Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Winter Gardens

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
C+
Schools in Winter Gardens · Grossmont Union High School District, Lakeside Union Elementary School District

Winter Gardens’s public schools score below 58% of California districts on tests and graduation

On the state math tests, 26% of Winter Gardens’s students scored proficient, below the California average (33%). The grade covers the three public school districts serving Winter Gardens, from kindergarten through graduation, on state tests and graduation. Each state writes its own tests, so this is the one TownRatings grade compared within California, not nationally.

#593of 847 California townsK–12Where will my kid go?

From California state tests taken in spring 2022, when 94% of students in the tested grades sat them, and the class of 2023’s four-year graduation rate, as reported to the U.S. Department of Education.

Reading proficiency
41%
▼ 5 pts vs CA 47%
2021–22
Math proficiency
26%
▼ 7 pts vs CA 33%
2021–22
Graduate on time
83%
▼ 3 pts vs CA 86%
class of 2023
Spent per student
$20.9K
▼ 1% vs CA $21.2K
FY2024 · Grossmont Union High
Students per teacher
22.7
CA 21.6 · larger classes
Schools in town
7
18,547 students on the public path
In brief

Winter Gardens’s schools, in brief

Against towns with similar incomes

Among the 584 California towns with household incomes within a quarter of Winter Gardens’s, its schools beat 26%, lower than their 42% against all the state’s districts. The grade ↓

Results trail the state

In spring 2022, 41% of tested students were proficient in reading and 26% in math, against 47% and 33% statewide; 94% of students in the tested grades sat the tests. The grade ↓

Graduation

83% of the class of 2023 graduated in four years, against 86% across California. Districts ↓

Spending and class size

Grossmont Union High spends $20,908 per student and Lakeside Union Elementary $16,846, against $21,206 across California (FY2024). Neither counts toward the grade. Districts ↓

Three elementary schools, then one middle and nine high schools

Which school depends on the address at every step. See the path ↓

Choice beyond the district

River Valley Charter and Pepper Valley Learning Center (private) are in town. Every school ↓

Written from the figures on this page. Tests are from 2021–22, graduation from the class of 2023; each school’s own letter uses 2020–21 results.

The School Grade

What’s behind Winter Gardens’s grade

B− Test scoresC Graduation

C+: better than 42% of California school districts, #593 of 847 California towns. Both inputs trail the California average; test scores are the closer of the two to typical.

California school districts we grade (1,872)Better than 42%
Lower resultsHigher results
California towns with similar household incomes (584)Better than 26%
A firm grade. Ordinary sampling error in 16,408 test results and a graduating class of 3,976 wouldn’t change the letter. The tests are from spring 2022, when 94% of Winter Gardens’s students in the tested grades sat them (16,153 in math, 16,663 in reading).

How TownRatings grades schools →

Where will my kid go?

Pick a grade. These are the public schools that serve Winter Gardens, with each school’s own grade.

The path, start to finish
K–53 elementary schoolsDepends on your addressC−
6–8Lakeside MiddleLakeside Union Elementary School DistrictNo scores
9–129 high schoolsDepends on your addressB− to A

To confirm the school for a specific address, ask the district.

Three districts serve Winter Gardens

Spending and class size are shown but don’t count toward the grade. Each district’s own page has every school.

Grossmont Union High School DistrictGrades 9–12 · 15 schools · 16,401 students, down 3% since 2020–21 · 21.9 per teacher (CA 21.6)
$20,908CA $21,206 · FY2024
B
Lakeside Union Elementary School DistrictGrades K–8 · 9 schools · 4,504 students, down 2% since 2020–21 · 22.2 per teacher (CA 21.6)
$16,846CA $21,206 · FY2024
B
Cajon Valley Union Elementary School DistrictGrades K–8 · 25 schools · 15,974 students, up 11% since 2020–21 · 23.7 per teacher (CA 21.6)
$19,663CA $21,206 · FY2024
C
Test scores · 2021–22

Well below the state in reading

Reading · 9–12, Grossmont Union High School District58%
State average 46.7% · 3600 students tested
Math · 9–12, Grossmont Union High School District29%
State average 33.1% · 3502 students tested
Reading · K–8, Lakeside Union Elementary School District43%
State average 46.7% · 2772 students tested
Math · K–8, Lakeside Union Elementary School District32%
State average 33.1% · 2766 students tested
Reading · K–8, Cajon Valley Union Elementary School District35%
State average 46.7% · 10291 students tested
Math · K–8, Cajon Valley Union Elementary School District24%
State average 33.1% · 9885 students tested

Winter Gardens vs. its neighbors

Schools grades for the California towns that share Winter Gardens’s borders.

