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School Profile · San Diego

Dailard Elementary: Low-income kids here outscore the state by 31 points. But 5th graders score lower than 3rd graders.

Dailard posts numbers for its most vulnerable students that most schools don't reach overall. The trend line is the part worth a closer look.

6425 Cibola Road, 92120·San Diego Unified·San Diego·Grades K-5·567 students·23% low-income·2024–25 CAASPP·(619) 860-5900·Website
Scope Score
72
🌱 Building Momentum · Strong
ranked #401 statewide · #11 of 115 in San Diego Unified

Dailard Elementary scores 72 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 92nd percentile of 5,230 California elementary schools (CDE CAASPP 2025).

Measures test performance, attendance, and climate — not arts, community, or your kid. How we score →

Most rating sites would stop at “76% proficient” and call it done. Dailard deserves a closer read. It sits at the 92nd percentile of 5,230 California elementary schools — but the ranking is the least interesting thing on this page.

The headline number: 47.1% of students scored in the top band on the state test. The California average is 21.6%.

The story this school is actually telling

The ceiling · exceeded standard
47.1%

of students scored in the top band on the state test. The California average is 21.6%.

↑ what most “best schools” lists are measuring
The trajectory · grade 3→5
5.9pp

proficiency falls from grade 3 (79%) to grade 5 (74%). The state average rises by +4.5pp over the same span.

↓ the part no ranking site shows you

The school, grade by grade

ELA · CAASPP 2024–25

Different students, same year — each bar is one grade's proficiency mix.

46%
28%
26%
Grade 3 · 74% proficient
49%
30%
21%
Grade 4 · 79% proficient
51%
31%
18%
Grade 5 · 82% proficient

The honest read: the share exceeding rises 4.4pp across grades; the floor rises 7.0pp. The state average rises 4.5pp over the same span. The ceiling holds — more kids exceed by grade 5 — but the floor slips: fewer clear the bar at all. A school visit and conversation with teachers will tell you more than this number.

69.1%
Low-income · ELA · met standard

Dailard's most underrated number

69.1% of low-income students met the ELA standard — versus 38.2% for the same group statewide. That's the strongest kind of signal a school can post: it holds across income lines.

Dailard low-income: 69.1%State low-income: 38.2%

The 5 things our score weighs

Exceeded standard
47.1%
State 21.6%
25.5pp above state avg
Met or exceeded
76.2%
State 42.9%
33.3pp above state avg
Growth (G3→G5)
-5.9pp
State -3.0pp
Scores decline across grades
Chronic absenteeism
8.9%
State 18.1%
9.2pp below state avg
Suspension rate
0.4%
State 1.7%
1.3pp below state avg
Worth a school visit

Ask the principal what changes between grade 3 and grade 5. The trajectory is the thing a tour will tell you more about than a spreadsheet.

Where the path goes

The zoned path continues to Pershing Middle, which scores 16 points lower than this school — worth weighing alongside everything above. Families here often look at charter or magnet options for middle school.

K-12 Feeder Path
Elementary
Dailard Elementary
72/100
This school
High School

Feeder patterns derived from NCES attendance boundary data. Boundaries are approximate and may have changed — verify with your school district for current assignments.

Your other options

Private alternatives nearby

Private schools within ~10 miles. These schools do not participate in state testing and cannot be scored or ranked.

Mt. Helix Academy - Tiee
Severin Dr · Nonsectarian · Grades Pre-K-8 · 210 students
8:1Private3.5 mi
Sam & Rose Stein Education Center
Decena Dr · Nonsectarian · Grades N · 96 students
8:1Private2.7 mi
Warren-Walker School-La Mesa
Wilson St · Nonsectarian · Grades Pre-K-5 · 90 students
13:1Private3.5 mi
Sierra School of San Diego
Boulder Lake Ave · Nonsectarian · Grades 2-12 · 72 students
8:1Private2.1 mi
Excelsior Academy
Pkwy Dr Ste 113 · Nonsectarian · Grades 5-12 · 24 students
8:1Private2.2 mi

