| 2022-23 | 24.6% | 23.2% |
| 2021-22 | 21.2% | 18.6% |
| 2018-19 | 32.6% | 38.5% |
| 2017-18 | 38.2% | 34.8% |
| 2016-17 | 27.1% | 20.0% |
| 2015-16 | 33.0% | 23.0% |
| 2014-15 | 22.0% | 12.0% |
% met or exceeded standard, all students and all tested grades.
Source: CAASPP. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
28.7%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
25.6%
based on CA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+3.2pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 29% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 26% typical for California schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among California's top nor bottom 10%.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
Schools most like Balboa Elementary
Balboa Elementary's state test result (28.7% proficient) is higher than 4 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Balboa Elementary this school | 457 | 92.1% | 28.7% |
| Spanos (Alex G.) Elementary Stockton | 482 | 91.9% | 21.2% |
| Dover Elementary San Pablo | 458 | 91.9% | 12.1% |
| Walnut Avenue Elementary Chino | 483 | 91.7% | 27.1% |
| Carl E. Gilbert Elementary Buena Park | 490 | 93.9% | 21.9% |
| Twinhill Elementary Riverside | 442 | 92.5% | 32.8% |
Matched among California elementary schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where Balboa Elementary ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In California | In San Diego County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 28.7% | #3,668 of 5,151 | #307 of 392 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 30.9% | #3,137 of 5,172 ▲ 706 | #268 of 393 ▲ 51 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 28.2% | #4,161 of 5,172 ▼ 624 | #336 of 393 ▼ 34 |
| 3-year test score change ranked biggest gain first | +9.7pp | #660 of 5,116 | #39 of 387 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 457 | #2,939 of 5,915 | #226 of 453 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 21.8:1 | #2,011 of 5,352 | #105 of 418 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 24.1% | #4,217 of 5,354 | #366 of 418 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 92.1% | #823 of 5,625 | #36 of 442 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -12.5% | #2,367 of 3,837 | #171 of 279 |
Ranked against other public elementary schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
457
+16 (+4%) vs 2020
-58% since 1990-91, when it was 1,098
Student : Teacher
21.8:1
was 20.1:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 457 | 21 | 21.8:1 | 92% (421) |
| 2023-24 | 453 | 22 | 20.6:1 | 92% (416) |
| 2022-23 | 422 | 20 | 21.1:1 | 94% (395) |
| 2020-21 | 441 | 22 | 20.1:1 | 90% (399) |
| 2017-18 | 522 | 20 | 26.1:1 | 94% (492) |
| 2015-16 | 524 | 22 | 23.8:1 | 91% (478) |
| 2010-11 | 600 | N/A | N/A | 95% (570) |
| 2000-01 | 986 | 52 | 19.0:1 | 100% (983) |
| 1990-91 | 1,098 | 46 | 23.9:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Balboa Elementary.
Since 2017-18: students down 12% (522 to 457); teachers up 5% (20 to 21).
About Balboa Elementary
Balboa Elementary is a medium-sized elementary school in San Diego, California, under San Diego Unified. The grade span is kindergarten through 5, and enrollment is 457 students.
San Diego Unified counts 94,828 students in its 174 schools, and Balboa Elementary is one of them.
Balboa Elementary's enrollment is 87% Hispanic. The school is also 4% Asian, 4% Black, and 3% White. That is higher than the 35% Hispanic share among all San Diego County residents. The school's diversity index is 24%, meaning two students picked at random have a 24% chance of belonging to different racial or ethnic groups.
The teaching staff at Balboa Elementary is 21 full-time-equivalent teachers, and the ratio is 21.8:1. That matches the 22.3:1 average for elementary schools in California fairly closely. The percentage of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch is 92%. The 54% average for public schools in San Diego County is 38 points lower.
allk12 grades Balboa Elementary a B-. The grade compares the school only with California public elementary schools, because each state gives its own test.
Schools in California with a similar free or reduced-price lunch share are predicted to score about 25.6%. Balboa Elementary scores 28.7%.
According to the American Community Survey, in San Diego County, the median household income is $106,268, 43% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and about 7% of people live in poverty. Balboa Elementary is one of 766 public schools in the county.
Chavez Elementary is located about 0.3 miles from Balboa Elementary. The five-mile area around Balboa Elementary holds at least 8 other public schools. Nearby schools with test data average 26.8% proficiency; Balboa Elementary posts 28.7%.
The school's locale code, City: Large, means it is inside a principal city with a population of 250,000 or more.
Compared with 2020-21, the school had 16 more students in 2024-25. The school's ratio rose from 20.1:1 to 21.8:1 between 2020-21 and 2024-25.
Posts about school events, clubs, and volunteer needs are welcome on this page. Reviews and ratings from people who know the school are welcome.
San Diego County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
3,288,774
Census ACS
Median income
$106,268
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
43%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
7%
Below federal line
Schools in county
766
467,437 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in San Diego Unified
- Henry HighHigh · 2,485 students
- Mira Mesa HighHigh · 2,187 students
- Hoover HighHigh · 2,011 students
- Scripps Ranch HighHigh · 1,890 students
- Point Loma HighHigh · 1,724 students
- San Diego HighHigh · 1,602 students
Other schools in San Diego
- Del Norte HighHigh · 2,557 students
- Torrey Pines HighHigh · 2,536 students
- Henry HighHigh · 2,485 students
- Rancho Bernardo HighHigh · 2,210 students
- Mira Mesa HighHigh · 2,187 students
- Canyon Crest AcademyHigh · 2,147 students
Other Balboa Elementary schools
2 other US public schools in 2 states are named Balboa Elementary. Balboa Elementary is the 2nd largest of the 3.
- Balboa ElementaryGlendale, CA · 799 students
- Balboa ElementarySpokane, WA · 248 students
Nearby schools
- Chavez Elementary0.3 mi · 361
- Integrity Charter0.8 mi · 393
- Ralph Waldo Emerson Elementary0.8 mi · 456
- Baker Elementary0.8 mi · 361
- Central Elementary0.9 mi · 477
- Mountain View0.9 mi · 195
Frequently asked questions
About Balboa ElementaryWhat is the total enrollment at Balboa Elementary?
Balboa Elementary enrolls approximately 457 students in grades KG-05.
What age range does Balboa Elementary serve?
Balboa Elementary serves students from grade KG through grade 05.
How many students per teacher at Balboa Elementary?
Approximately 21.8:1 students per teacher at Balboa Elementary.
What is the student diversity at Balboa Elementary?
Student demographics at Balboa Elementary are roughly 3% White, 87% Hispanic, 4% Black, 4% Asian, 1% Two or more.
What district is Balboa Elementary in?
Balboa Elementary is part of San Diego Unified.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.