Dehesa Elementary, El Cajon CA - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Dehesa Elementary

Dehesa Elementary serves kindergarten through eighth grade in El Cajon, a diverse inland suburb of San Diego. The school enrolls a small cohort of students in a rural setting on Dehesa Road, with a student body that reflects the region's demographic range: about a third Hispanic, just under a third White, a fifth multiracial, and smaller shares of American Indian, Asian, and Black students. About a quarter of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating moderate economic diversity.

The academic picture at Dehesa shows a broad and persistent proficiency gap across both English language arts and mathematics. In English language arts, proficiency hovers around the low to mid-range across grades three through eight, with a school-wide average in the low thirties; writing and reading gains emerge in the upper grades, where middle school students show rates in the low-to-mid forties. Mathematics proficiency is notably lower throughout, averaging in the low twenties across the school, with most grades in the low-to-mid twenties and only grade eight climbing into the high thirties. In science, where the state tests grades five and eight, proficiency sits below the state average. The school's overall proficiency index places it in the bottom quartile among districts across San Diego County. These numbers suggest Dehesa students are substantially behind grade-level mastery in core academics, and a parent considering this school should understand that remediation and catch-up support would likely be central to the instructional experience.

El Cajon itself is a built-out, densely settled valley community with a revitalized downtown core centered on Main Street. The city's economy spans light manufacturing, retail, healthcare, education, and technology; major employers include Sharp Grossmont Hospital, Taylor Guitars, and Cuyamaca College. Civic life is concentrated downtown, where city services, the library, and transit hubs sit within walking distance. Wells Park anchors recreation with extensive athletic fields, courts, and a dog park. The El Cajon Transit Center connects residents to the San Diego Trolley and regional bus networks. Housing in the zip code reflects the broader San Diego market, with median home values in the mid-range for the region and monthly rents running moderately high relative to household income; the affordability strain is real, though recent infill projects including moderate-income workforce housing have begun to address the shortage.

The district itself, Dehesa Elementary (a single-school district), experienced a governance crisis roughly a decade ago when district officials were involved in a statewide charter school fraud scheme. After that upheaval, the district hired new leadership and overhauled charter oversight practices to exceed state requirements. In 2023 the district launched the Dehesa Method Sports Academy, a hybrid public charter serving student athletes with onsite instruction most days and online Fridays. These changes signal a reset, though they also illustrate that the district has undergone material operational turbulence. A more recent concern: the district's school facilities bond measures have failed twice, in 2020 and again in 2024, leaving urgent classroom repairs and renovations unfunded. This is a direct red flag for families considering the school. The physical plant appears to be aging without adequate resources for improvement.

Dehesa is a small neighborhood school with modest enrollment and a rural location. It spans nine grades from kindergarten through eighth, with larger primary-grade cohorts and smaller upper-elementary and middle-school classes. The setting is non-urban and quiet. The school offers no specialized magnet or alternative programs; it operates as a traditional neighborhood school, though students may also choose the sports-focused hybrid charter the district now operates.

The proficiency picture, the deferred facilities maintenance, and the district's recent administrative upheaval all point to a school that is working under real constraints. A parent choosing Dehesa should do so with clear eyes about academic performance and prepared to seek additional support for their child's learning, particularly in mathematics. The small size and community context may appeal to some families, but the academic profile and unresolved infrastructure needs are material factors that deserve weight in a school choice decision.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 315%

School 15% · District 15%

▼ 28 pts below state median · ▼ 33 pts below county median

Grade 426%

School 26% · District 26%

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

Grade 519%

School 19% · District 19%

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

Grade 627%

School 27% · District 26% · ▲ 1 pts above district

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

Grade 728%

School 28% · District 28%

▼ 2 pts below state median · ▼ 6 pts below county median

Grade 838%

School 38% · District 38%

▲ 10 pts above state median · ▲ 7 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 314%

School 14% · District 14%

▼ 26 pts below state median · ▼ 32 pts below county median

Grade 426%

School 26% · District 26%

▼ 16 pts below state median · ▼ 22 pts below county median

Grade 535%

School 35% · District 35%

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

Grade 646%

School 46% · District 45% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▲ 2 pts above state median · ▼ 6 pts below county median

Grade 744%

School 44% · District 44%

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

Grade 844%

School 44% · District 44%

even with state median · ▼ 3 pts below county median

Science

Grade 523%

School 23% · District 23%

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

Grade 838%

School 38% · District 38%

▲ 12 pts above state median · ▲ 7 pts above county median

Social studies

Grade 817%

School 17% · District 17%

▼ 32 pts below state median · ▼ 36 pts below county median

This schoolDehesa 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-income17%Higher-income13%4 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income6%Higher-income39%32 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income32%Higher-income37%5 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income29%Higher-income56%27 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income8%Higher-income20%12 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income13%Higher-income35%22 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income32%Higher-income10%21 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income21%Higher-income30%8 pp gap