Is Paloma Elementary a good school?

Yes. Paloma Elementary ranks in the top 8.0% of California elementary schools.

How many students attend Paloma Elementary?

In the 2023-24 school year, 742 students attended Paloma Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Paloma Elementary?

Students at Paloma Elementary are 38% Hispanic, 34% White, 17% Asian, 10% Two or more races.

What schools do graduates of Paloma Elementary attend?

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

Paloma Elementary

Summary:

Paloma Elementary is a high-performing public elementary school located in San Marcos, California, serving 715 students in grades K-5. This school consistently ranks among the top elementary schools in the state, with exceptional academic achievement across all grade levels and student subgroups.

Paloma Elementary's students significantly outperform their peers in the San Marcos Unified district and the state of California in Smarter Balanced Assessments for English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science. For example, in 2023-2024, 73.57% of Paloma Elementary students were proficient or better in ELA, compared to 56.53% for the district and 47.04% for the state. In Mathematics, 76.58% of Paloma Elementary students were proficient or better, compared to 46.17% for the district and 35.54% for the state. The school's strong performance extends across diverse student subgroups, with rankings in the top quartile or top half of California elementary schools for female, male, Asian, Hispanic, White, and multi-racial students.

When compared to nearby schools, such as Joli Ann Leichtag Elementary and La Mirada Academy, Paloma Elementary stands out as a high-performing institution, with significantly lower chronic absenteeism rates and a lower percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch. This exceptional quality of education at Paloma Elementary makes it a standout school within the San Marcos Unified district and the broader California education system.

Detail:

Public K-5

660 Camino Magnifico
San Marcos, CA 92069-7323

(760) 290-2199

District: San Marcos Unified

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

Per Pupil Expenditures: $7,317

Students who attend Paloma Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	San Marcos Middle
High:	Mission Hills High

Student/teacher ratio: 25.6

Number of students: 742

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

38.1%

White:

33.7%

Asian:

17.0%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 30.2%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Paloma Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Paloma Elementary ranks better than 92% of elementary schools in California. It also ranks 2^nd among 12 ranked elementary schools in the San Marcos Unified School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 93.5. (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 Paloma Elementary is diverse. Racial makeup is: Hispanic (38.1%), White (33.7%), Asian (17%). (See more...)

Compare Details 30.2% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Paloma Elementary is 25.6. 10 elementary schools in the San Marcos Unified School District have better student/teacher ratios. (See more...)

Compare Paloma Elementary employs 28.9 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Paloma Elementary is $7,317. 9 elementary schools in the San Marcos Unified School District spend more per student.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Paloma Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Paloma Elementary 469^th of 5862 California public elementary schools. (See Paloma 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:

Asian 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 Paloma Elementary

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Rank History for all students at Paloma Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2004	78.65	954^th	4809	80.2%
2005	79.77	928^th	4822	80.8%
2006	80.09	963^rd	4818	80.0%
2007	77.82	1059^th	5113	79.3%
2008	74.31	1226^th	5113	76.0%
2009	78.77	1057^th	5193	79.6%
2010	88.27	558^th	5314	89.5%
2011	89.56	459^th	5377	91.5%
2012	87.34	595^th	5390	89.0%
2013	88.03	577^th	5530	89.6%
2015	85.11	877^th	5611	84.4%
2016	89.33	658^th	5614	88.3%
2017	85.64	884^th	5692	84.5%
2018	86.47	825^th	5662	85.4%
2019	91.62	546^th	5789	90.6%
2022	92.28	576^th	5883	90.2%
2023	87.61	842^nd	5874	85.7%
2024	93.50	469^th	5862	92.0%

See the entire list of California Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for Multi-racial students at Paloma Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2022	82.79	65^th	610	89.3%
2024	88.45	31^st	669	95.4%

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

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Paloma Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	71.19	518^th	3246	84.0%
2019	92.93	129^th	3275	96.1%
2022	74.98	389^th	3311	88.3%

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

Rank History for Special Education students at Paloma Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	65.39	554^th	2420	77.1%
2024	70.84	480^th	2634	81.8%

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

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Paloma Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	81.16	637^th	5084	87.5%
2019	93.19	193^rd	5173	96.3%
2022	94.35	203^rd	5264	96.1%
2023	83.48	639^th	5374	88.1%
2024	87.24	542^nd	5511	90.2%

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

Rank History for Female students at Paloma Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	82.66	925^th	5413	82.9%
2019	89.70	576^th	5492	89.5%
2022	88.98	693^rd	5635	87.7%
2023	85.92	843^rd	5617	85.0%
2024	88.42	692^nd	5605	87.7%

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

Rank History for Disabled students at Paloma Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	61.03	564^th	2128	73.5%
2019	63.81	634^th	2585	75.5%
2022	70.65	410^th	2227	81.6%

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

Rank History for Male students at Paloma Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	87.51	713^th	5431	86.9%
2019	91.49	478^th	5510	91.3%
2022	92.91	453^rd	5663	92.0%
2023	87.06	771^st	5650	86.4%
2024	95.06	276^th	5636	95.1%

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

Rank History for Asian students at Paloma Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	77.74	192^nd	1071	82.1%
2019	82.03	85^th	1149	92.6%
2022	80.28	140^th	1154	87.9%
2023	74.85	277^th	1190	76.7%
2024	78.49	199^th	1203	83.5%

