Is Meridian Elementary a good school?

Meridian Elementary ranks in the bottom 11.4% of California elementary schools.

How many students attend Meridian Elementary?

In the 2023-24 school year, 572 students attended Meridian Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Meridian Elementary?

Students at Meridian Elementary are 50% White, 20% Hispanic, 13% Two or more races, 12% Asian, 4% African American.

What schools do graduates of Meridian Elementary attend?

Students who attend Meridian Elementary usually go on to attend: Middle : Montgomery Middle

Meridian Elementary

Summary:

Meridian Elementary is a public elementary school located in El Cajon, California, serving 563 students in grades K-5. The school is part of the Cajon Valley Union School District, which is ranked 1180 out of 1568 districts in California and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger. Meridian Elementary has consistently been ranked in the bottom 10-15% of California elementary schools over the past several years, with a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Meridian Elementary faces several significant challenges. The school has significantly higher chronic absenteeism rates, with a 28% rate in 2022-2023 compared to the district's 16% and the state's 14.3%. Academically, Meridian students consistently underperform the district and state averages in Smarter Balanced Assessments for English Language Arts and Mathematics. For example, in 2023-2024, only 21.19% of Meridian students were proficient or better in ELA, compared to 31.78% for the district and 47.04% for the state. The school also struggles to support the academic achievement of various student subgroups, ranking in the bottom 10-20% of California elementary schools for Hispanic, White, and English Learner students.

When comparing Meridian Elementary to other nearby schools within the Cajon Valley Union School District, it becomes evident that Meridian is one of the lowest-performing schools in the district. For instance, Vista Grande Elementary, located just 1.72 miles away, consistently outperforms Meridian in academic assessments and has a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger. Meridian's high percentage of students from low-socioeconomic backgrounds, with 84.55% qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, likely contributes to the school's academic challenges. However, the data suggests that there is room for improvement, as the school's performance in certain subgroups indicates that targeted interventions and support could potentially lead to better outcomes for these students.

Detail:

Public K-5

651 South Third St.
El Cajon, CA 92019-2517

(619) 588-3083

District: Cajon Valley Union

SchoolDigger Rank:
5195^th of 5,862 California Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $11,229

Students who attend Meridian Elementary usually attend:

Middle:

Montgomery Middle

Student/teacher ratio: 25.2

Number of students: 572

Racial breakdown:

White:

49.7%

Hispanic:

19.9%

Two or more races:

13.3%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 89.7%

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Performance Trends

Compare Details Meridian Elementary ranks worse than 88.6% of elementary schools in California. It also ranks 13^th among 19 ranked elementary schools in the Cajon Valley Union School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 16.16. (See more...)

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

Compare Details Student population at Meridian Elementary is diverse. Racial makeup is: White (49.7%), Hispanic (19.9%), two or more races (13.3%). (See more...)

Compare Details 89.7% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Meridian Elementary is 25.2, which is the 10^th best among 19 elementary schools in the Cajon Valley Union School District. (See more...)

Compare Meridian Elementary employs 22.6 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Meridian Elementary is $11,229, which is the 8^th highest among 19 elementary schools in the Cajon Valley Union School District.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Meridian Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Meridian Elementary 5195^th of 5862 California public elementary schools. (See Meridian Elementary in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Multi-racial students:

English Language Learner students:

Special Education students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

Asian students:

Hispanic students:

White students:

Cajon Valley Union:

SchoolDigger ranks Cajon Valley Union 1180^th of 1568 California school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Your rating for Meridian Elementary?

