National City · San Diego County

Schools in National City

National City’s 11 public elementary schools run from the 10th to the 56th percentile among the 5,726 California elementary schools we score (spring 2026 tests).

Elementary · 11 schools

from 10th to 56th · among 5,726 California elementary schools we score · spring 2026 tests

  • Ira Harbison: 56th percentile, Solid
  • Kimball: 46th percentile, Developing
  • Rancho de la Nacion: 44th percentile, Developing
  • Palmer Way: 41st percentile, Developing
  • Olivewood: 39th percentile, Developing
  • Lincoln Acres: 36th percentile, Developing
  • John A. Otis Elementary: 30th percentile, Developing
  • Central Elementary: 25th percentile, Developing
  • Integrity Charter: 24th percentile, Needs Support
  • Las Palmas: 17th percentile, Needs Support
  • El Toyon Elementary: 10th percentile, Needs Support
3Needs Support
7Developing
1Solid
0Strong

One dot per school.

Middle and high school pictures

Middle · 3 schools

from 28th to 39th · among 2,529 California middle schools we score · spring 2026 tests

  • Granger Junior High: 39th percentile, Developing
  • Integrity Charter: 33rd percentile, Developing
  • National City Middle: 28th percentile, Developing
0Needs Support
3Developing
0Solid
0Strong

High · 1 school

at 19th · among 1,498 California high schools we score · spring 2025 tests

  • Sweetwater High: 19th percentile, Needs Support
1Needs Support
0Developing
0Solid
0Strong

One dot per school. Each stage is placed only among California schools at its own level. 1 of the 14 ranked schools teaches two levels, so it appears in more than one picture.

Schools around National City

15 listed public schools with mapped locations.

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Percentile among California schools at the same level

  • Strong75th+
  • Solid50–74th
  • Developing25–49th
  • Needs Supportbelow 25th
  • Not scored

The school lists on this page are also available without the map.

Elementary schools

Which elementary schools in National City score highest?

Ira Harbison is highest, at the 56th percentile.

That’s higher than 56 in 100 of the 5,726 California elementary schools we score (spring 2026 tests).

Highest in National City

Each percentile compares a school with California schools at its own level.

Show the other 8 elementary schools
Context

The average National City elementary school had 24 in 100 students chronically absent (missed 10% or more of school days) in 2025–26; the average California elementary school we score had 17 in 100. Both are averages of school rates, each school counted once.

Middle schools

Which middle schools in National City score highest?

Granger Junior High is highest, at the 39th percentile.

That’s higher than 39 in 100 of the 2,529 California middle schools we score (spring 2026 tests).

Highest in National City

Each percentile compares a school with California schools at its own level.

Context

The average National City middle school had 20 in 100 students chronically absent in 2025–26; the average California middle school we score had 18 in 100.

High schools

Where does the high school we score in National City stand?

Sweetwater High is at the 19th percentile.

That’s higher than 19 in 100 of the 1,498 California high schools we score (spring 2025 tests). It’s the only public high school we score in National City.

Each percentile compares a school with California schools at its own level.

1 high school not ranked statewide

3 private schools have a National City address. They don’t take California’s state tests, so we don’t score them. See them in the private-school directory →

Which places nearby can you look at next?

School districts

More places (3)

ZIP codes

Before kindergarten

Common questions

Which public schools in National City rank highest?

Elementary: Ira Harbison, 56th percentile (Solid). Middle: Granger Junior High, 39th percentile (Developing). High: Sweetwater High, 19th percentile (Needs Support). Each percentile is among the California schools at the same level we score. A rank doesn’t decide fit or whether a child can enroll.

Does living in National City decide which school my child attends?

No. A city can hold schools from more than one district, and attendance boundaries decide which school serves an address. Confirm the school for your address with the district.
More questions (3)

Are the public schools in National City good?

National City’s 11 public elementary schools run from the 10th to the 56th percentile among the 5,726 California elementary schools we score (spring 2026 tests). By band: 1 Solid, 7 Developing and 3 Needs Support. National City’s 3 public middle schools run from the 28th to the 39th percentile among the 2,529 California middle schools we score (spring 2026 tests). By band: 3 Developing. National City has one public high school we score, Sweetwater High, at the 19th percentile among the 1,498 California high schools we score (spring 2025 tests). By band: 1 Needs Support. A percentile compares a school with California public schools at the same level that we score. How we score schools.

How does chronic absence in National City compare with California?

The average National City elementary school had 24 in 100 students chronically absent (missed 10% or more of school days) in 2025–26; the average California elementary school we score had 17 in 100. Both are averages of school rates, each school counted once. The average National City middle school had 20 in 100 students chronically absent in 2025–26; the average California middle school we score had 18 in 100. These are averages of school rates: each school counts once, whatever its size.

Where do these results come from?

California’s state tests (CAASPP): spring 2026 for elementary and middle schools, spring 2025 for high schools, and chronic-absence rates for 2025–26, published by the California Department of Education. Percentiles, bands and Scope Scores are SchoolScope’s calculations. How we score schools.

Sources and methodology

This page lists the public schools with a National City address, which can belong to more than one school district.

Data source: California Department of Education · CAASPP 2025–26 elementary and middle school; 2024–25 high school

Percentiles, bands and Scope Scores are SchoolScope’s own calculations from these state files.

View CDE data ↗ (opens in a new tab)How Scope Scores work →

Download these schools (CSV)Free to use under CC BY 4.0 with attribution.