Is Central Elementary a good school?

Central Elementary ranks in the bottom 7.8% of California elementary schools.

How many students attend Central Elementary?

In the 2023-24 school year, 379 students attended Central Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Central Elementary?

Students at Central Elementary are 84% Hispanic, 6% Two or more races, 5% White, 3% African American, 1% Asian.

What schools do graduates of Central Elementary attend?

Students who attend Central Elementary usually go on to attend: Middle : Mar Vista Academy High : Mar Vista Senior High

Central Elementary

Summary:

Central Elementary is a public elementary school located in Imperial Beach, California, serving grades K-6 with a total enrollment of 395 students. The school is part of the South Bay Union School District, which is ranked 1233 out of 1568 districts in California and has a 1-star rating out of 5 from SchoolDigger.

Central Elementary consistently ranks in the bottom 10% of California elementary schools, with significantly lower academic performance compared to the district and state averages. In the 2023-2024 school year, only 22% of Central Elementary students were proficient or better in English Language Arts, compared to 32.58% for the South Bay Union district and 47.04% for the state. Similarly, in Mathematics, only 11.11% of Central Elementary students were proficient or better, compared to 21.59% for the district and 35.54% for the state. The school also has a high percentage of students from low socioeconomic backgrounds and English Language Learners, and has experienced high rates of chronic absenteeism, ranging from 17.3% to 50.9% over the past several years.

Compared to nearby schools in the South Bay Union district, such as Sunnyslope Elementary, Bayside STEAM Academy, Emory Elementary, and Oneonta Elementary, Central Elementary's academic performance is consistently lower. Addressing the root causes of chronic absenteeism and providing targeted interventions and support for students and families could be crucial in improving educational outcomes at the school.

Detail:

Public K-6

1290 Ebony Ave.
Imperial Beach, CA 91932-2920

(619) 628-5000

District: South Bay Union

SchoolDigger Rank:
5403^rd of 5,862 California Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $6,301

Students who attend Central Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Mar Vista Academy
High:	Mar Vista Senior High

Student/teacher ratio: 23.6

Number of students: 379

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

83.6%

Two or more races:

6.1%

White:

5.3%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 64.1%

See top rated California elementary schools

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Performance Trends

Compare Details Central Elementary ranks worse than 92.2% of elementary schools in California. It also ranks last among 11 ranked elementary schools in the South Bay Union School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 13.75. (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 Racial makeup is: Hispanic (83.6%), two or more races (6.1%), White (5.3%). (See more...)

Compare Details 64.1% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Central Elementary is 23.6, which is the 5^th best among 11 elementary schools in the South Bay Union School District. (See more...)

Compare Central Elementary employs 16 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Central Elementary is $6,301, which is the lowest among 11 elementary schools in the South Bay Union School District!

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Central Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Central Elementary 5403^rd of 5862 California public elementary schools. (See Central Elementary 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:

Hispanic students:

South Bay Union:

SchoolDigger ranks South Bay Union 1233^rd of 1568 California school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for Central Elementary

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Rank History for all students at Central Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2004	27.25	3402^nd	4809	29.3%
2005	27.25	3464^th	4822	28.2%
2006	33.58	3077^th	4818	36.1%
2007	22.24	4114^th	5113	19.5%
2008	36.74	3151^st	5113	38.4%
2009	35.31	3343^rd	5193	35.6%
2010	35.03	3490^th	5314	34.3%
2011	29.83	3993^rd	5377	25.7%
2012	25.85	4255^th	5390	21.1%
2013	12.76	5172^nd	5530	6.5%
2015	14.19	5187^th	5611	7.6%
2016	13.33	5184^th	5614	7.7%
2017	11.36	5409^th	5692	5.0%
2018	11.53	5347^th	5662	5.6%
2019	11.32	5497^th	5789	5.0%
2021	17.40	1226^th	1417	13.5%
2022	12.14	5594^th	5883	4.9%
2023	13.77	5423^rd	5874	7.7%
2024	13.75	5403^rd	5862	7.8%

See the entire list of California Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Central Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	46.78	1408^th	3246	56.6%
2019	29.87	2503^rd	3275	23.6%
2021	34.81	404^th	602	32.9%
2022	28.20	2741^st	3311	17.2%
2023	33.49	2279^th	3250	29.9%
2024	40.85	1759^th	3160	44.3%

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

Rank History for Special Education students at Central Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	26.98	1799^th	2420	25.7%
2024	38.88	1384^th	2634	47.5%

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

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Central Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	13.69	4807^th	5084	5.4%
2019	13.43	4920^th	5173	4.9%
2021	25.36	910^th	1110	18.0%
2022	14.12	5014^th	5264	4.7%
2023	14.85	5056^th	5374	5.9%
2024	15.76	5090^th	5511	7.6%

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

Rank History for Female students at Central Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	7.53	5335^th	5413	1.4%
2019	8.37	5382^nd	5492	2.0%
2021	17.91	1100^th	1267	13.2%
2022	14.75	5206^th	5635	7.6%
2023	13.59	5267^th	5617	6.2%
2024	12.93	5288^th	5605	5.7%

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

Rank History for Disabled students at Central Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	34.92	1221^st	2128	42.6%
2019	26.13	2002^nd	2585	22.6%
2021	23.48	233^rd	293	20.5%
2022	18.43	2148^th	2227	3.5%

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

Rank History for Male students at Central Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	17.78	4760^th	5431	12.4%
2019	15.86	4990^th	5510	9.4%
2021	18.71	1067^th	1272	16.1%
2022	11.17	5493^rd	5663	3.0%
2023	15.24	5149^th	5650	8.9%
2024	16.41	5034^th	5636	10.7%