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Rank History for Meridian Elementary

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Rank History for all students at Meridian Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2004	49.47	2181^st	4809	54.6%
2005	45.54	2417^th	4822	49.9%
2006	47.32	2303^rd	4818	52.2%
2007	41.12	2837^th	5113	44.5%
2008	27.68	3773^rd	5113	26.2%
2009	36.98	3244^th	5193	37.5%
2010	37.10	3348^th	5314	37.0%
2011	27.28	4173^rd	5377	22.4%
2012	39.58	3290^th	5390	39.0%
2013	45.36	2981^st	5530	46.1%
2015	43.08	2854^th	5611	49.1%
2016	34.17	3463^rd	5614	38.3%
2017	21.34	4573^rd	5692	19.7%
2018	18.00	4848^th	5662	14.4%
2019	16.32	5131^st	5789	11.4%
2022	24.08	4440^th	5883	24.5%
2023	17.22	5135^th	5874	12.6%
2024	16.16	5195^th	5862	11.4%

See the entire list of California Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for Multi-racial students at Meridian Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2024	0.31	669^th	669	0.0%

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

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Meridian Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	36.59	1971^st	3246	39.3%
2019	32.28	2320^th	3275	29.2%
2022	48.30	1295^th	3311	60.9%
2023	34.11	2233^rd	3250	31.3%
2024	24.27	2880^th	3160	8.9%

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

Rank History for Special Education students at Meridian Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	41.17	1180^th	2420	51.2%
2024	39.68	1341^st	2634	49.1%

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

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Meridian Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	26.26	4034^th	5084	20.7%
2019	20.80	4516^th	5173	12.7%
2022	37.99	3175^th	5264	39.7%
2023	23.85	4394^th	5374	18.2%
2024	19.57	4809^th	5511	12.7%

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

Rank History for Female students at Meridian Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	16.85	4791^st	5413	11.5%
2019	18.26	4775^th	5492	13.1%
2022	29.55	3778^th	5635	33.0%
2023	21.05	4606^th	5617	18.0%
2024	22.03	4503^rd	5605	19.7%

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

Rank History for Disabled students at Meridian Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	17.59	2087^th	2128	1.9%
2019	27.34	1930^th	2585	25.3%
2022	48.09	853^rd	2227	61.7%

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

Rank History for Male students at Meridian Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	20.12	4565^th	5431	15.9%
2019	16.57	4930^th	5510	10.5%
2022	20.86	4632^nd	5663	18.2%
2023	15.23	5150^th	5650	8.8%
2024	12.44	5342^nd	5636	5.2%

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

Rank History for Asian students at Meridian Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2024	0.18	1202^nd	1203	0.1%

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

Rank History for Hispanic students at Meridian Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	19.39	4290^th	4830	11.2%
2019	22.54	4214^th	4963	15.1%
2022	29.37	3753^rd	5084	26.2%
2023	21.55	4371^st	5098	14.3%
2024	19.18	4514^th	5102	11.5%

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

Rank History for White students at Meridian Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	6.67	2629^th	2737	3.9%
2019	3.73	2780^th	2834	1.9%
2022	6.29	2615^th	2726	4.1%
2023	5.13	2583^rd	2662	3.0%
2024	6.41	2540^th	2647	4.0%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary 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 Meridian Elementary

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	488	3	12	43	13	n/a	n/a	0	559
1989	554	6	23	33	10	n/a	n/a	0	626
1990	555	5	11	38	16	n/a	n/a	0	625
1991	564	5	15	42	16	n/a	n/a	0	642
1992	519	14	13	42	11	n/a	n/a	0	599
1993	518	15	11	40	11	n/a	n/a	0	595
1994	530	14	13	66	10	n/a	n/a	0	633
1995	511	22	18	81	8	n/a	n/a	0	640
1996	511	22	18	81	8	n/a	n/a	0	640
1997	525	24	17	82	10	n/a	n/a	0	658
1998	536	31	9	82	9	n/a	n/a	0	667
1999	525	29	14	102	9	n/a	n/a	0	679
2000	521	31	17	112	8	n/a	n/a	0	689
2001	482	24	24	112	6	n/a	n/a	0	648
2002	473	27	25	108	4	n/a	n/a	0	637
2003	473	27	25	108	4	n/a	n/a	0	637
2004	454	23	26	113	5	n/a	n/a	0	621
2005	430	65	37	101	8	n/a	n/a	1	642
2006	396	44	24	147	10	n/a	n/a	23	644
2007	326	30	15	118	7	n/a	n/a	84	580
2008	315	32	13	132	3	n/a	n/a	0	495
2009	306	38	12	130	2	2	90	0	580
2010	335	35	11	162	3	4	60	0	610
2011	346	41	17	178	2	5	69	0	658
2012	313	48	20	189	5	4	50	0	629
2013	348	56	19	184	2	4	36	0	649
2014	380	50	18	183	4	6	39	0	680
2015	381	40	15	179	4	3	31	0	653
2016	386	40	14	182	4	3	30	0	659
2017	372	43	15	155	4	3	30	0	622
2018	370	45	16	153	4	2	34	0	624
2019	368	30	24	147	4	1	25	0	599
2020	321	28	31	132	3	1	37	0	553
2021	301	24	34	126	2	0	35	0	522
2022	283	27	44	125	3	0	43	0	525
2023	288	27	61	118	1	2	66	0	563
2024	284	25	69	114	0	4	76	0	572

