Researching Your Education Options

There are many helpful websites available provide research to find the best school for your family.  Several are listed here:

Through the San Diego Unified School District, the College Neighborhoods are served by four public elementary schools, one middle school and one high school.

API Scores

The schools have an "API" score based on their standardized testing. The scale for the API is 200-1000. The goal is for every school to score at least 800. Each school also receives a rank. The rank tells you, on a scale of 1 to 10, how the school compares to other schools with similar student demographics (1 is low and 10 is high).

Listed below are the API scores for the College Neighborhoods schools for 2000, 2001, and 2002. The scores for all schools improved with the exception of Mann and Crawford. In order to improve student achievement the San Diego Unified School District has been awarded a grant to redesign high schools that have been low performing. In 2004 the district plans to implement the Small School Redesign at several of their high schools with one being Crawford.

Here are local schools API Scores and rank:

For comparison, here are the schools that serve Kensington & Talmadge.

Other School Options

Charter/magnet/choice schools Charter: Within one mile of the College Neighborhoods there are two charter schools, Albert Einstein Charter (API score: 810) and Tubman Village Charter (API score: 693).

• The Albert Einstein Academy Charter School is the first tuition free elementary Charter School in Southern California with an international, multicultural focus, German/English Immersion & Spanish Instruction. Their curriculum is based on the International Baccalaureate program. This is currently a K-4^th grade school. They plan to open a successive grade each year.



• Tubman Village Charter is inspired by the Waldorf program. They are currently a K-8^th grade school.

Both are public schools within San Diego Unified and require no tuition for student enrollment.

Magnet

The Language Academy is a San Diego Unified school. Students enrolled there become biliterate in either Spanish and English or French and English. This is a K-8 school. The API score is 742.

Choice

Parents can also take advantage of the "choice" program, applying to have their child enrolled in any other school in San Diego Unified. Available room at any school is assigned through the choice program by a lottery. A number of families in the College Neighborhoods are taking advantage of this option, sending their kids to schools around San Diego.

VEEP – Voluntary Ethnic Enrollment Program

Parents whose children are districted to attend Darnall or Jackson can take advantage of this program. Through a bussing program, students can apply to attend Bird Rock Elementary, La Jolla Elementary, Torrey Pines Elementary or Hardy Elementary. Children in this program stay on the "track", progressing into the middle and high schools in that area.

Private schools

There are a number of private schools within two miles of El Cerrito. They include Blessed Sacrament School, St Martin Academy, The Waldorf School of San Diego, Coleman Prep, Christ Lutheran and Chabad Day School. This is not an inclusive list but more a suggestion of the diversity of options.