Marshall (thurgood) Elementary, Chula Vista CA

Original Research by School Decision on Marshall (thurgood) Elementary

Marshall Elementary is a regular public elementary school serving kindergarten through sixth grade in Chula Vista. The school has a small to mid-sized enrollment with slightly higher numbers of upper-grade students, and the population is diverse: roughly half the students are Hispanic, about a fifth are Asian, and substantial shares are white and multiracial. About a third of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.

In state testing for 2024-25, Marshall's proficiency results place it in the top quartile of schools across San Diego County districts when looking at overall performance across tested subjects and grades. On the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) in English language arts, students in third and fourth grade proficiency is around the middle range, while fifth and sixth graders show stronger performance, with sixth grade reaching the higher end. Math proficiency follows a less consistent pattern: third graders and sixth graders perform better, while fourth graders and fifth graders show lower proficiency. Fifth grade is notably weaker in math, sitting below the midpoint. Science testing, available only for fifth grade under California's Science Test (CAST), shows proficiency below four in ten students, suggesting science is an area where the school faces particular challenges that a parent may want to look into further with the school.

The school sits in Chula Vista's MacKenzie Creek area, part of the city's eastern master-planned expansion that includes neighborhoods like Otay Ranch and newer communities. Housing in the zip code is expensive relative to national benchmarks and notably high relative to state averages. The area itself is car-dependent overall, though it has pockets of newer walkable design. The broader Chula Vista Elementary School District recently won voter approval for Measure AA, a major bond for facility improvements that will bring expanded STEAM labs, security upgrades, special education and counseling space, and renovated playgrounds to district schools including Marshall. The district has also completed a solar installation across all campuses and operates a dual-language immersion program on over twenty schools, though families should confirm whether Marshall is one of those sites.

The district's recent curriculum adoption of a new History-Social Science program and ongoing dual-language immersion work shape the learning environment districtwide. Parents considering Marshall should note that the school's performance is solidly in the upper tier county-wise, with particular strength in upper-grade English language arts, though upper-grade math and science instruction may warrant conversation with the school about support and resources.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 367%

School 67% · District 49% · ▲ 18 pts above district

▲ 24 pts above state median · ▲ 18 pts above county median

Grade 462%

School 62% · District 47% · ▲ 15 pts above district

▲ 25 pts above state median · ▲ 20 pts above county median

Grade 551%

School 51% · District 43% · ▲ 8 pts above district

▲ 20 pts above state median · ▲ 16 pts above county median

Grade 668%

School 68% · District 45% · ▲ 22 pts above district

▲ 37 pts above state median · ▲ 32 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 361%

School 61% · District 51% · ▲ 11 pts above district

▲ 21 pts above state median · ▲ 14 pts above county median

Grade 457%

School 57% · District 53% · ▲ 3 pts above district

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

Grade 569%

School 69% · District 60% · ▲ 9 pts above district

▲ 24 pts above state median · ▲ 16 pts above county median

Grade 672%

School 72% · District 62% · ▲ 11 pts above district

▲ 28 pts above state median · ▲ 20 pts above county median

Science

Grade 542%

School 42% · District 39% · ▲ 3 pts above district

▲ 14 pts above state median · ▲ 8 pts above 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 3Lower-income46%Higher-income75%29 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income47%Higher-income62%14 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income64%Higher-income72%8 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income64%Higher-income77%13 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income54%Higher-income79%25 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income47%Higher-income71%23 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income39%Higher-income58%19 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income52%Higher-income77%25 pp gap