Is Hawthorne Elementary a good school?

Hawthorne Elementary ranks 1137 th of 5862 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Hawthorne Elementary?

In the 2023-24 school year, 415 students attended Hawthorne Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Hawthorne Elementary?

Students at Hawthorne Elementary are 45% White, 40% Hispanic, 11% Two or more races, 4% Asian.

What schools do graduates of Hawthorne Elementary attend?

Students who attend Hawthorne Elementary usually go on to attend: Middle : Laguna Middle Middle : Teach Elementary High : San Luis Obispo High

Hawthorne Elementary

Summary:

Hawthorne Elementary is a public elementary school located in San Luis Obispo, California, serving 430 students in grades K-6. It is part of the San Luis Coastal Unified School District, which is ranked 254 out of 1,568 districts in the state and has a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Hawthorne Elementary consistently outperforms the state average in English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics across all grade levels. For example, in 2023-2024, 60.89% of Hawthorne students were proficient or better in ELA End-of-Course, compared to the state average of 47.04%. The school's 5th-grade students stand out, with 70.27% proficient or better in ELA and 75.68% in Mathematics, significantly higher than the state averages. Hawthorne's performance in Science is also impressive, with 64.86% of 5th-grade students scoring proficient or better, compared to the state average of 32.68%. The school's male students and White students perform exceptionally well, ranking in the top 15% and 19% of California elementary schools, respectively, in 2023-2024. Hawthorne's Special Education students are particularly noteworthy, ranking in the top 3% of California elementary schools in the same year.

While Hawthorne Elementary generally outperforms the other public elementary schools in the San Luis Coastal Unified District, such as Baywood Elementary, Los Ranchos Elementary, and C.L. Smith Elementary, the nearby Bellevue-Santa Fe Charter School consistently outperforms Hawthorne across all subject areas and grade levels. Additionally, Hawthorne Elementary has seen a significant increase in chronic absenteeism, rising from 6.8% in 2017-2018 to 24.7% in 2022-2023, which may be an area of concern for the school to address.

Detail:

Public K-6

2125 Story St.
San Luis Obispo, CA 93401-5232

(805) 596-4070

District: San Luis Coastal Unified

SchoolDigger Rank:
1137^th of 5,862 California Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $13,176

Students who attend Hawthorne Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Laguna Middle
	Teach Elementary
High:	San Luis Obispo High

Student/teacher ratio: 21.8

Number of students: 415

Racial breakdown:

White:

44.6%

Hispanic:

40.5%

Two or more races:

10.6%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 51.1%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Hawthorne Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Hawthorne Elementary ranks better than 80.6% of elementary schools in California. It also ranks 6^th among 9 ranked elementary schools in the San Luis Coastal Unified School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 80.34. (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 Racial makeup is: White (44.6%), Hispanic (40.5%), two or more races (10.6%). (See more...)

Compare Details 51.1% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Hawthorne Elementary is 21.8, which is the 4^th best among 9 elementary schools in the San Luis Coastal Unified School District. (See more...)

Compare Hawthorne Elementary employs 19 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Hawthorne Elementary is $13,176, which is the 4^th highest among 9 elementary schools in the San Luis Coastal Unified School District.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Hawthorne Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Hawthorne Elementary 1137^th of 5862 California public elementary schools. (See Hawthorne 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:

Hispanic students:

White students:

San Luis Coastal Unified:

SchoolDigger ranks San Luis Coastal Unified 254^th of 1568 California school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for Hawthorne Elementary

