Iftin Charter, San Diego CA - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Iftin Charter

Iftin Charter is a kindergarten through eighth-grade charter school in San Diego that serves a student body that is predominantly Black, with a substantial share of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. The school sits within a single-school charter district and has experienced enrollment growth in recent years, reaching a moderate size for its grade band.

The school's academic performance shows a pattern worth noting carefully. State testing in English language arts reveals proficiency that varies notably by grade. The early elementary grades show lower proficiency, while performance rises in grades six through eight, where roughly half of students meet the proficiency standard. Math proficiency across all grades runs lower than in ELA, ranging from roughly a quarter of students in the elementary grades to about four in ten in eighth grade. Science proficiency is particularly low, with only a small fraction of fifth graders and roughly a quarter of eighth graders meeting the standard. Across the board, Iftin's overall proficiency sits below the midpoint among districts in San Diego County.

The school's governance history carries weight for prospective families. San Diego Unified School District declined to renew Iftin's original charter. The San Diego County Board of Education voted in 2020 to renew it under county oversight instead, but with conditions. The county approval came with requirements that the school address specific operational concerns: high staff and leadership turnover, conflict-of-interest policies, leader qualifications, and complaint-handling procedures. These conditions remain active scrutiny points that suggest areas families may want to ask the school about directly.

The charter is now overseen by the county rather than the school district, an arrangement that affects both the school's accountability structure and its day-to-day operations. Enrollment has grown substantially, indicating sustained demand. Housing costs in the surrounding zip code run above the California median and have held relatively steady. The school's location is accessible within the city of San Diego.

Iftin Charter is not a school with strong standardized test results across the board. Families drawn to it tend to value either the charter's specific approach or its neighborhood serving function rather than expecting standout academic outcomes on state measures. Parents considering enrollment would benefit from visiting, asking directly about the conditions the county renewal carries, and understanding what instruction and support the school provides in areas where proficiency lags. The lower performance in science and weak early elementary testing would be worth exploring in detail with school leadership.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 322%

School 22% · district not reported

▼ 20 pts below state median · ▼ 26 pts below county median

Grade 424%

School 24% · district not reported

▼ 13 pts below state median · ▼ 18 pts below county median

Grade 525%

School 25% · district not reported

▼ 5 pts below state median · ▼ 10 pts below county median

Grade 639%

School 39% · district not reported

▲ 8 pts above state median · ▲ 3 pts above county median

Grade 730%

School 30% · district not reported

even with state median · ▼ 5 pts below county median

Grade 841%

School 41% · district not reported

▲ 13 pts above state median · ▲ 10 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 316%

School 16% · district not reported

▼ 24 pts below state median · ▼ 30 pts below county median

Grade 423%

School 23% · district not reported

▼ 19 pts below state median · ▼ 25 pts below county median

Grade 537%

School 37% · district not reported

▼ 8 pts below state median · ▼ 16 pts below county median

Grade 638%

School 38% · district not reported

▼ 5 pts below state median · ▼ 13 pts below county median

Grade 746%

School 46% · district not reported

even with state median · ▼ 6 pts below county median

Grade 847%

School 47% · district not reported

▲ 2 pts above state median · even with county median

Science

Grade 512%

School 12% · district not reported

▼ 17 pts below state median · ▼ 23 pts below county median

Grade 827%

School 27% · district not reported

▲ 1 pts above state median · ▼ 4 pts below county median

This schoolDistrict average, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 3Lower-income19%Higher-income8%10 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income41%Higher-income29%12 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income22%Higher-income25%3 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income26%Higher-income17%9 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income42%Higher-income25%17 pp gap