Pacifica · San Mateo County

Schools in Pacifica

Pacifica’s 5 public elementary schools run from the 33rd to the 83rd percentile among the 5,726 California elementary schools we score (spring 2026 tests). They sit in three of the four bands: Strong, Solid and Developing.

Elementary · 5 schools

from 33rd to 83rd · among 5,726 California elementary schools we score · spring 2026 tests

  • Vallemar Elementary: 83rd percentile, Strong
  • Ortega Elementary: 74th percentile, Solid
  • Cabrillo Elementary: 70th percentile, Solid
  • Sunset Ridge Elementary: 67th percentile, Solid
  • Ocean Shore Elementary: 33rd percentile, Developing
0Needs Support
1Developing
3Solid
1Strong

One dot per school.

Middle and high school pictures

Middle · 2 schools

from 64th to 77th · among 2,529 California middle schools we score · spring 2026 tests

  • Cabrillo Elementary: 77th percentile, Strong
  • Ingrid B. Lacy Middle: 64th percentile, Solid
0Needs Support
0Developing
1Solid
1Strong

High · 2 schools

from 69th to 76th · among 1,498 California high schools we score · spring 2025 tests

  • Oceana High: 76th percentile, Strong
  • Terra Nova High: 69th percentile, Solid
0Needs Support
0Developing
1Solid
1Strong

One dot per school. Each stage is placed only among California schools at its own level. 1 of the 8 ranked schools teaches two levels, so it appears in more than one picture.

Schools around Pacifica

8 listed public schools with mapped locations.

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Percentile among California schools at the same level

  • Strong75th+
  • Solid50–74th
  • Developing25–49th
  • Needs Supportbelow 25th
  • Not scored

The school lists on this page are also available without the map.

Elementary schools

Which elementary schools in Pacifica score highest?

Vallemar Elementary is highest, at the 83rd percentile.

That’s higher than 83 in 100 of the 5,726 California elementary schools we score (spring 2026 tests).

Highest in Pacifica

Each percentile compares a school with California schools at its own level.

Show the other 2 elementary schools
Context

The average Pacifica elementary school had 11 in 100 students chronically absent (missed 10% or more of school days) in 2025–26; the average California elementary school we score had 17 in 100. Both are averages of school rates, each school counted once.

Middle schools

Which middle schools in Pacifica score highest?

Cabrillo Elementary is highest, at the 77th percentile.

That’s higher than 77 in 100 of the 2,529 California middle schools we score (spring 2026 tests).

Highest in Pacifica

Each percentile compares a school with California schools at its own level.

High schools

Which high schools in Pacifica score highest?

Oceana High is highest, at the 76th percentile.

That’s higher than 76 in 100 of the 1,498 California high schools we score (spring 2025 tests).

Highest in Pacifica

Each percentile compares a school with California schools at its own level.

  • Oceana HighJefferson Union High · Check how it admits students.
    76thStrongScope Score 66
  • Terra Nova HighJefferson Union High
    69thSolidScope Score 63

4 private schools have a Pacifica address. They don’t take California’s state tests, so we don’t score them. See them in the private-school directory →

Which places nearby can you look at next?

School districts

More places (3)

ZIP codes

Before kindergarten

Common questions

Which public schools in Pacifica rank highest?

Elementary: Vallemar Elementary, 83rd percentile (Strong). Middle: Cabrillo Elementary, 77th percentile (Strong). High: Oceana High, 76th percentile (Strong). Each percentile is among the California schools at the same level we score. A rank doesn’t decide fit or whether a child can enroll.

Does living in Pacifica decide which school my child attends?

No. A city can hold schools from more than one district, and attendance boundaries decide which school serves an address. Confirm the school for your address with the district.
More questions (3)

Are the public schools in Pacifica good?

Pacifica’s 5 public elementary schools run from the 33rd to the 83rd percentile among the 5,726 California elementary schools we score (spring 2026 tests). By band: 1 Strong, 3 Solid and 1 Developing. Pacifica’s 2 public middle schools run from the 64th to the 77th percentile among the 2,529 California middle schools we score (spring 2026 tests). By band: 1 Strong and 1 Solid. Pacifica’s 2 public high schools run from the 69th to the 76th percentile among the 1,498 California high schools we score (spring 2025 tests). By band: 1 Strong and 1 Solid. A percentile compares a school with California public schools at the same level that we score. How we score schools.

How does chronic absence in Pacifica compare with California?

The average Pacifica elementary school had 11 in 100 students chronically absent (missed 10% or more of school days) in 2025–26; the average California elementary school we score had 17 in 100. Both are averages of school rates, each school counted once. These are averages of school rates: each school counts once, whatever its size.

Where do these results come from?

California’s state tests (CAASPP): spring 2026 for elementary and middle schools, spring 2025 for high schools, and chronic-absence rates for 2025–26, published by the California Department of Education. Percentiles, bands and Scope Scores are SchoolScope’s calculations. How we score schools.

Sources and methodology

This page lists the public schools with a Pacifica address, which can belong to more than one school district.

Data source: California Department of Education · CAASPP 2025–26 elementary and middle school; 2024–25 high school

Percentiles, bands and Scope Scores are SchoolScope’s own calculations from these state files.

View CDE data ↗ (opens in a new tab)How Scope Scores work →

Download these schools (CSV)Free to use under CC BY 4.0 with attribution.