Paradise Hills Elementary, San Diego CA

Original Research by School Decision on Paradise Hills Elementary

Paradise Hills Elementary serves kindergarten through fifth grade in the southeastern San Diego neighborhood. The school enrolls a small student population, with about balanced representation across grades, though slightly fewer students in the lower elementary span.

The student body is predominantly Hispanic, with Asian, two-or-more-races, Black, and small White populations represented. A substantial majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating concentrated economic need in the school community. Data on special education enrollment and English learner status was not available.

Academic performance is notably weak across tested grades and subjects. In English language arts, proficiency ranges from below a quarter of students in fourth grade to about two in five in fifth grade. Math proficiency is significantly lower, with fourth grade showing particularly poor results and fifth grade proficiency in the teens. Fifth-grade science proficiency is similarly low. When averaged across all tested subjects and grades, the school's overall proficiency sits in the bottom quartile compared to other elementary schools in San Diego County. The school has only one year of comparable data, so trend information is not available.

The school offers a music program. The school website was not provided, so details about other programs, instructional approaches, or school-specific initiatives could not be verified. A parent may want to visit the school directly or contact San Diego Unified to learn more about support structures, instructional strategies, or programs that address the proficiency gaps evident in state assessment results.

The San Diego Unified district, of which Paradise Hills Elementary is part, has implemented a standards-based grading system for secondary grades that bases academic grades on demonstrated mastery of standards rather than averages and separates academic grades from citizenship grades reflecting behavior and effort. This policy does not apply to elementary school but shapes the progression students will experience moving forward. The district also passed a major facilities bond in 2022 that funds repairs, renovations, technology, and new construction across schools, a long-term property tax commitment that reflects investment in infrastructure.

Housing in the school's zip code is moderately priced relative to some coastal San Diego neighborhoods, with home values declining slightly year over year. Rents have risen modestly. The affordability picture reflects the higher cost of living characteristic of the San Diego region, with housing costs consuming a large share of household income.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 332%

School 32% · District 55% · ▼ 24 pts below district

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

Grade 49%

School 9% · District 50% · ▼ 41 pts below district

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

Grade 514%

School 14% · District 45% · ▼ 31 pts below district

▼ 16 pts below state median · ▼ 21 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 338%

School 38% · District 53% · ▼ 15 pts below district

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

Grade 425%

School 25% · District 54% · ▼ 29 pts below district

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

Grade 540%

School 40% · District 58% · ▼ 18 pts below district

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

Science

Grade 517%

School 17% · District 42% · ▼ 25 pts below district

▼ 11 pts below state median · ▼ 18 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.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 4Lower-income21%Higher-income31%10 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 4Lower-income5%Higher-income15%11 pp gap