John A. Otis Elementary

Set in National City, California, John A. Otis Elementary is a low-enrollment K-5 school, one of the schools within National Elementary. It teaches 367 students across grades K through 6. Compared to the state average of about 465 students per school, that is 21% leaner than typical.

John A. Otis Elementary is one of 10 schools operated by National Elementary, a district that educates 3,964 students overall.

Demographically, John A. Otis Elementary lists that the student body is overwhelmingly Hispanic (89%). Beyond that, the school records 8% Asian. By comparison, San Diego County as a whole is about 35% Hispanic, so the school skews visibly more Hispanic than its surroundings.

Looking at the economic backdrop, John A. Otis Elementary shows 16 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 22.9:1. That tracks the state average closely. About 84% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, which schools and policymakers use as a rough income-mix signal. That share is above San Diego County's rate of about 54%.

Adjusting for the school's free-and-reduced-lunch share, John A. Otis Elementary tracks the demographic baseline. The model predicts 29.3% given the school's FRL share; actual proficiency is 26.3%.

In the area at large, census data for San Diego County shows median household earnings sit near $106,268, about 43% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, 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 John A. Otis Elementary is one.

The closest other public school is National City Middle, roughly 0.2 miles away. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools. On composite proficiency, John A. Otis Elementary comes 5th of 8 in the immediate cluster, behind the nearby-schools average of 26.5%.

The school occupies an outer-ring site.

Looking at the recent track record. John A. Otis Elementary's enrollment has ticked down 22% since 2018, when it stood at 469 (now 367). Class-load math has fell: from 24.7:1 in 2018 to 22.9:1 in 2025.

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