Public school district · California

Pacifica.Many schools. Many different stories.

Compare elementary, middle, and high schools across Pacifica—and look beyond a single district average.

Change location →Compare schools →

6 schools mapped · Location contextOpen map →

Census district boundary

The K–12 path at a glance

Elementary5 schools

avg 46.8/1003 Strong, 1 Solid, +1 more

Middle1 school

avg 44.4/1001 Solid

Each level is scored on its own scale — elementary, middle, and high are never ranked against each other.

Stage 1 of 2

The elementary years

26 points separate Vallemar Elementary (56) from Sunset Ridge Elementary (30) — at this level, which school matters more than which district.

0100

Strong Solid Developing Needs Support district avg state avg

5 elementary schools span 26 points around an average of 46.8.

The strength

Vallemar Elementary (56/100) holds the Strong band — 35.6% of its students exceed the state standard, against a level average of 25.0%.

The catch

26 points separate the top and bottom elementary schools — the district average won't predict the school in front of you.

Vallemar Elementary

Solid Base

84th percentile · StrongScope Score 56/100

Ortega Elementary

Culture First

76th percentile · StrongScope Score 49/100

Ocean Shore Elementary

Culture First

75th percentile · StrongScope Score 49/100

All 5 elementary schools, ranked, in the appendix →

Stage 2 of 2

The middle years

One middle school: Ingrid B. Lacy Middle at 44/100 — the whole story at this level is one campus.

0100

One dot, one school — there is no spread to read at this level.

The strength

The level averages 44.4/100 — 5.9 points above the state average.

The catch

One campus is the whole sample — a single year's cohort moves every number in this chapter.

Ingrid B. Lacy Middle

Building Momentum

69th percentile · SolidScope Score 44/100

Middle school detail in the appendix →

What it means for your family

If you're choosing a neighborhood

Compare schools at your child’s level before deciding on an address. The strongest attendance-zone candidate is Vallemar Elementary at 56/100 — confirm the exact boundary with the district before the house.

If you already live here

No charters or magnets among the ranked schools here, so the main lever is an intra-district transfer — California districts run them on their own windows and criteria. If your zoned school sits low in the appendix below, ask the district office for this year's dates.

If your kid is enrolled now

A band is a position, not a prophecy — 1 campus here ranks as On the Rise, its returning cohorts gaining more than most schools statewide. Ask your school two questions: what happens for a kid who arrives behind, and what the classroom looks like for one who arrives ahead.

The strongest-scoring run through the district:

Vallemar Elementary 84th percentile · StrongScope Score 56/100Ingrid B. Lacy Middle 69th percentile · SolidScope Score 44/100

Top scorers at each level — not necessarily one zoned sequence. Confirm feeder patterns and enrollment zones with the district, and visit before you decide.

What this page can't see: whether a campus feels safe and glad at 8 a.m. If a path above looks workable, the next step is a visit.

Pacifica has 6 public schools in this SchoolScope results directory. Compare schools by their primary reporting level below.

2024–25 CAASPP reporting · SchoolScope analysis. Directory coverage, not a complete inventory of every campus. Each school appears at its primary reporting level; K–8 and K–12 campuses can serve additional grades. Sources and methodology →

One district, three stages

The average changes with the journey.

Elementary schools

Explore elementary →

State avg.
38.9

Lower reported resultsHigher reported results

5 comparable schools · average 46.8/100 · range 30.4–55.9

Middle schools

Explore middle →

State avg.
38.6

Lower reported resultsHigher reported results

1 comparable schools · average 44.4/100 · range 44.4–44.4

Explore Pacifica by place.

Districts nearby

District	Average score	Ranked schools	Top school	Distance
Pacificathis district	46.4 / 100	6	Vallemar Elementary	—
Jefferson Union High	61.8 / 100	5	Summit Public School: Shasta	2.2 mi
Millbrae Elementary	59.1 / 100	5	Green Hills Elementary	4.8 mi
San Mateo Union High	70.1 / 100	3	Burlingame High	6.1 mi
Burlingame Elementary	64.8 / 100	7	Franklin Elementary	6.9 mi
Hillsborough City Elementary	83.5 / 100	4	North Hillsborough	8.3 mi

Averages blend every school level in a district and carry no score band. Compare a level at a time in the spreads above, then open the schools. Distances run between school-location centers.

Cities served

Pacifica

City pages include schools from other districts too. Check the district named on each school profile.

Patterns across the district

What kinds of schools are here?

Culture First 2 Building Momentum 2 Solid Base 1 On the Rise 1

Patterns worth exploring.