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

Rank History for Hispanic students at Paloma Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	77.36	791^st	4830	83.6%
2019	90.50	282^nd	4963	94.3%
2022	89.36	381^st	5084	92.5%
2023	85.92	509^th	5098	90.0%
2024	86.75	483^rd	5102	90.5%

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

Rank History for White students at Paloma Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	83.98	296^th	2737	89.2%
2019	86.00	223^rd	2834	92.1%
2022	82.61	355^th	2726	87.0%
2023	79.69	431^st	2662	83.8%
2024	90.62	75^th	2647	97.2%

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 Paloma Elementary

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1991	343	27	37	401	14	n/a	n/a	0	822
1992	374	39	42	465	12	n/a	n/a	0	932
1993	355	38	62	487	8	n/a	n/a	0	950
1994	368	45	70	479	10	n/a	n/a	0	972
1995	389	55	84	536	10	n/a	n/a	0	1074
1996	389	55	84	536	10	n/a	n/a	0	1074
1997	375	55	107	504	7	n/a	n/a	0	1048
1998	298	36	78	485	7	n/a	n/a	0	904
1999	318	38	83	493	6	n/a	n/a	0	938
2000	285	31	95	436	2	n/a	n/a	0	849
2001	363	37	93	447	2	n/a	n/a	0	942
2002	385	39	124	459	8	n/a	n/a	2	1017
2003	385	39	124	459	8	n/a	n/a	2	1017
2004	394	50	138	451	8	n/a	n/a	2	1043
2005	386	39	162	477	8	n/a	n/a	0	1072
2006	348	52	177	532	5	n/a	n/a	0	1114
2007	363	35	172	549	3	n/a	n/a	7	1129
2008	346	30	168	593	2	n/a	n/a	0	1139
2009	327	31	172	393	1	8	14	0	946
2010	317	20	183	352	0	10	25	0	907
2011	327	20	179	324	3	11	36	0	900
2012	324	17	164	367	4	7	40	0	923
2013	335	17	164	404	1	5	46	0	972
2014	342	19	157	406	2	4	40	0	970
2015	325	13	141	397	3	6	41	0	926
2016	349	12	136	388	3	5	35	0	928
2017	403	9	103	369	3	3	0	0	890
2018	402	14	116	375	1	3	0	0	911
2019	328	19	173	341	3	9	0	0	873
2020	291	7	127	331	1	4	67	2	830
2021	275	0	115	298	9	4	53	2	756
2022	266	5	114	262	2	4	62	2	717
2023	257	0	122	267	8	4	57	0	715
2024	250	6	126	283	0	2	75	0	742

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 Paloma Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1991	822	32.7	25.1	n/a
1992	932	33.2	28.0	60.6
1993	950	34.0	27.9	60.6
1994	972	35.9	27.1	62.4
1995	1074	39.5	27.2	60.3
1996	1074	39.5	27.2	60.3
1997	1048	40.4	25.9	61.4
1998	904	42.0	21.5	56.9
1999	938	45.5	20.6	47.3
2000	849	40.0	21.2	45
2001	942	43.9	21.5	38.3
2002	1017	49.4	20.6	37
2003	1017	49.4	20.6	37
2004	1043	46.9	22.2	35.8
2005	1072	47.4	22.6	35.5
2006	1114	47.9	23.3	37.2
2007	1129	49.8	22.7	40
2008	1139	54.7	20.8	43.7
2009	946	41.3	20.2	42.9
2010	907	38.3	23.6	39.9
2011	900	n/a	n/a	35.9
2012	923	31.0	29.7	n/a
2013	972	35.0	27.7	39.7
2014	970	35.4	27.3	37.3
2015	926	35.0	26.4	36.4
2016	928	35.0	26.5	31.1
2017	890	34.5	25.7	33
2018	911	n/a	n/a	35
2019	873	n/a	n/a	33.4
2020	830	n/a	n/a	30.7
2021	756	31.9	23.6	22.5
2022	717	29.9	23.9	30
2023	715	28.9	24.7	28
2024	742	28.9	25.6	30.2

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 Paloma Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1991	822	32.7	25.1	n/a
1992	932	33.2	28.0	60.6
1993	950	34.0	27.9	60.6
1994	972	35.9	27.1	62.4
1995	1074	39.5	27.2	60.3
1996	1074	39.5	27.2	60.3
1997	1048	40.4	25.9	61.4
1998	904	42.0	21.5	56.9
1999	938	45.5	20.6	47.3
2000	849	40.0	21.2	45
2001	942	43.9	21.5	38.3
2002	1017	49.4	20.6	37
2003	1017	49.4	20.6	37
2004	1043	46.9	22.2	35.8
2005	1072	47.4	22.6	35.5
2006	1114	47.9	23.3	37.2
2007	1129	49.8	22.7	40
2008	1139	54.7	20.8	43.7
2009	946	41.3	20.2	42.9
2010	907	38.3	23.6	39.9
2011	900	n/a	n/a	35.9
2012	923	31.0	29.7	n/a
2013	972	35.0	27.7	39.7
2014	970	35.4	27.3	37.3
2015	926	35.0	26.4	36.4
2016	928	35.0	26.5	31.1
2017	890	34.5	25.7	33
2018	911	n/a	n/a	35
2019	873	n/a	n/a	33.4
2020	830	n/a	n/a	30.7
2021	756	31.9	23.6	22.5
2022	717	29.9	23.9	30
2023	715	28.9	24.7	28
2024	742	28.9	25.6	30.2

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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