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Olivenhain Pioneer Elementary · Carlsbad

Olivenhain Pioneer Elementary: High scores, healthy climate, strong attendance. We looked for a catch — we didn't find one.

Olivenhain Pioneer posts 56.5% exceeding the standard — versus 21.3% statewide — with climate numbers better than most. That doesn't make it perfect. It makes it worth a visit to find what numbers can't measure.

8000 Calle Acervo, 92009 (opens in new tab)·Encinitas Union Elementary·Carlsbad·Grades K-6·520 students·7% low-income·2024–25 CAASPP·(760) 943-2000·Website
2019–2025 trend · CDE CAASPP
This schoolCA avg
Scope7845
% Exceeded56%21%
% Met+79%43%
Growth-2.3-2.9
Absence7.1%17.9%
Suspension0.1%1.6%
Scope Score
78
⭐ High Ceiling · Strong
ranked #188 statewide · #1 of 9 in Encinitas Union Elementary

Olivenhain Pioneer Elementary scores 78 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 97th 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 →

⭐ High Ceiling — Ask what happens for a kid who shows up behind — a high ceiling for the top can sit right next to thin support at the bottom, and the score alone won't show you which.

CDE CAASPP 2025

Most rating sites would stop at “79% proficient” and call it done. Olivenhain Pioneer deserves a closer read. It sits at the 97th percentile of 5,744 California elementary schools — but the ranking is the least interesting thing on this page.

The headline number: 56.5% of students scored in the top band on the state test. The California average is 21.3%.

The seven-year arc

Percentile among 5,744 elementary schools statewide

Has held the 97th-percentile line every tested year since 2019.

CA Dashboard
ELAGreen(Increased Significantly)MathGreen(Increased Significantly)

Proficiency here is back to its pre-pandemic level — 79% meet the standard, about where the school stood in 2019.

ELA — % met or exceeded, by grade
Grade20192022202320242025
Grade 363%73%80%76%78%
Grade 487%68%85%76%84%
Grade 586%86%76%84%84%
Grade 680%77%80%71%74%
Math — % met or exceeded, by grade
Grade20192022202320242025
Grade 366%78%81%85%80%
Grade 490%76%81%83%78%
Grade 574%72%77%74%70%
Grade 667%79%73%71%77%

The story this school is actually telling

The school, grade by grade

ELA · CAASPP 2024–25

Different students, same year — each bar is one grade's proficiency mix.

60%
18%
22%
Grade 3 · 78% proficient
54%
30%
16%
Grade 4 · 84% proficient
55%
28%
17%
Grade 5 · 83% proficient

The honest read: the share exceeding falls 4.7pp across grades; the floor rises 5.1pp. 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
56.5%
State 21.3%
35.2pp above state avg
Growth (G3→G5)
-2.3pp
State -2.9pp
Scores decline across grades
Met or exceeded
79.0%
State 42.7%
36.3pp above state avg
Chronic absenteeism
7.1%
State 17.9%
10.8pp below state avg
Suspension rate
0.1%
State 1.6%
1.5pp below state avg
Worth a school visit

Ask what the school is working on next. Strong numbers tell you where a school is, not where it's going.

  • Ask what changes between grade 3 and grade 5 here, and who teaches the older kids.
  • Ask whether the tour can step into a working classroom — watch how the teacher handles a student who's stuck.
  • Ask to tour while school's in session, and notice how hallways and transitions feel — culture shows up between classes, not just in them.
  • Ask how the school communicates with families when a child starts to struggle.
  • Ask what a typical day looks like for a new student in the first few weeks.

How every group of students does here

At Olivenhain Pioneer Elementary in Carlsbad, 82.2% of white students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 78.2% district-wide and 61.8% statewide. Olivenhain Pioneer Elementary outperforms its district average for white students by 4.0 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: White students (77.5% Math proficient); Disabilities students (40.7% ELA proficient). Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 236 students tested.

All students at this school: 78% met or exceeded
All StudentsAll Students: this school 78%, district —, state 43%78%
WhiteWhite: this school 80%, district 75%, state 56%80% · +2 vs school
MaleMale: this school 78%, district 68%, state 42%78% · −0 vs school
FemaleFemale: this school 78%, district 71%, state 44%78% · +0 vs school
Students with DisabilitiesStudents with Disabilities: this school 38%, district 36%, state 15%38% · −39 vs school

8 of 13 student groups here are too small to report — a privacy protection, not a gap.

this school district, same group California, same group
Subgroup growth by grade

Change in proficiency from the lowest tested grade — which groups gain ground the longer they stay. Groups with fewer than 10 tested students per grade are not shown.

