School Profile · Cayucos
Cayucos Elementary: Most kids here clear the bar, year after year. The question is what happens after that.
Cayucos posts 66% meeting the standard; 41.4% push past it. Steady is worth something — and the gap between those two numbers is the thing to ask about.
301 Cayucos Drive, 93430 (opens in new tab)·Cayucos Elementary·Cayucos·Grades TK-8·185 students·23% low-income·2024–25 CAASPP·(805) 995-3694
Scope Score
65
🏫 Solid Base · Solid
ranked #731 statewide
Cayucos Elementary scores 65 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 86th percentile of 5,230 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 “66% proficient” and call it done. Cayucos deserves a closer read. It sits at the 86th percentile of 5,230 California elementary schools — but the ranking is the least interesting thing on this page.
The headline number: 9.3% chronic absenteeism — versus 18.1% statewide. Attendance is the quietest strong signal a school can post.
The story this school is actually telling
The school, grade by grade
ELA · CAASPP 2024–25Different students, same year — each bar is one grade's proficiency mix.
61%
17%
22%
Grade 3 · 78% proficient
41%
27%
32%
Grade 4 · 68% proficient
33%
33%
34%
Grade 5 · 66% proficient
The honest read: the share exceeding falls 27.5pp across grades; the floor slips 11.6pp. The state average rises 4.5pp over the same span. A school visit and conversation with teachers will tell you more than this number.
The 5 things our score weighs
Exceeded standard
41.4%
State 21.6%
19.7pp above state avg
Met or exceeded
66.3%
State 42.9%
23.4pp above state avg
Growth (G3→G5)
-20.9pp
State -3.0pp
Scores decline across grades
Chronic absenteeism
9.3%
State 18.1%
8.8pp below state avg
Suspension rate
1.5%
State 1.7%
0.1pp 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.
Your other options
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
Hispanic27.6%
White62.7%
Black0.5%
Other9.2%
GenderFemale 55.1%Male 44.9%
Resources & Access
Enrollment
185
435 below CA avg (~620)
Transitional Kindergarten
15 TK students
7% of a 205-student campus · CDE Census Day 2025-26
Free/Reduced Lunch
23%
41pp below CA avg (64%)
Student-Teacher Ratio
13:1
8 fewer students per teacher than CA avg
Per-Pupil Spending
$29,486
District avg: $24,512 · CA avg: $14,815 · School-level · CDE ESSA
Teacher Salary Range
$51,508 – $128,694
District schedule · CA median ~$98K
At Cayucos Elementary in Cayucos, 72.6% of white students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 72.6% district-wide and 61.8% statewide. Cayucos Elementary outperforms its district average for white students by 0.0 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: White students (58.1% Math proficient). Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 62 students tested.
Equity Gaps
Absenteeism · Low-Income+7.0pp
16.3% vs 9.3% overall · n=49
Subgroups with fewer than 15 students are excluded for privacy. Gaps of less than 3 percentage points are not shown.
Subgroup Proficiency
White62 tested
ELA 72.6%·Math 58.1%· +0.0pp vs district
Weighted average across tested grades. Subgroups with fewer than 15 students excluded. Data: CDE CAASPP 2024-25.