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Rank History for all students at Hawthorne Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2004	59.37	1743^rd	4809	63.8%
2005	67.47	1436^th	4822	70.2%
2006	59.85	1743^rd	4818	63.8%
2007	59.74	1840^th	5113	64.0%
2008	53.04	2219^th	5113	56.6%
2009	39.05	3108^th	5193	40.2%
2010	48.55	2648^th	5314	50.2%
2011	51.87	2485^th	5377	53.8%
2012	56.54	2234^th	5390	58.6%
2013	51.78	2571^st	5530	53.5%
2015	58.11	2024^th	5611	63.9%
2016	76.13	1270^th	5614	77.4%
2017	78.75	1177^th	5692	79.3%
2018	71.92	1482^nd	5662	73.8%
2019	73.17	1461^st	5789	74.8%
2021	59.62	514^th	1417	63.7%
2022	75.14	1400^th	5883	76.2%
2023	69.55	1600^th	5874	72.8%
2024	80.34	1137^th	5862	80.6%

See the entire list of California Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Hawthorne Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2019	73.04	452^nd	3275	86.2%
2022	47.22	1351^st	3311	59.2%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for English Language Learner Students!

Rank History for Special Education students at Hawthorne Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2024	95.96	90^th	2634	96.6%

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

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Hawthorne Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	68.87	1245^th	5084	75.5%
2019	75.38	904^th	5173	82.5%
2021	65.84	291^st	1110	73.8%
2022	76.03	911^th	5264	82.7%
2023	58.86	1811^th	5374	66.3%
2024	63.65	1591^st	5511	71.1%

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

Rank History for Female students at Hawthorne Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	72.96	1372^nd	5413	74.7%
2019	71.28	1441^st	5492	73.8%
2021	55.68	507^th	1267	60.0%
2022	60.39	1916^th	5635	66.0%
2023	63.51	1787^th	5617	68.2%
2024	69.92	1498^th	5605	73.3%

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

Rank History for Disabled students at Hawthorne Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2021	60.11	77^th	293	73.7%
2022	65.08	504^th	2227	77.4%

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

Rank History for Male students at Hawthorne Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	68.82	1532^nd	5431	71.8%
2019	70.63	1490^th	5510	73.0%
2021	61.86	435^th	1272	65.8%
2022	82.05	1011^th	5663	82.1%
2023	72.95	1376^th	5650	75.6%
2024	85.84	830^th	5636	85.3%

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

Rank History for Hispanic students at Hawthorne Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	59.46	1654^th	4830	65.8%
2019	63.73	1487^th	4963	70.0%
2022	56.77	1793^rd	5084	64.7%
2023	47.96	2362^nd	5098	53.7%
2024	60.26	1671^st	5102	67.2%

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

Rank History for White students at Hawthorne Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	76.78	564^th	2737	79.4%
2019	68.60	877^th	2834	69.1%
2022	71.63	746^th	2726	72.6%
2023	67.45	882^nd	2662	66.9%
2024	77.88	500^th	2647	81.1%

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 Hawthorne Elementary

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	151	13	3	43	1	n/a	n/a	0	211
1989	187	16	3	45	1	n/a	n/a	0	252
1990	198	13	3	40	3	n/a	n/a	0	257
1991	167	15	1	51	3	n/a	n/a	0	237
1992	147	17	1	61	2	n/a	n/a	0	228
1993	128	9	2	67	3	n/a	n/a	0	209
1994	142	14	6	61	4	n/a	n/a	0	227
1995	120	9	10	50	1	n/a	n/a	0	190
1996	120	9	10	50	1	n/a	n/a	0	190
1997	117	12	9	49	1	n/a	n/a	0	188
1998	117	11	6	37	0	n/a	n/a	0	171
1999	180	19	13	44	0	n/a	n/a	0	256
2000	193	24	11	57	1	n/a	n/a	0	286
2001	178	21	12	48	0	n/a	n/a	0	259
2002	185	14	10	74	3	n/a	n/a	1	287
2003	185	14	10	74	3	n/a	n/a	1	287
2004	165	14	11	96	4	n/a	n/a	1	291
2005	154	17	8	104	4	n/a	n/a	18	305
2006	140	18	7	110	3	n/a	n/a	20	298
2007	169	14	11	110	2	n/a	n/a	0	306
2008	149	14	12	113	4	n/a	n/a	0	292
2009	151	10	13	137	1	0	2	0	314
2010	131	5	6	167	1	1	17	0	328
2011	145	5	8	159	3	0	13	0	333
2012	139	3	10	171	2	0	16	0	341
2013	138	3	9	177	3	0	13	0	343
2014	127	2	10	173	2	0	15	0	329
2015	134	1	9	150	1	0	15	0	310
2016	152	1	15	156	0	0	11	0	335
2017	179	5	14	188	3	1	10	0	400
2018	164	8	14	172	2	1	11	0	372
2019	176	8	10	169	2	1	21	0	387
2020	185	4	5	157	2	1	25	0	379
2021	172	5	4	150	2	1	36	0	370
2022	184	4	9	152	1	1	30	0	381
2023	203	1	12	173	1	2	38	0	430
2024	185	1	16	168	0	1	44	0	415

