School Profile · Monterey
Big Sur Charter: Most kids here clear the bar, year after year. The question is what happens after that.
Big Sur Charter posts 68% meeting the standard; 37.3% push past it. Steady is worth something — and the gap between those two numbers is the thing to ask about.
304 Foam Street, 93940 (opens in new tab)·Big Sur Unified·Monterey·Grades K-12·101 students·28% low-income·Charter·2024–25 CAASPP·(831) 324-4573·Website
Charter school — publicly funded, independently operated, open enrollment via lottery. Learn more
Scope Score
66
💪 Strong All-Around · Solid
ranked #685 statewide
Big Sur Charter scores 66 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 88th percentile of 5,744 California elementary schools (CDE CAASPP 2025).
Measures test performance, attendance, and climate — not arts, community, or your kid. How we score →
Most rating sites would stop at “68% proficient” and call it done. Big Sur Charter deserves a closer read. The school sits in Monterey, where one in four students qualify for free or reduced lunch — and reading the numbers without that context misreads the school.
The headline number: 6.7% chronic absenteeism — versus 17.9% statewide. Attendance is the quietest strong signal a school can post.
As a charter, Big Sur Charter enrolls by application, not address — the score reads the same, the enrollment path doesn't.
The 4 things our score weighs
Exceeded standard
37.3%
State 21.3%
16.0pp above state avg
Met or exceeded
68.0%
State 42.7%
25.4pp above state avg
Chronic absenteeism
6.7%
State 17.9%
11.2pp below state avg
Suspension rate
0.6%
State 1.6%
1.0pp below state avg
Worth a school visit
Ask how the school challenges kids who clear the standard early. The gap between meeting and exceeding is where pacing shows.
Where the path goes
The path below follows attendance boundaries — scores shown for each next step.
Estimated K-12 Path
Elementary
Big Sur Charter
66
This school
→
Estimated K-12 path based on district and proximity. Actual attendance zones may differ. Contact your school district for official feeder information.
Planning ahead? 1 licensed preschools near this school →
Your other options
Nearby Elementary Schools
3 within ~3 mi · avg 59
Robert Down Elementary
Pacific Grove Unified · 1.1 mi
Solid
68/100
Forest Grove Elementary
Pacific Grove Unified · 1.7 mi
Solid
56/100
La Mesa
Monterey Peninsula Unified · 2.3 mi
Solid
54/100
Nearby High Schools
2 within ~3 mi · avg 59
Pacific Grove High
Pacific Grove Unified · 1.4 mi
Solid
68/100
Monterey High
Monterey Peninsula Unified · 1 mi
Developing
49/100
Private alternatives nearby
Private schools within ~10 miles. These schools do not participate in state testing and cannot be scored or ranked.
The community around it
Community Profile
Context — not part of the Scope ScoreStudent demographics
Hispanic32.7%
White47.5%
Black4.0%
Other15.8%
GenderFemale 55.5%Male 44.5%
Low IncomeFree/reduced lunch eligible 27.7% (36pp below CA avg)
Resources & Access
Enrollment
101
1,099 below CA avg (~1,200)
Transitional Kindergarten
TK status unconfirmed
No TK enrollment is on file with the state for this school — that isn't the same as “no TK.” Confirm directly with the district.
Student-Teacher Ratio
20:1
1 fewer students per teacher than CA avg
Per-Pupil Spending
$97,889
CA avg: $14,815 · District avg · NCES F-33
Teacher Salary Range
$41,886 – $66,602
District schedule · CA median ~$98K
Subgroup Growth by Grade
Change in proficiency from lowest tested grade. Shows which groups are gaining ground.
Subgroups with fewer than 10 tested students per grade are not shown.
Funding Breakdown
Neighborhood Context
Median Income
$106K
$21K above CA median
Median Home Value
$1.10M
$440K above CA median
Bachelor's+
53%
18pp above CA avg
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2024) · ZIP-level
Whole Child
Teacher experience, college/career readiness, and more. Context only — never part of the Scope Score.
Teacher Experience
6.2 years avg experience
5 teachers · 20% second-year
Teacher Credentials
80% fully credentialed
Source: CDE SARC, 2024-25
Community Profile provides context about who attends this school and the resources available. These factors are never part of the Scope Score. Learn why →
For the data nerdsEvery number on this page
Score factors, grade-level breakdowns, subgroup proficiency, and peer comparisons.
For the data nerds
Every number on this page
Score factors, grade-level breakdowns, subgroup proficiency, and peer comparisons.
