Public schools in El Cajon, CA
El Cajon has 43 public schools with a 2024-25 address in the city: 10 high, 6 middle, 24 elementary, 3 other, enrolling 28,483 students. They are run by 12 districts and agencies; Cajon Valley Union runs 24 of them.
NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25: schools open that year with enrollment · method
The 12 districts and agencies that run El Cajon's public schools
Each district decides who can enroll where; its page holds its schools, spending and teachers.
| District | Schools in El Cajon | District students, fall 2022 | Spending per student, FY23 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cajon Valley Union | 24 | 15,337 | $17,631 |
| Grossmont Union High | 9 | 16,738 | $18,330 |
| Literacy First Charter School | 1 | 1,972 | $12,951 |
| Bostonia Global District | 1 | 1,144 | not reported |
| Santee School District | 1 | 6,151 | $14,532 |
| EJE Elementary Academy Charter District | 1 | 564 | $17,512 |
| La Mesa-Spring Valley Schools | 1 | 10,745 | $16,770 |
| Kidinnu Academy District | 1 | 227 | $13,907 |
| Diego Valley East Charter School | 1 | 411 | $17,903 |
| Dehesa Elementary | 1 | 84 | $35,238 |
| Grossmont Secondary District | 1 | 257 | $18,879 |
| EJE Middle Academy District | 1 | 254 | $13,339 |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25: school location city and operating agency; NCES F-33 fiscal year 2022-23: district fall membership and current spending per student. Schools on a city's edge can serve students from outside it.
10 high schools in El Cajon, 6,379 students
| School | Students 2024‑25 | Per teacher | Free lunch | District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Granite Hills High | 2,331 | 24.1 | 36.9% | Grossmont Union High |
| Valhalla High | 1,728 | 23.5 | 47.9% | Grossmont Union High |
| El Cajon Valley High | 1,701 | 20.8 | 64.1% | Grossmont Union High |
| Grossmont Secondary | 287 | 35.3 | 65.2% | Grossmont Secondary District |
| IDEA Center | 127 | 7.8 | 39.4% | Grossmont Union High |
| MERIT Academy | 68 | 9.7 | 47.1% | Grossmont Union High |
| Chaparral High | 45 | 7.2 | 51.1% | Grossmont Union High |
| Grossmont Middle College High | 37 | 14.5 | 18.9% | Grossmont Union High |
| Elite Academy | 34 | 10.8 | 26.5% | Grossmont Union High |
| REACH Academy | 21 | 7.0 | 52.4% | Grossmont Union High |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (membership, staff, lunch); level from the directory. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count.
6 middle schools in El Cajon, 4,854 students
| School | Students 2024‑25 | Per teacher | Free lunch | District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hillsdale Middle | 1,481 | 22.1 | 56.1% | Cajon Valley Union |
| Cajon Valley Middle | 942 | 20.2 | 89.2% | Cajon Valley Union |
| Montgomery Middle | 929 | 22.1 | 87.6% | Cajon Valley Union |
| Greenfield Middle | 730 | 22.7 | 83.2% | Cajon Valley Union |
| Los Coches Creek Middle | 518 | 19.5 | 43.4% | Cajon Valley Union |
| EJE Middle Academy | 254 | 16.8 | 62.2% | EJE Middle Academy District |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (membership, staff, lunch); level from the directory. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count.
