Is San Marcos Elementary a good school?

San Marcos Elementary ranks in the bottom 16.9% of California elementary schools.

How many students attend San Marcos Elementary?

In the 2022-23 school year, 624 students attended San Marcos Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of San Marcos Elementary?

Students at San Marcos Elementary are 96% Hispanic, 2% White.

What schools do graduates of San Marcos Elementary attend?

Students who attend San Marcos Elementary usually go on to attend: Middle : San Marcos Middle High : Mission Hills High

San Marcos Elementary

Summary:

San Marcos Elementary is a public elementary school serving 624 students in grades K-5 within the San Marcos Unified School District. The school has consistently ranked in the bottom half of California elementary schools, struggling with low academic performance, high chronic absenteeism, and a high percentage of students from low-income families.

Academically, San Marcos Elementary lags significantly behind the district and state averages, with only 24.17% of students proficient or better in English Language Arts/Literacy and 22.22% proficient or better in math. The school's chronic absenteeism rate has also sharply increased, rising from 5.2% in 2018-2019 to 46.1% in 2021-2022, much higher than the district average of 30.3%. Additionally, a large majority (76.92%) of San Marcos Elementary students come from low-income families, compared to the district averages of 41.04% at Twin Oaks Elementary and 27.97% at Paloma Elementary.

Compared to nearby schools within the San Marcos Unified School District, such as Twin Oaks Elementary, Joli Ann Leichtag Elementary, and Knob Hill Elementary, San Marcos Elementary significantly underperforms in academic proficiency. The school's high percentage of low-income students and increasing chronic absenteeism likely contribute to its academic struggles, suggesting the need for targeted interventions and support to improve student outcomes.

Detail:

Public K-5

1 Tiger Way
San Marcos, CA 92069-2703

(760) 290-2430

District: San Marcos Unified

SchoolDigger Rank:
4873^rd of 5,862 California Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $8,146

Students who attend San Marcos Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	San Marcos Middle
High:	Mission Hills High

Student/teacher ratio: 24.0

Number of students: 624

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

96.0%

White:

2.1%

Two or more races:

0.8%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 76.9%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare San Marcos Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details San Marcos Elementary ranks worse than 83.1% of elementary schools in California. It also ranks last among 12 ranked elementary schools in the San Marcos Unified School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 19.85. (See more...)

Chronic absenteeism in a high 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 (96%), White (2.1%), two or more races (0.8%). (See more...)

Compare Details 76.9% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. This is the highest percentage in the San Marcos Unified School District. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at San Marcos Elementary is 24. 6 elementary schools in the San Marcos Unified School District have better student/teacher ratios. (See more...)

Compare San Marcos Elementary employs 26 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at San Marcos Elementary is $8,146, which is the 5^th highest among 12 elementary schools in the San Marcos Unified School District.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

San Marcos Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks San Marcos Elementary 4873^rd of 5862 California public elementary schools. (See San Marcos Elementary in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

English Language Learner students:

Special Education students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Homeless students:

Female students:

Male students:

Hispanic students:

San Marcos Unified:

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

What do you think?

Your rating for San Marcos Elementary?

(Ranking FAQ)

Rank History for San Marcos Elementary

Compare

Rank History for all students at San Marcos Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2004	15.89	4280^th	4809	11.0%
2005	12.71	4479^th	4822	7.1%
2006	13.15	4456^th	4818	7.5%
2007	17.56	4471^st	5113	12.6%
2008	38.09	3060^th	5113	40.2%
2009	47.56	2630^th	5193	49.4%
2010	45.23	2830^th	5314	46.7%
2011	40.83	3184^th	5377	40.8%
2012	39.95	3267^th	5390	39.4%
2013	33.18	3801^st	5530	31.3%
2015	15.84	5014^th	5611	10.6%
2016	22.15	4413^th	5614	21.4%
2017	25.09	4250^th	5692	25.3%
2018	16.00	5000^th	5662	11.7%
2019	28.37	4070^th	5789	29.7%
2022	29.67	3894^th	5883	33.8%
2023	26.99	4174^th	5874	28.9%
2024	19.85	4873^rd	5862	16.9%

See the entire list of California Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at San Marcos Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	27.18	2586^th	3246	20.3%
2019	53.04	1088^th	3275	66.8%
2022	45.18	1458^th	3311	56.0%
2023	52.88	1058^th	3250	67.4%
2024	42.31	1663^rd	3160	47.4%

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

Rank History for Special Education students at San Marcos Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	31.79	1557^th	2420	35.7%
2024	20.78	2356^th	2634	10.6%

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

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at San Marcos Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	17.15	4656^th	5084	8.4%
2019	36.45	3392^nd	5173	34.4%
2022	45.80	2548^th	5264	51.6%
2023	38.12	3220^th	5374	40.1%
2024	24.57	4405^th	5511	20.1%

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

Rank History for Homeless students at San Marcos Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2024	23.24	319^th	364	12.4%

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

Rank History for Female students at San Marcos Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	15.38	4889^th	5413	9.7%
2019	35.60	3372^nd	5492	38.6%
2022	29.35	3799^th	5635	32.6%
2023	23.96	4335^th	5617	22.8%
2024	16.38	5011^th	5605	10.6%

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

Rank History for Disabled students at San Marcos Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	22.95	1817^th	2128	14.6%
2019	26.57	1981^st	2585	23.4%
2022	34.22	1304^th	2227	41.4%

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

Rank History for Male students at San Marcos Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	18.55	4707^th	5431	13.3%
2019	22.32	4447^th	5510	19.3%
2022	30.71	3731^st	5663	34.1%
2023	31.00	3689^th	5650	34.7%
2024	25.39	4233^rd	5636	24.9%

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

Rank History for Hispanic students at San Marcos Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	22.72	4059^th	4830	16.0%
2019	41.47	2855^th	4963	42.5%
2022	43.38	2639^th	5084	48.1%
2023	37.74	3086^th	5098	39.5%
2024	28.76	3811^th	5102	25.3%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Hispanic 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

We're sorry, but no reviews have been submitted for San Marcos Elementary.

