Pacific Springs Charter: Kids show up — absenteeism runs far below the state. But this year's 5th graders test below its 3rd graders.
Pacific Springs Charter has real strengths and one number that complicates them. Most rating sites show you one or the other. Both belong on the same page.
Pacific Springs Charter scores 38 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 38th 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 “27% proficient” and call it done. Pacific Springs Charter deserves a closer read. The school sits in Chula Vista, where more than half of students qualify for free or reduced lunch — and reading the numbers without that context misreads the school.
The headline number: 2.7% chronic absenteeism — versus 17.9% statewide. Attendance is the quietest strong signal a school can post.
As a charter, Pacific Springs Charter enrolls by application, not address — the score reads the same, the enrollment path doesn't.
The story this school is actually telling
chronic absenteeism — versus 17.9% statewide. Attendance is the quietest strong signal a school can post.
proficiency runs 29% in this year's grade 3 against 24% in its grade 5. The state average rises by +4.5pp over the same span.
The school, grade by grade
ELA · CAASPP 2024–25Different students, same year — each bar is one grade's proficiency mix.
The honest read: the share exceeding falls 6.9pp across grades; the floor slips 5.6pp. The state average rises 4.5pp over the same span. The school's 5th graders aren't posting a wider lead than its 3rd graders. One question worth asking on a tour: are the strongest students being pushed, or coasting? A school visit and conversation with teachers will tell you more than this number.
The 5 things our score weighs
Ask the principal what changes between grade 3 and grade 5. Ask who teaches the older grades, and what the school does when a child starts falling behind.
Where the path goes
The path below follows attendance boundaries — scores shown for each next step.
Estimated K-12 path based on district and proximity. Actual attendance zones may differ. Contact your school district for official feeder information.
Your other options
Nearby Elementary Schools
3 within ~3 mi · avg 70
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
Student demographics
3 more gaps by subject
Subgroups with fewer than 15 students are excluded for privacy. Gaps of less than 3 percentage points are not shown.
Weighted average across tested grades. Subgroups with fewer than 15 students excluded. Data: CDE CAASPP 2024-25.
Subgroup Growth by Grade
Low-income student ELA proficiency rises by 3.4pp from grade 3 to grade 5 at this school. District average: +4.3pp.
Subgroups with fewer than 10 tested students per grade are not shown.
Funding Breakdown
Neighborhood Context
Whole Child
Source: CDE SARC, 2024-25
Frequently asked questions
Is Pacific Springs Charter a good elementary school?
What are Pacific Springs Charter's CAASPP test scores?
How does Pacific Springs Charter rank in California?
Is Pacific Springs Charter getting better or worse?
What is the attendance and school culture like at Pacific Springs Charter?
How does Pacific Springs Charter compare to other schools in Chula Vista?
How does Pacific Springs Charter serve low-income and underrepresented students?
A low score doesn't tell the whole story. Read: Your School Scored Low — Here's What That Actually Means
For the data nerdsEvery number on this page
Score factors, grade-level breakdowns, subgroup proficiency, and peer comparisons.
Every number on this page
Score factors, grade-level breakdowns, subgroup proficiency, and peer comparisons.
| ELA | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT | MET+ | +/CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 3 | 60 | 17% | 18% | 23% | 42% | 35% | −8 |
| Grade 4 | 50 | 24% | 10% | 22% | 44% | 34% | −11 |
| Grade 5 | 51 | 10% | 20% | 22% | 49% | 29% | −18 |
| Grade 6 | 54 | 20% | 28% | 22% | 30% | 48% | +2 |
| Grade 7 | 35 | 14% | 51% | 29% | 6% | 66% | +18 |
| Grade 8 | 52 | 8% | 33% | 29% | 31% | 40% | −6 |
| Math | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT | MET+ | +/CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 3 | 60 | 5% | 18% | 33% | 43% | 23% | −22 |
| Grade 4 | 49 | 10% | 10% | 39% | 41% | 20% | −21 |
| Grade 5 | 51 | 8% | 10% | 29% | 53% | 18% | −18 |
| Grade 6 | 54 | 19% | 11% | 26% | 44% | 30% | −5 |
| Grade 7 | 35 | 6% | 14% | 49% | 31% | 20% | −14 |
| Grade 8 | 52 | 8% | 12% | 23% | 58% | 19% | −13 |
| Science (CAST) | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 5/8/11 | 103 | 4% | 12% | 71% | 14% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Socioeconomically Disadvantaged | 154 | 33.1% | +23 | −5 |
| Hispanic/Latino | 201 | 36.8% | +29 | −2 |
| Students with Disabilities | 37 | 16.2% | +9 | −1 |
| School | Dist | Scope | EXC | MET+ | Growth | Susp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pacific Springs Charter ← | — | 38 | 12.3% | 26.6% | −5.6 | 0.6% |
| Liberty Elementary | 1.1 mi | 73 | 42.2% | 69.7% | +2.8 | 0.9% |
| McMillin (Corky) Elementary | 1.9 mi | 68 | 41.0% | 64.8% | +12.3 | 0.5% |
| Salt Creek Elementary | 0.9 mi | 68 | 43.2% | 69.8% | +0.1 | 0.8% |
| California average | — | 45 | 21.3% | 42.7% | −2.9 | 1.6% |
- — Scored here as an elementary school — other grade spans appear in the data appendix.