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What's the best and worst thing about the food at La Mesa Arts Academy?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
1,059
Middle
DISTRICT 838 · STATE 659
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·LA MESA-SPRING VALLEY·NCES 062025002432
La Mesa Arts Academy
4200 Parks Ave., La Mesa, CA 91942 · (619) 668-5730 · San Diego County
GRADES 05–08MIDDLE21-SUBURBTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL1,059 STUDENTS
A-
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 76% of California public middle schools
- A-Test scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- A-Beats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- FThree-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 middle schools
Student : Teacher
20.7:1
51 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 18.4:1 · STATE 20.7:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
46%
491 students
DISTRICT 66% · STATE 65%
Community
6
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other middle schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 5 | 88 | 8% |
| Grade 6 | 306 | 29% |
| Grade 7 | 315 | 30% |
| Grade 8 | 350 | 33% |
Student demographics
68%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 65% · 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
64.7%
CA avg 49.1% . +3.7pp since 2014
Math
47.6%
CA avg 37.7% . +2.6pp 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 48 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 4 points since 2014, while math scores are up about 3 points.
Performance levels, 2024-25
| Subject | Standard Exceeded | Standard Met | Standard Nearly Met | Standard Not Met |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| English Language Arts | 30.2% | 34.4% | 20.2% | 15.1% |
| Math | 29.1% | 18.5% | 24.4% | 28.0% |
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 | 64.7% | 47.6% |
| 2023-24 | 69.1% | 54.7% |
| 2022-23 | 68.9% | 51.6% |
| 2021-22 | 71.5% | 51.0% |
| 2018-19 | 73.8% | 55.1% |
| 2017-18 | 71.3% | 49.7% |
| 2016-17 | 66.9% | 48.4% |
| 2015-16 | 68.0% | 48.0% |
| 2014-15 | 61.0% | 45.0% |
% 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
60.4%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
52.4%
based on CA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+8.0pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 60% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 52% 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 La Mesa Arts Academy
La Mesa Arts Academy's state test result (60.4% proficient) is higher than 4 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| La Mesa Arts Academy this school | 1,059 | 46.4% | 60.4% |
| Parkway Sports and Health Science Academy La Mesa | 897 | 48.8% | 43.0% |
| Willis Jepson Middle Vacaville | 954 | 51.5% | 36.0% |
| Dorothy McElhinney Middle Murrieta | 1,451 | 46.2% | 60.6% |
| Glen Edwards Middle Lincoln | 815 | 44.8% | 37.6% |
| Arden Middle Sacramento | 1,010 | 46.1% | 41.3% |
Matched among California middle 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 La Mesa Arts Academy ranks
Among middle schools| Measure | This school | In California | In San Diego County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 60.4% | #214 of 1,224 | #21 of 92 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 47.6% | #299 of 1,227 ▼ 97 | #28 of 92 ▼ 7 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 64.7% | #264 of 1,227 ▼ 91 | #26 of 92 ▼ 9 |
| 3-year test score change ranked biggest drop first | -5.1pp | #67 of 1,214 | #9 of 91 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 1,059 | #151 of 1,377 | #14 of 104 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 20.7:1 | #561 of 1,279 | #45 of 100 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 68.2% | #188 of 1,278 | #17 of 100 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 46.4% | #973 of 1,329 | #63 of 102 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -3.9% | #832 of 930 | #64 of 73 |
Ranked against other public middle 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
1,059
-33 (-3%) vs 2020
-3% since 1990-91, when it was 1,089
Student : Teacher
20.7:1
was 24.8:1
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 | 1,059 | 51.2 | 20.7:1 | 46% (491) |
| 2023-24 | 1,057 | 47.6 | 22.2:1 | 37% (393) |
| 2022-23 | 1,052 | 43.8 | 24.0:1 | 41% (430) |
| 2020-21 | 1,092 | 44 | 24.8:1 | 32% (347) |
| 2017-18 | 1,102 | 42.7 | 25.8:1 | 36% (398) |
| 2015-16 | 1,082 | 41 | 26.4:1 | 45% (489) |
| 2010-11 | 1,029 | N/A | N/A | 52% (530) |
| 2000-01 | 1,208 | 49 | 24.6:1 | 33% (402) |
| 1990-91 | 1,089 | 45 | 24.2:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for La Mesa Arts Academy.