Showing up, and staying in class

Chronic absenteeismChronic absenteeism: this school 7.1%, district 9.1%, state 17.9%7.1% · −10.8pp vs state
Suspension rateSuspension rate: this school 0.1%, district —, state 1.6%0.1% · −1.5pp vs state

TK/K students miss school at roughly one and a half times the rate of Grades 4–6 students (7.5% vs 4.5%). Chronic absence here concentrates in the earliest grades — worth asking how the school works with new families on attendance.

Chronic absenteeism by grade band
Grades 4–64.5%
TK/K7.5%

The people teaching here

Context — never part of the Scope Score
Student : teacherStudent to teacher ratio: this school 24:1, district 24:124:1
Teaching staff31 teachers
Avg. experience13.5 years
Fully credentialed98%
Salary Schedule
Teacher salary schedule$53,148 – $140,311
Principal salary$182,840 – $0
Superintendent salary$273,654

Pay is set by the district, not the school.

What gets spent here

Per-pupil spendingPer-pupil spending: $18,868, CA average $14,815$18,868 · spent at this school
Federal share$358 per student

$358 per student arrives as federal Title funding — a measure of concentrated need, not school quality.

District current expense · FY 2024–25$19,974 per student

The district's current expense of education per student, from CDE's annual SACS filing — the freshest district spending figure the state publishes.

Where the district's dollars go · FY 2024–25 · CDE SACS
Instruction66%
Instruction support10%
Student services7%
Administration6%
Buildings & maintenance11%

District-level, from the district's own SACS general-ledger filing — school-by-school breakdowns aren't published by the state.

district detail, 2016–2020 — the newest published
2020$14,332 per pupil
2019$12,451 per pupil
2018$12,838 per pupil
2017$11,877 per pupil
2016$11,340 per pupil

Source: NCES F-33 · Full district breakdown →

The neighborhood it serves

White74.2%
District 63.3% · CA 19.9%
Other11.3%
District 12.2% · CA 9.0%
Hispanic10.0%
District 21.2% · CA 56.1%
Asian3.3%
District 2.8% · CA 10.2%
Black1.1%
District 0.4% · CA 4.8%
Low IncomeFree/reduced lunch eligible 6.5% (57pp below CA avg)
Neighborhood — American Community Survey
Median income$164K · CA $85K
Median home value$1.37M · CA $659K
Bachelor's degree+66% · CA 35%
ZIP population44,739
Median age44 years

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2024) · ZIP-level

Worth Knowing

On the state's science test (CAST), 62% met or exceeded the standard — science is tested in grades 5 and 8 but never enters the Scope Score.

Frequently asked questions

Is Olivenhain Pioneer Elementary a good elementary school?

Olivenhain Pioneer Elementary has a Scope Score of 78 out of 100, placing it in the 97th percentile of California elementary schools and ranked #188 statewide. 56.5% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is 35.2 percentage points above the California average of 21.3%. The Scope Score weights 6 dimensions for elementary schools: exceeded standard (38%), grade 3-to-5 growth (27%), met or exceeded (proficient) (20%), chronic absenteeism (5%), suspension rate (5%), and ELPAC English Learner proficiency (5%). Data source: California Department of Education CAASPP 2025, analyzed by SchoolScope.

What are Olivenhain Pioneer Elementary's CAASPP test scores?

On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 79.0% of students at Olivenhain Pioneer Elementary met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 56.5% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 22.5% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 56.5% 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. 434 student-subject combinations were assessed.

How does Olivenhain Pioneer Elementary rank in California?

Olivenhain Pioneer Elementary ranks #188 among California elementary schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 97th 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 Olivenhain Pioneer Elementary getting better or worse?

Based on 2025 CAASPP data, proficiency at Olivenhain Pioneer Elementary decreases by 2.3 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 Olivenhain Pioneer Elementary?

