School district · San Diego County

Lemon Grove schools

Lemon Grove runs schools through 8th grade. Its 6 public elementary schools run from the 10th to the 70th percentile among the 5,726 California elementary schools we score (spring 2026 tests). High school is run by another district; confirm the school for your address with the district.

Elementary · 6 schools

from 10th to 70th · among 5,726 California elementary schools we score · spring 2026 tests

  • Monterey Heights Elementary: 70th percentile, Solid
  • Vista La Mesa Academy: 49th percentile, Developing
  • San Altos Elementary: 47th percentile, Developing
  • Mt. Vernon Elementary: 44th percentile, Developing
  • San Miguel Elementary: 21st percentile, Needs Support
  • Lemon Grove Academy Elementary: 10th percentile, Needs Support
2Needs Support
3Developing
1Solid
0Strong

Middle · 2 schools

from 27th to 39th · among 2,529 California middle schools we score · spring 2026 tests

  • Lemon Grove Academy for the Sciences and Humanities: 39th percentile, Developing
  • Vista La Mesa Academy: 27th percentile, Developing
0Needs Support
2Developing
0Solid
0Strong

One dot per school. Each stage is placed only among California schools at its own level. 1 of the 7 ranked schools teaches two levels, so it appears in more than one picture.

  • 7 ranked schools

Schools around Lemon Grove

7 listed public schools with mapped locations.

Open full map →

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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 Lemon Grove score highest?

Monterey Heights Elementary is highest, at the 70th percentile.

That’s higher than 70 in 100 California elementary schools we score (spring 2026 tests).

Highest in Lemon Grove

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

Show the other 3 elementary schools
Context

The average elementary school in Lemon Grove had 21 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 Lemon Grove score highest?

Lemon Grove Academy for the Sciences and Humanities is highest, at the 39th percentile.

That’s higher than 39 in 100 California middle schools we score (spring 2026 tests).

Highest in Lemon Grove

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

The district

Where does Lemon Grove’s money go, and what does it plan?

Lemon Grove spent $22,290 per student in the 2024–25 school year.

That’s close to the typical California district, which spent $20,491. About 58 cents of every Lemon Grove dollar went to classroom instruction.

Spending by function

Day-to-day spending per student in average daily attendance, from the district’s annual financial report (SACS) to the California Department of Education. District-wide: it includes central administration and costs never assigned to one campus.

Share by function, 2024–25

  • Instruction58%
  • Instruction support12%
  • Student services6%
  • Administration9%
  • Buildings & maintenance8%
  • Other7%

Shares of the same spending total, by the report’s spending categories, rounded so they add up to 100. Names are simplified from the report’s own categories.

What the district plans

$72.0 million

planned in its 2026–27 plan for 17 funded actions in 3 goals. That’s more than its $67.2 million general fund budget. Its largest action, Basic Services, is $31.0 million. These are planned amounts; the district reports what it spent in a later plan.

The plan in short

Source: the district’s yearly spending plan (Local Control and Accountability Plan, or LCAP, 137 pages), as posted to the California School Dashboard.

Where the money goes

Three actions take 66% of the money. The plan itself puts 80% of it toward staff.

  • Basic Services $31.0 million
  • Special Education: Student Achievement and Inclusion $10.7 million
  • Multi-Tiered System of Supports $5.9 million
  • 14 other actions
Reading, math and catch-up help

No action title in this plan names reading, math, catch-up help or English learners.

For high-need students (English learners, low-income students and foster youth), what changed and what its goals measure
For high-need students

It plans $10.0 million in extra services for English learners, low-income students and foster youth. For 2025–26, it planned $11.1 million and estimates it spent $11.9 million, $0.8 million (7%) more than planned (our arithmetic).

What changed

The total is $2.3 million (3%) higher than in the 2025–26 plan. The biggest change in dollars is Professional Development and Teacher Collaboration, which went from $4.7 million to $5.7 million.

Largest cuts

  • Student Social Emotional Learning (SEL) & Mental Health−⁠$495,397
  • Student Leadership and Interests−⁠$352,828
  • Technology Systems−⁠$189,618

Largest increases

  • Professional Development and Teacher Collaboration+⁠$1.0 million
  • Basic Services+⁠$941,237
  • Nutritious Meal Options+⁠$624,170

Ask: What did Student Social Emotional Learning (SEL) & Mental Health pay for, and what changes now that the 2026–27 plan gives it $495,397 less?

