Central Elementary

Central Elementary is an elementary campus of mid-sized scale in National City, California, run under National Elementary, hosting 477 students in grades K through 6.

National Elementary runs 10 schools in total, collectively educating 3,964 students. Central Elementary is one of those campuses.

For racial and ethnic makeup, Central Elementary records that nearly all students (83%) are Hispanic. Other groups include 12% Asian. That is considerably more Hispanic than the county at large, where the share is closer to 35%.

Looking at school resources, On paper, Central Elementary has 20 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 23.9:1. The state averages around 22.3:1, so this campus is higher than the state norm typical. Roughly 91% of students at Central Elementary qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, often used as a Title I proxy. That share is north of San Diego County's rate of about 54%.

On a residual basis (actual vs predicted given the student mix), Central Elementary sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 25.3%; this one delivers 29.2%.

In the broader community, census data for San Diego County shows the typical household earns roughly $106,268 per year, 43% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 7%. In all, San Diego County runs 766 public schools (combined enrollment of about 467,437 students), of which Central Elementary is one.

Integrity Charter is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.3 miles from this campus. 8 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius. Among the 8 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), Central Elementary ranks 3rd on composite proficiency, above the local average of 27.9%.

Geographically, the school is in a commuter-belt area.

Trend over the last 7 years. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Central Elementary has ticked down 21%, going from 607 students in 2018 to 477 in 2025. The student-to-teacher ratio rose from 22.5:1 in 2018 to 23.9:1 today.

On allk12, posts here usually surface around pickup logistics, teacher feedback, and after-school programs. Parents, students, alumni, and staff are welcome to weigh in.