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

Rank History for Hispanic students at Central Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	15.92	4469^th	4830	7.5%
2019	12.56	4768^th	4963	3.9%
2022	11.56	4965^th	5084	2.3%
2023	13.06	4906^th	5098	3.8%
2024	14.94	4763^rd	5102	6.6%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Hispanic 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 Central Elementary

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	275	15	40	342	4	n/a	n/a	0	676
1989	297	28	41	368	3	n/a	n/a	0	737
1990	303	43	44	435	4	n/a	n/a	0	829
1991	283	59	41	466	4	n/a	n/a	0	853
1992	273	60	60	545	4	n/a	n/a	0	942
1993	251	60	70	535	4	n/a	n/a	0	920
1994	250	70	64	552	6	n/a	n/a	0	942
1995	225	74	57	522	5	n/a	n/a	0	883
1996	225	74	57	522	5	n/a	n/a	0	883
1997	206	61	52	509	6	n/a	n/a	0	834
1998	204	59	48	538	4	n/a	n/a	0	853
1999	209	60	48	524	1	n/a	n/a	0	842
2000	158	41	32	517	8	n/a	n/a	0	756
2001	143	44	35	524	4	n/a	n/a	0	750
2002	105	33	35	510	1	n/a	n/a	1	685
2003	105	33	35	510	1	n/a	n/a	1	685
2004	107	34	40	537	2	n/a	n/a	4	724
2005	90	31	27	520	4	n/a	n/a	6	678
2006	79	32	34	501	2	n/a	n/a	6	654
2007	61	28	32	497	4	n/a	n/a	5	627
2008	50	30	28	502	5	n/a	n/a	0	615
2009	57	21	24	465	7	2	0	0	576
2010	56	25	31	509	7	3	1	0	632
2011	49	27	36	474	8	3	4	0	601
2012	47	24	25	461	10	2	9	0	578
2013	47	23	24	460	8	2	16	0	580
2014	45	19	28	438	4	4	21	0	559
2015	38	20	25	443	0	3	22	0	551
2016	42	15	21	458	1	2	29	0	568
2017	39	29	18	448	2	3	18	0	557
2018	38	35	21	433	2	3	20	0	552
2019	36	24	17	394	5	2	21	0	499
2020	32	18	16	344	5	1	20	0	436
2021	26	17	6	323	2	1	19	0	394
2022	26	12	9	316	2	1	15	0	381
2023	31	10	5	332	1	1	15	0	395
2024	20	13	4	317	0	2	23	0	379

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 Central Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	676	23.5	28.7	n/a
1989	737	27.0	27.2	n/a
1990	829	31.5	26.3	n/a
1991	853	34.5	24.7	n/a
1992	942	35.1	26.8	64.4
1993	920	35.8	25.7	70.2
1994	942	37.8	24.9	76.5
1995	883	35.0	25.2	76.7
1996	883	35.0	25.2	76.7
1997	834	35.0	23.8	83.1
1998	853	40.0	21.3	83.9
1999	842	44.0	19.1	83.1
2000	756	39.0	19.4	70.5
2001	750	38.0	19.7	56.1
2002	685	34.5	19.9	73.1
2003	685	34.5	19.9	73.1
2004	724	34.0	21.3	53.6
2005	678	32.0	21.2	65.6
2006	654	30.0	21.8	74.7
2007	627	31.0	20.2	78.1
2008	615	31.0	19.8	83.7
2009	576	28.0	19.9	85.2
2010	632	28.0	22.5	78.8
2011	601	n/a	n/a	84
2012	578	23.5	24.5	n/a
2013	580	22.0	26.3	99.5
2014	559	22.8	24.5	n/a
2015	551	22.0	25.0	71
2016	568	20.0	28.4	72.2
2017	557	24.0	23.2	71.3
2018	552	23.0	24.0	82.1
2019	499	21.0	23.7	81.4
2020	436	n/a	n/a	70.2
2021	394	16.0	24.6	55.8
2022	381	15.0	25.4	80.3
2023	395	16.0	24.6	73.2
2024	379	16.0	23.6	64.1

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 Central Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	676	23.5	28.7	n/a
1989	737	27.0	27.2	n/a
1990	829	31.5	26.3	n/a
1991	853	34.5	24.7	n/a
1992	942	35.1	26.8	64.4
1993	920	35.8	25.7	70.2
1994	942	37.8	24.9	76.5
1995	883	35.0	25.2	76.7
1996	883	35.0	25.2	76.7
1997	834	35.0	23.8	83.1
1998	853	40.0	21.3	83.9
1999	842	44.0	19.1	83.1
2000	756	39.0	19.4	70.5
2001	750	38.0	19.7	56.1
2002	685	34.5	19.9	73.1
2003	685	34.5	19.9	73.1
2004	724	34.0	21.3	53.6
2005	678	32.0	21.2	65.6
2006	654	30.0	21.8	74.7
2007	627	31.0	20.2	78.1
2008	615	31.0	19.8	83.7
2009	576	28.0	19.9	85.2
2010	632	28.0	22.5	78.8
2011	601	n/a	n/a	84
2012	578	23.5	24.5	n/a
2013	580	22.0	26.3	99.5
2014	559	22.8	24.5	n/a
2015	551	22.0	25.0	71
2016	568	20.0	28.4	72.2
2017	557	24.0	23.2	71.3
2018	552	23.0	24.0	82.1
2019	499	21.0	23.7	81.4
2020	436	n/a	n/a	70.2
2021	394	16.0	24.6	55.8
2022	381	15.0	25.4	80.3
2023	395	16.0	24.6	73.2
2024	379	16.0	23.6	64.1

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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