Chollas/mead Elementary, San Diego CA

Original Research by School Decision on Chollas/mead Elementary

Chollas/Mead Elementary serves kindergarten through fifth grade in the North Park area of San Diego. The school enrolls a modest population of students, with enrollment distributed fairly evenly across the grade band, slightly larger in the lower grades.

The student body is predominantly Latino, with a substantial Latino majority. The school also serves Black, Asian, and multi-racial students in smaller numbers. A very high proportion of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the economic circumstances of the neighborhood. Enrollment and demographic data for English learners and students with individualized education plans were not available.

Academic performance on California's state tests shows proficiency rates that are consistently low across the school. In English language arts, proficiency ranges from about one-fifth to just under half across grades three through five, with fifth grade performing best. In math, proficiency is lower still, ranging from under one-fifth to about one-third across the tested grades, with third grade performing highest. Science proficiency in fifth grade is around one-fifth. The school's overall proficiency index places it in the bottom quartile among schools in San Diego County. Only the most recent school year of testing data was available, so trend information is not present.

Relative to the district it serves, Chollas/Mead is part of San Diego Unified, a large urban district covering the city and surrounding areas. The district recently adopted standards-based grading for secondary students, which changes how academic mastery is evaluated and removes non-academic factors from grades; this does not directly affect elementary schools but signals the district's broader pedagogical direction. At the high school level, San Diego Unified now requires ethnic studies as a course for graduation. The district also passed a major facilities bond in 2022, funding school repairs, renovations, new construction, security upgrades, classroom technology, and employee housing.

The housing market in the 92102 zip code where the school is located reflects moderate San Diego prices, with median home values and monthly rents that are neither at the top nor bottom of the county range. Mortgage costs relative to household income and rental costs relative to income both sit above comfortable thresholds. The neighborhood has not experienced rapid appreciation or depreciation in recent years.

A parent considering this school should expect that most students will be Latino and that economic need is widespread. The state test results show that proficiency in reading and math is below the county median and concentrated in the lower range, which means the school is serving a population with substantial academic gaps. A parent may want to look into further detail with the school about intervention strategies, support structures, and year-to-year trends, since only one year of testing data was available. The school is a regular public elementary school with no specialized magnet or charter designation.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 333%

School 33% · District 55% · ▼ 22 pts below district

▼ 10 pts below state median · ▼ 15 pts below county median

Grade 417%

School 17% · District 50% · ▼ 33 pts below district

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

Grade 524%

School 24% · District 45% · ▼ 21 pts below district

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

English language arts

Grade 333%

School 33% · District 53% · ▼ 20 pts below district

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

Grade 423%

School 23% · District 54% · ▼ 31 pts below district

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

Grade 549%

School 49% · District 58% · ▼ 8 pts below district

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

Science

Grade 522%

School 22% · District 42% · ▼ 19 pts below district

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

This schoolSan Diego Unified, 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.