Is Robert Down Elementary a good school?

Yes. Robert Down Elementary ranks in the top 9.7% of California elementary schools.

How many students attend Robert Down Elementary?

In the 2023-24 school year, 403 students attended Robert Down Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Robert Down Elementary?

Students at Robert Down Elementary are 60% White, 15% Hispanic, 15% Two or more races, 8% Asian.

What schools do graduates of Robert Down Elementary attend?

Students who attend Robert Down Elementary usually go on to attend: Middle : Pacific Grove Middle High : Pacific Grove High

Robert Down Elementary

Summary:

Robert Down Elementary is a high-performing public elementary school in Pacific Grove, California, serving 408 students from kindergarten to 5th grade. It is part of the Pacific Grove Unified School District, which is ranked 126 out of 1568 districts in the state and has a 5-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Robert Down Elementary consistently ranks among the top elementary schools in California, with proficiency rates in English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science significantly higher than the state averages. For example, in 2023-2024, the school's proficiency rates were around 70-80%, compared to the state averages of 42-47%. The school's performance is particularly strong for Hispanic and special education students, ranking among the top schools in California for these subgroups. Additionally, the school has relatively low chronic absenteeism rates and a lower-than-average free and reduced-price lunch rate, indicating strong student engagement and a relatively affluent student population.

Compared to nearby schools, Robert Down Elementary outperforms its neighbors. For instance, Forest Grove Elementary has lower academic performance, with proficiency rates around 50-70% in English Language Arts and 40-60% in Mathematics. Other nearby schools, such as International School of Monterey and schools in the Monterey Peninsula Unified District, have significantly lower academic performance compared to Robert Down Elementary.

Detail:

Public K-5

485 Pine Ave.
Pacific Grove, CA 93950-3401

(831) 646-6540

District: Pacific Grove Unified

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

Per Pupil Expenditures: $9,890

Students who attend Robert Down Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Pacific Grove Middle
High:	Pacific Grove High

Student/teacher ratio: 18.7

Number of students: 403

Racial breakdown:

White:

60.3%

Hispanic:

15.4%

Two or more races:

14.9%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 16.9%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Robert Down Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Robert Down Elementary ranks better than 90.3% of elementary schools in California. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 92.01. (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 Robert Down Elementary is diverse. Racial makeup is: White (60.3%), Hispanic (15.4%), two or more races (14.9%). (See more...)

Compare Details 16.9% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Robert Down Elementary is 18.7. (See more...)

Compare Robert Down Elementary employs 21.5 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Robert Down Elementary is $9,890.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Robert Down Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Robert Down Elementary 570^th of 5862 California public elementary schools. (See Robert Down Elementary in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Special Education students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

White students:

Pacific Grove Unified:

SchoolDigger ranks Pacific Grove Unified 126^th of 1568 California school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for Robert Down Elementary

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Rank History for all students at Robert Down Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2004	88.29	575^th	4809	88.0%
2005	83.07	811^th	4822	83.2%
2006	85.20	724^th	4818	85.0%
2007	83.57	818^th	5113	84.0%
2008	88.33	569^th	5113	88.9%
2009	91.37	397^th	5193	92.4%
2010	88.45	545^th	5314	89.7%
2011	88.94	493^rd	5377	90.8%
2012	87.57	578^th	5390	89.3%
2013	89.80	474^th	5530	91.4%
2015	88.63	690^th	5611	87.7%
2016	87.49	760^th	5614	86.5%
2017	92.54	483^rd	5692	91.5%
2018	96.20	200^th	5662	96.5%
2019	93.30	414^th	5789	92.8%
2022	96.62	232^nd	5883	96.1%
2023	93.39	476^th	5874	91.9%
2024	92.01	570^th	5862	90.3%

See the entire list of California Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for Special Education students at Robert Down Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2024	86.85	234^th	2634	91.1%

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

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Robert Down Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	94.95	128^th	5084	97.5%
2019	84.57	513^th	5173	90.1%
2024	95.17	229^th	5511	95.8%

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

Rank History for Female students at Robert Down Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	95.19	211^th	5413	96.1%
2019	91.10	499^th	5492	90.9%
2022	94.87	311^th	5635	94.5%
2023	90.71	584^th	5617	89.6%
2024	92.43	469^th	5605	91.6%

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

Rank History for Male students at Robert Down Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	95.59	216^th	5431	96.0%
2019	93.24	357^th	5510	93.5%
2022	96.99	152^nd	5663	97.3%
2023	93.62	389^th	5650	93.1%
2024	87.42	744^th	5636	86.8%

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

Rank History for Asian students at Robert Down Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2019	57.44	602^nd	1149	47.6%

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

Rank History for Hispanic students at Robert Down Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2019	87.78	397^th	4963	92.0%
2022	99.58	18^th	5084	99.6%
2023	98.08	69^th	5098	98.6%

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

Rank History for White students at Robert Down Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	86.61	194^th	2737	92.9%
2019	85.37	261^st	2834	90.8%
2022	89.83	117^th	2726	95.7%
2023	78.66	486^th	2662	81.7%
2024	81.99	351^st	2647	86.7%

