Vallemar Elementary: English learners reach fluency faster than the state rate. But math slips between grade 3 and grade 5.
Vallemar has real strengths and one number that complicates them. Most rating sites show you one or the other. Both belong on the same page.
| Scope | % Exceeded | % Met+ | Growth | Absence | Suspension | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 60 | 36% | 65% | -3.4 | 9.4% | 1.0% |
| CA average · Elementary School | 45 | 21% | 43% | -2.9 | 17.9% | 1.6% |
Vallemar Elementary scores 60 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 82nd 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 →
🏫 Solid Base — Ask what the school does for a kid who's already meeting the standard with room to spare — steady proficiency across the board doesn't tell you whether the strongest kids are being pushed further.
Most rating sites would stop at “65% proficient” and call it done. Vallemar deserves a closer read. It sits at the 82nd percentile of 5,744 California elementary schools — but the ranking is the least interesting thing on this page.
The headline number: 71.4% of English learners reached the top ELPAC level, versus 18.0% statewide.
The seven-year arc
Slipped from the 91st to the 82nd percentile since 2019.
This school hasn't fully recovered from the pandemic: 65% meet the standard today, versus 69% in 2019 — a gap worth asking about on a visit.
| Grade | 2019 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 3 | 54% | 53% | 63% | 65% | 57% |
| Grade 4 | 69% | 39% | 47% | 57% | 70% |
| Grade 5 | 71% | 54% | 53% | 56% | 70% |
| Grade 6 | 76% | 65% | 58% | 48% | 48% |
| Grade 7 | 67% | 78% | 67% | 62% | 56% |
| Grade 8 | 74% | 45% | 69% | 68% | 60% |
| Grade | 2019 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 3 | 71% | 55% | 72% | 76% | 71% |
| Grade 4 | 83% | 64% | 61% | 75% | 72% |
| Grade 5 | 66% | 60% | 57% | 52% | 51% |
| Grade 6 | 66% | 61% | 70% | 19% | 41% |
| Grade 7 | 65% | 70% | 59% | 66% | 48% |
| Grade 8 | 69% | 28% | 60% | 56% | 63% |
The story this school is actually telling
of English learners reached the top ELPAC level, versus 18.0% statewide.
math proficiency runs 71% in grade 3 against 51% in grade 5, while reading holds (57% to 70%). 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 5.9pp across grades; the floor rises 12.9pp. 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 6 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.
- 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 Vallemar Elementary in Pacifica, 67.7% of white students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 58.5% district-wide and 61.8% statewide. Vallemar Elementary outperforms its district average for white students by 9.2 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: White students (72.9% Math proficient); Hispanic students (53.4% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 4.2 percentage points for hispanic students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 96 students tested.
7 of 14 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
Grades 7–8 students miss school at roughly twice the rate of TK/K students (17.5% vs 8.0%). Chronic absence here concentrates in the upper grades.
Where the path goes
The path below is estimated from nearby schools in the same district — 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.
The people teaching here
What gets spent here
$569 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), 55% met or exceeded the standard — science is tested in grades 5 and 8 but never enters the Scope Score.
Frequently asked questions
Is Vallemar Elementary a good elementary school?
What are Vallemar Elementary's CAASPP test scores?
How does Vallemar Elementary rank in California?
Is Vallemar Elementary getting better or worse?
What is the attendance and school culture like at Vallemar Elementary?
How does Vallemar Elementary compare to other schools in Pacifica?
How does Vallemar Elementary serve low-income and underrepresented students?
Your other options
Nearby Elementary Schools
3 within ~3 mi · avg 62
Nearby Middle Schools
2 within ~3 mi · avg 48
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 | 58 | 38% | 19% | 16% | 28% | 57% | +14 |
| Grade 4 | 67 | 39% | 31% | 16% | 13% | 70% | +25 |
| Grade 5 | 53 | 32% | 38% | 15% | 15% | 70% | +22 |
| Grade 6 | 44 | 18% | 30% | 27% | 25% | 48% | +1 |
| Grade 7 | 27 | 19% | 37% | 33% | 11% | 56% | +8 |
| Grade 8 | 48 | 19% | 42% | 23% | 17% | 60% | +14 |
| Math | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT | MET+ | +/CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 3 | 58 | 34% | 36% | 12% | 17% | 71% | +25 |
| Grade 4 | 67 | 48% | 24% | 22% | 6% | 72% | +30 |
| Grade 5 | 53 | 23% | 28% | 34% | 15% | 51% | +16 |
| Grade 6 | 44 | 20% | 20% | 32% | 27% | 41% | +6 |
| Grade 7 | 27 | 15% | 33% | 41% | 11% | 48% | +14 |
| Grade 8 | 48 | 40% | 23% | 19% | 19% | 63% | +30 |
| Science (CAST) | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 5/8/11 | 101 | 19% | 37% | 40% | 5% |
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 | 96 | 67.7% | +9 | +6 |
| Hispanic/Latino | 88 | 53.4% | +13 | +15 |
| Two or More Races | 27 | 70.4% | +7 | +9 |
| School | Dist | Scope | EXC | MET+ | Growth | Susp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vallemar Elementary ← | — | 60 | 35.6% | 65.0% | −3.4 | 1.0% |
| Monte Verde Elementary | 2.4 mi | 72 | 51.3% | 78.5% | −8.8 | 0.1% |
| Skyline Elementary | 2.8 mi | 60 | 33.1% | 57.5% | +7.4 | 1.3% |
| Ocean Shore Elementary | 2.6 mi | 55 | 23.1% | 61.8% | +17.9 | 0.9% |
| California average | — | 45 | 21.3% | 42.7% | −2.9 | 1.6% |
| Year | Scope | Pctile | Rank | Exc | Met+ | Absent | Susp | Growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 70 | 91 | #507 | 37.9% | 69.2% | 4.7% | 0.2% | +5.8pp |
| 2022 | 54 | 81 | #1083 | 28.5% | 53.8% | 21.3% | 0.0% | +3.0pp |
| 2023 | 48 | 69 | #1774 | 26.1% | 58.9% | 14.3% | 0.0% | -12.7pp |
| 2024 | 59 | 81 | #1110 | 35.7% | 63.6% | 10.1% | 1.0% | -16.5pp |
| 2025 | 60 | 82 | #1024 | 35.6% | 65.0% | 9.4% | 1.0% | -3.4pp |
- — Scored here as an elementary school — other grade spans appear in the data appendix.
| Group | 2019 | 2025 | Δ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Female | 3.9% | 8.3% | +4.4pp |
| Male | 5.2% | 9.0% | +3.8pp |
| Asian | 3.4% | 6.7% | +3.3pp |
| White | 8.7% | 0.0% | -8.7pp |
| Hispanic/Latino | 7.0% | 10.8% | +3.8pp |
| Two or More Races | 2.0% | 7.8% | +5.8pp |
| Students with Disabilities | 9.8% | 12.1% | +2.3pp |
| English Learners | 7.5% | 8.6% | +1.1pp |
| Socioeconomically Disadvantaged | 11.7% | 23.0% | +11.3pp |
| All Students | 4.6% | 8.7% | +4.1pp |
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