Is Kelly Elementary a good school?

Yes. Kelly Elementary ranks in the top 5.4% of California elementary schools.

How many students attend Kelly Elementary?

In the 2023-24 school year, 441 students attended Kelly Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Kelly Elementary?

Students at Kelly Elementary are 63% White, 16% Two or more races, 14% Hispanic, 6% Asian, 2% African American.

What schools do graduates of Kelly Elementary attend?

Students who attend Kelly Elementary usually go on to attend: Middle : Valley Middle High : Carlsbad High

Kelly Elementary

Summary:

Kelly Elementary is a public elementary school located in Carlsbad, California, serving grades K-5 with a total enrollment of 464 students. The school is part of the Carlsbad Unified School District, which is ranked 160 out of 1,568 districts in California and has a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Kelly Elementary consistently ranks among the top 5-10% of elementary schools in California, with exceptional performance on Smarter Balanced Assessments, where 74.67% of students are proficient or better in English Language Arts/Literacy and 80.89% are proficient or better in Mathematics. The school also excels in the performance of various student subgroups, including female students, Hispanic students, multi-racial students, and students from low socioeconomic backgrounds, ranking in the top 5-10% of California elementary schools for these subgroups. Additionally, the school's performance for military-connected students is particularly noteworthy, ranking 1st out of 140 California elementary schools in 2022-2023.

Compared to nearby schools, Kelly Elementary outperforms other Carlsbad Unified School District elementary schools, as well as schools in the Oceanside Unified and Vista Unified districts, in both academic achievement and student group performance. The school has maintained a consistently high 5-star rating from SchoolDigger, even during the COVID-19 pandemic, demonstrating its commitment to equity and inclusion for all students.

Detail:

Public K-5

4885 Kelly Dr.
Carlsbad, CA 92008-3734

(760) 331-5800

District: Carlsbad Unified

SchoolDigger Rank:
319^th of 5,862 California Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $7,592

Students who attend Kelly Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Valley Middle
High:	Carlsbad High

Student/teacher ratio: 19.6

Number of students: 441

Racial breakdown:

White:

62.6%

Two or more races:

15.9%

Hispanic:

14.1%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 12.2%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Kelly Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Kelly Elementary ranks better than 94.6% of elementary schools in California. It also ranks 5^th among 9 ranked elementary schools in the Carlsbad Unified School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 95.34. (See more...)

Chronic absenteeism in a school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.

Student Body

Compare Details Student population at Kelly Elementary is diverse. Racial makeup is: White (62.6%), two or more races (15.9%), Hispanic (14.1%). (See more...)

Compare Details 12.2% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Kelly Elementary is 19.6, which is the lowest among 9 elementary schools in the Carlsbad Unified School District! (See more...)

Compare Kelly Elementary employs 22.4 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Kelly Elementary is $7,592. 4 elementary schools in the Carlsbad Unified School District spend more per student.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Kelly Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Kelly Elementary 319^th of 5862 California public elementary schools. (See Kelly Elementary in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Multi-racial students:

Special Education students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

White students:

Carlsbad Unified:

SchoolDigger ranks Carlsbad Unified 160^th of 1568 California school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for Kelly Elementary

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Rank History for all students at Kelly Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2004	95.14	230^th	4809	95.2%
2005	95.60	184^th	4822	96.2%
2006	94.14	261^st	4818	94.6%
2007	96.41	141^st	5113	97.2%
2008	94.48	216^th	5113	95.8%
2009	92.01	347^th	5193	93.3%
2010	87.68	591^st	5314	88.9%
2011	92.42	288^th	5377	94.6%
2012	90.83	378^th	5390	93.0%
2013	87.85	594^th	5530	89.3%
2015	94.29	370^th	5611	93.4%
2016	95.38	286^th	5614	94.9%
2017	94.83	340^th	5692	94.0%
2018	94.64	311^th	5662	94.5%
2019	97.00	150^th	5789	97.4%
2022	95.53	329^th	5883	94.4%
2023	96.57	225^th	5874	96.2%
2024	95.34	319^th	5862	94.6%

See the entire list of California Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for Multi-racial students at Kelly Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2022	84.90	46^th	610	92.5%
2023	83.91	60^th	669	91.0%
2024	86.31	53^rd	669	92.1%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Multi-racial Students!

Rank History for Special Education students at Kelly Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	91.58	155^th	2420	93.6%
2024	85.18	259^th	2634	90.2%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Kelly Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2019	97.69	52^nd	5173	99.0%
2023	97.18	107^th	5374	98.0%
2024	97.61	121^st	5511	97.8%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Kelly Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	92.62	392^nd	5413	92.8%
2019	97.25	68^th	5492	98.8%
2022	96.15	216^th	5635	96.2%
2023	95.75	225^th	5617	96.0%
2024	96.77	128^th	5605	97.7%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Disabled students at Kelly Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2019	79.55	339^th	2585	86.9%
2022	92.51	137^th	2227	93.8%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Disabled Students!

Rank History for Military Connected students at Kelly Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	99.03	1^st	140	99.3%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Military Connected Students!