The community around it

Community Profile
Context — not part of the Scope Score

Student demographics

Hispanic19.1%
White58.7%
Asian3.5%
Black2.1%
Other16.6%
GenderFemale 45.1%Male 54.7%Non-binary 0.2%
Resources & Access
Enrollment
567
87 above CA avg (~480)
Free/Reduced Lunch
23%
40pp below CA avg (64%)
Student-Teacher Ratio
26:1
5 more students per teacher than CA avg
Per-Pupil Spending
$18,925
District avg: $15,976 · CA avg: $14,815 · School-level · CDE ESSA
Teacher Salary Range
$55,375 – $124,275
District schedule · CA median ~$98K
At Dailard Elementary in San Diego, 69.1% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 42.6% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Dailard Elementary outperforms its district average for low-income students by 26.5 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (58.2% Math proficient); White students (77.1% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 26.5 percentage points for disabilities students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 55 students tested.
Equity Gaps
Absenteeism · Low-Income+7.9pp
16.8% vs 8.9% overall · n=143
Math · Disabilities−28.4pp
45.8% vs 74.3% overall · n=31
3 more gaps by subject
ELA · Disabilities−26.5pp
51.7% vs 78.1% overall · n=31
ELA Exceeded · Disabilities−25.6pp
22.9% vs 48.5% overall · n=31
Math Exceeded · Disabilities−19.9pp
25.8% vs 45.8% overall · n=31

Subgroups with fewer than 15 students are excluded for privacy. Gaps of less than 3 percentage points are not shown.

Subgroup Proficiency
Low-Income55 tested
ELA 69.1%·Math 58.2%· +26.5pp vs district
White153 tested
ELA 77.1%·Math 75.2%· +1.9pp vs district
Hispanic51 tested
ELA 72.5%·Math 66.7%· +31.5pp vs district

Weighted average across tested grades. Subgroups with fewer than 15 students excluded. Data: CDE CAASPP 2024-25.

Subgroup Growth by Grade
Change in proficiency from lowest tested grade. Shows which groups are gaining ground.

Low-income student ELA proficiency rises by 23.7pp from grade 3 to grade 5 at this school. District average: +5.6pp.

Subgroups with fewer than 10 tested students per grade are not shown.

Funding Breakdown
Instruction 60%Support 36%Other 4%

Source: NCES F-33 (2019–2020) · Full district breakdown →

Neighborhood Context
Median Income
$121K
$36K above CA median
Median Home Value
$925K
$266K above CA median
Bachelor's+
60%
25pp above CA avg
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2024) · ZIP-level
Whole Child
Teacher experience, college/career readiness, and more. Context only — never part of the Scope Score.
Teacher Experience
20.7 years avg experience
27 teachers
Teacher Credentials
96% fully credentialed
4.2% on intern/emergency permit

Source: CDE SARC, 2024-25

Community Profile provides context about who attends this school and the resources available. These factors are never part of the Scope Score. Learn why →
For the data nerds

Every number on this page

Score factors, grade-level breakdowns, subgroup proficiency, and peer comparisons.

01Score factorsWeighted composite · 2024–25
Exceeded standard · 43%
47.1%
↑ vs CA 21.6% · 74th pctile
Met or exceeded · 22%
76.2%
↑ vs CA 42.9% · 75th pctile
Growth (G3→G5) · 15%
-5.9pp
↓ vs CA -3.0pp · 61th pctile
Chronic absenteeism · 10%
8.9%
↑ vs CA 18.1% · 65th pctile
Suspension rate · 5%
0.4%
↑ vs CA 1.7% · 61th pctile
02By grade & subgroupCAASPP 2024–25 · % of tested students
ELATestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 37846%28%22%4%74%+31
Grade 48449%30%11%11%79%+34
Grade 59151%31%11%8%81%+33
MathTestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 37844%41%15%0%85%+39
Grade 48445%27%19%8%73%+31
Grade 59148%18%29%5%66%+31
Science (CAST)TestedEXCMETNEARNOT
Grade 5/8/119127%36%34%2%

CAST is tested in grades 5, 8, and once in high school — not annually. Not part of the Scope Score.