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 Robert Down Elementary

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	363	13	13	22	0	n/a	n/a	0	411
1989	420	13	11	38	0	n/a	n/a	0	482
1990	403	10	20	23	3	n/a	n/a	0	459
1991	387	17	18	36	0	n/a	n/a	0	458
1992	424	13	21	31	0	n/a	n/a	0	489
1993	435	12	22	39	0	n/a	n/a	0	508
1994	429	16	22	40	1	n/a	n/a	0	508
1995	409	10	13	36	0	n/a	n/a	0	468
1996	409	10	13	36	0	n/a	n/a	0	468
1997	374	10	19	42	0	n/a	n/a	0	445
1998	349	8	25	40	0	n/a	n/a	0	422
1999	343	11	20	36	0	n/a	n/a	0	410
2000	327	8	19	25	1	n/a	n/a	7	387
2001	345	12	11	27	2	n/a	n/a	8	405
2002	298	11	28	34	1	n/a	n/a	15	387
2003	298	11	28	34	1	n/a	n/a	15	387
2004	301	12	34	27	1	n/a	n/a	18	393
2005	265	12	33	29	2	n/a	n/a	16	357
2006	255	9	42	36	3	n/a	n/a	16	361
2007	263	5	46	36	4	n/a	n/a	14	368
2008	268	7	32	35	2	n/a	n/a	0	344
2009	252	7	31	25	3	1	27	0	346
2010	310	8	37	48	3	2	24	0	432
2011	328	8	42	66	3	2	42	0	491
2012	323	8	33	64	3	1	39	0	471
2013	340	8	25	77	3	2	36	0	491
2014	329	9	25	84	3	2	37	0	489
2015	317	6	24	77	2	2	39	0	467
2016	317	5	30	75	1	3	38	0	469
2017	332	4	43	66	2	2	39	0	488
2018	313	3	45	73	1	1	55	0	491
2019	295	10	51	79	9	2	16	0	462
2020	298	12	58	84	6	3	9	0	470
2021	276	12	39	83	6	3	23	0	442
2022	276	11	35	73	5	3	28	0	431
2023	268	6	27	67	3	3	34	0	408
2024	243	4	31	62	1	2	60	0	403

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 Robert Down Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	411	20.9	19.6	n/a
1989	482	19.9	24.2	n/a
1990	459	20.0	22.9	n/a
1991	458	19.5	23.4	n/a
1992	489	19.8	24.6	15.1
1993	508	23.5	21.6	17.9
1994	508	24.0	21.2	16.3
1995	468	22.3	21.0	19
1996	468	22.3	21.0	19
1997	445	22.3	20.0	13.3
1998	422	24.6	17.2	14
1999	410	22.7	18.1	16.6
2000	387	23.6	16.4	14.7
2001	405	23.6	17.2	9.6
2002	387	22.1	17.5	9.4
2003	387	22.1	17.5	9.4
2004	393	19.0	20.7	11.7
2005	357	23.0	15.5	11.1
2006	361	24.0	15.0	8.7
2007	368	23.0	16.0	8.8
2008	344	27.5	12.5	10.8
2009	346	25.0	11.9	14.5
2010	432	20.9	20.6	11.6
2011	491	n/a	n/a	16.3
2012	471	21.6	21.8	n/a
2013	491	23.1	21.2	15.5
2014	489	19.6	24.9	15.5
2015	467	20.0	23.3	15
2016	469	18.0	26.0	16
2017	488	18.6	26.2	13.5
2018	491	18.0	27.2	15.7
2019	462	22.0	21.0	16.5
2020	470	n/a	n/a	14.7
2021	442	22.0	20.0	17
2022	431	22.1	19.4	13.7
2023	408	22.5	18.1	14.7
2024	403	21.5	18.7	16.9

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 Robert Down Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	411	20.9	19.6	n/a
1989	482	19.9	24.2	n/a
1990	459	20.0	22.9	n/a
1991	458	19.5	23.4	n/a
1992	489	19.8	24.6	15.1
1993	508	23.5	21.6	17.9
1994	508	24.0	21.2	16.3
1995	468	22.3	21.0	19
1996	468	22.3	21.0	19
1997	445	22.3	20.0	13.3
1998	422	24.6	17.2	14
1999	410	22.7	18.1	16.6
2000	387	23.6	16.4	14.7
2001	405	23.6	17.2	9.6
2002	387	22.1	17.5	9.4
2003	387	22.1	17.5	9.4
2004	393	19.0	20.7	11.7
2005	357	23.0	15.5	11.1
2006	361	24.0	15.0	8.7
2007	368	23.0	16.0	8.8
2008	344	27.5	12.5	10.8
2009	346	25.0	11.9	14.5
2010	432	20.9	20.6	11.6
2011	491	n/a	n/a	16.3
2012	471	21.6	21.8	n/a
2013	491	23.1	21.2	15.5
2014	489	19.6	24.9	15.5
2015	467	20.0	23.3	15
2016	469	18.0	26.0	16
2017	488	18.6	26.2	13.5
2018	491	18.0	27.2	15.7
2019	462	22.0	21.0	16.5
2020	470	n/a	n/a	14.7
2021	442	22.0	20.0	17
2022	431	22.1	19.4	13.7
2023	408	22.5	18.1	14.7
2024	403	21.5	18.7	16.9

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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