Each level is scored on its own scale — elementary, middle, and high are never ranked against each other.
The elementary years
31 points separate La Mesa (49) from Martin Luther King (18) — at this level, which school matters more than which district.
31 points separate the strongest and weakest of these 11 elementary schools — the average hides more than it tells.
La Mesa (49/100) holds the Strong band — 31.4% of its students exceed the state standard, against a level average of 14.6%. 1 school here ranks as a Growth Engine — returning cohorts gaining more than most schools statewide.
3 of 11 elementary schools sit in the Needs Support band — which campus you're zoned for carries real weight here.
The high school years
The high schools average 40.5/100 — 13.4 points below the state average. Here is what that number does and doesn't say.
5 high schools span 28 points around an average of 40.5.
2 continuation/alternative schools not plotted — they rank within their own class, not on this statewide axis.
Monterey High is the strongest option at 53/100 — 20.0% of its students exceed the state standard.
29.0% of students are chronically absent (state: 23.1%) — chronic means missing 10% or more of the school year. Whatever the scores say, ask each school what it is doing about attendance.
What it means for your family
Compare schools at your child’s level before deciding on an address. The strongest attendance-zone candidate is La Mesa at 49/100 — confirm the exact boundary with the district before the house.
2 of the 16 ranked schools are charters — enrollment paths that don't depend on your address. If your zoned school sits low in the appendix below, those lotteries and applications are the levers worth the paperwork.
A band is a position, not a prophecy — 3 campuses here rank as On the Rise (2) or Growth Engine (1), their returning cohorts gaining more than most schools statewide. Ask your school two questions: what happens for a kid who arrives behind, and what the classroom looks like for one who arrives ahead.
The strongest-scoring run through the district:
La Mesa 75th percentile · StrongScope Score 49/100Monterey High 51st percentile · SolidScope Score 53/100
Top scorers at each level — not necessarily one zoned sequence. Confirm feeder patterns and 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.