Tierra Bonita Elementary: More than half of kids exceed the standard. But the zoned next school scores lower.
Tierra Bonita holds its own. Scores drop at the schools it feeds into. Ask where its graduates actually enrol, and whether families stay on the zoned path.
| Scope | % Exceeded | % Met+ | Growth | Absence | Suspension | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 68 | 52% | 78% | +4.6 | 6.2% | 0.4% |
| CA average · Elementary School | 45 | 21% | 43% | -2.9 | 17.9% | 1.6% |
Tierra Bonita Elementary scores 68 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 90th 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 →
💪 Strong All-Around — Ask about what we don't score — class size, electives, the feel of a classroom — strong numbers everywhere on paper don't mean every classroom feels the same.
Most rating sites would stop at “78% proficient” and call it done. Tierra Bonita deserves a closer read. It sits at the 90th percentile of 5,744 California elementary schools — but the ranking is the least interesting thing on this page.
The headline number: 52.3% of students scored in the top band on the state test. The California average is 21.3%.
The seven-year arc
Has held the 90th-percentile line every tested year since 2019.
The pandemic drop is behind this school: 78% of students meet the standard today, above the 67% who did in 2019.
| Grade | 2019 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 3 | 66% | 80% | 88% | 71% | 69% |
| Grade 4 | 60% | 75% | 67% | 81% | 82% |
| Grade 5 | 71% | 81% | 69% | 77% | 75% |
| Grade | 2019 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 3 | 73% | 80% | 88% | 86% | 78% |
| Grade 4 | 59% | 63% | 78% | 79% | 83% |
| Grade 5 | 70% | 69% | 71% | 73% | 80% |
The story this school is actually telling
of students scored in the top band on the state test. The California average is 21.3%.
the zoned path continues to Twin Peaks Middle, which scores 21 points lower — a school visit will tell you more than this number.
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 rises 5.2pp across grades; the floor rises 6.3pp. 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
Ask which schools families here actually choose next — the zoned path is only the default.
- Ask which schools families here actually choose next — the zoned path is only the default.
- 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 Tierra Bonita Elementary in Poway, 81.1% of white students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 72.4% district-wide and 61.8% statewide. Tierra Bonita Elementary outperforms its district average for white students by 8.7 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: White students (86.0% Math proficient); Hispanic students (57.1% ELA proficient). Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 122 students tested.
8 of 15 student groups here are too small to report — a privacy protection, not a gap.
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
TK/K students miss school at roughly three times the rate of Grades 4–6 students (13.2% vs 3.0%). Chronic absence here concentrates in the earliest grades — worth asking how the school works with new families on attendance.
Where the path goes
The zoned path continues to Twin Peaks Middle, which scores 21 points lower than this school — worth weighing alongside everything above. Families here often look at charter or magnet options for middle school.
Feeder patterns derived from NCES attendance boundary data. Boundaries are approximate and may have changed — verify with your school district for current assignments.
The people teaching here
Pay is set by the district, not the school.
What gets spent here
$320 per student arrives as federal Title funding — a measure of concentrated need, not school quality.
The district's current expense of education per student, from CDE's annual SACS filing — the freshest district spending figure the state publishes.
District-level, from the district's own SACS general-ledger filing — school-by-school breakdowns aren't published by the state.
Source: NCES F-33 · Full district breakdown →
The neighborhood it serves
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2024) · ZIP-level
Transitional kindergarten is offered here — confirmed by actual Census Day enrollment, not just the listed grade span.
On the state's science test (CAST), 77% met or exceeded the standard — science is tested in grades 5 and 8 but never enters the Scope Score.
Frequently asked questions
Is Tierra Bonita Elementary a good elementary school?
What are Tierra Bonita Elementary's CAASPP test scores?
How does Tierra Bonita Elementary rank in California?
Is Tierra Bonita Elementary getting better or worse?
What is the attendance and school culture like at Tierra Bonita Elementary?
How does Tierra Bonita Elementary compare to other schools in Poway?
How does Tierra Bonita Elementary serve low-income and underrepresented students?
Your other options
Nearby Elementary Schools
3 within ~3 mi · avg 60
Nearby Middle Schools
2 within ~3 mi · avg 47
Private alternatives nearby
Private schools within ~10 miles. These schools do not participate in state testing and cannot be scored or ranked.
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 | 67 | 45% | 24% | 25% | 6% | 69% | +25 |
| Grade 4 | 79 | 51% | 32% | 13% | 5% | 82% | +37 |
| Grade 5 | 52 | 50% | 25% | 10% | 15% | 75% | +27 |
| Math | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT | MET+ | +/CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 3 | 67 | 51% | 27% | 12% | 10% | 78% | +32 |
| Grade 4 | 80 | 59% | 24% | 14% | 4% | 83% | +41 |
| Grade 5 | 51 | 59% | 22% | 10% | 10% | 80% | +45 |
| Science (CAST) | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 5/8/11 | 52 | 48% | 29% | 23% | 0% |
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 | 122 | 81.1% | +9 | +19 |
| Hispanic/Latino | 35 | 57.1% | +1 | +18 |
| Two or More Races | 23 | 69.6% | −5 | +8 |
| School | Dist | Scope | EXC | MET+ | Growth | Susp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tierra Bonita Elementary ← | — | 68 | 52.3% | 77.7% | +4.6 | 0.4% |
| Painted Rock Elementary | 2.6 mi | 62 | 41.0% | 69.4% | −1.3 | 0.1% |
| Midland Elementary | 1.2 mi | 59 | 37.5% | 61.8% | +1.6 | 1.5% |
| Pomerado Elementary | 2.6 mi | 59 | 35.3% | 59.2% | −14.5 | 1.2% |
| California average | — | 45 | 21.3% | 42.7% | −2.9 | 1.6% |
| Year | Scope | Pctile | Rank | Exc | Met+ | Absent | Susp | Growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 65 | 86 | #777 | 40.2% | 66.6% | 4.9% | 0.6% | +0.9pp |
| 2022 | 61 | 88 | #666 | 39.1% | 74.7% | 16.4% | 0.5% | -5.0pp |
| 2023 | 61 | 85 | #848 | 50.5% | 76.7% | 16.4% | 0.5% | -18.2pp |
| 2024 | 71 | 93 | #423 | 48.7% | 77.8% | 7.1% | 1.0% | -3.5pp |
| 2025 | 68 | 90 | #554 | 52.3% | 77.7% | 6.2% | 0.4% | +4.6pp |
| Group | 2019 | 2025 | Δ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Female | 3.9% | 7.1% | +3.2pp |
| Male | 5.7% | 3.9% | -1.8pp |
| Asian | 0.0% | 0.0% | +0.0pp |
| Hispanic/Latino | 15.9% | 12.7% | -3.2pp |
| Two or More Races | 2.6% | 0.0% | -2.6pp |
| Students with Disabilities | 8.7% | 2.8% | -5.9pp |
| English Learners | 4.7% | 14.3% | +9.6pp |
| Socioeconomically Disadvantaged | 9.9% | 21.2% | +11.3pp |
| All Students | 4.8% | 5.3% | +0.5pp |
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