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Public school district · California

Lemon Grove.Many schools. Many different stories.

Compare elementary, middle, and high schools across Lemon Grove—and look beyond a single district average.

Monterey Heights ElementaryMt. VernonSan Altos ElementarySan Miguel ElementaryLemon Grove Academy ElementaryVista La Mesa AcademyLemon GroveN ↑
6 schools mapped · Location contextOpen map →
Census district boundary
Elementary schools at a glance
Elementary6 schools
avg 29.1/1003 Needs Support, 2 Solid, +1 more

Elementary schools are scored on their own scale — never ranked against other levels.

The elementary years

The elementary schools average 29.1/100 — 9.7 points below the state average. Here is what that number does and doesn't say.

0100
Strong Solid Developing Needs Support district avg state avg

6 elementary schools span 22 points around an average of 29.1.

The strength

Monterey Heights Elementary is the strongest option at 41/100 — 23.6% of its students exceed the state standard.

The catch

22.6% of students are chronically absent (state: 17.9%) — chronic means missing 10% or more of the school year. Whatever the scores say, ask each school what it is doing about attendance.

62nd percentile · SolidScope Score 41/100
Mt. Vernon
Building Momentum
55th percentile · SolidScope Score 38/100
33rd percentile · DevelopingScope Score 29/100

All 6 elementary schools, ranked, in the appendix →

What it means for your family

If you're choosing a neighborhood

Scores here cluster within 22 points, so the address decides less than it does in most districts. Monterey Heights Elementary tops the list at 41/100 — still worth confirming the exact zone before you commit.

If you already live here

No charters or magnets among the ranked schools here, so the main lever is an intra-district transfer — California districts run them on their own windows and criteria. If your zoned school sits low in the appendix below, ask the district office for this year's dates.

If your kid is enrolled now

A band is a position, not a prophecy — 1 campus here ranks as On the Rise, its returning cohorts gaining more than most schools statewide. Ask your school two questions: what it is doing about attendance, and what the classroom looks like for a kid who arrives ahead.

The strongest-scoring campus:

Monterey Heights Elementary 62nd percentile · SolidScope Score 41/100

The top scorer district-wide — confirm enrollment zones with the district, and visit before you decide.

What this page can't see: whether a campus feels safe and glad at 8 a.m. If a path above looks workable, the next step is a visit.

Lemon Grove has 6 public schools in this SchoolScope results directory. Compare schools by their primary reporting level below.

2024–25 CAASPP reporting · SchoolScope analysis. Directory coverage, not a complete inventory of every campus. Each school appears at its primary reporting level; K–8 and K–12 campuses can serve additional grades. Sources and methodology →

One district, three stages

The average changes with the journey.

Elementary schools

Explore elementary →
Lower reported resultsHigher reported results

6 comparable schools · average 29.1/100 · range 18.6–41.0

Explore Lemon Grove by place.

Districts nearby

DistrictAverage scoreRanked schoolsTop schoolDistance
Lemon Grovethis district29.1 / 1006Monterey Heights Elementary—
Grossmont Union High51.3 / 10014Grossmont Middle College High5.3 mi
Chula Vista Elementary44.6 / 10047Liberty Elementary7.4 mi
Sweetwater Union High58.5 / 10010Eastlake High7.4 mi
Santee44.6 / 1009Hill Creek Elementary8.2 mi
Coronado Unified61.2 / 1004Coronado High8.6 mi

Averages blend every school level in a district and carry no score band. Compare a level at a time in the spreads above, then open the schools. Distances run between school-location centers.

Cities served

City pages include schools from other districts too. Check the district named on each school profile.

Patterns across the district

What kinds of schools are here?

Patterns worth exploring.

Choose a pattern to find matching schools in the lists below. Open a profile to see the underlying measures and questions to ask on a visit.

How patterns are defined →

Archetypes describe reported patterns, not school quality or fit. Available measures differ by school level.

Schools in Lemon Grove

Browse by level, then compare the evidence behind each profile.

