Enrollment
188
Elementary
DISTRICT 259 · STATE 465
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·MOUNTAIN EMPIRE UNIFIED·NCES 062610003902
Descanso Elementary
24842 Viejas Blvd., Descanso, CA 91916 · (619) 445-2126 · San Diego County
GRADES KG–06ELEMENTARY42-RURALTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL188 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
20.8:1
9 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 22.9:1 · STATE 22.3:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
45%
85 students
DISTRICT 63% · STATE 65%
Community
0
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 | 41 | 22% |
| Grade 1 | 18 | 10% |
| Grade 2 | 30 | 16% |
| Grade 3 | 18 | 10% |
| Grade 4 | 33 | 18% |
| Grade 5 | 28 | 15% |
| Grade 6 | 20 | 11% |
This year's kindergarten class (41) is 105% larger than its 6th grade class (20).
Student demographics
55%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 51% · 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
65.0%
CA avg 49.1% . +11.0pp since 2014
Math
38.0%
CA avg 37.7% . -13.0pp since 2014
What this means: On the CAASPP, California's statewide test, about 65 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 38 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 11 points since 2014, while math scores are down about 13 points.
Performance levels, 2024-25
| Subject | Standard Exceeded | Standard Met | Standard Nearly Met | Standard Not Met |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| English Language Arts | 27.0% | 38.0% | 15.0% | 20.0% |
| Math | 15.0% | 23.0% | 36.0% | 26.0% |
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 | 65.0% | 38.0% |
| 2023-24 | 56.8% | 51.7% |
| 2022-23 | 61.1% | 48.1% |
| 2021-22 | 49.6% | 35.5% |
| 2020-21 | 38.4% | 28.3% |
| 2018-19 | 61.9% | 55.2% |
| 2017-18 | 70.1% | 58.4% |
| 2016-17 | 66.2% | 50.0% |
| 2015-16 | 69.0% | 58.0% |
| 2014-15 | 54.0% | 51.0% |
% 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
52.3%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
53.0%
based on CA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-0.8pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 52% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 53% 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 Descanso Elementary
Descanso Elementary's state test result (52.3% proficient) is higher than 4 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Descanso Elementary this school | 188 | 45.2% | 52.3% |
| Hughes-Elizabeth Lakes Lake Hughes | 195 | 41.5% | 41.4% |
| Marblehead Elementary San Clemente | 195 | 43.6% | 42.1% |
| Capay Joint Union Elementary Orland | 211 | 41.2% | 39.4% |
| Lake Elementary Orland | 196 | 43.4% | 56.3% |
| Benjamin Foxen Elementary Santa Maria | 210 | 44.8% | 41.5% |
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 Descanso Elementary ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In California | In San Diego County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 52.3% | #1,575 of 5,151 | #169 of 392 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 38.0% | #2,440 of 5,172 ▼ 1,018 | #221 of 393 ▼ 65 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 65.0% | #1,021 of 5,172 ▲ 418 | #118 of 393 ▲ 38 |
| 3-year test score change ranked biggest gain first | +8.9pp | #775 of 5,116 | #46 of 387 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 188 | #5,397 of 5,915 | #425 of 453 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 45.2% | #4,121 of 5,625 | #278 of 442 |
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
188
-12 (-6%) vs 2020
-16% since 1990-91, when it was 223
Student : Teacher
20.8:1
was 20.0:1
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 | 188 | 9 | 20.8:1 | 45% (85) |
| 2023-24 | 214 | 9 | 23.7:1 | 48% (102) |
| 2022-23 | 200 | 8.2 | 24.3:1 | 35% (70) |
| 2020-21 | 200 | 10 | 20.0:1 | 35% (70) |
| 2017-18 | 166 | 7 | 23.7:1 | 43% (71) |
| 2015-16 | 175 | 8 | 21.9:1 | 53% (93) |
| 2010-11 | 124 | N/A | N/A | 35% (43) |
| 2000-01 | 159 | 7 | 22.7:1 | 36% (57) |
| 1990-91 | 223 | 11 | 20.3:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Descanso Elementary.
Since 2017-18: students up 13% (166 to 188); teachers up 29% (7 to 9).
About Descanso Elementary
Descanso Elementary is a small elementary school in California, with an address in Descanso. School enrollment was 188 students in 2024-25, in kindergarten through 6. For comparison, elementary schools in California average about 465 students.
Descanso Elementary is one of the 8 schools that make up Mountain Empire Unified (1,738 students in total).
By race and ethnicity, Descanso Elementary is 54% White. Other reported shares: 39% Hispanic and 5% multiracial. Descanso Elementary has a diversity index of 55%, compared with 70% for all US public school students.
Federal records show a student-to-teacher ratio of 20.8:1 at Descanso Elementary, with 9 full-time-equivalent teachers. Among elementary schools in California, the typical ratio is 22.3:1. The count of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch equals 45% of enrollment. The average for public schools in San Diego County is 54%.
On the allk12 BeatsExpectations measure, Descanso Elementary is within a point of the average proficiency rate on state tests predicted for its free or reduced-price lunch share: 52.3% actual, 53.0% predicted. That is outside both the top and bottom 10% in California.
In the county around the school, San Diego County, median household income is about $106,268, about 43% of adults have at least a bachelor's degree, and the poverty rate is about 7%. A total of 766 public schools operate in San Diego County, serving about 467,437 students.
Nearest public school: JCS - Pine Valley, about 5.6 miles away. The ten-mile area around Descanso Elementary holds 6 other public schools. Descanso Elementary ranks 1st of 5 among nearby schools on average proficiency, with 52.3% against a local average of 30.1%.
The NCES locale for Descanso Elementary is Rural: Distant, which covers schools in rural territory some distance from an urban area.
A comparison of 2020-21 and 2024-25 shows enrollment down 6%, from 200 to 188.
The allk12 site hosts a discussion page for Descanso Elementary covering things like school events, clubs, and volunteer needs. 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 Mountain Empire Unified
- Mountain Empire HighHigh · 412 students
- Campo ElementaryElementary · 359 students
- Potrero ElementaryElementary · 300 students
- Mountain Empire Junior HighMiddle · 245 students
- Clover Flat ElementaryElementary · 190 students
- Hillside Junior/Senior HighHigh · 31 students
Nearby schools
- JCS - Pine Valley5.6 mi · 184
- Sunrise High (Continuation)5.7 mi · 13
- Hillside Junior/Senior High5.7 mi · 31
- The Heights Charter8.4 mi · 283
- Joan MacQueen Middle9.6 mi · 405
- Boulder Oaks Elementary9.9 mi · 367
Frequently asked questions
About Descanso ElementaryWhat is the total enrollment at Descanso Elementary?
Descanso Elementary enrolls approximately 188 students in grades KG-06.
What age range does Descanso Elementary serve?
Descanso Elementary serves students from grade KG through grade 06.
How many students per teacher at Descanso Elementary?
Approximately 20.8:1 students per teacher at Descanso Elementary.
How diverse is Descanso Elementary?
Descanso Elementary reports a student body of 54% White, 39% Hispanic, 5% Two or more.
Who oversees Descanso Elementary?
Descanso Elementary is overseen by Mountain Empire Unified in San Diego County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.