Florence Elementary, San Diego CA

Original Research by School Decision on Florence Elementary

Florence Elementary sits in San Diego and serves kindergarten through fifth grade, hosting a school body of roughly two hundred thirty students. The school draws its enrollment heavily from the surrounding neighborhood: most students are Hispanic, with smaller shares identifying as white, multiracial, Asian, and Black. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the economic circumstances of the families the school serves.

In English language arts, Florence's proficiency picture is uneven by grade. Third grade sits below half proficiency; fourth grade reaches close to three-fifths; fifth grade reaches just above three-fifths. Math is weaker across the board. Third grade proficiency is roughly one-third, fourth grade reaches just below halfway, and fifth grade falls below one-third. In the single grade tested in science, fifth grade proficiency sits just under halfway. Overall across tested grades and subjects, Florence's proficiency index places it above the midpoint among schools in San Diego County, a meaningful position though hardly a strength.

The data shows only one year of results, so trend direction is not yet visible. A parent looking at these numbers should recognize that while ELA performance in the upper grades has room for growth, it is more stable than math, where proficiency dips noticeably in fifth grade. A parent may want to ask the school directly about what drives the math decline in the later elementary grades and what supports are in place to address it.

Florence is part of San Diego Unified, a large district that has made several consequential shifts worth understanding. The district adopted standards-based grading for secondary grades, removing non-academic factors like late work from academic grades and placing them in a separate citizenship grade instead. That change does not directly affect elementary, but it signals a broader pedagogical move toward mastery-based evaluation. More relevant to elementary families, the district approved Measure U, a major school facilities bond that funds repairs, renovations, security upgrades, and classroom technology, representing a long-term commitment families weigh when considering the district.

The school's neighborhood, San Diego's Hillcrest-area ZIP code, reflects a tight housing market. Home values are substantially above the national benchmark and above the California state benchmark. Rental prices are high; rent-to-income ratios suggest housing costs consume a significant share of household budgets. This context shapes who lives near Florence and helps explain the economic diversity represented in the enrollment figures.

Florence is a straightforward neighborhood elementary school without specialty programs or selective criteria. It is not a magnet, not a charter, and not Title I designated. What it offers is a foundational elementary experience in a urban setting where the majority of the student body navigates economic hardship. Parents considering Florence should expect typical early-grade curriculum with an eye toward the school's specific proficiency results and a willingness to engage with the school about instructional priorities, particularly in math.

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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 444%

School 44% · District 50% · ▼ 6 pts below district

▲ 7 pts above state median · ▲ 2 pts above county median

Grade 529%

School 29% · District 45% · ▼ 16 pts below district

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

English language arts

Grade 336%

School 36% · District 53% · ▼ 16 pts below district

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

Grade 458%

School 58% · District 54% · ▲ 4 pts above district

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

Grade 562%

School 62% · District 58% · ▲ 4 pts above district

▲ 17 pts above state median · ▲ 9 pts above county median

Science

Grade 545%

School 45% · District 42% · ▲ 3 pts above district

▲ 17 pts above state median · ▲ 10 pts above 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.