If you have first-hand knowledge about San Marcos Elementary, submit a rating!

Reviews:
No reviews have been submitted!

Enrollment information for San Marcos Elementary

Compare

Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	374	12	18	412	1	n/a	n/a	0	817
1989	311	29	21	354	9	n/a	n/a	0	724
1990	319	47	26	532	9	n/a	n/a	0	933
1991	171	48	22	493	4	n/a	n/a	0	738
1992	149	44	15	621	9	n/a	n/a	0	838
1993	105	29	10	745	6	n/a	n/a	0	895
1994	26	8	9	477	0	n/a	n/a	0	520
1995	26	14	8	516	0	n/a	n/a	0	564
1996	26	14	8	516	0	n/a	n/a	0	564
1997	15	11	6	538	0	n/a	n/a	0	570
1998	0	2	1	384	0	n/a	n/a	0	387
1999	0	2	3	390	0	n/a	n/a	0	395
2000	3	4	2	370	0	n/a	n/a	0	379
2001	5	3	1	449	0	n/a	n/a	0	458
2002	10	2	2	535	1	n/a	n/a	0	550
2003	10	2	2	535	1	n/a	n/a	0	550
2004	16	5	6	651	1	n/a	n/a	0	679
2005	12	3	5	598	0	n/a	n/a	0	618
2006	11	6	7	530	0	n/a	n/a	0	554
2007	20	15	6	465	0	n/a	n/a	0	506
2008	19	8	6	440	n/a	n/a	n/a	0	473
2009	9	8	6	540	0	3	4	0	570
2010	9	4	6	533	0	3	1	0	556
2011	14	3	12	776	0	3	1	0	809
2012	19	7	10	833	0	3	2	0	874
2013	15	6	9	870	0	3	1	0	904
2014	16	9	9	881	0	3	3	0	921
2015	18	6	10	901	0	3	4	0	942
2016	13	3	8	886	0	4	3	0	917
2017	13	4	4	821	1	4	0	0	847
2018	12	7	4	760	1	1	0	0	785
2019	10	10	6	744	0	2	0	0	772
2020	11	8	3	680	0	1	5	0	708
2021	9	0	3	657	8	1	4	0	682
2022	8	6	3	602	0	0	3	0	622
2023	13	0	3	599	3	0	5	1	624

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 San Marcos Elementary

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	817	35.5	23.0	n/a
1989	724	30.9	23.4	n/a
1990	933	36.3	25.7	n/a
1991	738	30.2	24.4	n/a
1992	838	30.7	27.2	89.9
1993	895	34.5	25.9	93.1
1994	520	22.5	23.1	95
1995	564	21.5	26.2	94.9
1996	564	21.5	26.2	94.9
1997	570	24.5	23.3	92.8
1998	387	21.5	18.0	94.8
1999	395	22.5	17.6	82.5
2000	379	21.5	17.6	97.1
2001	458	24.4	18.8	95.6
2002	550	32.4	17.0	95.5
2003	550	32.4	17.0	95.5
2004	679	32.9	20.6	92.2
2005	618	32.8	18.8	94.8
2006	554	30.2	18.3	91
2007	506	30.4	16.6	88.1
2008	473	37.4	12.6	92
2009	570	34.9	14.7	95.6
2010	556	29.9	18.5	99.5
2011	809	n/a	n/a	96.4
2012	874	34.5	25.3	n/a
2013	904	36.0	25.1	97.7
2014	921	41.5	22.1	80.9
2015	942	40.0	23.5	86.4
2016	917	38.0	24.1	78.7
2017	847	35.8	23.6	36.6
2018	785	n/a	n/a	59.5
2019	772	n/a	n/a	77.7
2020	708	n/a	n/a	71
2021	682	29.0	23.5	63.5
2022	622	24.4	25.4	75.1
2023	624	26.0	24.0	76.9

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 San Marcos Elementary

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	817	35.5	23.0	n/a
1989	724	30.9	23.4	n/a
1990	933	36.3	25.7	n/a
1991	738	30.2	24.4	n/a
1992	838	30.7	27.2	89.9
1993	895	34.5	25.9	93.1
1994	520	22.5	23.1	95
1995	564	21.5	26.2	94.9
1996	564	21.5	26.2	94.9
1997	570	24.5	23.3	92.8
1998	387	21.5	18.0	94.8
1999	395	22.5	17.6	82.5
2000	379	21.5	17.6	97.1
2001	458	24.4	18.8	95.6
2002	550	32.4	17.0	95.5
2003	550	32.4	17.0	95.5
2004	679	32.9	20.6	92.2
2005	618	32.8	18.8	94.8
2006	554	30.2	18.3	91
2007	506	30.4	16.6	88.1
2008	473	37.4	12.6	92
2009	570	34.9	14.7	95.6
2010	556	29.9	18.5	99.5
2011	809	n/a	n/a	96.4
2012	874	34.5	25.3	n/a
2013	904	36.0	25.1	97.7
2014	921	41.5	22.1	80.9
2015	942	40.0	23.5	86.4
2016	917	38.0	24.1	78.7
2017	847	35.8	23.6	36.6
2018	785	n/a	n/a	59.5
2019	772	n/a	n/a	77.7
2020	708	n/a	n/a	71
2021	682	29.0	23.5	63.5
2022	622	24.4	25.4	75.1
2023	624	26.0	24.0	76.9

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.

Kindergarten Immunization Rates