Elementary Schools in San Diego, California: San Diego schools average 6.3 points above the state — but the range is 38.0 points wide.

Above Average2024–25 data152 schools · avg 50.1/100

San Diego, California has 152 ranked elementary schools with an average Scope Score of 50.1/100 — 6.3 points above the state average of 43.8. The highest-scoring school is Carmel Del Mar Elementary at 90/100, where 66.8% of students exceed the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment. San Diego schools average 28.7% exceeded standard (state: 21.6%) — this exceeded-vs-met distinction reveals whether schools push students beyond proficiency or pace toward it. Of 152 schools, 23 High Ceiling stand out for their performance profiles. Chronic absenteeism averages 18.8% (near the state average of 18.1%). Data source: California Department of Education CAASPP 2025, analyzed by SchoolScope.

Avg Scope Score

50.1

State avg: 43.8

SchoolScope composite

Score Range

38.0

52.4 – 90.4

Avg Exceeded %

28.7%

State avg: 21.6%

CDE CAASPP 2025

Chronic Absenteeism

18.8%

State avg: 18.1%

CDE Attendance 2025

Schools Ranked

152

With Scope Scores

Level	Schools	Avg Score	Exceeded	vs State
Elementary	152	Solid 50.1/100	28.7%	+6.3
High	41	Solid 53.9/100	22.5%	+6.4
Middle	41	Developing 46.2/100	22.8%	+5.8

How San Diego schools compare

San Diego has 152 ranked elementary schools with an average Scope Score of 50.1/100 — 6.3 points above the state average of 43.8 (CDE CAASPP 2025).

The top-ranked school is Carmel Del Mar Elementary with a Scope Score of 90 and 66.8% of students exceeding standard.

Chronic absenteeism in San Diego averages 18.8% — near the state average of 18.1%.

How we score · Exceeded 40% · Met+Exceeded 22% · Growth 15% · Absenteeism 10% · Suspension 5% · ELPAC 5% · Baseline 3%

