Rios Elementary

Set in El Cajon, California, Rios Elementary is a low-enrollment primary school, overseen by Cajon Valley Union. It caters to 255 students across grades K through 5. That puts it 45% smaller than the typical public school in California, which averages around 465 students.

Across the 25 schools in Cajon Valley Union (15,974 students total), Rios Elementary accounts for its share of the district's footprint.

In terms of who attends, Rios Elementary lists that 43% of students identify as Hispanic, with the remaining enrollment distributed across several groups; the rest looks like 38% White, 9% multiracial, 6% Black, 3% Asian. The wider county runs roughly 35% Hispanic, putting the school's mix visibly more Hispanic than the area baseline.

In terms of school funding signals, On paper, Rios Elementary has 12 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 21.3:1. The state averages around 22.3:1, so this campus is tighter than the state norm typical. About 76% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, which schools and policymakers use as a rough income-mix signal. By comparison, San Diego County runs at roughly 54%, so the school's eligibility rate is somewhat above the surrounding baseline.

On a demographically-adjusted basis, Rios Elementary sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 34.2%; this one delivers 24.0%.

In the surrounding 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%. Across San Diego County's 766 public schools (combined enrollment of about 467,437 students), Rios Elementary is one campus in the mix.

Lakeview Elementary is the nearest neighboring public school, about 1.8 miles from this campus. 8 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Rios Elementary at 6th of 8; the average score across the group is 35.0%.

Geographically, the school is in a countryside area.

Five-year trend. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Rios Elementary has decreased 29%, going from 359 students in 2018 to 255 in 2025. Over the same period, the White share fell from 50% to 38%.

On allk12, members of the Rios Elementary community share and discuss pickup logistics, teacher feedback, and after-school programs. Parents, students, alumni, and staff are welcome to weigh in.