Elementary Schools in San Marcos, California: San Marcos students aren't just reaching proficiency — many go beyond it.
San Marcos, California has 11 ranked elementary schools with an average Scope Score of 49.6/100 — 10.7 points above the state average of 38.9. The highest-scoring school is Discovery Elementary at 72/100, where 54.4% of students exceed the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment. San Marcos schools average 29.7% exceeded standard (state: 21.4%) — this exceeded-vs-met distinction shows how many students go beyond the standard rather than only meeting it. Of 11 schools, 4 Growth Engines and 1 High Ceiling stand out for their performance profiles. Chronic absenteeism averages 13.0% (below the state average of 17.9%). Data source: California Department of Education CAASPP 2025, analyzed by SchoolScope.
Start with your child’s school level
The overview describes elementary schools. The lists below separate elementary, middle and high schools, so each school’s standing stays within its own comparison group. Open a profile to see the underlying results, student support and questions to ask on a visit.
Every school in San Marcos
ranked by Scope Score · 2024–25 CAASPP · levels never mixed
Elementary Schools (11)
| # | School | Exceeded | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Discovery Elementary San Marcos Unified | 54.4% | 95th percentile · StrongScope Score 72/100 |
| 2 | Double Peak San Marcos Unified | 46.6% | 94th percentile · StrongScope Score 70/100 |
| 3 | Paloma Elementary San Marcos Unified | 45.5% | 93rd percentile · StrongScope Score 69/100 |
| 4 | San Elijo Elementary San Marcos Unified | 42.2% | 87th percentile · StrongScope Score 59/100 |
| 5 | Knob Hill Elementary San Marcos Unified | 31.7% | 83rd percentile · StrongScope Score 55/100 |
| 6 | Richland Elementary San Marcos Unified | 38.5% | 77th percentile · StrongScope Score 51/100 |
| 7 | Twin Oaks Elementary San Marcos Unified | 19.1% | 68th percentile · SolidScope Score 44/100 |
| 8 | Baypoint Preparatory Academy - San Diego SBE - Baypoint Preparatory Academy San D | 20.0% | 58th percentile · SolidScope Score 39/100 |
| 9 | High Tech Elementary North County SBC - High Tech High | 11.2% | 45th percentile · DevelopingScope Score 34/100 |
| 10 | La Mirada Academy San Marcos Unified | 8.6% | 39th percentile · DevelopingScope Score 32/100 |
| 11 | San Marcos Elementary San Marcos Unified | 8.7% | 10th percentile · Needs SupportScope Score 20/100 |
Middle Schools (6)
| # | School | Exceeded | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | High Tech Middle North County SBC - High Tech High | 24.3% | 81st percentile · StrongScope Score 52/100 |
| 2 | San Elijo Middle San Marcos Unified | 29.0% | 74th percentile · SolidScope Score 48/100 |
| 3 | Woodland Park Middle San Marcos Unified | 19.7% | 50th percentile · SolidScope Score 36/100 |
| 4 | Pivot Charter School - San Diego II San Marcos Unified | 8.0% | 45th percentile · DevelopingScope Score 34/100 |
| 5 | San Marcos Middle San Marcos Unified | 15.3% | 38th percentile · DevelopingScope Score 31/100 |
| 6 | San Diego Mission Academy Warner Unified alternative school | 7.2% | 35th percentile · DevelopingWithin its own school classScope Score 20/100 |
High Schools (5)
| # | School | Exceeded | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mission Hills High San Marcos Unified | 18.1% | 72nd percentile · SolidScope Score 61/100 |
| 2 | San Marcos High San Marcos Unified | 18.1% | 70th percentile · SolidScope Score 60/100 |
| 3 | High Tech High North County SBC - High Tech High | 33.3% | 65th percentile · SolidScope Score 58/100 |
| 4 | Twin Oaks High San Marcos Unified continuation high school | 0.7% | 99th percentile · StrongWithin its own school classScope Score 44/100 |
| 5 | Foothills High San Marcos Unified | 8.8% | 18th percentile · Needs SupportScope Score 42/100 |
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Data source: California Department of Education · CAASPP 2024-25 · Methodology
Scores are SchoolScope's analysis of public data, not official CDE ratings. They represent one way of interpreting test results and should not be the sole basis for school decisions.
Elementary school archetypes in San Marcos
Hidden gems: 6 schools in San Marcos are classified as Growth Engine (4) or On the Rise (2) — showing positive growth trajectories that raw proficiency scores alone don't capture. These are schools where students leave with more than they arrived with.
Archetypes are data-driven labels based on Scope Score dimensions. Learn more
Private Schools in San Marcos
Private schools don't participate in California's standardized testing (CAASPP) and cannot be scored or ranked. Showing enrollment, student-teacher ratio, and affiliation where available.
Numbers tell you whether students are clearing the bar. A school visit tells you whether they're happy doing it. These metrics are intentionally missing from the Scope Score: class sizes and student-teacher interaction quality; arts, music, athletics, and enrichment programs; teacher experience and turnover; campus safety and social-emotional support; parent and community engagement; quality of special education and gifted programs; how school zones and enrollment boundaries affect access. Full methodology