How does Pepper Drive Elementary compare to other elementary schools in El Cajon?

Pepper Drive Elementary has a SchoolScope composite score of 46.2/100, placing it at the 57th percentile statewide. 20% of students exceed standard, with a total of 1,740 students tested across grades and subjects.

What percentage of students exceed standards at Pepper Drive Elementary?

19.9% of students at Pepper Drive Elementary exceed the state standard on CAASPP assessments, while 46.1% meet or exceed it. The gap between these two numbers reveals whether the school pushes students beyond basic proficiency.

Is Pepper Drive Elementary improving or declining?

Pepper Drive Elementary's proficiency rate decreases by 5.8 percentage points from grade 3 to grade 5, suggesting the school is not sustaining early academic gains.

What is the chronic absenteeism rate at Pepper Drive Elementary?

11.1% of students at Pepper Drive Elementary are chronically absent (missing 10% or more of school days). This metric reflects school culture and family engagement, and is weighted at 15% in our composite score.

Pepper Drive Elementary

Santee El Cajon San Diego County 92020

Composite Score

out of 100

State Percentile

of elementary schools

State Rank

1,740 students tested

School overview

Enrollment

655 students

Student-Teacher Ratio

25:1

Free/Reduced Lunch

51%

Teachers

26 full-time

Student demographics

Hispanic 36.6%

White 45.3%

Asian 3.4%

Black 3.5%

Other 11.2%

Performance breakdown

Performance breakdown for Pepper Drive Elementary
Category	Percentage
Exceeded Standard	19.9%
Met Standard	26.2%
Below Standard	53.9%

Exceeded

19.9%

Met

26.2%

Below

53.9%

What other rankings don't show you

Most rating sites report "46% proficient" for Pepper Drive Elementary and stop there. Here's what that number hides:

19.9% of students exceeded standard while 26.2% merely met it. That exceeded rate is near the state average of 21.0%. That's 6.7 points below the Santee district average of 26.6%. Compared to the 16 nearby schools within ~3 miles, this exceeded rate is 8.4 points higher (vs 11.5% average). The gap between "met" and "exceeded" is the difference between a school that clears the bar and one that raises it.

Proficiency drops by 5.8 percentage points from grade 3 to grade 5 — a signal that the school may not be sustaining early gains.

Chronic absenteeism is 11.1%, better than the state average of 18.7%.

Key metrics

% Exceeded Standard

19.9%

Students scoring above proficient

% Met or Above

46.1%

Students meeting standard

Growth (G3→G5)

-5.8pp

Change in proficiency rate

Chronic Absenteeism

11.1%

Students missing 10%+ of days

Suspension Rate

4.3%

Students suspended at least once

Total Tested

1,740

Across all grades & subjects

ELA scores by grade

Grade	Tested	Exceeded	Met	Nearly Met	Not Met	Met+Above
3rd	58	27.6%	25.9%	20.7%	25.9%	53.5%
4th	78	26.9%	25.6%	23.1%	24.4%	52.6%
5th	52	32.7%	26.9%	13.5%	26.9%	59.6%
6th	81	12.3%	34.6%	32.1%	21.0%	46.9%
7th	86	20.9%	34.9%	24.4%	19.8%	55.8%
8th	80	17.5%	40.0%	21.3%	21.3%	57.5%

Math scores by grade

Grade	Tested	Exceeded	Met	Nearly Met	Not Met	Met+Above
3rd	58	22.4%	24.1%	29.3%	24.1%	46.5%
4th	78	11.5%	39.7%	29.5%	19.2%	51.3%
5th	52	11.5%	17.3%	34.6%	36.5%	28.9%
6th	81	14.8%	17.3%	27.2%	40.7%	32.1%
7th	86	16.3%	16.3%	32.6%	34.9%	32.6%
8th	80	25.0%	11.3%	23.8%	40.0%	36.3%