Kimball, National City CA - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Kimball

Kimball is a small public elementary school in National City serving kindergarten through sixth grade. It sits in a dense, working-class neighborhood in South San Diego Bay with a predominantly Hispanic and Latino population. The school sits near Kimball Park, a community anchor with sports courts and a skate park, and the area is well-served by the San Diego Trolley's Blue Line.

The school's academic performance presents a clear picture of students working significantly below proficiency in both English language arts and mathematics. Across all tested grades, less than half of students score at the proficient level in either subject. In English language arts, proficiency ranges from about a quarter of third graders to a little over half of fifth graders. Mathematics proficiency is lower, ranging from around a quarter of third graders to a notably small fraction of sixth graders. In science, tested at fifth grade, proficiency is similarly low. When averaged across all tested subjects and grades, the school sits well below the midpoint among San Diego County districts.

The school enrolls a small population, roughly evenly distributed across grade levels. About three-quarters of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the economic circumstances of the surrounding neighborhood. The student body is nearly entirely Hispanic and Latino, with very small numbers of students from other racial and ethnic backgrounds. Data on the English learner population and students with disabilities were not available.

National City, the broader community, is adding transit-oriented and mixed-income housing, including the recently opened Kimball Highland Apartments, an intergenerational development with affordable units and a new senior center. This growth and investment reflects modest optimism about the neighborhood's future, though the economic pressures on local families remain substantial. Home values in the 91950 zip code are moderate for the San Diego region, and rental costs are lower than the county average, though still demand a significant share of household income.

The school's teaching and support resources, staffing levels, and program offerings beyond the core curriculum were not detailed in available data. A parent considering Kimball may want to look into the school's intervention and support strategies for students performing below grade level in reading and mathematics, as well as what specialized programs or services are available to support English learners and students with learning differences. The school is part of the National Elementary district, for which recent strategic changes were not publicly available.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 326%

School 26% · District 34% · ▼ 7 pts below district

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

Grade 442%

School 42% · District 26% · ▲ 16 pts above district

▲ 5 pts above state median · even with county median

Grade 533%

School 33% · District 26% · ▲ 7 pts above district

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

Grade 67%

School 7% · District 27% · ▼ 20 pts below district

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

English language arts

Grade 325%

School 25% · District 28% · ▼ 3 pts below district

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

Grade 442%

School 42% · District 29% · ▲ 13 pts above district

even with state median · ▼ 6 pts below county median

Grade 544%

School 44% · District 36% · ▲ 8 pts above district

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

Grade 626%

School 26% · District 41% · ▼ 14 pts below district

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

Science

Grade 520%

School 20% · District 21% · ▼ 1 pts below district

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

This schoolNational 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.