East County

La Mesa

La Mesa has the feel of an urban San Diego village, but with less inflated price tags, more space, and less commotion. A quaint downtown draws residents out to visit the mom-and-pop restaurants, independently owned shops, and antique stores. It is referred to as “The Jewel of the Hills” because of its perch on a plateau above the surrounding valleys. Lake Murray and La Mesa’s numerous parks and trails offer ample opportunity to explore the outdoors.

Home Size in La Mesa

Homes in La Mesa are larger than those found closer to the coast or in San Diego. Typical square footage ranges from 1,500 to 2,800 square feet.

Home Prices in La Mesa

The median home value for single family homes in La Mesa is $519,000 according to the Zillow Home Value Index. Home Values are forecasted to increase by 2.1% in the coming year. According to Zillow’s Rental Index, the median rental rate for single-family homes in La Mesa is $2,386.

Don’t forget to research HOA fees, Mello-Roos tax (if applicable), and utility costs when determining your budget for renting or buying. These items add up quickly and can tack on hundreds of dollars per month to your base rent or mortgage.

Schools in La Mesa

The public schools in La Mesa belong to Cajon Valley Union School District or La Mesa-Spring Valley School District. One of the highest rated schools is College Preparatory Middle School, with a rating of 10 according to GreatSchools.org. La Mesa-Spring Valley School district as a whole rates 6 and Cajon Valley Union School District rates 5.

Cajon Valley Union School District offers a 1:1 program with Chromebooks for all students.

Early Admission to Kindergarten (EAK) is a free, state-funded preschool are offered in both districts. This program is available to families who meet income requirements and other eligibility requirements. Transportation is not provided. For those that do not meet the state-funded program requirements, La Mesa-Spring Valley School District offers a fee-based preschool program called SmartSteps.

Lakeside

Originally named for the small natural lake it surrounded, Lakeside is now home to three large reservoirs. This desert area is popular with military families because of the opportunity to have a larger home with more land. Lakeside is one of the best “bang for your buck” areas in the county. Because it is farther inland, you’ll see much higher temperatures here. Locals consider it to be “cowboy country,” mainly because of its rural setting and horse-loving residents.

Home Size in Lakeside

Lakeside homes are much larger than what you’ll find closer to San Diego and range from about 1,200 to 2,800 square feet.

Home Prices in Lakeside

The median home value for single family homes in Lakeside is $466,000 according to the Zillow Home Value Index. Home Values are forecasted to increase by 2.2% in the coming year. According to Zillow’s Rental Index, the median rental rate for single-family homes in Lakeside is $2,306.

Don’t forget to research HOA fees, Mello-Roos tax (if applicable), and utility costs when determining your budget for renting or buying. These items add up quickly and can tack on hundreds of dollars per month to your base rent or mortgage.

Schools in Lakeside

The public schools in Lakeside are in Grossmont Union High School District or Lakeside Union Elementary School District. One of the best schools is River Valley Charter School, which is rated 10, according to GreatSchools.org.  Grossmont Union High School District’s rating is 7 while Lakeside Union Elementary School District’s rating is 6.

The Grossmont Union High School District (GUHSD) consists of nine comprehensive high schools, two charter schools, one continuation high school, two alternative education sites, four special education facilities, a middle college high school program, a Regional Occupational Program (ROP) and an adult education program.

The Future Forward Initiative in the GUHSD provides a Chromebook laptop to each student as a means to expand on the potential of a conventional classroom. Students are able to use these devices at school and at home in conjunction with the comprehensive suite of Google applications.

LUSD offers foreign language immersion programs in select schools throughout the district. The regular school curriculum is taught in the immersion language for at least half of the school day. In partial immersion programs, instructional time is divided equally between English and the immersion language throughout the elementary grades. In full immersion programs, teachers use no English at all in the early grades.

Early Admission to Kindergarten (EAK) is a free, state-funded preschool offered in LSUSD. This program is available to families who meet income requirements and other eligibility requirements.  

Make sure to check out the publicly funded charter school options: Literacy First Academy and River Valley High School.

Santee

Santee is a recently developed suburb just east of the city. It’s a family-oriented town with a variety of shopping, dining, entertainment, and recreation options. Brand name shopping abounds, and access to the major freeways makes getting to many San Diego area attractions easy. Santee boasts fantastic parks (including dog and skate parks) and recreation areas.  Although Santee is in East County, it is only 18 miles from the coast! If you time the traffic right, you can find yourself in La Jolla in under 20 minutes. You’re also close downtown San Diego and a lot of the military bases. Although Santee has a reputation for cultural homogeneity, the city is seeing a surge in the diversity of its residents.

Home Size in Santee

The homes in Santee are typically around 1,200 to 1,800 square feet, but you can also find larger, single-family homes with yards.

Home Prices in Santee

The median home value for single family homes in Santee is $462,000 according to the Zillow Home Value Index. Home Values are forecasted to increase by 2.3% in the coming year. According to Zillow’s Rental Index, the median rental rate for single-family homes in Santee is $2,277.

Don’t forget to research HOA fees, Mello-Roos tax (if applicable), and utility costs when determining your budget for renting or buying. These items add up quickly and can tack on hundreds of dollars per month to your base rent or mortgage.

Schools in Santee

The public schools in Santee are part of Grossmont Union High School District or Santee Elementary School District. One of the best schools is Rio Seco Elementary School, which is rated 9, according to GreatSchools.org. Both Santee Elementary and Grossmont Union High School District’s are rated 7.

The Future Forward Initiative in the GUHSD provides a Chromebook laptop to each student as a means to expand on the potential of a conventional classroom. Students are able to use these devices at school and at home in conjunction with the comprehensive suite of Google applications. Santee Elementary School District is also implementing a 1:1 program with Chromebooks for all students.

Santee Elementary School District offers a free Early Admission to Kindergarten (EAK) program to families who meet income requirements and other eligibility requirements. A fee-based transitional kindergarten is also available for those who do not meet the requirements for EAK.

The Grossmont Union High School District (GUHSD) consists of nine comprehensive high schools, two charter schools, one continuation high school, two alternative education sites, four special education facilities, a middle college high school program, a Regional Occupational Program (ROP) and an adult education program.

Make sure to check out the publicly funded charter school options: Literacy First Academy and River Valley High School