7.1% of students at Olivenhain Pioneer Elementary are chronically absent (missing 10% or more of school days), which is better than the California average of 17.9%. The suspension rate is 0.1%, 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 Olivenhain Pioneer Elementary compare to other schools in Carlsbad?

Olivenhain Pioneer Elementary scores 78/100 (97th 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 520 students. Use the schools in Carlsbad page or the map view to compare all elementary schools nearby.

How does Olivenhain Pioneer Elementary serve low-income and underrepresented students?

At Olivenhain Pioneer Elementary in Carlsbad, 82.2% of white students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 78.2% district-wide and 61.8% statewide. Olivenhain Pioneer Elementary outperforms its district average for white students by 4.0 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: White students (77.5% Math proficient); Disabilities students (40.7% ELA proficient). Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 236 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.

Your other options

All schools in Carlsbad →

Private alternatives nearby

Private schools within ~10 miles. These schools do not participate in state testing and cannot be scored or ranked.

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 · 38%
56.5%
↑ vs CA 21.3% · 84th pctile
Growth (G3→G5) · 27%
-2.3pp
↑ vs CA -2.9pp · 60th pctile
Met or exceeded · 20%
79.0%
↑ vs CA 42.7% · 78th pctile
Chronic absenteeism · 5%
7.1%
↑ vs CA 17.9% · 68th pctile
Suspension rate · 5%
0.1%
↑ vs CA 1.6% · 63th pctile
02By grade & subgroupCAASPP 2024–25 · % of tested students
ELATestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 36560%18%15%6%78%+35
Grade 46754%30%12%4%84%+39
Grade 58555%28%11%6%84%+36
Grade 68234%40%18%7%74%+28
MathTestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 36558%22%14%6%80%+34
Grade 46860%18%13%9%78%+36
Grade 58451%19%20%10%70%+35
Grade 68254%23%16%7%77%+42
Science (CAST)TestedEXCMETNEARNOT
Grade 5/8/118538%25%35%2%

CAST is tested in grades 5, 8, and once in high school — not annually. Not part of the Scope Score.

Subgroup · ELATestedMET+vs districtvs CA
White23682.2%+4+20
Students with Disabilities2740.7%+4+24
03Peer comparison · nearest elementary schoolssorted by Scope Score
SchoolDistScopeEXCMET+GrowthSusp
Olivenhain Pioneer Elementary ←—7856.5%79.0%−2.30.1%
El Camino Creek Elementary1.8 mi7753.4%87.5%−9.00.1%
La Costa Heights Elementary1.3 mi7446.5%74.4%+3.60.1%
La Costa Meadows Elementary2.8 mi6943.4%71.4%−2.50.2%
California average—4521.3%42.7%−2.91.6%
04More measurescontext · not all part of the Scope Score
YearScopePctileRankExcMet+AbsentSuspGrowth
20198097#16847.7%77.8%5.6%0.2%+15.3pp
20226994#34945.6%75.8%11.1%0.0%+3.4pp
20237394#33149.2%80.1%11.9%0.0%-4.3pp
20247595#29351.8%79.9%9.4%0.1%-1.7pp
20257897#18856.5%79.0%7.1%0.1%-2.3pp
NO STATEWIDE TESTING 2020–21 (COVID) · SCORE AND PERCENTILE ARE RELATIVE TO EACH YEAR'S FIELD
05Climate by student groupchronic absenteeism · 2019 vs 2025 — the two years CDE publishes at subgroup level
Group20192025Δ
Female5.7%4.7%-1.0pp
Male5.3%8.0%+2.7pp
Asian5.0%5.9%+0.9pp
Hispanic/Latino5.1%7.5%+2.4pp
Two or More Races7.9%4.0%-3.9pp
Students with Disabilities7.4%9.7%+2.3pp
Socioeconomically Disadvantaged13.8%21.4%+7.6pp
All Students5.5%6.4%+0.9pp
EXC = exceeded standard · MET+ = met or exceeded ("proficient") · Source: CA Dept. of Education · CAASPP 2024–25 · n=5,744 elementary schools · Vintages: climate subgroups 2019+2025 · district finance per its label · ACS 2022 · Data updated 2026-07-03methodology · data updates · CSV · report issue

SchoolScope scores and verdicts are our interpretation of public California Department of Education data — independent analysis, not an official rating. How we analyze · Request a correction

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