Is Literacy First Charter a good school?

Literacy First Charter ranks 1462 nd of 5862 California alternative schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Literacy First Charter?

In the 2023-24 school year, 2,050 students attended Literacy First Charter.

What is the racial makeup of Literacy First Charter?

Students at Literacy First Charter are 42% Asian, 32% White, 20% Hispanic, 4% Two or more races, 2% African American.

Literacy First Charter

Summary:

Literacy First Charter is an alternative public charter school located in El Cajon, California, serving grades K-12 with a total enrollment of 1,972 students. The school is part of the Literacy First Charter District and stands out for its consistently strong academic performance across multiple subject areas and grade levels.

Literacy First Charter outperforms the state average in Smarter Balanced Assessments for English Language Arts/Literacy, Mathematics, and CAST Science assessments. The school's proficiency rates range from 53.47% in 3rd grade to 72.62% in 11th grade for English Language Arts/Literacy, 39.76% in 11th grade to 58.42% in 4th grade for Mathematics, and 33.73% in 11th grade to 39.9% in 5th grade for Science, all of which are significantly higher than the state averages. Additionally, the school has a 92.1% four-year graduation rate and a relatively low 6.3% dropout rate, indicating that it is effectively supporting student success.

Compared to nearby alternative schools, such as Alba, America's Finest Charter, and Diego Hills Central Public Charter, Literacy First Charter stands out with its higher academic performance, lower chronic absenteeism rate, and a relatively higher socioeconomic status of its student population, as indicated by its 51.98% free and reduced-price lunch rate, which is lower than the state average. These factors suggest that Literacy First Charter is providing a high-quality educational experience for its students.

Detail:

Public, Charter, Alternative K-12

799 East Washington Ave.
El Cajon, CA 92020-5327

(619) 579-7232

District: Literacy First Charter District

SchoolDigger Rank:
1462^nd of 5,862 California Alternative Schools

Student/teacher ratio: 21.4

Number of students: 2,050

Racial breakdown:

Asian:

42.1%

White:

31.7%

Hispanic:

20.1%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 55%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Literacy First Charter to nearby alternative schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Literacy First Charter ranks better than 75.1% of elementary schools in California. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 72.65. (See more...)

Compare Details Literacy First Charter ranks better than 80% of middle schools in California. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 76.53. (See more...)

Compare Details Literacy First Charter ranks better than 83.5% of high schools in California. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 75.91. (See more...)

The four-year cohort graduation rate measures the percentage of students at Literacy First Charter who earn a standard high school diploma within four years of starting ninth grade.

The high school dropout rate measures the percentage of students who do not complete their high school education.

Chronic absenteeism in a school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.

Student Body

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Teachers

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Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Literacy First Charter:

SchoolDigger ranks Literacy First Charter 1462^nd of 5862 California public elementary schools. (See Literacy First Charter in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

English Language Learner students:

Special Education students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

Asian students:

Hispanic students:

White students:

SchoolDigger ranks Literacy First Charter 555^th of 2777 California public middle schools. (See Literacy First Charter in the ranking list.)

Middle School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

English Language Learner students:

Special Education students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

Asian students:

Hispanic students:

White students:

SchoolDigger ranks Literacy First Charter 384^th of 2323 California public high schools. (See Literacy First Charter in the ranking list.)

High School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Multi-racial students:

English Language Learner students:

Special Education students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Military Connected students:

Male students:

Asian students:

African American students:

Hispanic students:

White students:

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Your rating for Literacy First Charter?

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Rank History for Literacy First Charter

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Rank History for all elementary school students at Literacy First Charter

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2019	91.39	565^th	5789	90.2%
2021	87.97	175^th	1417	87.6%
2022	82.23	1080^th	5883	81.6%
2023	73.82	1434^th	5874	75.6%
2024	72.65	1462^nd	5862	75.1%

See the entire list of California Alternative School Rankings!

Rank History for elementary school English Language Learner students at Literacy First Charter

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2019	92.49	136^th	3275	95.8%
2021	97.26	13^th	602	97.8%
2022	92.09	142^nd	3311	95.7%
2023	81.85	243^rd	3250	92.5%
2024	76.65	283^rd	3160	91.0%

See the entire list of Best California Alternative Schools for English Language Learner Students!

