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What's the best and worst thing about the food at Meridian Elementary?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
570
Elementary
DISTRICT 569 · STATE 465
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·CAJON VALLEY UNION·NCES 060681000621
Meridian Elementary
651 South Third St., El Cajon, CA 92019 · (619) 588-3083 · San Diego County
GRADES KG–05ELEMENTARY21-SUBURBTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL570 STUDENTS
F
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 4% of California public elementary schools
- DTest scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- C-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 elementary schools
Student : Teacher
23.4:1
24 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 23.5:1 · STATE 22.3:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
93%
531 students
DISTRICT 82% · STATE 65%
Community
6
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 | 125 | 22% |
| Grade 1 | 84 | 15% |
| Grade 2 | 84 | 15% |
| Grade 3 | 98 | 17% |
| Grade 4 | 96 | 17% |
| Grade 5 | 83 | 15% |
This year's kindergarten class (125) is 51% larger than its 5th grade class (83).
Student demographics
69%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 69% · 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
19.9%
CA avg 49.1% . -15.1pp since 2014
Math
11.6%
CA avg 37.7% . -21.4pp since 2014
What this means: On the CAASPP, California's statewide test, about 20 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 12 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all California schools, those numbers are about 49 and 38. Reading and writing scores are down about 15 points since 2014, while math scores are down about 21 points.
Performance levels, 2024-25
| Subject | Standard Exceeded | Standard Met | Standard Nearly Met | Standard Not Met |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| English Language Arts | 6.7% | 13.1% | 19.1% | 61.0% |
| Math | 3.1% | 8.5% | 19.4% | 69.0% |
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 | 19.9% | 11.6% |
| 2023-24 | 21.2% | 15.0% |
| 2022-23 | 22.7% | 16.6% |
| 2021-22 | 28.9% | 19.9% |
| 2018-19 | 30.3% | 21.3% |
| 2017-18 | 24.9% | 24.4% |
| 2016-17 | 27.1% | 22.9% |
| 2015-16 | 34.0% | 32.0% |
| 2014-15 | 35.0% | 33.0% |
% 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
16.7%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
25.0%
based on CA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-8.2pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 17% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 25% 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 Meridian Elementary
Meridian Elementary's state test result (16.7% proficient) is higher than 2 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meridian Elementary this school | 570 | 93.2% | 16.7% |
| W. D. Hall Elementary El Cajon | 579 | 90.2% | 19.4% |
| Anza Elementary El Cajon | 687 | 91.1% | 13.0% |
| Buckeye School of the Arts Redding | 482 | 89.4% | 26.2% |
| Madison Avenue Elementary El Cajon | 670 | 90.9% | 20.9% |
| Chase Avenue Elementary El Cajon | 757 | 94.6% | 10.7% |
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 Meridian Elementary ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In California | In San Diego County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 16.7% | #4,832 of 5,151 | #379 of 392 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 11.6% | #4,972 of 5,172 ▼ 288 | #385 of 393 ▼ 16 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 19.9% | #4,849 of 5,172 ▼ 213 | #378 of 393 ▼ 4 |
| 3-year test score change ranked biggest drop first | -8.7pp | #180 of 5,116 | #11 of 387 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 570 | #1,642 of 5,915 | #119 of 453 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 23.4:1 | #3,289 of 5,352 | #232 of 418 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 69.5% | #695 of 5,354 | #54 of 418 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 93.2% | #681 of 5,625 | #31 of 442 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -8.7% | #2,850 of 3,837 | #200 of 279 |
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
570
+48 (+9%) vs 2020
-11% since 1990-91, when it was 642
Student : Teacher
23.4:1
was 23.7:1
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 | 570 | 24.4 | 23.4:1 | 93% (531) |
| 2023-24 | 572 | 22.7 | 25.2:1 | 90% (513) |
| 2022-23 | 563 | 26 | 21.6:1 | 85% (476) |
| 2020-21 | 522 | 22 | 23.7:1 | 88% (461) |
| 2017-18 | 624 | 26 | 24.0:1 | 81% (507) |
| 2015-16 | 659 | 27 | 24.4:1 | 87% (573) |
| 2010-11 | 658 | N/A | N/A | 68% (445) |
| 2000-01 | 648 | 32 | 20.3:1 | 41% (263) |
| 1990-91 | 642 | 28 | 22.9:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Meridian Elementary.
