Willow Elementary

Located at 226 Willow Rd., in San Ysidro, California, Willow Elementary is an average-sized elementary-level community that serves 643 students (grades K through 6), run under San Ysidro Elementary. That puts it 38% above the typical public school in California, which averages around 465 students.

Within San Ysidro Elementary, which oversees 7 schools and 4,140 students, Willow Elementary is one campus in the system.

For racial and ethnic makeup, Willow Elementary reports that nearly all students (97%) are Hispanic. That is visibly more Hispanic than the county at large, where the share is closer to 35%.

On the resource side, On paper, Willow Elementary has 31 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 20.7:1. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 22.3:1, putting Willow Elementary tighter than the state norm the norm. An estimated 67% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, often used as a Title I proxy. That share is higher than San Diego County's rate of about 54%.

Adjusting for the school's free-and-reduced-lunch share, Willow Elementary falls in the UNDERPERFORMING tier of the BeatsExpectations residual. Given its student profile, a typical campus would land near 39.8%; this one comes in at 24.7%, -15.1 points off the demographic line.

Across the wider county, the surrounding county (San Diego County) shows that median household earnings sit near $106,268, roughly 43% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, 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 Willow Elementary is one.

The closest other public school is Sunset Elementary, roughly 0.8 miles away. Counting just inside five miles, 8 other public schools cluster around Willow Elementary. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Willow Elementary at 5th of 9; the average score across the group is 25.6%.

The campus sits in a downtown setting.

Five-year trend. Over the past 7-year window, the student count fell 19%: 789 students in 2018 compared to 643 in 2025. The student-to-teacher ratio narrowed from 22.5:1 in 2018 to 20.7:1 today.

On this page, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around classroom updates, athletics, and weather closures. The community welcomes input from current and former families.