Map ↗

Elementary schools in Lemon Grove · 6 schools

CompareSchoolExceededScore
Monterey Heights Elementary
Lemon Grove Building Momentum
23.6%62nd percentile · SolidScope Score 41/100
Mt. Vernon
Lemon Grove Building Momentum
20.6%55th percentile · SolidScope Score 38/100
San Altos Elementary
Lemon Grove On the Rise
13.1%33rd percentile · DevelopingScope Score 29/100
San Miguel Elementary
Lemon Grove Building Momentum
11.0%19th percentile · Needs SupportScope Score 24/100
Lemon Grove Academy Elementary
Lemon Grove Building Momentum
12.3%19th percentile · Needs SupportScope Score 24/100
Vista La Mesa Academy
Lemon Grove Building Momentum
9.8%8th percentile · Needs SupportScope Score 19/100
Compare selected schools

Select two to four schools at the same level. Rankings and score bands compare each school with its own enrollment group.

District finance · FY 2024–25

Where the district's dollars go.

Lemon Grove spent $22,290 per student in FY 2024–25 — close to the median California district ($20,491). About 58 cents of every dollar goes to classroom instruction.

Current expense per student

Current expense of education per unit of average daily attendance, from the district's annual SACS filing to the California Department of Education. District-wide: it includes central administration and costs never assigned to one campus. Spending is context, not a measure of school quality.

Share by function

  • Instruction58%
  • Instruction support11%
  • Student services6%
  • Administration9%
  • Buildings & maintenance8%
  • Other7%

Shares of the same current-expense total, by SACS function. Names are simplified from the filing's own categories.

The system behind the schools

The people behind the classrooms — district-grain context that never enters a school's score.

People
Teacher salary range$66,771–$127,994
Teaching staff174 · FTE
District enrollment3,160 · students
Who attends
Hispanic 69.5% · White 6.8% · Black 10.7% · Asian 3.8% · Other 9.2%
Free/reduced lunch74% · economic need indicator

CDE Form J-90 salary schedule 2024–25 · CDE enrollment (district averages)

See how the school years fit together.

Explore the next stage, then verify the schools available for your address.

These are browsing links, not a feeder path. Assignments vary by residence, program, permits, and available space.

Looking beyond Lemon Grove?

Explore public, private, and early-learning options.

Know what you’re comparing.

Data source: California Department of Education · CAASPP 2024-25 · Methodology

Scores are SchoolScope's analysis of public data, not official CDE ratings. They represent one way of interpreting test results and should not be the sole basis for school decisions.

Source: CDE CAASPP 2025 · 6 schoolsMethodology · Download this data (CSV)

Free to download, CC BY 4.0 with attribution.

Frequently asked questions

How many schools are listed in Lemon Grove?
This SchoolScope directory lists 6 public schools in Lemon Grove with 2024–25 reporting records. This is directory coverage, not a complete campus inventory. Each school appears under its primary reporting level; a K–8 or K–12 campus may serve additional grades.
Which schools have the highest scores in Lemon Grove?
Among comprehensive public schools listed here, the highest Scope Score at each primary reporting level is: Elementary: Monterey Heights Elementary (41/100). These are separate level rankings, not a single cross-level league table. A score does not establish fit or enrollment eligibility. See the methodology.
Can I compare elementary, middle, and high schools directly?
Compare schools at the same level and within the same enrollment group. Scope Score formulas and available measures differ by level. The plots show comprehensive public schools separately for each level; individual profiles explain their comparison group.
Does living in Lemon Grove guarantee a particular school?
A district outline does not establish assignment to an individual school. Attendance boundaries, programs, permits, and available space can affect enrollment. Confirm the requirements directly with the district.
What does a SchoolScope pattern mean?
Archetypes summarize patterns in publicly reported academic and school-climate measures. They describe reported results, not a school’s quality or a child’s fit. Open the school profile for reporting years, missing measures, and questions to ask. Read how the patterns are defined.
Where do these results come from?
The underlying public data comes from the California Department of Education, including CAASPP reporting for 2024–25. Scope Scores and archetypes are SchoolScope calculations, not official CDE ratings. View CDE data and SchoolScope’s methodology and limitations.

Find the school worth a closer look.

Explore Lemon Grove schools →Open the local map →