01Score factorsWeighted composite · 2024–25
Exceeded standard · 43%
37.3%
↑ vs CA 21.3% · 65th pctile
Met or exceeded · 22%
68.0%
↑ vs CA 42.7% · 69th pctile
Chronic absenteeism · 10%
6.7%
↑ vs CA 17.9% · 68th pctile
Suspension rate · 5%
0.6%
↑ vs CA 1.6% · 58th pctile
02By grade & subgroupCAASPP 2024–25 · % of tested students
| ELA | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT | MET+ | +/CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 3 | 14 | 50% | 7% | 21% | 21% | 57% | +14 |
| Grade 4 | 11 | 36% | 36% | 9% | 18% | 73% | +28 |
| Grade 5 | 7 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Grade 6 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Grade 7 | 12 | 0% | 58% | 25% | 17% | 58% | +11 |
| Grade 8 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Math | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT | MET+ | +/CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 3 | 14 | 36% | 43% | 14% | 7% | 79% | +33 |
| Grade 4 | 11 | 27% | 36% | 36% | 0% | 64% | +22 |
| Grade 5 | 7 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Grade 6 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Grade 7 | 12 | 17% | 17% | 42% | 25% | 33% | −1 |
| Grade 8 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Science (CAST) | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 5/8/11 | 13 | 23% | 23% | 46% | 8% |
CAST is tested in grades 5, 8, and once in high school — not annually. Not part of the Scope Score.
03Peer comparison · nearest elementary schoolssorted by Scope Score
| School | Dist | Scope | EXC | MET+ | Growth | Susp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Big Sur Charter ← | — | 66 | 37.3% | 68.0% | — | 0.6% |
| Robert Down Elementary | 1.1 mi | 68 | 43.5% | 72.0% | −6.2 | 0.8% |
| Forest Grove Elementary | 1.7 mi | 56 | 32.5% | 56.6% | +10.9 | 0.9% |
| La Mesa | 2.3 mi | 54 | 31.4% | 58.0% | +2.3 | 2.2% |
| California average | — | 43 | 21.3% | 42.7% | −2.9 | 1.6% |
04More measurescontext · not all part of the Scope Score
Scope Score history
2022 · 2023 · 2025 · rank #2835 → #1670 → #685
What we can't show
- — Growth data isn't available — the state needs matched grades across years to compute it.
- — Subgroup results are suppressed for small student counts (fewer than 15 tested), following CDE privacy rules.
- — Scored here as an elementary school — other grade spans appear in the data appendix.
Source: CA Dept. of Education · CAASPP 2024–25 · n=5,744 elementary schools · Data updated 2026-07-03methodology · data updates · CSV · report issue
Frequently asked questions
Is Big Sur Charter a good elementary school?
Big Sur Charter has a Scope Score of 66 out of 100, placing it in the 88th percentile of California elementary schools and ranked #685 statewide. 37.3% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is 16.0 percentage points above the California average of 21.3%. The Scope Score weights six dimensions for elementary schools: exceeded standard (43%), met or exceeded (22%), grade 3-to-5 growth (15%), chronic absenteeism (10%), ELPAC English Learner proficiency (5%), and suspension rate (5%). Data source: California Department of Education CAASPP 2025, analyzed by SchoolScope.
What are Big Sur Charter's CAASPP test scores?
On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 68.0% of students at Big Sur Charter met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 37.3% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 30.7% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 37.3% pushed past it. Most rating sites report only the combined "proficient" number. SchoolScope surfaces the exceeded-vs-met split because it reveals whether a school's curriculum challenges students beyond minimum proficiency or paces toward it. 50 student-subject combinations were assessed.
How does Big Sur Charter rank in California?
Big Sur Charter ranks #685 among California elementary schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 88th percentile. This ranking is based on a weighted composite of 2025 CAASPP test performance (exceeded and met rates), grade-level growth (Grade 3 to grade 5 growth), chronic absenteeism, and suspension rate. Unlike single-number ratings, the Scope Score shows what drives the ranking so parents can decide what matters most to their family. See full methodology.
What is the attendance and school culture like at Big Sur Charter?
6.7% of students at Big Sur Charter are chronically absent (missing 10% or more of school days), which is better than the California average of 17.9%. The suspension rate is 0.6%, indicating a low-discipline-incident environment. SchoolScope includes these culture metrics in the Scope Score because they reflect day-to-day school experience in ways test scores alone cannot.
How does Big Sur Charter compare to other schools in Monterey?
Big Sur Charter scores 66/100 (88th percentile) among California elementary schools. To compare with nearby schools, SchoolScope shows the same metrics side by side: exceeded rate, proficiency, growth trajectory, and school culture indicators. The school serves 101 students. Use the schools in Monterey page or the map view to compare all elementary schools nearby.