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Pacific Sky · San Diego

Pacific Sky: High scores, real growth, strong attendance. We looked for a catch — we didn't find one.

Pacific Sky posts 50.3% 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.

2023–2025 trend · CDE CAASPP
This schoolCA avg
Scope7945
% Exceeded50%21%
% Met+80%43%
Growth+5.8-2.9
Absence4.8%17.9%
Suspension0.4%1.6%
Scope Score
79
⭐ High Ceiling · Strong
ranked #162 statewide · #5 of 9 in Del Mar Union Elementary

Pacific Sky scores 79 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.

Most rating sites would stop at “80% proficient” and call it done. Pacific Sky 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.

Pacific Sky's low-income kids hit 66.7% proficiency in ELA — a number the same group reaches at 38.2% statewide. If you're trying to read past zip-code-driven test scores, that's the signal worth weighing.

The seven-year arc

Percentile among 5,744 elementary schools statewide

Has held the 97th-percentile line every tested year since 2023.

CA Dashboard
ELAGreen(Increased Significantly)MathYellow(Declined Significantly)
ELA — % met or exceeded, by grade
Grade202320242025
Grade 383%63%75%
Grade 483%80%74%
Grade 589%82%88%
Grade 695%78%84%
Math — % met or exceeded, by grade
Grade202320242025
Grade 380%73%83%
Grade 482%74%77%
Grade 579%76%81%
Grade 685%89%80%

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.

56%
19%
25%
Grade 3 · 75% proficient
36%
38%
26%
Grade 4 · 74% proficient
62%
27%
11%
Grade 5 · 89% proficient

The honest read: the share exceeding rises 5.8pp across grades; the floor rises 13.5pp. The state average rises 4.5pp over the same span. Kids here gain ground the longer they stay — the pattern you want to see. A school visit and conversation with teachers will tell you more than this number.

The 6 things our score weighs

Exceeded standard
50.3%
State 21.3%
29.0pp above state avg
Growth (G3→G5)
+5.8pp
State -2.9pp
Scores improve across grades
Met or exceeded
79.6%
State 42.7%
37.0pp above state avg
Chronic absenteeism
4.8%
State 17.9%
13.1pp below state avg
Suspension rate
0.4%
State 1.6%
1.2pp below state avg
EL proficiency (ELPAC)
43.6%
State 18.0%
25.6pp above 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 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 Pacific Sky in San Diego, 66.7% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 64.7% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Pacific Sky outperforms its district average for low-income students by 2.0 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (60.0% Math proficient); Asian students (90.7% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 13.8 percentage points for low-income students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 15 students tested.

All students at this school: 81% met or exceeded
All StudentsAll Students: this school 81%, district —, state 43%81%
MaleMale: this school 83%, district 82%, state 42%83% · +2 vs school
AsianAsian: this school 89%, district 90%, state 72%89% · +9 vs school
FemaleFemale: this school 78%, district 83%, state 44%78% · −3 vs school
WhiteWhite: this school 76%, district 81%, state 56%76% · −5 vs school
Socioeconomically DisadvantagedSocioeconomically Disadvantaged: this school 63%, district 66%, state 32%63% · −17 vs school

9 of 15 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 4.8%, district 7.7%, state 17.9%4.8% · −13.1pp vs state
Suspension rateSuspension rate: this school 0.4%, district —, state 1.6%0.4% · −1.2pp vs state
Chronic absenteeism by grade band
Grades 4–64.8%
TK/K0.0%

The people teaching here

Context — never part of the Scope Score
Student : teacherStudent to teacher ratio: this school 22:1, district 20:122:1
Teaching staff18 teachers
Avg. experience16.9 years
Salary Schedule
Teacher salary schedule$68,098 – $132,885
Principal salary$172,289 – $0
Superintendent salary$319,804

Pay is set by the district, not the school.

What gets spent here

Per-pupil spendingPer-pupil spending: $20,800, CA average $14,815$20,800 · spent at this school
Federal share$507 per student

$507 per student arrives as federal Title funding — a measure of concentrated need, not school quality.