What its goals measure

Read these state results for the district’s own schools as context for the goals they measure; results alone can’t show what the plan caused.

What its goals measure: state results, 2024–25 and 2025–26
Measure2024–252025–26Change
English, every tested grade: Proficient or Advanced in 2025–26, met or exceeded in 2024–25Goal 139%41%up 2 pts
Math, every tested grade: Proficient or Advanced in 2025–26, met or exceeded in 2024–25Goal 129%28%down 1 pt

Goals 2 and 3 aren’t shown because they track other measures.

Figures from CDE’s state test, chronic absence and suspension files. Test figures cover every grade the district tests (California tests grades 3–8 and 11), so they differ from a profile’s rated grades. We combined the district’s schools ourselves, weighted by students and leaving out charter schools. Chronically absent means a student missed 10% or more of school days.

The plan’s own titles and amounts
  • Basic Services · $31,013,495
  • Special Education: Student Achievement and Inclusion · $10,730,162
  • Multi-Tiered System of Supports · $5,921,027
The full plan3 goals, 24 measures and where the money goes

We calculate each action’s share of the plan by dividing its planned amount by the total of the plan’s funded actions ($72.0 million).

Where does the money go?

76% to Goal 1. Each box is one action, sized by its planned dollars and coloured by its change since last year’s plan. Tap a box to open its goal.

G1
G2
G3

Change since the 2025–26 plan, same title

  • fell 25% or more
  • fell 10–25%
  • fell 2–10%
  • within 2%
  • grew 2–10%
  • grew 10–25%
  • grew 25% or more
  • new or renamed title
  • not compared: unconfirmed, or repeated across goals

Every goal, in the plan’s order

Goal 1Fostering Student and Staff Growth, Leadership & Achievement The actions/​services in Goal 1 address the…$55.0 million76% of action budgets

“Fostering Student and Staff Growth, Leadership & Achievement The actions/​services in Goal 1 address the following State priorities: Priority 1-Basic Services (Teachers are appropriately assigned and fully credentialed in the subject areas and for pupils that they are teaching. Every pupil in the school district has sufficient access to standards-aligned instructional materials), Priority 2-Implementation of State Standards (Implementation of the academic content and performance standards adopted by the state board. How the programs and services will enable multilingual learners to access the CCSS and the ELD standards for purposes of gaining academic content knowledge and English language proficiency), Priority 4-Pupil Achievement (Statewide assessments. The percentage of multilingual pupils who make progress toward English proficiency; or any subsequent assessment of English proficiency, as certified by the state board. The multilingual learner reclassification rate), Priority 7-Broad Course of Study (Programs and services developed and provided to unduplicated pupils. Programs and services developed and provided to individuals with exceptional needs), Priority 8-Other Pupil Outcomes (Pupil outcomes, if available, in the subject areas described in Section 51210 and subdivisions (a) to (i), inclusive of Section 51220, as applicable)” p. 16 ↗

7 funded actions · 2025–26 plan: $52.3 million (+⁠$2.7 million)

Largest funded actions

  1. Basic Services$31.0 millionaction 1.7 · p. 99 ↗
  2. Special Education: Student Achievement and Inclusion$10.7 millionaction 1.3 · p. 99 ↗
  3. Multi-Tiered System of Supports$5.9 millionaction 1.6 · p. 99 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services · of which $3.3 million is state funding counted toward those services
  4. Professional Development and Teacher Collaboration$5.7 millionaction 1.2 · p. 99 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services · of which $4.5 million is state funding counted toward those services
  5. Universally Designed Rigorous Grade Level Instruction Grounded in Culturally Responsive Teaching$1.0 millionaction 1.1 · p. 99 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services · of which $609,838 is state funding counted toward those services

2 more funded actions in this goal

  • Recruitment, Onboarding, and Retention of Staff · action 1.5 · p. 99 ↗$0.5 million
  • Multilingual Learner: Student Achievement and Linguistic Services · action 1.4 · p. 99 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services · of which $141,543 is state funding counted toward those services$0.2 million