Since 2017-18: students down 9% (624 to 570); teachers down 6% (26 to 24.4).
About Meridian Elementary
Meridian Elementary operates as a mid-sized elementary school in El Cajon, California. Its grade span covers kindergarten through 5, with 570 students on the rolls. On average, elementary schools in California enroll around 465, and this school is 23% bigger than that mark.
Meridian Elementary is part of Cajon Valley Union, where 25 schools serve 15,974 students.
Of every 100 students at Meridian Elementary, about 48 are White, the largest group. The remaining students are 20% Hispanic, 16% Asian, 10% multiracial, and 5% Black. Census estimates put San Diego County at about 48% White, close to the school's figure. A diversity index of 69% means there is a 69% chance two randomly chosen students at Meridian Elementary are from different groups.
Its staff includes 24.4 full-time-equivalent teachers, for about 23.4 students per teacher. The gap from the 22.3:1 average for elementary schools in California is 1.1 students per teacher. Roughly 93% of students at Meridian Elementary can receive free or reduced-price lunch. The 54% average for public schools in San Diego County is 39 points lower.
Meridian Elementary earns an F on the allk12 Grade, which blends test scores, results against poverty-based expectations, and the three-year trend. It scored higher than 4% of California public elementary schools.
The allk12 BeatsExpectations score for Meridian Elementary is -8.2 points: 16.7% actual, 25.0% predicted.
For San Diego County, Census Bureau data show median household income comes to about $106,268, the share of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher is 43%, and roughly 7% of residents are in poverty. The county has 766 public schools and about 467,437 students.
A public school about 0.6 miles away, REACH Academy, is the closest to Meridian Elementary. Inside a five-mile radius, there are at least 8 other public schools. Among 6 nearby schools that report test results, Meridian Elementary ranks 3rd on proficiency.
The school's locale code, Suburb: Large, means it is in a suburban area outside a principal city, within an urbanized area with a population of 250,000 or more.
The school's student count rose 9% between the 2020-21 and 2024-25 school years.
This page is a place to ask questions and share updates about fundraisers, report cards, and school supplies at Meridian Elementary. Members of the school community can share what they know.
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 Cajon Valley Union
- Hillsdale MiddleMiddle · 1,481 students
- Naranca ElementaryElementary · 985 students
- Cajon Valley MiddleMiddle · 942 students
- Montgomery MiddleMiddle · 929 students
- Lexington ElementaryElementary · 878 students
- Johnson ElementaryElementary · 766 students
Other schools in El Cajon
- Granite Hills HighHigh · 2,331 students
- Literacy First CharterCombined · 2,160 students
- Valhalla HighHigh · 1,728 students
- El Cajon Valley HighHigh · 1,701 students
- Hillsdale MiddleMiddle · 1,481 students
- Bostonia GlobalCombined · 1,266 students
Other Meridian Elementary schools
10 other US public schools in 8 states are named Meridian Elementary. Meridian Elementary is the largest of the 11.
- Meridian ElementaryMeridian, CA · 78 students
- Meridian Elementary SchoolSANFORD, MI · 537 students
- Meridian Elementary SchoolBROOMFIELD, CO · 525 students
- MERIDIAN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLMERIDIAN, ID · 468 students
- Meridian Elementary SchoolBlue Mound, IL · 460 students
Nearby schools
- REACH Academy0.6 mi · 21
- Elite Academy0.7 mi · 34
- Montgomery Middle0.7 mi · 929
- Madison Avenue Elementary0.9 mi · 670
- Granite Hills High1.0 mi · 2,331
- Diego Valley East Public Charter1.0 mi · 408
Frequently asked questions
About Meridian ElementaryHow many students attend Meridian Elementary?
Meridian Elementary enrolls approximately 570 students in grades KG-05.
Is Meridian Elementary an elementary, middle, or high school?
Meridian Elementary is an elementary school covering grades KG-05.
How many teachers does Meridian Elementary have?
Meridian Elementary employs 24 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 23.4:1.
How diverse is Meridian Elementary?
Meridian Elementary reports a student body of 48% White, 20% Hispanic, 5% Black, 16% Asian, 10% Two or more.
Who oversees Meridian Elementary?
Meridian Elementary is overseen by Cajon Valley Union in San Diego County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.