Rank History for elementary school Special Education students at Literacy First Charter

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	70.02	473^rd	2420	80.5%
2024	69.58	504^th	2634	80.9%

See the entire list of Best California Alternative Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for elementary school Low Socio Economic Status students at Literacy First Charter

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2019	94.90	144^th	5173	97.2%
2021	97.98	12^th	1110	98.9%
2022	91.20	301^st	5264	94.3%
2023	80.61	755^th	5374	86.0%
2024	78.49	903^rd	5511	83.6%

See the entire list of Best California Alternative Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for elementary school Female students at Literacy First Charter

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2019	87.72	674^th	5492	87.7%
2021	88.01	157^th	1267	87.6%
2022	79.29	1142^nd	5635	79.7%
2023	73.83	1329^th	5617	76.3%
2024	72.87	1364^th	5605	75.7%

See the entire list of Best California Alternative Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for elementary school Disabled students at Literacy First Charter

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2019	86.42	238^th	2585	90.8%
2021	83.03	32^nd	293	89.1%
2022	81.51	276^th	2227	87.6%

See the entire list of Best California Alternative Schools for Disabled Students!

Rank History for elementary school Male students at Literacy First Charter

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2019	92.36	425^th	5510	92.3%
2021	85.55	186^th	1272	85.4%
2022	82.57	981^st	5663	82.7%
2023	71.30	1446^th	5650	74.4%
2024	69.73	1518^th	5636	73.1%

See the entire list of Best California Alternative Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for elementary school Asian students at Literacy First Charter

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2019	39.21	826^th	1149	28.1%
2022	27.39	916^th	1154	20.6%
2023	17.18	1021^st	1190	14.2%
2024	18.38	1021^st	1203	15.1%

See the entire list of Best California Alternative Schools for Asian Students!

Rank History for elementary school Hispanic students at Literacy First Charter

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2019	96.09	109^th	4963	97.8%
2022	84.17	586^th	5084	88.5%
2023	72.01	1077^th	5098	78.9%
2024	62.83	1526^th	5102	70.1%

See the entire list of Best California Alternative Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for elementary school White students at Literacy First Charter

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2019	82.90	357^th	2834	87.4%
2022	70.46	793^rd	2726	70.9%
2023	67.63	874^th	2662	67.2%
2024	65.05	957^th	2647	63.8%

See the entire list of Best California Alternative Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: California Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

Rank History for Literacy First Charter

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Rank History for all middle school students at Literacy First Charter

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	CA State Percentile
2019	90.48	256^th	2715	90.6%
2021	88.13	82^nd	894	90.8%
2022	85.66	373^rd	2740	86.4%
2023	82.07	438^th	2802	84.4%
2024	76.53	555^th	2777	80.0%

See the entire list of California Alternative School Rankings!

Rank History for middle school English Language Learner students at Literacy First Charter

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	CA State Percentile
2019	57.95	321^st	1442	77.7%
2021	83.23	20^th	363	94.5%
2022	91.56	52^nd	1540	96.6%
2023	63.21	235^th	1529	84.6%
2024	40.77	705^th	1477	52.3%

See the entire list of Best California Alternative Schools for English Language Learner Students!

Rank History for middle school Special Education students at Literacy First Charter

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	67.06	300^th	1538	80.5%
2024	67.67	303^rd	1550	80.5%

See the entire list of Best California Alternative Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for middle school Low Socio Economic Status students at Literacy First Charter

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	CA State Percentile
2019	94.25	77^th	2369	96.7%
2021	95.68	14^th	721	98.1%
2022	89.20	155^th	2458	93.7%
2023	83.31	272^nd	2549	89.3%
2024	78.02	390^th	2575	84.9%

See the entire list of Best California Alternative Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for middle school Female students at Literacy First Charter

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	CA State Percentile
2019	87.70	278^th	2380	88.3%
2021	87.03	76^th	738	89.7%
2022	81.16	408^th	2509	83.7%
2023	76.40	503^rd	2547	80.3%
2024	76.72	503^rd	2546	80.2%

See the entire list of Best California Alternative Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for middle school Disabled students at Literacy First Charter

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	CA State Percentile
2019	90.98	78^th	1491	94.8%
2021	85.49	24^th	354	93.2%
2022	79.58	183^rd	1531	88.0%

See the entire list of Best California Alternative Schools for Disabled Students!

Rank History for middle school Male students at Literacy First Charter

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	CA State Percentile
2019	91.24	212^th	2407	91.2%
2021	86.98	77^th	763	89.9%
2022	87.79	304^th	2527	88.0%
2023	84.66	352^nd	2558	86.2%
2024	73.56	545^th	2547	78.6%

See the entire list of Best California Alternative Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for middle school Asian students at Literacy First Charter

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	CA State Percentile
2019	36.40	518^th	745	30.5%
2022	30.98	539^th	733	26.5%
2023	21.36	585^th	718	18.5%
2024	19.28	604^th	741	18.5%

See the entire list of Best California Alternative Schools for Asian Students!