School archetypes in San Diego

34 Strong All-Around23 High Ceiling3 Solid Base1 Culture First6 Building Momentum

Archetypes are data-driven labels based on Scope Score dimensions. Learn more

For the data nerds

Every school in San Diego

ranked by Scope Score · 2024–25 CAASPP

#	School	Exceeded	Score
1	Canyon Crest Academy San Dieguito Union High High Ceiling	69.1%	Strong 94/100
2	Carmel Del Mar Elementary Del Mar Union Elementary High Ceiling	66.8%	Strong 90/100
3	Sage Canyon Del Mar Union Elementary High Ceiling	66.0%	Strong 90/100
4	Ocean Air Del Mar Union Elementary High Ceiling	67.5%	Strong 89/100
5	Solana Ranch Elementary Solana Beach Elementary High Ceiling	65.8%	Strong 88/100
6	Del Norte High Poway Unified High Ceiling	51.8%	Strong 84/100
7	Dingeman Elementary San Diego Unified High Ceiling	68.8%	Strong 84/100
8	Scripps Elementary San Diego Unified High Ceiling	62.0%	Strong 84/100
9	Scripps Ranch High San Diego Unified High Ceiling	53.0%	Strong 82/100
10	Westview High Poway Unified High Ceiling	50.1%	Strong 82/100
11	Willow Grove Elementary Poway Unified High Ceiling	56.8%	Strong 82/100
12	Design 39 Campus Poway Unified High Ceiling	55.2%	Strong 81/100
13	Rolling Hills Elementary Poway Unified High Ceiling	58.4%	Strong 81/100
14	Solana Highlands Elementary Solana Beach Elementary High Ceiling	59.2%	Strong 81/100
15	Torrey Pines High San Dieguito Union High Strong All-Around	42.2%	Strong 80/100
16	Stone Ranch Elementary Poway Unified High Ceiling	56.5%	Strong 80/100
17	Monterey Ridge Elementary Poway Unified High Ceiling	61.9%	Strong 80/100
18	Pacific Sky Del Mar Union Elementary High Ceiling	50.3%	Strong 79/100
19	Deer Canyon Elementary Poway Unified High Ceiling	61.1%	Strong 79/100
20	Adobe Bluffs Elementary Poway Unified High Ceiling	59.6%	Strong 79/100
21	Mesa Verde Middle Poway Unified High Ceiling	50.5%	Strong 79/100
22	Curie Elementary San Diego Unified High Ceiling	60.1%	Strong 77/100
23	Jerabek Elementary San Diego Unified High Ceiling	56.8%	Strong 77/100
24	Oak Valley Middle Poway Unified Strong All-Around	49.0%	Strong 76/100
25	Ashley Falls Elementary Del Mar Union Elementary High Ceiling	55.3%	Strong 76/100
26	Marshall Middle San Diego Unified Strong All-Around	50.0%	Strong 76/100
27	Park Village Elementary Poway Unified High Ceiling	57.8%	Strong 76/100
28	University City High San Diego Unified Strong All-Around	36.1%	Strong 75/100
29	McKinley Elementary San Diego Unified High Ceiling	52.0%	Strong 74/100
30	Torrey Hills Del Mar Union Elementary Strong All-Around	49.0%	Strong 74/100
31	Holmes Elementary San Diego Unified High Ceiling	57.5%	Strong 74/100
32	Mt. Carmel High Poway Unified Strong All-Around	35.3%	Strong 74/100
33	Green Elementary San Diego Unified Strong All-Around	49.0%	Strong 73/100
34	Del Sur Elementary Poway Unified High Ceiling	53.1%	Strong 72/100
35	Dailard Elementary San Diego Unified Strong All-Around	47.1%	Strong 72/100
36	Hearst Elementary San Diego Unified Strong All-Around	48.1%	Strong 72/100
37	Rancho Bernardo High Poway Unified Strong All-Around	34.7%	Strong 72/100
38	Creekside Elementary Poway Unified High Ceiling	52.3%	Strong 72/100
39	Sundance Elementary Poway Unified Strong All-Around	41.4%	Strong 71/100
40	Henry High San Diego Unified Strong All-Around	32.7%	Strong 71/100
41	Point Loma High San Diego Unified Strong All-Around	29.2%	Strong 71/100
42	Birney Elementary San Diego Unified Strong All-Around	45.7%	Strong 70/100
43	Canyon View Elementary Poway Unified Strong All-Around	49.0%	Solid 70/100
44	Sycamore Ridge Del Mar Union Elementary Strong All-Around	49.4%	Solid 70/100
45	Westwood Elementary Poway Unified Strong All-Around	49.0%	Solid 70/100
46	Sunset Hills Elementary Poway Unified Strong All-Around	41.7%	Solid 69/100
47	Miramar Ranch Elementary San Diego Unified Strong All-Around	48.2%	Solid 69/100
48	Barnard Elementary San Diego Unified Strong All-Around	46.2%	Solid 69/100
49	Marvin Elementary San Diego Unified Strong All-Around	48.7%	Solid 69/100
50	Ericson Elementary San Diego Unified Strong All-Around	49.7%	Solid 69/100
51	Los Penasquitos Elementary Poway Unified Strong All-Around	47.0%	Solid 68/100
52	Benchley/Weinberger Elementary San Diego Unified Strong All-Around	45.2%	Solid 67/100
53	Kumeyaay Elementary San Diego Unified Strong All-Around	43.1%	Solid 67/100
54	Mira Mesa High San Diego Unified Strong All-Around	31.5%	Solid 67/100
55	Hickman Elementary San Diego Unified Strong All-Around	51.5%	Solid 67/100
56	Jonas Salk Elementary San Diego Unified Strong All-Around	48.1%	Solid 67/100
57	Challenger Middle San Diego Unified Strong All-Around	39.0%	Solid 66/100
58	Highland Ranch Elementary Poway Unified Strong All-Around	39.5%	Solid 66/100
59	De Portola Middle San Diego Unified Strong All-Around	36.5%	Solid 66/100
60	Grant K-8 San Diego Unified Strong All-Around	45.6%	Solid 66/100
61	Mission Bay High San Diego Unified Strong All-Around	39.0%	Solid 65/100
62	Hardy Elementary San Diego Unified Strong All-Around	38.8%	Solid 65/100
63	Shoal Creek Elementary Poway Unified Strong All-Around	40.9%	Solid 65/100
64	Standley Middle San Diego Unified Strong All-Around	40.6%	Solid 64/100
65	Morning Creek Elementary Poway Unified Strong All-Around	40.6%	Solid 64/100
66	John Muir San Diego Unified Strong All-Around	32.3%	Solid 64/100
67	Pacific Beach Middle San Diego Unified Solid Base	43.7%	Solid 64/100
68	Sandburg Elementary San Diego Unified Strong All-Around	39.4%	Solid 63/100
69	Canyon Hills High San Diego Unified Building Momentum	20.1%	Solid 62/100
70	Black Mountain Middle Poway Unified Strong All-Around	33.7%	Solid 62/100
71	Spreckels Elementary San Diego Unified Strong All-Around	40.9%	Solid 62/100
72	Chesterton Elementary San Diego Unified Strong All-Around	37.9%	Solid 62/100
73	Nye Elementary San Diego Unified Strong All-Around	35.2%	Solid 62/100
74	Bernardo Heights Middle Poway Unified Strong All-Around	35.1%	Solid 61/100
75	Sessions Elementary San Diego Unified Strong All-Around	33.9%	Solid 61/100
76	Vista Grande Elementary San Diego Unified Strong All-Around	34.2%	Solid 60/100
77	Tierrasanta Elementary San Diego Unified Strong All-Around	38.3%	Solid 59/100
78	Doyle Elementary San Diego Unified Strong All-Around	41.6%	Solid 59/100
79	Longfellow K-8 San Diego Unified Strong All-Around	40.0%	Solid 59/100
80	Poway to Palomar Middle College High Poway Unified Strong All-Around	22.2%	Solid 59/100
81	Lewis Middle San Diego Unified Strong All-Around	31.6%	Solid 58/100
82	Montgomery Senior High Sweetwater Union High Building Momentum	14.3%	Solid 58/100
83	Bay Park Elementary San Diego Unified Solid Base	34.6%	Solid 58/100
84	Kearny School of Biomedical Science and Technology San Diego Unified Culture First	20.6%	Solid 57/100
85	Sequoia Elementary San Diego Unified Building Momentum	34.2%	Solid 57/100
86	Pershing Middle San Diego Unified Culture First	28.8%	Solid 56/100
87	Kearny College Connections San Diego Unified Building Momentum	31.8%	Solid 56/100
88	Southwest Senior High Sweetwater Union High Building Momentum	9.6%	Solid 56/100
89	East Village Middle College High San Diego Unified Building Momentum	20.6%	Solid 55/100
90	Jefferson Elementary San Diego Unified Solid Base	37.4%	Solid 55/100
91	Pacific Beach Elementary San Diego Unified Solid Base	33.6%	Solid 55/100
92	Kearny Eng Innov & Design San Diego Unified Building Momentum	30.4%	Solid 55/100
93	Bethune K-8 San Diego Unified Building Momentum	27.8%	Solid 54/100
94	San Ysidro High Sweetwater Union High Building Momentum	12.8%	Solid 54/100
95	Marston Middle San Diego Unified Building Momentum	27.5%	Solid 54/100
96	Nestor Language Academy Charter South Bay Union Culture First	23.4%	Solid 54/100
97	Ocean View Hills San Ysidro Elementary Building Momentum	32.5%	Solid 53/100
98	Angier Elementary San Diego Unified Building Momentum	29.4%	Solid 53/100
99	Rowan Elementary San Diego Unified Building Momentum	23.3%	Solid 53/100
100	Turtleback Elementary Poway Unified Building Momentum	30.7%	Solid 52/100