Changes from last year’s plan, same title

  1. Professional Development and Teacher Collaboration+⁠$1.0 million$4.7 million → $5.7 million · p. 99 ↗
  2. Basic Services+⁠$0.9 million$30.1 million → $31.0 million · p. 99 ↗
  3. Universally Designed Rigorous Grade Level Instruction Grounded in Culturally Responsive Teaching+⁠$380,949$586,557 → $967,506 · p. 99 ↗

Every other line in this goal, against last year’s plan

  • Special Education: Student Achievement and Inclusion · $10.4 million → $10.7 million · p. 99 ↗+⁠$0.3 million
  • Multi-Tiered System of Supports · $5.8 million → $5.9 million · p. 99 ↗+⁠$0.1 million
  • Recruitment, Onboarding, and Retention of Staff · $491,618 → $477,389 · p. 99 ↗−⁠$14,229
  • Multilingual Learner: Student Achievement and Linguistic Services · $248,819 → $201,656 · p. 99 ↗−⁠$47,163

How the plan measures it · 11 measures

None of these has an all-students line we can quote; the plan’s table lists them from p. 16 ↗.

Goal 2Fostering School Community and Connectedness$9.1 million13% of action budgets

“The actions/​services in Goal 2 address the following State priorities: Priority 3-Parent Involvement (Efforts the school district makes to seek parent input in making decisions for the school district and each individual school site. How the school district will promote parental participation in programs for unduplicated pupils. How the school district will promote parental participation in programs for individuals with exceptional needs), Priority 5-Pupil Engagement (School Attendance Rates, Chronic absenteeism rates), Priority 6-School Climate (Pupil Suspension rates. Pupil expulsion rates. Other local measure, including survey of pupils, parents, and teachers on the sense of safety and school connectedness)” p. 41 ↗

7 funded actions · 2025–26 plan: $10.0 million (−⁠$868,799)

Largest funded actions

  1. Student Leadership and Interests$5.9 millionaction 2.4 · p. 100 ↗
  2. Community Schools: Basic Needs$2.0 millionaction 2.6 · p. 100 ↗
  3. Crisis Response and Safety Practices$0.5 millionaction 2.7 · p. 100 ↗
  4. Positive Behavior Intervention Systems (PBIS)$0.4 millionaction 2.2 · p. 99 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services · of which $218,521 is state funding counted toward those services
  5. Parent and Family Engagement$0.2 millionaction 2.5 · p. 100 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services · of which $3,000 is state funding counted toward those services

2 more funded actions in this goal

  • Student Social Emotional Learning (SEL) & Mental Health · action 2.1 · p. 99 ↗$0.1 million
  • Cultural Celebrations, Events and Learning · action 2.3 · p. 99 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need servicesunder $0.1 million

Changes from last year’s plan, same title

  1. Student Social Emotional Learning (SEL) & Mental Health−⁠$495,397$557,883 → $62,486 · p. 99 ↗
  2. Student Leadership and Interests−⁠$0.4 million$6.3 million → $5.9 million · p. 100 ↗
  3. Parent and Family Engagement−⁠$38,291$204,249 → $165,958 · p. 100 ↗

Every other line in this goal, against last year’s plan

  • Community Schools: Basic Needs · $1.9 million → $2.0 million · p. 100 ↗+⁠$24,245
  • Crisis Response and Safety Practices · $513,444 → $521,746 · p. 100 ↗+⁠$8,302
  • Positive Behavior Intervention Systems (PBIS) · $446,935 → $427,804 · p. 99 ↗−⁠$19,131
  • Cultural Celebrations, Events and Learning · $44,439 → $48,740 · p. 99 ↗+⁠$4,301

How the plan measures it · 8 measures

None of these has an all-students line we can quote; the plan’s table lists them from p. 41 ↗.

Goal 3Fostering Operational Systems that Support Effective Schools The actions/​services in Goal 3 address the…$8.0 million11% of action budgets

“Fostering Operational Systems that Support Effective Schools The actions/​services in Goal 3 address the following State priorities: Priority 1-Basic Services (School facilities are maintained in good repair)” p. 67 ↗

3 funded actions · 2025–26 plan: $7.4 million (+⁠$504,102)

Largest funded actions

  1. Nutritious Meal Options$4.8 millionaction 3.3 · p. 100 ↗
  2. Strategic Facilities Plan$2.0 millionaction 3.1 · p. 100 ↗
  3. Technology Systems$1.2 millionaction 3.2 · p. 100 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services

Changes from last year’s plan, same title

  1. Nutritious Meal Options+⁠$0.6 million$4.2 million → $4.8 million · p. 100 ↗
  2. Technology Systems−⁠$0.2 million$1.4 million → $1.2 million · p. 100 ↗
  3. Strategic Facilities Plan+⁠$0.1 million$1.9 million → $2.0 million · p. 100 ↗

How the plan measures it · 5 measures

None of these has an all-students line we can quote; the plan’s table lists them from p. 67 ↗.

