Mahadev Maitri Foundation
US Initiatives
Elementary Schools

Best Elementary Schools
in San Diego Unified

This page covers 117 elementary schools in San Diego Unified. Rankings use a composite of neighborhood opportunity, class sizes, and per-student investment — signals available consistently from federal data across all US public schools. Schools in this district score near the national median on neighborhood opportunity. Use these rankings as a starting point; pair them with school visits and conversations with local parents before making any enrollment decision.

117
Schools Ranked
California
State
None
Charter Schools
RankingsHow We RankFAQAbout Data

Elementary Schools Rankings

Showing 10 of 117
1
rank
Whitman Elementary
Grades KG–0689 students
Ranked for: small class sizes (12.7:1) · above-average investment ($26,968/student)
59
/100
Student:Teacher
12.7:1
Below nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
47/100
Near nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$26,968
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
74%
High economic need
2
rank
Barnard Elementary
Grades KG–06478 students
Ranked for: above-average investment ($26,968/student)
58
/100
Student:Teacher
22.8:1
Near nat'l 15.4:1
Per-Pupil Spend
$26,968
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
27%
Low economic need
3
rank
Sessions Elementary
Grades KG–05432 students
Ranked for: above-average investment ($26,968/student)
58
/100
Student:Teacher
22.0:1
Near nat'l 15.4:1
Per-Pupil Spend
$26,968
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
34%
Low economic need
4
rank
Kumeyaay Elementary
Grades KG–05378 students
Ranked for: above-average investment ($26,968/student)
57
/100
Student:Teacher
22.2:1
Near nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
54/100
Near nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$26,968
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
25%
Low economic need
5
rank
Sunset View Elementary
Grades KG–04381 students
Ranked for: above-average investment ($26,968/student)
57
/100
Student:Teacher
21.2:1
Near nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
49/100
Near nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$26,968
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
15%
Low economic need
6
rank
Pacific Beach Elementary
Grades KG–05329 students
Ranked for: above-average investment ($26,968/student)
57
/100
Student:Teacher
23.5:1
Near nat'l 15.4:1
Per-Pupil Spend
$26,968
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
24%
Low economic need
7
rank
Bird Rock Elementary
Grades KG–05362 students
Ranked for: above-average investment ($26,968/student)
56
/100
Student:Teacher
22.1:1
Near nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
48/100
Near nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$26,968
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
14%
Low economic need
8
rank
Silver Gate Elementary
Grades KG–04414 students
Ranked for: above-average investment ($26,968/student)
56
/100
Student:Teacher
21.8:1
Near nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
49/100
Near nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$26,968
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
19%
Low economic need
9
rank
Tierrasanta Elementary
Grades KG–05531 students
Ranked for: above-average investment ($26,968/student)
56
/100
Student:Teacher
23.1:1
Near nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
54/100
Near nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$26,968
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
24%
Low economic need
10
rank
Vista Grande Elementary
Grades KG–05358 students
Ranked for: above-average investment ($26,968/student)
56
/100
Student:Teacher
21.1:1
Near nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
54/100
Near nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$26,968
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
42%
Near nat'l 52.2%
107 more elementary schools in San Diego Unified not shown here.
View all schools in San Diego Unified
How We Rank Elementary Schools

Each school receives a composite score (0–100) built from 4 federal data signals, weighted to reflect what matters most at the elementary school level. All signals are normalised against national benchmarks so a school's score reflects its standing across the entire US, not just within this district.

Neighborhood Opportunity
40%
Harvard Opportunity Atlas score for the school's neighbourhood. Higher means children from this area historically achieve stronger economic outcomes.
Student-Teacher Ratio
30%
Lower ratio = smaller classes = more individual attention per child. Normalised against national range.
Per-Pupil Expenditure
20%
Annual district spending per enrolled student from the NCES F-33 Finance Survey. Compared against national average.
Free Lunch Rate
10%
Percentage of students qualifying for free/reduced-price lunch. Used as a neighbourhood economic-context signal.
Test scores are excluded: they are not published as consistent open federal data across all states, making reliable cross-district comparison impossible with this signal alone.
District at a Glance
117
Elementary Schools
174
Total Schools
59
#1 Score
50
Avg Score
Top Ranked Elementary School
1
Whitman Elementary
Score: 59/100
Compare San Diego Unified with neighbouring districts
⇄ Compare districts
Frequently Asked Questions
About This Data

All figures on this page come directly from US federal open datasets: NCES Common Core of Data (enrollment, school characteristics, student-teacher ratios), NCES F-33 Finance Survey (per-pupil expenditure), Harvard Opportunity Atlas (neighbourhood opportunity scores). Federal data is published on an annual cycle and may not reflect the very latest school-year changes. Rankings reflect available data and should be used as a starting point — not a substitute for visiting schools or consulting district resources directly. What this ranking does not measure: teacher quality, classroom culture, extracurricular programmes, school safety, or parent and student satisfaction.