Source: CDE CAASPP 2025 · 212 schoolsMethodology · Explore all schools

Data source: California Department of Education · CAASPP 2024-25 · Methodology

Scores are SchoolScope's analysis of public data, not official CDE ratings. They represent one way of interpreting test results and should not be the sole basis for school decisions.

Private Schools in San Diego

Private schools don't participate in California's standardized testing (CAASPP) and cannot be scored or ranked. Showing enrollment, student-teacher ratio, and affiliation where available.

Cathedral Catholic High School

Roman Catholic · Grades 9-12 · 1612 students

16:1Private

Maranatha Christian Schools

Brethren · Grades Pre-K-12 · 855 students

13:1Private

Academy of Our Lady of Peace

Roman Catholic · Grades 9-12 · 750 students

17:1Private

St. Augustine High School

Roman Catholic · Grades 9-12 · 743 students

14:1Private

The Rock Academy

Brethren · Grades Pre-K-12 · 403 students

10:1Private

What Scope Scores can't tell you about San Diego

Numbers tell you whether students are clearing the bar. A school visit tells you whether they're happy doing it. These metrics are intentionally missing from the Scope Score: class sizes and student-teacher interaction quality; arts, music, athletics, and enrichment programs; teacher experience and turnover; campus safety and social-emotional support; parent and community engagement; quality of special education and gifted programs; how school zones and enrollment boundaries affect access. Full methodology

Frequently asked questions

Are the schools in San Diego good?

San Diego's 152 ranked elementary schools average a Scope Score of 50.1/100, which is 6.3 points above the state average. 28.7% of students exceed the state standard on average (state average: 21.6%). The Scope Score weights seven dimensions: exceeded standard (40%), met standard (22%), grade-level growth (15%), chronic absenteeism (10%), ELPAC proficiency (5%), suspension rate (5%), and baseline proficiency (3%). Data source: California Department of Education CAASPP 2025, analyzed by SchoolScope.

What is the best elementary school in San Diego?

The highest-scoring elementary school in San Diego is Carmel Del Mar Elementary with a Scope Score of 90/100 and 66.8% of students exceeding the state standard. Rankings are based on SchoolScope's 2025 Scope Score, which measures academic performance and school climate using publicly available California data. See full methodology.

How do San Diego schools compare to the state average?

San Diego elementary schools average a Scope Score of 50.1/100 — 6.3 points above the state average of 43.8. The exceeded rate averages 28.7% vs. 21.6% statewide. Chronic absenteeism averages 18.8% vs. 18.1% statewide.

How many schools are in San Diego?

San Diego has 152 ranked elementary schools with Scope Scores. Schools are ranked using a weighted composite of CAASPP test performance, growth trajectory, chronic absenteeism, and suspension rate. Schools with insufficient testing data are not ranked.

What does the Scope Score measure?

The Scope Score is SchoolScope's proprietary composite rating (0–100) based on seven dimensions of publicly available California school data: the exceeded-vs-met standard split, overall proficiency, grade 3–5 growth, chronic absenteeism, suspension rate, ELPAC English Learner proficiency, and baseline proficiency. Unlike single-number ratings, the Scope Score separates students who "exceeded" from those who "met" the standard — revealing whether a school pushes students beyond proficiency or paces toward it. Full methodology and weights.

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