Who We Are

Chula Vista Elementary School District students experience a rigorous 21st-century learning environment rooted in effective teaching practices and high-quality instruction. Our mission is to nurture every child's imagination, intellect, and sense of inquiry. Working collaboratively, we tap into a collective intelligence rich with the spirit and creativity necessary for students to become difference-makers.

Located in southern San Diego County, the district's 50 schools serve more than 28,000 students, primarily in grades transitional kindergarten through sixth grade. Our schools are a vibrant, diverse community blending residential areas, recreational facilities, open space, and light industry.

Chula Vista ESD Quick Facts

• Established: 1892
• Square miles: 103
• Population areas served: 298,000 residents in Chula Vista, Bonita, Sunnyside, and South San Diego.
• Students served: 28,560 (including charter middle schools and high schools)
• Number of schools: 50 (when including five dependent charter schools and three independent charter schools)
• The number of Certificated Employees: 1,498
• The number of Classified Employees: 1,760
• $417,101,386 Operational Budget for 2023-24 (not including charters)
• 15% of Students Enrolled in Charter Schools
• Class Sizes averaging 22 or less in Grades TK-3
• Class Sizes averaging 28 or less in Grades 4-6
• Dual Language Immersion Programs
• State-funded Preschools
• 27% of English Learners
• 4.19% administrative overhead (among the lowest in San Diego County)

Ethnic Composition

• 71 percent Hispanic
• 9 percent White
• 9 percent Filipino
• 4 percent of African American
• 2 percent Asian/Pacific Islander
• 5 percent Other

With a population of 275,487, Chula Vista is the county’s second-largest city in San Diego County. Located seven miles south of downtown San Diego and seven miles north of the world’s busiest international border crossing, the city is at the crossroads of the region.

Chula Vista is a powerhouse of residential design and environmental innovation From a scenic bay front stretching along the coast to the master-planned communities and majestic San Miguel Mountain in the east. It is one of the fastest-growing cities in the nation. A major redevelopment project is underway in the urban core, and a world-class bayfront is underway.

Chula Vista is proud to be home to the country’s only warm-weather, year-round, multi-sport Chula Vista Elite Training Center and a nationally recognized concert venue, a wildlife preserve, and Sesame Place, a popular theme park. (Information courtesy of the City of Chula Vista.)

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