All amounts are planned. We read them from the PDF and added up each goal’s actions ourselves. Page links open the plan at that page.

Who goes to the district’s schools
Who attends

Student mix

2024–25 · October enrollment count, 3,053 students
1. Hispanic or Latino: 68%2. Black or African American: 11%3. White: 8%4. Two or more races: 6%5. Asian: 4%6. Filipino: 2%7. Pacific Islander: <1%8. American Indian or Alaska Native: <1%9. Not reported: <1%Student mix2024–25
  1. Hispanic or Latino68%
  2. Black or African American11%
  3. White8%
  4. Two or more races6%
  5. Asian4%
  6. Filipino2%
  7. Pacific Islander<1%
  8. American Indian or Alaska Native<1%
  9. Not reported<1%
Shares use the district's own October enrollment counts from the CDE, including its charter schools. Rounded labels may not total 100%; segments use the original shares.

Free or reduced-price meals

75%

Across California, 63% of students qualify.

2024–25 · 2,193 of 2,906 students qualify, summed from the CDE’s meal counts for every school it lists under the district, charters included. It comes from a different CDE file than the student mix, so the two totals differ.

The district’s state records

Is the state giving the district extra help?

The state is giving Lemon Grove extra help in 2026, the second year after it qualified on the 2025 Dashboard.

How English learners moved up on the state’s English test

From spring 2025 to spring 2026, 39% of the district’s English learners moved up at least one level on the state’s English test (ELPAC), or stayed at the top (231 of 595 students). California: 47%. It counts students moving up the test’s levels, so a student can count here before becoming fluent.

1 school getting state support, 2025–26

Lemon Grove Academy Elementary (Targeted support)

This list covers the district’s own schools; each charter school’s page shows its record. Federal designation under the Every Student Succeeds Act, 2025–26.

Sources: District help (CDE) ↗ · English learner progress (CDE) ↗ · School support (CDE) ↗. State results from the 2026 California School Dashboard.

Which places nearby can you look at next?

Cities in the district

More places (5)

Districts nearby

Common questions

Which public schools in Lemon Grove rank highest?

Elementary: Monterey Heights Elementary, 70th percentile (Solid). Middle: Lemon Grove Academy for the Sciences and Humanities, 39th percentile (Developing). 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 the Lemon Grove district decide which school my child attends?

Not by itself. Attendance boundaries, programs, transfers and space all matter. Confirm the school for your address, grade and program with the district.
More questions (5)

Are the public schools in Lemon Grove good?

Lemon Grove’s 6 public elementary schools run from the 10th to the 70th percentile among the 5,726 California elementary schools we score (spring 2026 tests). By band: 1 Solid, 3 Developing and 2 Needs Support. Lemon Grove’s 2 public middle schools run from the 27th to the 39th percentile among the 2,529 California middle schools we score (spring 2026 tests). By band: 2 Developing. 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 Lemon Grove compare with California?

The average elementary school in Lemon Grove had 21 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. These are averages of school rates: each school counts once, whatever its size.

How much does Lemon Grove spend per student?

Lemon Grove spent $22,290 per student in the 2024–25 school year. That’s close to the typical California district, which spent $20,491. About 58 cents of every Lemon Grove dollar went to classroom instruction. Day-to-day spending per student in average daily attendance, from its annual financial report to the California Department of Education. The district’s spending, by function.

What is in Lemon Grove’s 2026–27 spending plan?

The district’s 2026–27 spending plan puts $72.0 million into 17 funded actions in 3 goals, more than its $67.2 million general fund budget. Its largest goal holds $55.0 million, 76% of the action budgets. The 2026–27 plan, goal by goal.

Where do these results come from?

California’s state tests (CAASPP) from spring 2026 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 governed and funded by Lemon Grove, with the district’s spending and state accountability records.

Data source: California Department of Education · CAASPP 2025–26

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.