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
$90K
$5K above CA median
Median Home Value
$1.02M
$359K above CA median
Bachelor's+
45%
10pp 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
16.3 years avg experience
17 teachers · 6% 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%
41.4%
↑ vs CA 21.6% · 69th pctile
Met or exceeded · 22%
66.3%
↑ vs CA 42.9% · 68th pctile
Growth (G3→G5) · 15%
-20.9pp
↓ vs CA -3.0pp · 57th pctile
Chronic absenteeism · 10%
9.3%
↑ vs CA 18.1% · 64th pctile
Suspension rate · 5%
1.5%
↑ vs CA 1.7% · 51th pctile
02By grade & subgroupCAASPP 2024–25 · % of tested students
| ELA | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT | MET+ | +/CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 3 | 23 | 61% | 17% | 9% | 13% | 78% | +35 |
| Grade 4 | 22 | 41% | 27% | 23% | 9% | 68% | +23 |
| Grade 5 | 21 | 33% | 33% | 14% | 19% | 67% | +19 |
| Grade 6 | 13 | 46% | 23% | 15% | 15% | 69% | +23 |
| Grade 7 | 25 | 28% | 32% | 24% | 16% | 60% | +12 |
| Grade 8 | 19 | 32% | 37% | 11% | 21% | 68% | +22 |
| Math | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT | MET+ | +/CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 3 | 23 | 43% | 39% | 13% | 4% | 83% | +37 |
| Grade 4 | 22 | 41% | 9% | 32% | 18% | 50% | +8 |
| Grade 5 | 21 | 29% | 24% | 24% | 24% | 52% | +17 |
| Grade 6 | 13 | 8% | 46% | 31% | 15% | 54% | +19 |
| Grade 7 | 26 | 35% | 23% | 12% | 31% | 58% | +24 |
| Grade 8 | 19 | 26% | 5% | 47% | 21% | 32% | −1 |
| Science (CAST) | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 5/8/11 | 40 | 13% | 45% | 40% | 3% |
CAST is tested in grades 5, 8, and once in high school — not annually. Not part of the Scope Score.
| Subgroup · ELA | Tested | MET+ | vs district | vs CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| White | 62 | 72.6% | +0 | +11 |
03Peer comparison · nearest elementary schoolssorted by Scope Score
| School | Dist | Scope | EXC | MET+ | Growth | Susp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cayucos Elementary ← | — | 65 | 41.4% | 66.3% | −20.9 | 1.5% |
| California average | — | 44 | 21.6% | 42.9% | −3.0 | 1.7% |
04More measurescontext · not all part of the Scope Score
Scope Score history
2019 · 2022 · 2023 · 2024 · 2025 · no testing 2020–21 (COVID) · rank #1853 → #1830 → #857 → #1726 → #731
What we can't show
- — Scored here as an elementary school — other grade spans appear in the data appendix.
Source: CA Dept. of Education · CAASPP 2024–25 · n=5,230 elementary schools · Data updated 2026-07-03methodology · data updates · CSV · report issue
Frequently asked questions
Is Cayucos Elementary a good elementary school?
Cayucos Elementary has a Scope Score of 65 out of 100, placing it in the 86th percentile of California elementary schools and ranked #731 statewide. 41.4% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is 19.7 percentage points above the California average of 21.6%. 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 Cayucos Elementary's CAASPP test scores?
On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 66.3% of students at Cayucos Elementary met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 41.4% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 25.0% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 41.4% 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. 132 student-subject combinations were assessed.
How does Cayucos Elementary rank in California?
Cayucos Elementary ranks #731 among California elementary schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 86th 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.
Is Cayucos Elementary getting better or worse?
Based on 2025 CAASPP data, proficiency at Cayucos Elementary decreases by 20.9 percentage points from Grade 3 to grade 5 growth. This downward pattern doesn't necessarily mean the school is failing — it can reflect cohort differences, demographic shifts, or curriculum changes. A campus visit and conversation with teachers can reveal what the numbers can't. Growth trajectory is weighted at 15% in the elementary Scope Score because it measures what the school does, not just who walks in the door.
What is the attendance and school culture like at Cayucos Elementary?
9.3% of students at Cayucos Elementary are chronically absent (missing 10% or more of school days), which is better than the California average of 18.1%. The suspension rate is 1.5%, 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 Cayucos Elementary compare to other schools in Cayucos?
Cayucos Elementary scores 65/100 (86th 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 185 students. Use the schools in Cayucos page or the map view to compare all elementary schools nearby.
How does Cayucos Elementary serve low-income and underrepresented students?
At Cayucos Elementary in Cayucos, 72.6% of white students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 72.6% district-wide and 61.8% statewide. Cayucos Elementary outperforms its district average for white students by 0.0 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: White students (58.1% Math proficient). Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 62 students tested. SchoolScope shows disaggregated test scores by demographic subgroup so you can see how a school performs for your child's specific group — not just the school-wide average. Subgroup data is context, not part of the Scope Score: we don't penalize schools for who they serve. See our equity approach.