Schools next door
TownSchoolsMain districts
Winter GardensC+Lakeside Union Elementary K–8 · Cajon Valley Union Elementary K–8 · Grossmont Union High 9–12
SanteeB+Santee K–8 · Grossmont Union High 9–12
El CajonC+Cajon Valley Union Elementary K–8 · Grossmont Union High 9–12

All 2 neighbors share Grossmont Union High with Winter Gardens for grades 9–12, so their letters differ mainly through the lower grades.

Every school in Winter Gardens

16 schools. Each public school’s letter compares its own 2020–21 reading and math results with California’s other public schools (the newest school-level results we have).

District schools in Winter Gardensby address
W. D. Hall Elementary
Elementary · Grades K–5 · El Cajon
579 students25:1Rate it →
Lemon Crest Elementary
Elementary · Grades K–5 · Lakeside
C−
437 students22:1Rate it →
Winter Gardens Elementary
Elementary · Grades K–1 · Lakeside
269 students22:1Rate it →
Riverview Elementary
Elementary · Grades 2–5 · Lakeside
469 students23:1Rate it →
Lakeside Middle
Middle · Grades 6–8 · Lakeside
724 students24:1Rate it →
Also serving Winter Gardensin other towns
Granite Hills High
High · Grades 9–12 · El Cajon
B+
2,331 students24:1Rate it →
Grossmont High
High · Grades 9–12 · La Mesa
B+
2,172 students24:1Rate it →
El Capitan High
High · Grades 9–12 · Lakeside
B−
1,810 students22:1Rate it →
Valhalla High
High · Grades 9–12 · El Cajon
A
1,728 students23:1Rate it →
El Cajon Valley High
High · Grades 9–12 · El Cajon
B−
1,701 students21:1Rate it →
West Hills High
High · Grades 9–12 · Santee
A−
1,624 students23:1Rate it →
Santana High
High · Grades 9–12 · Santee
B+
1,621 students24:1Rate it →
Monte Vista High
High · Grades 9–12 · Spring Valley
B+
1,543 students20:1Rate it →
Mount Miguel High
High · Grades 9–12 · Spring Valley
B
1,539 students22:1Rate it →
Charter schoolsfree, open by application
River Valley Charter
High · Grades 7–12 · Lakeside
Charter
231 students20:1Rate it →
Private schoolstuition; no state tests, so no grade
Pepper Valley Learning Center
Elementary · Grades PK–K · El Cajon
Private · Nonsectarian
70 studentsRate it →

Questions about Winter Gardens’s schools

Are Winter Gardens’s schools good?

On California’s tests they score below most of the state: the public schools Winter Gardens children attend score below 58% of California’s school districts on tests and graduation, a C+ Schools grade, #593 of 847 California towns. Among towns with similar incomes they beat 26%. Tests are from 2021–22, graduation from the class of 2023.

What school district is Winter Gardens in?

Grossmont Union High School District, which runs grades 9–12 and enrolls 16,401 students in 15 schools (2024–25).

Where do Winter Gardens kids go to high school?

One of 9 high schools, depending on your address: Granite Hills High, Grossmont High, El Capitan High, Valhalla High, El Cajon Valley High, West Hills High, Santana High, Monte Vista High and Mount Miguel High.

What is Winter Gardens’s graduation rate?

83% of the class of 2023 in Grossmont Union High School District graduated in four years, against 86% across California.

How much does Winter Gardens spend per student?

$20,908 in Grossmont Union High School District, $16,846 in Lakeside Union Elementary School District and $19,663 in Cajon Valley Union Elementary School District (FY2024), against $21,206 across California. Spending doesn’t count toward the grade.

Are there private schools in Winter Gardens?

Yes: Pepper Valley Learning Center (nonsectarian, grades PK–K, 70 students). Winter Gardens also has 1 charter school, free and open by application.

Parents talk

What Winter Gardens families are saying about school.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Looking for colleges? Colleges near Winter Gardens → They have their own page.

School data: state test results (2021–22, with participation) and four-year graduation rates (class of 2023) reported to the U.S. Department of Education (EDFacts via ED Data Express); each school’s own letter uses its 2020–21 results (EDFacts via the Urban Institute); schools and enrollment from NCES (2024–25; private schools 2023–24); spending from the Census Bureau’s school finance survey (FY2024). The School Grade is our own summary, graded within California. Stars are from neighbors.