Since 2017-18: students down 4% (1,102 to 1,059); teachers up 20% (42.7 to 51.2).
About La Mesa Arts Academy
La Mesa Arts Academy is a public middle school in La Mesa, California. The school has 1,059 students in 2024-25 across grades 5 through 8. That compares with an average of about 659 students for middle schools in California.
La Mesa-Spring Valley operates 22 schools. Combined enrollment is 10,491 students.
The largest group at La Mesa Arts Academy is White students, at 39%. The remaining students are 38% Hispanic, 11% multiracial, 6% Asian, and 6% Black. Census figures show San Diego County is about 48% White. Measured by the diversity index, the student body scores 68%.
La Mesa Arts Academy lists 51.2 full-time-equivalent teachers; that is about 20.7 students per teacher. The ratio is within a point of the 20.7:1 average for middle schools in California. Free or reduced-price lunch covers 46% of the student body.
La Mesa Arts Academy holds an A- allk12 Grade, placing it above 76% of California public middle schools.
When test results are adjusted for free or reduced-price lunch eligibility, La Mesa Arts Academy is 8.0 points above its prediction. Actual: 60.4%. Predicted: 52.4%.
Looking at the county, San Diego County, the median household earns about $106,268 a year, a bachelor's degree or higher is held by about 43% of adults, and the poverty rate is about 7%. The county has 766 public schools and about 467,437 students.
A public school about 0.2 miles away, La Mesa Dale Elementary, is the closest to La Mesa Arts Academy. In all, at least 8 other public schools sit within five miles of La Mesa Arts Academy. On proficiency, La Mesa Arts Academy is ahead of the 38.6% nearby average, ranking 1st of 7.
Locale: Suburb: Large. In NCES terms, the school is in a suburban area outside a principal city, within an urbanized area with a population of 250,000 or more.
In 2024-25, the school enrolled 1,059, down from 1,092 in 2020-21. From 2020-21 to 2024-25, the ratio dropped from 24.8:1 to 20.7:1.
This page collects posts and questions about La Mesa Arts Academy, such as open houses, carpools, and field trips. Current and former families are welcome to add their experience.
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 La Mesa-Spring Valley
- Parkway Sports and Health Science AcademyMiddle · 897 students
- Sci Tech Engr Arts and Math Acad at La PresaMiddle · 800 students
- Murdock ElementaryElementary · 608 students
- Spring Valley AcademyMiddle · 597 students
- Fletcher Hills ElementaryElementary · 540 students
- Murray Manor ElementaryElementary · 530 students
Other schools in La Mesa
- Helix HighHigh · 2,554 students
- Grossmont HighHigh · 2,172 students
- Parkway Sports and Health Science AcademyMiddle · 897 students
- Murdock ElementaryElementary · 608 students
- Avocado ElementaryElementary · 573 students
- Murray Manor ElementaryElementary · 530 students
Nearby schools
- La Mesa Dale Elementary0.2 mi · 460
- Helix High0.4 mi · 2,554
- Lemon Grove Academy Elementary0.9 mi · 399
- The Learning Choice Academy - East County1.0 mi · 466
- Vista La Mesa Academy1.1 mi · 518
- Lemon Grove Academy for the Sciences and Humanities1.1 mi · 516
Frequently asked questions
About La Mesa Arts AcademyWhat is the total enrollment at La Mesa Arts Academy?
La Mesa Arts Academy enrolls approximately 1,059 students in grades 05-08.
Is La Mesa Arts Academy an elementary, middle, or high school?
La Mesa Arts Academy is a middle school covering grades 05-08.
What is the student-teacher ratio at La Mesa Arts Academy?
The student-to-teacher ratio at La Mesa Arts Academy is approximately 20.7:1 (51 FTE teachers).
What is the student diversity at La Mesa Arts Academy?
Student demographics at La Mesa Arts Academy are roughly 39% White, 38% Hispanic, 6% Black, 6% Asian, 11% Two or more.
Is La Mesa Arts Academy public or private?
La Mesa Arts Academy is a public K-12 school, overseen by La Mesa-Spring Valley.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.