Subgroup · ELATestedMET+vs districtvs CA
Socioeconomically Disadvantaged5569.1%+27+31
White15377.1%+2+15
Hispanic/Latino5172.5%+32+34
03Peer comparison · nearest elementary schoolssorted by Scope Score
SchoolDistScopeEXCMET+GrowthSusp
Dailard Elementary ←7247.1%76.2%−5.90.4%
Green Elementary0.8 mi7349.0%77.2%+8.10.3%
Hearst Elementary1.6 mi7248.1%78.5%−3.10.8%
Marvin Elementary1.1 mi6948.7%77.6%−11.30.5%
California average4421.6%42.9%−3.01.7%
04More measurescontext · not all part of the Scope Score
Scope Score history
85%72%'19'22'23'24'25
2019 · 2022 · 2023 · 2024 · 2025 · no testing 2020–21 (COVID) · rank #310 → #620 → #267 → #430 → #401
Source: CA Dept. of Education · CAASPP 2024–25 · n=5,230 elementary schools · Data updated 2026-07-03methodology · data updates · CSV · report issue

Frequently asked questions

Is Dailard Elementary a good elementary school?
Dailard Elementary has a Scope Score of 72 out of 100, placing it in the 92nd percentile of California elementary schools and ranked #401 statewide. 47.1% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is 25.5 percentage points above the California average of 21.6%. The Scope Score weights six dimensions for elementary schools: exceeded standard (43%), met or exceeded (22%), grade 3-to-5 growth (15%), chronic absenteeism (10%), ELPAC English Learner proficiency (5%), and suspension rate (5%). Data source: California Department of Education CAASPP 2025, analyzed by SchoolScope.
What are Dailard Elementary's CAASPP test scores?
On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 76.2% of students at Dailard Elementary met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 47.1% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 29.1% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 47.1% pushed past it. Most rating sites report only the combined "proficient" number. SchoolScope surfaces the exceeded-vs-met split because it reveals whether a school's curriculum challenges students beyond minimum proficiency or paces toward it. 506 student-subject combinations were assessed.
How does Dailard Elementary rank in California?
Dailard Elementary ranks #401 among California elementary schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 92nd percentile. This ranking is based on a weighted composite of 2025 CAASPP test performance (exceeded and met rates), grade-level growth (Grade 3 to grade 5 growth), chronic absenteeism, and suspension rate. Unlike single-number ratings, the Scope Score shows what drives the ranking so parents can decide what matters most to their family. See full methodology.
Is Dailard Elementary getting better or worse?
Based on 2025 CAASPP data, proficiency at Dailard Elementary decreases by 5.9 percentage points from Grade 3 to grade 5 growth. This downward pattern doesn't necessarily mean the school is failing — it can reflect cohort differences, demographic shifts, or curriculum changes. A campus visit and conversation with teachers can reveal what the numbers can't. Growth trajectory is weighted at 15% in the elementary Scope Score because it measures what the school does, not just who walks in the door.
What is the attendance and school culture like at Dailard Elementary?
8.9% of students at Dailard Elementary are chronically absent (missing 10% or more of school days), which is better than the California average of 18.1%. The suspension rate is 0.4%, indicating a low-discipline-incident environment. SchoolScope includes these culture metrics in the Scope Score because they reflect day-to-day school experience in ways test scores alone cannot.
How does Dailard Elementary compare to other schools in San Diego?
Dailard Elementary scores 72/100 (92nd percentile) among California elementary schools. To compare with nearby schools, SchoolScope shows the same metrics side by side: exceeded rate, proficiency, growth trajectory, and school culture indicators. The school serves 567 students. Use the schools in San Diego page or the map view to compare all elementary schools nearby.
How does Dailard Elementary serve low-income and underrepresented students?
At Dailard Elementary in San Diego, 69.1% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 42.6% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Dailard Elementary outperforms its district average for low-income students by 26.5 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (58.2% Math proficient); White students (77.1% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 26.5 percentage points for disabilities students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 55 students tested. SchoolScope shows disaggregated test scores by demographic subgroup so you can see how a school performs for your child's specific group — not just the school-wide average. Subgroup data is context, not part of the Scope Score: we don't penalize schools for who they serve. See our equity approach.