District current expense · FY 2024–25$23,271 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
Instruction63%
Instruction support11%
Student services6%
Administration8%
Buildings & maintenance10%
Other1%

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$18,866 per pupil
2019$17,046 per pupil
2018$15,584 per pupil
2017$14,474 per pupil
2016$14,090 per pupil

Source: NCES F-33 · Full district breakdown →

The neighborhood it serves

Asian48.1%
District 36.4% · CA 10.2%
White28.8%
District 40.6% · CA 19.9%
Other13.9%
District 11.8% · CA 9.0%
Hispanic8.4%
District 10.3% · CA 56.1%
Black0.8%
District 0.8% · CA 4.8%
Low IncomeFree/reduced lunch eligible 11.1% (53pp below CA avg)
Neighborhood — American Community Survey
Median income$206K · CA $85K
Median home value$1.75M · CA $659K
Bachelor's degree+82% · CA 35%
ZIP population60,768
Median age40 years

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

Worth Knowing

On the state's science test (CAST), 78% met or exceeded the standard — science is tested in grades 5 and 8 but never enters the Scope Score.

Frequently asked questions

Is Pacific Sky a good elementary school?

Pacific Sky has a Scope Score of 79 out of 100, placing it in the 97th percentile of California elementary schools and ranked #162 statewide. 50.3% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is 29.0 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 Pacific Sky's CAASPP test scores?

On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 79.6% of students at Pacific Sky met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 50.3% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 29.3% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 50.3% 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. 366 student-subject combinations were assessed.

How does Pacific Sky rank in California?

Pacific Sky ranks #162 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 Pacific Sky getting better or worse?

Based on 2025 CAASPP data, proficiency at Pacific Sky increases by 5.8 percentage points from Grade 3 to grade 5 growth. This upward trajectory suggests the school is adding measurable value — students leave with higher proficiency rates than they entered with. 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 Pacific Sky?

4.8% of students at Pacific Sky are chronically absent (missing 10% or more of school days), which is better than the California average of 17.9%. The suspension rate is 0.4%, 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 Pacific Sky compare to other schools in San Diego?

Pacific Sky scores 79/100 (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 368 students. Use the schools in San Diego page or the map view to compare all elementary schools nearby.

How does Pacific Sky serve low-income and underrepresented students?

At Pacific Sky in San Diego, 66.7% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 64.7% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Pacific Sky outperforms its district average for low-income students by 2.0 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (60.0% Math proficient); Asian students (90.7% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 13.8 percentage points for low-income students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 15 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

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%
50.3%
↑ vs CA 21.3% · 78th pctile
Growth (G3→G5) · 27%
+5.8pp
↑ vs CA -2.9pp · 69th pctile
Met or exceeded · 20%
79.6%
↑ vs CA 42.7% · 78th pctile
Chronic absenteeism · 5%
4.8%
↑ vs CA 17.9% · 71th pctile
Suspension rate · 5%
0.4%
↑ vs CA 1.6% · 60th pctile
EL proficiency (ELPAC) · 5%
43.6%
↑ vs CA 18.0% · 85th pctile
02By grade & subgroupCAASPP 2024–25 · % of tested students
ELATestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 35256%19%21%4%75%+32
Grade 45336%38%9%17%74%+29
Grade 57862%27%8%4%88%+41
Grade 65155%29%8%8%84%+38
MathTestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 35250%33%10%8%83%+37
Grade 45336%42%13%9%77%+36
Grade 57863%18%10%9%81%+45
Grade 65165%16%12%8%80%+45
Science (CAST)TestedEXCMETNEARNOT
Grade 5/8/117844%35%19%3%

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
Socioeconomically Disadvantaged1566.7%+2+28
Asian11890.7%+3+16
White6376.2%−4+14
03Peer comparison · nearest elementary schoolssorted by Scope Score
SchoolDistScopeEXCMET+GrowthSusp
Pacific Sky ←7950.3%79.6%+5.80.4%
Sage Canyon3.2 mi9366.0%85.3%+11.30.7%
Solana Ranch Elementary1.1 mi8865.8%82.2%−6.10.3%
Solana Santa Fe Elementary2.5 mi8463.6%85.7%−11.00.1%
California average4521.3%42.7%−2.91.6%
04More measurescontext · not all part of the Scope Score
YearScopePctileRankExcMet+AbsentSuspGrowth
20238699#5759.6%82.5%8.1%0.0%+2.6pp
20248298#10453.9%74.5%6.5%0.4%+10.7pp
20257997#16250.3%79.6%4.8%0.4%+5.8pp
05Climate by student groupchronic absenteeism · 2019 vs 2025 — the two years CDE publishes at subgroup level
Group20192025Δ
Female3.9%
Male3.5%
Asian2.7%
Hispanic/Latino6.5%
Two or More Races0.0%
Students with Disabilities2.7%
English Learners2.0%
Socioeconomically Disadvantaged6.7%
All Students3.7%
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