Otay Elementary, Chula Vista CA - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Otay Elementary

Otay Elementary serves kindergarten through sixth grade in Chula Vista, a rapidly growing city in southern San Diego County. The school enrolls a small body of students drawn almost entirely from the surrounding neighborhood. Nearly four in five students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, and the enrollment is overwhelmingly Hispanic, reflecting the demographics of this section of Chula Vista.

On California's standardized tests, the school's proficiency rates fall below the midpoint among the county's elementary schools. In English language arts, proficiency ranges from the mid-thirties to high-forties across third through sixth grades, with sixth grade performing noticeably stronger than earlier grades. Math proficiency is lower, ranging from the low-twenties in fifth grade to mid-forties in third grade; this dip in the upper elementary grades is a pattern worth understanding with the school directly. Science proficiency, measured in fifth grade only, is also below the median. The school has only one year of testing data at present, so trends are not yet visible. A parent may want to ask the school about its reading and math supports, particularly in grades four and five, and whether additional tutoring or intervention programs are available.

The school sits in the broader context of the Chula Vista Elementary School District, which has recently invested substantially in its facilities. Voters passed a bond measure in 2024 that will fund expanded STEAM labs, security upgrades, special education and counseling space, and playground renovation across district schools including this one. An earlier bond from 2020 financed solar installations and classroom technology now in place. The district has also adopted a new history-social science curriculum this year and operates dual-language immersion programs on more than twenty campuses, though the dual immersion program has recently faced curriculum material disruptions that affected some schools.

Chula Vista itself is one of the fastest-growing cities in the county. The immediate area around Otay Elementary in the western part of the city is older and more established, with downtown a short distance away. The broader city is expanding rapidly eastward through master-planned developments like Otay Ranch and Millenia. Housing values in the area are stable with a modest year-over-year decline. Rental costs in the zip code slightly exceed what a household at the median county income would comfortably bear, and mortgage costs are elevated relative to rent.

The school is a neighborhood elementary school with no specialized programs or magnet designation listed. It draws families from its immediate residential area rather than serving choice enrollment. For families already living in or considering the Otay area of Chula Vista, it is the default neighborhood school. For those seeking specialized academics, a broader program choice, or higher proficiency results, parents may want to compare options within the district or explore other nearby schools.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 346%

School 46% · District 49% · ▼ 2 pts below district

▲ 4 pts above state median · ▼ 2 pts below county median

Grade 428%

School 28% · District 47% · ▼ 19 pts below district

▼ 9 pts below state median · ▼ 14 pts below county median

Grade 523%

School 23% · District 43% · ▼ 20 pts below district

▼ 7 pts below state median · ▼ 12 pts below county median

Grade 630%

School 30% · District 45% · ▼ 15 pts below district

even with state median · ▼ 5 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 335%

School 35% · District 51% · ▼ 15 pts below district

▼ 5 pts below state median · ▼ 11 pts below county median

Grade 443%

School 43% · District 53% · ▼ 10 pts below district

▲ 1 pts above state median · ▼ 5 pts below county median

Grade 536%

School 36% · District 60% · ▼ 23 pts below district

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

Grade 647%

School 47% · District 62% · ▼ 14 pts below district

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

Science

Grade 525%

School 25% · District 39% · ▼ 14 pts below district

▼ 3 pts below state median · ▼ 9 pts below county median

This schoolChula Vista Elementary, 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 5Lower-income36%Higher-income40%5 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 5Lower-income23%Higher-income22%1 pp gap