24 elementary schools in El Cajon, 13,416 students
| School | Students 2024‑25 | Per teacher | Free lunch | District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Naranca Elementary | 985 | 27.4 | 90.5% | Cajon Valley Union |
| Lexington Elementary | 878 | 25.3 | 86.6% | Cajon Valley Union |
| Johnson Elementary | 766 | 24.7 | 85.6% | Cajon Valley Union |
| Chase Avenue Elementary | 757 | 24.4 | 86.9% | Cajon Valley Union |
| Flying Hills School of Arts | 742 | 28.0 | 61.1% | Cajon Valley Union |
| Magnolia Elementary | 703 | 26.3 | 81.9% | Cajon Valley Union |
| Anza Elementary | 687 | 25.0 | 87.2% | Cajon Valley Union |
| Fuerte Elementary | 686 | 25.7 | 36.0% | Cajon Valley Union |
| Madison Avenue Elementary | 670 | 24.5 | 81.5% | Cajon Valley Union |
| Pepper Drive Elementary | 661 | 24.6 | 45.1% | Santee |
The other 14 elementary schools
| School | Students 2024‑25 | Per teacher | Free lunch | District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vista Grande Elementary | 633 | 25.2 | 46.3% | Cajon Valley Union |
| EJE Elementary Academy Charter | 582 | 23.3 | 60.5% | EJE Elementary Academy Charter District |
| W. D. Hall Elementary | 579 | 25.0 | 75.1% | Cajon Valley Union |
| Meridian Elementary | 570 | 23.4 | 86.0% | Cajon Valley Union |
| Fletcher Hills Elementary | 540 | 25.7 | 25.7% | La Mesa-Spring Valley Schools |
| Blossom Valley Elementary | 533 | 23.7 | 42.0% | Cajon Valley Union |
| Rancho San Diego Elementary | 533 | 25.2 | 58.7% | Cajon Valley Union |
| Kidinnu Academy | 433 | 25.5 | 86.8% | Kidinnu Academy District |
| Jamacha Elementary | 415 | 22.9 | 54.7% | Cajon Valley Union |
| Dehesa Elementary | 399 | 14.5 | 34.1% | Dehesa Elementary |
| Crest Elementary | 271 | 22.6 | 38.0% | Cajon Valley Union |
| Rios Elementary | 255 | 21.3 | 58.8% | Cajon Valley Union |
| Cajon Valley Home | 117 | 17.2 | 66.7% | Cajon Valley Union |
| Empower | 21 | 7.0 | 76.2% | Cajon Valley Union |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (membership, staff, lunch); level from the directory. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count.
3 other schools in El Cajon, 3,834 students
| School | Students 2024‑25 | Per teacher | Free lunch | District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Literacy First Charter | 2,160 | 22.5 | 45.9% | Literacy First Charter School |
| Bostonia Global | 1,266 | 23.5 | 66.1% | Bostonia Global District |
| Diego Valley East Public Charter | 408 | 23.3 | 78.4% | Diego Valley East Charter School |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (membership, staff, lunch); level from the directory. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count.
How El Cajon's public schools compare with California's
The median El Cajon school has 23.3 students per full-time teacher, more than the California median of 21.6. Its median school enrolls 579 students (state 471).
| El Cajon | California | |
|---|---|---|
| Median students per teacher | 23.3 | 21.6 |
| Median school size (students) | 579 | 471 |
| Schools with a schoolwide Title I program (2021-22) | not reported | not reported |
| Schools where every student eats free (CEP) | 97% | 74% |
| Charter schools | 16% | 13% |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (membership, staff, lunch program, charter status; the 43 El Cajon schools and the 9,918 California schools open that year with students); Title I status CCD 2021-22. Students per teacher counts 2024-25 teachers and ratios from 3 to 99.
What to look at next in El Cajon
- Cajon Valley UnionRuns 24 of El Cajon's 43 public schools and spent $17,631 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$17,631
- Granite Hills High, the largest high school in El Cajon2,331 students in 2024-25, 24.1 per teacher.2,331
- Compare Cajon Valley Union with Grossmont Union HighEl Cajon's two largest operators side by side: enrollment, spending and schools.
- The largest public schools in CaliforniaCalifornia's 50 largest schools open in 2024-25, by enrollment.
- Find the school district for an El Cajon addressA home's district, not its city, decides which public schools it can enroll in.
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (schools and their operating agencies); NCES F-33 finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23 (spending per student).
Choosing among them: how to choose a school district with the federal data, and what a Title I school is.
Other cities in California
- Los Angeles564 schools
- San Diego283 schools
- San Jose232 schools
- Sacramento197 schools
- Fresno179 schools
- Bakersfield146 schools
- San Francisco123 schools
- Stockton122 schools
Questions about schools in El Cajon
How many public schools are in El Cajon, CA?
43 public schools with an address in El Cajon were open in 2024-25: 10 high, 6 middle, 24 elementary, 3 other, enrolling 28,483 students. 7 are charter schools.What is the largest high school in El Cajon?
Granite Hills High, with 2,331 students in 2024-25 (Grossmont Union High).Which districts run El Cajon's schools?
Cajon Valley Union (24 schools), Grossmont Union High (9 schools), Literacy First Charter School (1 school), Bostonia Global District (1 school), and 8 more. A school's district, not its city, decides who can enroll.
These figures are for information and are not a substitute for the district's enrollment office, which confirms the school a home is assigned to.
Sources
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School directory, membership, staff and lunch files · 2024-25
Source: NCES Common Core of Data Public school search (the official record of each school) · 2024-25