Monte Vista Elementary, Santa Ana CA

Original Research by School Decision on Monte Vista Elementary

Monte Vista Elementary serves kindergarten through fifth grade in Santa Ana, a dense urban core and county seat in central Orange County. The school sits in an economically vulnerable neighborhood: a very large majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, and the student body is overwhelmingly Hispanic, with small counts of other racial and ethnic groups represented.

State assessment results from the most recent school year show proficiency rates that are substantially below state benchmarks across both English language arts and mathematics. In third grade, proficiency in English language arts sits in the single digits, while fourth and fifth grades show modest gains, reaching the high thirties to low forties in ELA. Math proficiency is even lower, with third grade in the low teens, fourth grade around a quarter of students, and fifth grade showing a dip to around fifteen percent. Science testing, administered in fifth grade only, shows proficiency near a quarter of students. These numbers place Monte Vista in the bottom quartile when compared against other schools in Orange County.

The school enrolls a relatively small population spread fairly evenly across its grade bands, with kindergarten through fifth grade each serving roughly fifty to seventy students. The neighborhood context is one of active urban redevelopment. Santa Ana is in the midst of major infill housing and mixed-use projects, with billions in development approved or under construction. Downtown Santa Ana, a short distance away, functions as a genuine civic center with government offices, a main library, walkable Fourth Street commerce and dining, transit connections through the regional transportation hub, and cultural anchors. The residential character of the wider city is gritty and ethnically rich, shaped strongly by Mexican-American and Vietnamese populations, with historic neighborhoods of early-1900s homes. Housing values in the zip code are mid-range for Orange County, and rents remain modest by regional standards, though the cost of shelter as a percentage of household income sits above the national norm.

The parent district, Santa Ana Unified, approved a substantial facilities bond in late 2024, underscoring its commitment to repair and modernize aging schools, a change that affects property tax obligations and building conditions families encounter. The district also underwent significant curriculum revision in 2025 following a settlement over its ethnic studies program, discontinuing three high school courses and committing to rebuild them with public input. Parents considering this school may want to learn more from the district about its academic intervention strategies and support systems, given the low proficiency rates and the economic and language needs evident in the student enrollment.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 313%

School 13% · District 26% · ▼ 14 pts below district

▼ 30 pts below state median · ▼ 44 pts below county median

Grade 426%

School 26% · District 25% · ▲ 1 pts above district

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

Grade 515%

School 15% · District 22% · ▼ 7 pts below district

▼ 15 pts below state median · ▼ 30 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 36%

School 6% · District 25% · ▼ 19 pts below district

▼ 35 pts below state median · ▼ 45 pts below county median

Grade 438%

School 38% · District 31% · ▲ 6 pts above district

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

Grade 543%

School 43% · District 34% · ▲ 9 pts above district

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

Science

Grade 523%

School 23% · District 18% · ▲ 5 pts above district

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

This schoolSanta Ana 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.