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 Meridian Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	559	19.6	28.5	n/a
1989	626	23.6	26.5	n/a
1990	625	27.6	22.6	n/a
1991	642	28.0	22.9	n/a
1992	599	28.5	21.0	29.2
1993	595	24.3	24.5	39
1994	633	24.2	26.2	42.5
1995	640	24.5	26.1	50.6
1996	640	24.5	26.1	50.6
1997	658	31.0	21.2	49.2
1998	667	31.0	21.5	46.8
1999	679	33.8	20.1	39.9
2000	689	32.0	21.5	39.5
2001	648	32.5	19.9	40.6
2002	637	31.2	20.4	37.2
2003	637	31.2	20.4	37.2
2004	621	26.8	23.2	39.8
2005	642	29.2	22.0	46.6
2006	644	28.0	23.0	49.3
2007	580	26.8	21.6	52.8
2008	495	28.9	17.1	62.2
2009	580	27.0	20.1	51
2010	610	26.1	23.3	70.8
2011	658	n/a	n/a	67.6
2012	629	25.0	25.1	99.5
2013	649	25.0	25.9	75
2014	680	27.2	25.0	80
2015	653	26.0	25.1	83
2016	659	27.0	24.4	86.9
2017	622	26.2	23.7	88.3
2018	624	26.0	24.0	81.3
2019	599	25.0	23.9	87.1
2020	553	n/a	n/a	88.1
2021	522	22.0	23.7	88.3
2022	525	23.0	22.8	75.2
2023	563	26.0	21.6	84.5
2024	572	22.6	25.2	89.7

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 Meridian Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	559	19.6	28.5	n/a
1989	626	23.6	26.5	n/a
1990	625	27.6	22.6	n/a
1991	642	28.0	22.9	n/a
1992	599	28.5	21.0	29.2
1993	595	24.3	24.5	39
1994	633	24.2	26.2	42.5
1995	640	24.5	26.1	50.6
1996	640	24.5	26.1	50.6
1997	658	31.0	21.2	49.2
1998	667	31.0	21.5	46.8
1999	679	33.8	20.1	39.9
2000	689	32.0	21.5	39.5
2001	648	32.5	19.9	40.6
2002	637	31.2	20.4	37.2
2003	637	31.2	20.4	37.2
2004	621	26.8	23.2	39.8
2005	642	29.2	22.0	46.6
2006	644	28.0	23.0	49.3
2007	580	26.8	21.6	52.8
2008	495	28.9	17.1	62.2
2009	580	27.0	20.1	51
2010	610	26.1	23.3	70.8
2011	658	n/a	n/a	67.6
2012	629	25.0	25.1	99.5
2013	649	25.0	25.9	75
2014	680	27.2	25.0	80
2015	653	26.0	25.1	83
2016	659	27.0	24.4	86.9
2017	622	26.2	23.7	88.3
2018	624	26.0	24.0	81.3
2019	599	25.0	23.9	87.1
2020	553	n/a	n/a	88.1
2021	522	22.0	23.7	88.3
2022	525	23.0	22.8	75.2
2023	563	26.0	21.6	84.5
2024	572	22.6	25.2	89.7

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.

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