Rank History for middle school Hispanic students at Literacy First Charter

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	CA State Percentile
2019	83.87	229^th	2213	89.7%
2022	87.10	184^th	2359	92.2%
2023	84.13	235^th	2391	90.2%
2024	82.20	277^th	2383	88.4%

See the entire list of Best California Alternative Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for middle school White students at Literacy First Charter

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	CA State Percentile
2019	86.88	134^th	1602	91.6%
2022	82.48	200^th	1555	87.1%
2023	80.53	232^nd	1552	85.1%
2024	70.98	409^th	1535	73.4%

See the entire list of Best California Alternative Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: California Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

Rank History for Literacy First Charter

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Rank History for all high school students at Literacy First Charter

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CA State Percentile
2019	89.80	178^th	2133	91.7%
2021	82.84	217^th	1290	83.2%
2022	85.34	280^th	2123	86.8%
2023	79.05	339^th	2348	85.6%
2024	75.91	384^th	2323	83.5%

See the entire list of California Alternative School Rankings!

Rank History for high school Multi-racial students at Literacy First Charter

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	55.72	295^th	786	62.5%
2024	45.36	380^th	804	52.7%

See the entire list of Best California Alternative Schools for Multi-racial Students!

Rank History for high school English Language Learner students at Literacy First Charter

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	84.69	23^rd	1323	98.3%
2024	79.04	52^nd	1350	96.1%

See the entire list of Best California Alternative Schools for English Language Learner Students!

Rank History for high school Special Education students at Literacy First Charter

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	68.60	233^rd	1547	84.9%
2024	62.52	300^th	1534	80.4%

See the entire list of Best California Alternative Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for high school Low Socio Economic Status students at Literacy First Charter

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CA State Percentile
2019	64.63	563^rd	1937	70.9%
2021	74.40	242^nd	1126	78.5%
2022	83.36	223^rd	1943	88.5%
2023	83.68	240^th	2247	89.3%
2024	78.86	290^th	2235	87.0%

See the entire list of Best California Alternative Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for high school Female students at Literacy First Charter

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CA State Percentile
2019	88.07	184^th	1833	90.0%
2021	79.63	200^th	1054	81.0%
2022	82.97	275^th	1858	85.2%
2023	76.25	360^th	2118	83.0%
2024	75.44	375^th	2098	82.1%

See the entire list of Best California Alternative Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for high school Disabled students at Literacy First Charter

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2019	45.03	482^nd	1117	56.8%
2021	89.56	43^rd	555	92.3%

See the entire list of Best California Alternative Schools for Disabled Students!

Rank History for high school Military Connected students at Literacy First Charter

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2024	85.25	31^st	234	86.8%

See the entire list of Best California Alternative Schools for Military Connected Students!

Rank History for high school Male students at Literacy First Charter

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CA State Percentile
2019	87.24	205^th	1880	89.1%
2021	81.12	213^th	1122	81.0%
2022	84.44	252^nd	1916	86.8%
2023	79.59	321^st	2207	85.5%
2024	74.24	394^th	2172	81.9%

See the entire list of Best California Alternative Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for high school Asian students at Literacy First Charter

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CA State Percentile
2022	35.20	408^th	581	29.8%
2023	24.69	564^th	731	22.8%
2024	25.67	541^st	712	24.0%

See the entire list of Best California Alternative Schools for Asian Students!

Rank History for high school African American students at Literacy First Charter

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	86.81	69^th	720	90.4%
2024	92.85	37^th	721	94.9%

See the entire list of Best California Alternative Schools for African American Students!

Rank History for high school Hispanic students at Literacy First Charter

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CA State Percentile
2019	79.79	272^nd	1814	85.0%
2022	82.93	216^th	1861	88.4%
2023	76.13	317^th	2142	85.2%
2024	72.51	354^th	2125	83.3%

See the entire list of Best California Alternative Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for high school White students at Literacy First Charter

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CA State Percentile
2019	94.45	35^th	1222	97.1%
2022	87.28	107^th	1204	91.1%
2023	81.45	154^th	1434	89.3%
2024	73.67	249^th	1406	82.3%

See the entire list of Best California Alternative Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: California Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Data source: California Department of Education

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Enrollment information for Literacy First Charter

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
2019	595	44	554	411	2	3	69	0	1678
2020	588	42	637	437	1	1	77	0	1783
2021	638	50	661	440	1	1	71	0	1862
2022	653	42	736	432	1	2	79	0	1945
2023	631	36	808	407	0	1	88	1	1972
2024	650	34	863	413	3	0	86	1	2050

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Literacy First Charter

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2019	1678	80.5	20.8	39.6
2020	1783	n/a	n/a	54.7
2021	1862	95.1	19.5	49
2022	1945	87.0	22.3	56
2023	1972	92.6	21.2	52
2024	2050	95.7	21.4	55

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Literacy First Charter

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2019	1678	80.5	20.8	39.6
2020	1783	n/a	n/a	54.7
2021	1862	95.1	19.5	49
2022	1945	87.0	22.3	56
2023	1972	92.6	21.2	52
2024	2050	95.7	21.4	55

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.

Kindergarten Immunization Rates