State and local education leaders highlighted gains in math and reading test scores in the San Diego Unified School District on Friday.
Burbank Elementary School in Logan Heights was State Superintendent Tony Thurmond’s first stop in a statewide tour. It coincides with the scheduled release of new state test scores next week.
San Diego Unified shared some of the local data at a press conference Friday. While the district saw modest increases overall, leaders are celebrating notable gains made by Hispanic and Latino students.
By the numbers
The California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress, or CAASPP, measures students’ skills in English and math. Students take the tests in grades three through eight and in grade 11.
More than half of San Diego Unified students who took the tests this year met or exceeded the state standard in English and language arts. That score went up nearly two percentage points compared to 2024. About 45% of students met the state standard in math, up about 1.5 percentage points from last year.
The district’s Hispanic and Latino students saw more growth. Their English proficiency went up nearly three percentage points to 41%. Their math proficiency went up 1.5 points to 28%.
A closer look
At Burbank Elementary School, 95% of students are Hispanic or Latino. English learners make up more than half of the student body, and the school offers dual language immersion.
The school saw greater improvement this year than the rest of the district. English proficiency grew 6.7 percentage points, from 23.2% to 29.9%. That’s nearly 3.5 times the districtwide growth rate.
Burbank’s Hispanic and Latino students saw their English scores improve by 9 percentage points, from 21.5% to 30.5%. That’s more than triple the districtwide gain in English scores for Hispanic students.
“This is a special district, and Burbank is a special school,” Thurmond said. “They’re demonstrating what our students should be learning all while they’re trying to overcome very difficult circumstances.”
Why it matters
Nearly half of San Diego Unified’s students are Hispanic or Latino, according to California Department of Education data. Sixteen percent of the district’s students are English language learners.
State and district leaders highlighted efforts to help students like those at Burbank Elementary succeed, from the bond-funded Logan Memorial Educational Campus to state grants for reading specialists.
“All of us are saying, ‘We’re with you, Burbank Elementary. We’re with you, Logan Heights,’” San Diego Unified School Board Vice President Richard Barrera said. “And that is enabling our students to demonstrate what they’re capable of.”
San Diego Unified Superintendent Fabiola Bagula said the district has changed how it monitors students’ progress in math and reading. The district now tests students on math and reading three times a year. It allows teachers to analyze their students’ progress throughout the school year instead of just at the end, Bagula said.
“How is my student reading in September versus December?” Bagula said teachers are asking themselves. “If there hasn’t been growth, what are we going to change about our practice or our support systems to reach this child?”
Looking ahead
Thurmond said state leaders are working on a five-year plan to boost reading proficiency. The state gives funding to individual districts for things like Community Schools and afterschool programs. But Thurmond said this would be the state’s first coordinated plan.
“We want to steer a very specific and intentional strategy that focuses on the components that we know are proven to boost literacy,” he said. “That means more money for professional development. That means more family engagement.”
Family engagement has been key to Burbank Elementary’s growth, said principal Francisco Solis. He pointed to replicas of the Chicano Park murals in the library.
“Our goal is to be one with the community,” he said.