Is Richland Elementary a good school?

Richland Elementary ranks 1008 th of 5862 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Richland Elementary?

In the 2023-24 school year, 869 students attended Richland Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Richland Elementary?

Students at Richland Elementary are 43% Hispanic, 40% White, 10% Two or more races, 7% Asian.

What schools do graduates of Richland Elementary attend?

Students who attend Richland Elementary usually go on to attend: Middle : Woodland Park Middle High : Mission Hills High

Richland Elementary

Summary:

Richland Elementary is a public elementary school located in San Marcos, California, serving grades K-5 with a total enrollment of 823 students. The school is part of the San Marcos Unified School District, which is ranked 475 out of 1,568 districts in California and has a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Richland Elementary consistently ranks in the top 20% of California elementary schools, with students performing significantly better than the district and state averages in Smarter Balanced Assessments for English Language Arts and Mathematics. The school's performance is particularly strong in certain student subgroups, such as Hispanic students and students from low socioeconomic backgrounds. However, Richland Elementary has seen a significant increase in chronic absenteeism, from 4.6% in 2018-2019 to 29.4% in 2021-2022, before improving to 17.7% in 2022-2023. The school also has a relatively low percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 28.25% to 34.75% in the past three years, suggesting it serves a more affluent student population compared to other schools in the area.

Richland Elementary outperforms most of the nearby schools in the San Marcos Unified District, particularly in academic achievement. However, some schools outside the district, such as Community Montessori and Baypoint Preparatory Academy - San Diego, also demonstrate strong academic performance, suggesting that factors beyond just the district may contribute to a school's success. The school's strong performance among Hispanic and low-socioeconomic status students is a positive indicator of its efforts to provide equitable educational opportunities, but the relatively low percentage of free and reduced-price lunch recipients may raise questions about access and inclusion for students from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Detail:

Public K-5

910 Richland Rd.
San Marcos, CA 92069-2199

(760) 290-2400

District: San Marcos Unified

SchoolDigger Rank:
1008^th of 5,862 California Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $9,260

Students who attend Richland Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Woodland Park Middle
High:	Mission Hills High

Student/teacher ratio: 24.4

Number of students: 869

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

42.6%

White:

39.7%

Two or more races:

9.7%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 32.2%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Richland Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Richland Elementary ranks better than 82.8% of elementary schools in California. It also ranks 7^th among 12 ranked elementary schools in the San Marcos Unified School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 83.65. (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: Hispanic (42.6%), White (39.7%), two or more races (9.7%). (See more...)

Compare Details 32.2% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Richland Elementary is 24.4. 9 elementary schools in the San Marcos Unified School District have better student/teacher ratios. (See more...)

Compare Richland Elementary employs 35.4 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Richland Elementary is $9,260, which is the 2^nd highest among 12 elementary schools in the San Marcos Unified School District.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Richland Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Richland Elementary 1008^th of 5862 California public elementary schools. (See Richland 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:

Hispanic students:

White students:

San Marcos Unified:

SchoolDigger ranks San Marcos Unified 475^th of 1568 California school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for Richland Elementary

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Rank History for all students at Richland Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2004	71.60	1251^st	4809	74.0%
2005	62.97	1621^st	4822	66.4%
2006	49.81	2203^rd	4818	54.3%
2007	52.72	2173^rd	5113	57.5%
2008	60.44	1830^th	5113	64.2%
2009	65.33	1669^th	5193	67.9%
2010	74.49	1258^th	5314	76.3%
2011	83.13	838^th	5377	84.4%
2012	79.20	1072^nd	5390	80.1%
2013	82.93	896^th	5530	83.8%
2015	66.19	1648^th	5611	70.6%
2016	80.70	1101^st	5614	80.4%
2017	79.87	1139^th	5692	80.0%
2018	77.88	1226^th	5662	78.3%
2019	83.45	992^nd	5789	82.9%
2022	84.53	964^th	5883	83.6%
2023	87.19	861^st	5874	85.3%
2024	83.65	1008^th	5862	82.8%

See the entire list of California Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for Multi-racial students at Richland Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2022	52.35	338^th	610	44.6%
2023	56.43	329^th	669	50.8%
2024	61.01	319^th	669	52.3%

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

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Richland Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2018	69.03	574^th	3246	82.3%
2019	81.74	295^th	3275	91.0%

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

Rank History for Special Education students at Richland Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	55.92	753^rd	2420	68.9%
2024	66.06	584^th	2634	77.8%

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

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Richland Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	71.60	1100^th	5084	78.4%
2019	83.08	582^nd	5173	88.7%
2022	91.71	289^th	5264	94.5%
2023	88.86	435^th	5374	91.9%
2024	79.81	834^th	5511	84.9%

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

Rank History for Female students at Richland Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	73.20	1360^th	5413	74.9%
2019	82.99	925^th	5492	83.2%
2022	86.95	779^th	5635	86.2%
2023	85.80	848^th	5617	84.9%
2024	85.12	864^th	5605	84.6%

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

Rank History for Disabled students at Richland Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	55.06	678^th	2128	68.1%
2019	76.25	401^st	2585	84.5%
2022	47.48	870^th	2227	60.9%

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

Rank History for Male students at Richland Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	79.88	1068^th	5431	80.3%
2019	79.65	1091^st	5510	80.2%
2022	78.50	1175^th	5663	79.3%
2023	85.51	841^st	5650	85.1%
2024	79.60	1086^th	5636	80.7%

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

Rank History for Hispanic students at Richland Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	78.71	742^nd	4830	84.6%
2019	88.37	369^th	4963	92.6%
2022	88.44	416^th	5084	91.8%
2023	88.27	426^th	5098	91.6%
2024	80.74	690^th	5102	86.5%