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 Hawthorne Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	211	11.5	18.3	n/a
1989	252	12.8	19.6	n/a
1990	257	14.0	18.3	n/a
1991	237	11.0	21.5	n/a
1992	228	11.2	20.3	n/a
1993	209	10.4	20.1	44.5
1994	227	12.1	18.8	48
1995	190	9.3	20.4	53.2
1996	190	9.3	20.4	53.2
1997	188	10.8	17.4	46.8
1998	171	8.0	21.4	46.2
1999	256	14.0	18.3	46.1
2000	286	16.0	17.9	50
2001	259	14.0	18.5	47.1
2002	287	15.3	18.8	52.1
2003	287	15.3	18.8	52.1
2004	291	16.9	17.2	52.4
2005	305	16.0	19.1	57.8
2006	298	16.5	18.1	61.2
2007	306	18.8	16.3	57.8
2008	292	18.3	16.0	61.6
2009	314	20.6	14.1	63.1
2010	328	20.0	16.4	63.7
2011	333	n/a	n/a	62.8
2012	341	21.3	16.0	62.8
2013	343	18.2	18.8	67.9
2014	329	14.0	23.5	64.1
2015	310	13.0	23.8	64.5
2016	335	14.0	23.9	57.6
2017	400	15.5	25.8	58
2018	372	16.5	22.5	65.6
2019	387	16.5	23.4	61
2020	379	n/a	n/a	58.8
2021	370	17.0	21.7	55.4
2022	381	16.5	23.0	58.8
2023	430	17.5	24.5	48.6
2024	415	19.0	21.8	51.1

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 Hawthorne Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	211	11.5	18.3	n/a
1989	252	12.8	19.6	n/a
1990	257	14.0	18.3	n/a
1991	237	11.0	21.5	n/a
1992	228	11.2	20.3	n/a
1993	209	10.4	20.1	44.5
1994	227	12.1	18.8	48
1995	190	9.3	20.4	53.2
1996	190	9.3	20.4	53.2
1997	188	10.8	17.4	46.8
1998	171	8.0	21.4	46.2
1999	256	14.0	18.3	46.1
2000	286	16.0	17.9	50
2001	259	14.0	18.5	47.1
2002	287	15.3	18.8	52.1
2003	287	15.3	18.8	52.1
2004	291	16.9	17.2	52.4
2005	305	16.0	19.1	57.8
2006	298	16.5	18.1	61.2
2007	306	18.8	16.3	57.8
2008	292	18.3	16.0	61.6
2009	314	20.6	14.1	63.1
2010	328	20.0	16.4	63.7
2011	333	n/a	n/a	62.8
2012	341	21.3	16.0	62.8
2013	343	18.2	18.8	67.9
2014	329	14.0	23.5	64.1
2015	310	13.0	23.8	64.5
2016	335	14.0	23.9	57.6
2017	400	15.5	25.8	58
2018	372	16.5	22.5	65.6
2019	387	16.5	23.4	61
2020	379	n/a	n/a	58.8
2021	370	17.0	21.7	55.4
2022	381	16.5	23.0	58.8
2023	430	17.5	24.5	48.6
2024	415	19.0	21.8	51.1

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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