Bethune K-8

Bethune K-8 is one of the mid-sized elementary schools in San Diego, California, one of the schools within San Diego Unified, with 520 students on its rolls from grades K through 8.

Within San Diego Unified, which oversees 174 schools and 94,828 students, Bethune K-8 is one campus in the system.

In terms of who attends, Bethune K-8 logs that the largest single group is Asian, at 59% of enrollment; the rest is composed of 23% Hispanic, 10% multiracial, 5% Black. That is visibly more Asian than the county at large, where the share is closer to 12%.

Looking at school resources, On paper, Bethune K-8 has 23 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 22.6:1. That tracks the state average closely. About 72% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment. That share is higher than San Diego County's rate of about 54%.

With demographic context factored in, Bethune K-8 sits in the top 10% of California schools after the BeatsExpectations adjustment. Predicted proficiency for the school's FRL share is roughly 36.5%; actual is 51.5%, +14.9 points clear of the demographic baseline.

Zooming out to the county, ACS estimates for San Diego County put median household income runs about $106,268, 43% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and the poverty rate sits near 7%. In all, San Diego County runs 766 public schools (combined enrollment of about 467,437 students), of which Bethune K-8 is one.

The closest other public school is Perry Elementary, roughly 0.6 miles away. 8 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius. Among the 9 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), Bethune K-8 ranks 1st on composite proficiency, above the local average of 36.1%.

Geographically, the school is in a city-core area.

Trend over the last 7 years. Over the past 7-year window, the student count ticked down 16%: 622 students in 2018 compared to 520 in 2025. The Hispanic share of enrollment increased from 17% to 23% over that span. Class-load math has narrowed: from 25.5:1 in 2018 to 22.6:1 in 2025.

Inside the community feed, posts here usually surface around science fair prep, picture-day reminders, and bus-route questions. Posting is open to anyone connected to the school.