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School Profile · San Diego

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

Sage Canyon posts 66.0% 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.

Scope Score
93
⭐ High Ceiling · Strong
ranked #9 statewide · #1 of 9 in Del Mar Union Elementary

Sage Canyon scores 93 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 99th 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 “85% proficient” and call it done. Sage Canyon deserves a closer read. It sits at the 99th percentile of 5,744 California elementary schools — but the ranking is the least interesting thing on this page.

The headline number: 66.0% of students scored in the top band on the state test. The California average is 21.3%.

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%
22%
22%
Grade 3 · 78% proficient
71%
12%
17%
Grade 4 · 83% proficient
70%
20%
10%
Grade 5 · 90% proficient

The honest read: the share exceeding rises 14.3pp across grades; the floor rises 12.5pp. 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
66.0%
State 21.3%
44.7pp above state avg
Growth (G3→G5)
+11.3pp
State -2.9pp
Scores improve across grades
Met or exceeded
85.3%
State 42.7%
42.6pp above state avg
Chronic absenteeism
5.8%
State 17.9%
12.1pp below state avg
Suspension rate
0.7%
State 1.6%
1.0pp below state avg
EL proficiency (ELPAC)
46.4%
State 18.0%
28.5pp 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 how teachers track each child's growth over the year, not just where the class lands on test day.
  • 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.

The community around it

Community Profile
Context — not part of the Scope Score

Student demographics

Hispanic9.8%
District 10.3% · CA 56.1%
White46.2%
District 40.6% · CA 19.9%
Asian33.3%
District 36.4% · CA 10.2%
Black0.2%
District 0.8% · CA 4.8%
Other10.5%
District 11.8% · CA 9.0%
Low IncomeFree/reduced lunch eligible 4.2% (60pp below CA avg)
Resources & Access
Enrollment
457
Near CA avg (~480)
Transitional Kindergarten
No TK reported, 2025-26
California requires the district to offer TK, but not every site has a room — ask the district which campuses do.
Student-Teacher Ratio
19:1
2 fewer students per teacher than CA avg · District avg: 19.8:1
Per-Pupil Spending
$22,183
District avg: $18,866 · CA avg: $14,815 · School-level · CDE ESSA
EL Proficiency (ELPAC)
46.4% Level 4
Share of English Learners reaching full proficiency
Teacher Salary Range
$68,098 – $132,885
District schedule · CA median ~$98K
At Sage Canyon in San Diego, 84.5% of white students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 79.9% district-wide and 61.8% statewide. Sage Canyon outperforms its district average for white students by 4.6 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: White students (85.5% Math proficient); Asian students (91.9% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 3.7 percentage points for white students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 129 students tested.
Equity Gaps
Absenteeism · Low-Income+11.6pp
17.4% vs 5.8% overall · n=23
Suspension · Low-Income+3.5pp
4.2% vs 0.7% overall · n=24
Math · White−3.7pp
84.0% vs 87.7% overall · n=131
2 more gaps by subject
ELA Exceeded · White−9.8pp
54.6% vs 64.5% overall · n=129
Math Exceeded · White−8.3pp
59.4% vs 67.8% overall · n=131

Subgroups with fewer than 15 students are excluded for privacy. Gaps of less than 3 percentage points are not shown.

Subgroup Proficiency
White131 tested
ELA 84.5%·Math 85.5%· +4.6pp vs district
Asian99 tested
ELA 91.9%·Math 97.0%· +3.9pp 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
Instruction 65%Support 29%Other 6%

Source: NCES F-33 (2019–2020) · Full district breakdown →

Neighborhood Context
Median Income
$206K
$121K above CA median
Median Home Value
$1.75M
$1.09M above CA median
Bachelor's+
82%
47pp 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
19.6 years avg experience
25 teachers
Teacher Credentials
100% 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 →

Frequently asked questions

Is Sage Canyon a good elementary school?
Sage Canyon has a Scope Score of 93 out of 100, placing it in the 99th percentile of California elementary schools and ranked #9 statewide. 66.0% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is 44.7 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 Sage Canyon's CAASPP test scores?
On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 85.3% of students at Sage Canyon met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 66.0% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 19.2% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 66.0% 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. 406 student-subject combinations were assessed.
How does Sage Canyon rank in California?
Sage Canyon ranks #9 among California elementary schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 99th 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 Sage Canyon getting better or worse?
Based on 2025 CAASPP data, proficiency at Sage Canyon increases by 11.3 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 Sage Canyon?
5.8% of students at Sage Canyon are chronically absent (missing 10% or more of school days), which is better than the California average of 17.9%. The suspension rate is 0.7%, 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 Sage Canyon compare to other schools in San Diego?
Sage Canyon scores 93/100 (99th 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 457 students. Use the schools in San Diego page or the map view to compare all elementary schools nearby.
How does Sage Canyon serve low-income and underrepresented students?
At Sage Canyon in San Diego, 84.5% of white students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 79.9% district-wide and 61.8% statewide. Sage Canyon outperforms its district average for white students by 4.6 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: White students (85.5% Math proficient); Asian students (91.9% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 3.7 percentage points for white students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 129 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%
66.0%
↑ vs CA 21.3% · 93th pctile
Growth (G3→G5) · 27%
+11.3pp
↑ vs CA -2.9pp · 81th pctile
Met or exceeded · 20%
85.3%
↑ vs CA 42.7% · 83th pctile
Chronic absenteeism · 5%
5.8%
↑ vs CA 17.9% · 70th pctile
Suspension rate · 5%
0.7%
↑ vs CA 1.6% · 58th pctile
EL proficiency (ELPAC) · 5%
46.4%
↑ vs CA 18.0% · 89th pctile
02By grade & subgroupCAASPP 2024–25 · % of tested students
ELATestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 35956%22%17%5%78%+35
Grade 45971%12%12%5%83%+38
Grade 58470%20%8%1%90%+43
Grade 67360%32%7%1%92%+45
MathTestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 36048%33%12%7%82%+36
Grade 46068%18%12%2%87%+45
Grade 58482%10%6%2%92%+56
Grade 67371%19%4%5%90%+55
Science (CAST)TestedEXCMETNEARNOT
Grade 5/8/118448%33%19%0%

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
White12984.5%+5+23
Asian9991.9%+4+18
03Peer comparison · nearest elementary schoolssorted by Scope Score
SchoolDistScopeEXCMET+GrowthSusp
Sage Canyon ←9366.0%85.3%+11.30.7%
Carmel Del Mar Elementary1.8 mi9266.8%87.5%+1.60.4%
Solana Ranch Elementary2.8 mi8865.8%82.2%−6.10.3%
Ocean Air0.6 mi8767.5%89.2%−6.50.1%
California average4521.3%42.7%−2.91.6%
04More measurescontext · not all part of the Scope Score
Scope Score history
85%93%'19'22'23'24'25
2019 · 2022 · 2023 · 2024 · 2025 · no testing 2020–21 (COVID) · rank #71 → #1 → #1 → #2 → #9
EXC = exceeded standard · MET+ = met or exceeded ("proficient") · Source: CA Dept. of Education · CAASPP 2024–25 · n=5,744 elementary schools · 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