Choose a pattern to find matching schools in the lists below. Open a profile to see the underlying measures and questions to ask on a visit.

How patterns are defined →

Archetypes describe reported patterns, not school quality or fit. Available measures differ by school level.

Schools in Pacifica

Browse by level, then compare the evidence behind each profile.

Map ↗

Find a school Pattern

Elementary schools in Pacifica · 5 schools

School	Exceeded	Score
Vallemar Elementary Pacifica Solid Base	35.6%	84th percentile · StrongScope Score 56/100
Ortega Elementary Pacifica Culture First	28.9%	76th percentile · StrongScope Score 49/100
Ocean Shore Elementary Pacifica Culture First	23.1%	75th percentile · StrongScope Score 49/100
Cabrillo Elementary Pacifica On the Rise	23.3%	75th percentile · SolidScope Score 49/100
Sunset Ridge Elementary Pacifica Building Momentum	13.9%	36th percentile · DevelopingScope Score 30/100

Middle schools in Pacifica · 1 schools

Compare	School	Exceeded	Score
	Ingrid B. Lacy Middle Pacifica Building Momentum	24.9%	69th percentile · SolidScope Score 44/100

Compare selected schools

Select two to four schools at the same level. Rankings and score bands compare each school with its own enrollment group.

District finance · FY 2024–25

Where the district's dollars go.

Pacifica spent $17,002 per student in FY 2024–25 — $3,490 less than the median California district ($20,491), about 17% lower. About 66 cents of every dollar goes to classroom instruction.

Current expense per student

Pacifica$17,002

Median California district$20,491

Current expense of education per unit of average daily attendance, from the district's annual SACS filing to the California Department of Education. District-wide: it includes central administration and costs never assigned to one campus. Spending is context, not a measure of school quality.

Share by function

Instruction66%
Instruction support12%
Student services4%
Administration9%
Buildings & maintenance10%

Shares of the same current-expense total, by SACS function. Names are simplified from the filing's own categories.

The system behind the schools

The people behind the classrooms — district-grain context that never enters a school's score.

People

District enrollment3,006 · students

Who attends

Hispanic 28.7% · White 37.3% · Black 3.3% · Asian 8.4% · Other 22.2%

Free/reduced lunch25% · economic need indicator

CDE enrollment (district averages)

See how the school years fit together.

Explore the next stage, then verify the schools available for your address.

Elementary5 listed schools →Middle1 listed school →

These are browsing links, not a feeder path. Assignments vary by residence, program, permits, and available space.

Looking beyond Pacifica?

Explore public, private, and early-learning options.

Public schools →Private schools →Preschools →

Know what you’re comparing.

Sources & reporting years

Find the underlying data and reporting years.

How patterns are defined

Understand each metric and pattern.

Data limitations

See what is missing and what the data cannot show.

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.

Source: CDE CAASPP 2025 · 6 schoolsMethodology · Download this data (CSV)

Free to download, CC BY 4.0 with attribution.

Frequently asked questions

How many schools are listed in Pacifica?

This SchoolScope directory lists 6 public schools in Pacifica with 2024–25 reporting records. This is directory coverage, not a complete campus inventory. Each school appears under its primary reporting level; a K–8 or K–12 campus may serve additional grades.

Which schools have the highest scores in Pacifica?

Among comprehensive public schools listed here, the highest Scope Score at each primary reporting level is: Elementary: Vallemar Elementary (56/100). Middle: Ingrid B. Lacy Middle (44/100). These are separate level rankings, not a single cross-level league table. A score does not establish fit or enrollment eligibility. See the methodology.

Can I compare elementary, middle, and high schools directly?

Compare schools at the same level and within the same enrollment group. Scope Score formulas and available measures differ by level. The plots show comprehensive public schools separately for each level; individual profiles explain their comparison group.

Does living in Pacifica guarantee a particular school?

A district outline does not establish assignment to an individual school. Attendance boundaries, programs, permits, and available space can affect enrollment. Confirm the requirements directly with the district.

What does a SchoolScope pattern mean?

Archetypes summarize patterns in publicly reported academic and school-climate measures. They describe reported results, not a school’s quality or a child’s fit. Open the school profile for reporting years, missing measures, and questions to ask. Read how the patterns are defined.

Where do these results come from?

The underlying public data comes from the California Department of Education, including CAASPP reporting for 2024–25. Scope Scores and archetypes are SchoolScope calculations, not official CDE ratings. View CDE data and SchoolScope’s methodology and limitations.

All California Schools Pacifica Schools

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