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

Rank History for White students at Richland Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	68.91	864^th	2737	68.4%
2019	64.81	1033^rd	2834	63.5%
2022	67.81	884^th	2726	67.6%
2023	78.33	498^th	2662	81.3%
2024	79.71	434^th	2647	83.6%

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 Richland Elementary

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	644	5	19	140	2	n/a	n/a	0	810
1989	648	3	21	141	3	n/a	n/a	0	816
1990	632	7	26	181	6	n/a	n/a	0	852
1991	670	6	21	161	5	n/a	n/a	0	863
1992	690	11	25	170	6	n/a	n/a	0	902
1993	679	16	29	225	10	n/a	n/a	0	959
1994	720	11	29	308	9	n/a	n/a	0	1077
1995	702	15	25	381	7	n/a	n/a	0	1130
1996	702	15	25	381	7	n/a	n/a	0	1130
1997	689	15	23	373	9	n/a	n/a	0	1109
1998	823	19	39	345	11	n/a	n/a	0	1237
1999	561	15	31	255	5	n/a	n/a	0	867
2000	579	11	22	337	6	n/a	n/a	0	955
2001	574	12	34	356	7	n/a	n/a	0	983
2002	515	26	45	380	5	n/a	n/a	0	971
2003	515	26	45	380	5	n/a	n/a	0	971
2004	491	21	49	406	8	n/a	n/a	0	975
2005	446	24	44	422	6	n/a	n/a	0	942
2006	395	15	51	478	3	n/a	n/a	1	943
2007	373	16	57	507	3	n/a	n/a	7	963
2008	343	17	48	509	7	n/a	n/a	0	924
2009	351	14	39	476	4	11	10	0	905
2010	335	20	33	471	4	9	0	0	872
2011	333	13	31	333	5	5	9	0	729
2012	329	9	43	365	5	5	10	0	766
2013	328	17	44	339	2	2	13	0	745
2014	364	17	45	353	3	2	11	0	795
2015	402	16	47	368	1	2	14	0	850
2016	376	14	40	356	0	2	17	0	805
2017	383	9	35	339	0	2	0	0	768
2018	373	8	38	343	3	2	0	0	767
2019	341	16	71	350	5	4	0	0	787
2020	320	4	40	342	4	1	48	0	759
2021	306	0	47	331	10	2	51	0	747
2022	293	3	50	326	6	3	70	0	751
2023	340	0	60	339	5	3	75	1	823
2024	345	3	60	370	2	5	84	0	869

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 Richland Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	810	37.0	21.8	n/a
1989	816	31.4	25.9	n/a
1990	852	32.4	26.2	n/a
1991	863	35.4	24.3	n/a
1992	902	36.0	25.0	24.9
1993	959	34.0	28.2	28.4
1994	1077	40.0	26.9	36.2
1995	1130	40.5	27.9	40.7
1996	1130	40.5	27.9	40.7
1997	1109	44.9	24.7	41.2
1998	1237	53.5	23.1	37.1
1999	867	41.0	21.1	32.8
2000	955	44.5	21.5	37
2001	983	47.9	20.5	34.3
2002	971	49.4	19.7	31.9
2003	971	49.4	19.7	31.9
2004	975	40.9	23.8	32
2005	942	38.9	24.2	34.5
2006	943	41.3	22.8	34.1
2007	963	42.9	22.4	40.2
2008	924	49.5	18.7	42.5
2009	905	42.2	19.7	47.5
2010	872	37.8	23.0	50.9
2011	729	n/a	n/a	42.2
2012	766	28.5	26.8	n/a
2013	745	25.4	29.2	44.7
2014	795	30.0	26.5	45
2015	850	32.0	26.5	39.4
2016	805	30.0	26.8	36.3
2017	768	30.6	25.0	38
2018	767	n/a	n/a	41.1
2019	787	n/a	n/a	39.6
2020	759	n/a	n/a	38.3
2021	747	29.5	25.3	28.2
2022	751	31.7	23.6	34.8
2023	823	32.9	24.9	32.3
2024	869	35.4	24.4	32.2

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 Richland Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	810	37.0	21.8	n/a
1989	816	31.4	25.9	n/a
1990	852	32.4	26.2	n/a
1991	863	35.4	24.3	n/a
1992	902	36.0	25.0	24.9
1993	959	34.0	28.2	28.4
1994	1077	40.0	26.9	36.2
1995	1130	40.5	27.9	40.7
1996	1130	40.5	27.9	40.7
1997	1109	44.9	24.7	41.2
1998	1237	53.5	23.1	37.1
1999	867	41.0	21.1	32.8
2000	955	44.5	21.5	37
2001	983	47.9	20.5	34.3
2002	971	49.4	19.7	31.9
2003	971	49.4	19.7	31.9
2004	975	40.9	23.8	32
2005	942	38.9	24.2	34.5
2006	943	41.3	22.8	34.1
2007	963	42.9	22.4	40.2
2008	924	49.5	18.7	42.5
2009	905	42.2	19.7	47.5
2010	872	37.8	23.0	50.9
2011	729	n/a	n/a	42.2
2012	766	28.5	26.8	n/a
2013	745	25.4	29.2	44.7
2014	795	30.0	26.5	45
2015	850	32.0	26.5	39.4
2016	805	30.0	26.8	36.3
2017	768	30.6	25.0	38
2018	767	n/a	n/a	41.1
2019	787	n/a	n/a	39.6
2020	759	n/a	n/a	38.3
2021	747	29.5	25.3	28.2
2022	751	31.7	23.6	34.8
2023	823	32.9	24.9	32.3
2024	869	35.4	24.4	32.2

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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