Rank History for Male students at Kelly Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	93.50	356^th	5431	93.4%
2019	95.27	231^st	5510	95.8%
2022	93.39	422^nd	5663	92.5%
2023	95.78	239^th	5650	95.8%
2024	91.20	530^th	5636	90.6%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Kelly Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2022	95.22	181^st	5084	96.4%
2023	97.67	81^st	5098	98.4%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for White students at Kelly Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	81.41	400^th	2737	85.4%
2019	86.26	213^th	2834	92.5%
2022	81.81	379^th	2726	86.1%
2023	84.39	268^th	2662	89.9%
2024	83.77	285^th	2647	89.2%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: California Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Data source: California Department of Education

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Enrollment information for Kelly Elementary

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	457	7	16	18	1	n/a	n/a	0	499
1989	481	3	18	18	1	n/a	n/a	0	521
1990	485	3	21	23	0	n/a	n/a	0	532
1991	464	1	23	23	0	n/a	n/a	0	511
1992	457	1	17	22	2	n/a	n/a	0	499
1993	470	1	17	34	2	n/a	n/a	0	524
1994	489	2	19	30	2	n/a	n/a	0	542
1995	511	1	14	42	0	n/a	n/a	0	568
1996	511	1	14	42	0	n/a	n/a	0	568
1997	535	6	20	55	2	n/a	n/a	0	618
1998	538	4	21	44	1	n/a	n/a	0	608
1999	541	3	29	47	0	n/a	n/a	0	620
2000	521	3	27	47	2	n/a	n/a	0	600
2001	537	5	40	60	5	n/a	n/a	4	651
2002	526	4	48	62	5	n/a	n/a	5	650
2003	526	4	48	62	5	n/a	n/a	5	650
2004	496	1	34	49	1	n/a	n/a	43	624
2005	468	22	33	26	2	n/a	n/a	53	604
2006	397	9	48	52	2	n/a	n/a	46	554
2007	452	14	73	71	2	n/a	n/a	50	662
2008	324	6	34	33	2	n/a	n/a	0	399
2009	321	5	34	35	4	0	51	0	450
2010	338	3	40	65	3	0	46	0	495
2011	314	12	36	67	3	0	45	0	477
2012	286	9	44	71	6	1	32	0	449
2013	274	7	37	70	4	0	24	0	416
2014	271	6	32	67	3	0	31	0	410
2015	303	5	24	60	2	0	29	0	423
2016	278	4	25	50	2	0	44	0	403
2017	304	6	28	57	1	0	44	0	440
2018	296	7	25	65	0	0	50	0	443
2019	326	6	31	67	0	0	61	0	491
2020	316	6	42	79	0	0	69	0	512
2021	234	6	32	63	1	0	67	0	403
2022	266	6	34	72	1	0	69	0	448
2023	287	7	31	67	0	0	72	0	464
2024	276	7	26	62	0	0	70	0	441

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Kelly Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	499	19.2	25.9	n/a
1989	521	20.5	25.4	n/a
1990	532	20.5	25.9	n/a
1991	511	18.2	28.0	n/a
1992	499	18.5	26.9	6.4
1993	524	18.0	29.1	74
1994	542	20.0	27.1	11.3
1995	568	20.0	28.4	15.1
1996	568	20.0	28.4	15.1
1997	618	22.0	28.1	13.3
1998	608	24.5	24.8	11.3
1999	620	27.0	23.0	8.5
2000	600	27.0	22.2	7.8
2001	651	27.0	24.1	8.8
2002	650	29.6	22.0	7.6
2003	650	29.6	22.0	7.6
2004	624	26.0	24.0	7.4
2005	604	25.0	24.2	8.5
2006	554	24.0	23.1	7.5
2007	662	28.0	23.6	10
2008	399	23.0	17.3	14.3
2009	450	22.0	18.8	7.8
2010	495	23.5	21.0	8.3
2011	477	n/a	n/a	9.4
2012	449	19.0	23.6	n/a
2013	416	15.8	26.3	10.3
2014	410	16.0	25.6	7.6
2015	423	16.0	26.4	10.2
2016	403	17.0	23.7	7.2
2017	440	19.0	23.1	7.7
2018	443	18.0	24.6	13.3
2019	491	22.0	22.3	14.5
2020	512	n/a	n/a	16
2021	403	20.0	20.1	14.6
2022	448	23.4	19.0	11.2
2023	464	22.2	20.8	12.9
2024	441	22.4	19.6	12.2

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Kelly Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	499	19.2	25.9	n/a
1989	521	20.5	25.4	n/a
1990	532	20.5	25.9	n/a
1991	511	18.2	28.0	n/a
1992	499	18.5	26.9	6.4
1993	524	18.0	29.1	74
1994	542	20.0	27.1	11.3
1995	568	20.0	28.4	15.1
1996	568	20.0	28.4	15.1
1997	618	22.0	28.1	13.3
1998	608	24.5	24.8	11.3
1999	620	27.0	23.0	8.5
2000	600	27.0	22.2	7.8
2001	651	27.0	24.1	8.8
2002	650	29.6	22.0	7.6
2003	650	29.6	22.0	7.6
2004	624	26.0	24.0	7.4
2005	604	25.0	24.2	8.5
2006	554	24.0	23.1	7.5
2007	662	28.0	23.6	10
2008	399	23.0	17.3	14.3
2009	450	22.0	18.8	7.8
2010	495	23.5	21.0	8.3
2011	477	n/a	n/a	9.4
2012	449	19.0	23.6	n/a
2013	416	15.8	26.3	10.3
2014	410	16.0	25.6	7.6
2015	423	16.0	26.4	10.2
2016	403	17.0	23.7	7.2
2017	440	19.0	23.1	7.7
2018	443	18.0	24.6	13.3
2019	491	22.0	22.3	14.5
2020	512	n/a	n/a	16
2021	403	20.0	20.1	14.6
2022	448	23.4	19.0	11.2
2023	464	22.2	20.8	12.9
2024	441	22.4	19.6	12.2

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.

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