Tierra Bonita Elementary

Tierra Bonita Elementary is one of the low-enrollment elementary schools in Poway, California, run under Poway Unified, with 377 students on its rolls from grades K through 5.

Poway Unified comprises 39 schools with combined enrollment of 34,259 students; Tierra Bonita Elementary is among them.

On demographics, Tierra Bonita Elementary shows that the largest single group is White, at 59% of enrollment. Beyond that, the school reports 19% Hispanic, 14% multiracial, 6% Asian. By comparison, San Diego County as a whole is about 48% White, so the school skews considerably more White than its surroundings.

In terms of school funding signals, Staff filings list 17 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to roughly 22.9:1 students per teacher. That tracks the state average closely. An estimated 8% of students are eligible 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 below the surrounding baseline.

On a residual basis (actual vs predicted given the student mix), Tierra Bonita Elementary sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 74.6%; this one delivers 77.8%.

Around the school, census data for San Diego County shows median household income runs about $106,268, roughly 43% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and roughly 7% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Tierra Bonita Elementary is one of 766 public schools in San Diego County (combined enrollment of about 467,437 students).

Nearest neighbor: Twin Peaks Middle, around 0.1 miles off. Counting just inside five miles, 8 other public schools cluster around Tierra Bonita Elementary. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Tierra Bonita Elementary at 1st of 8; the average score across the group is 56.2%.

Tierra Bonita Elementary operates from a residential location.

Five-year trend. Over the past 7-year window, the student count decreased 18%: 461 students in 2018 compared to 377 in 2025. White enrollment moved from 71% to 59% across the same window.

On this page, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around pickup logistics, teacher feedback, and after-school programs. Parents, students, alumni, and staff are welcome to weigh in.