School district · San Diego County

Poway Unified schools

Of Poway Unified’s 26 public elementary schools, 21 sit between the 76th and the 97th percentile among the 5,726 California elementary schools we score (spring 2026 tests).

Elementary · 26 schools

from 55th to 99th · among 5,726 California elementary schools we score · spring 2026 tests

0Needs Support
0Developing
2Solid
24Strong

Each column counts the schools in one five-percentile step; the number above it is that count.

Middle and high school pictures

Middle · 7 schools

from 70th to 99th · among 2,529 California middle schools we score · spring 2026 tests

  • Design 39 Campus: 99th percentile, Strong
  • Mesa Verde Middle: 97th percentile, Strong
  • Oak Valley Middle: 93rd percentile, Strong
  • Bernardo Heights Middle: 88th percentile, Strong
  • Black Mountain Middle: 82nd percentile, Strong
  • Meadowbrook Middle: 75th percentile, Strong
  • Twin Peaks Middle: 70th percentile, Solid
0Needs Support
0Developing
1Solid
6Strong

High · 6 schools

from 74th to 97th · among 1,498 California high schools we score · spring 2025 tests

  • Del Norte High: 97th percentile, Strong
  • Westview High: 97th percentile, Strong
  • Rancho Bernardo High: 87th percentile, Strong
  • Mt. Carmel High: 84th percentile, Strong
  • Poway High: 81st percentile, Strong
  • Poway to Palomar Middle College High: 74th percentile, Solid
0Needs Support
0Developing
1Solid
5Strong

Each column counts the schools in one five-percentile step; the number above it is that count. One dot per school. Each stage is placed only among California schools at its own level. 1 of the 38 ranked schools teaches two levels, so it appears in more than one picture.

  • 38 ranked schools

Schools around Poway Unified

38 listed public schools with mapped locations.

Open full map →

Loading school locations…

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 Poway Unified score highest?

Three schools are at the 99th percentile.

That’s higher than 99 in 100 of the 5,726 California elementary schools we score (spring 2026 tests).

Highest in Poway Unified

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

  • Adobe Bluffs ElementarySan Diego · High ceiling · Broad base · Grade-to-grade gains
    99thStrongScope Score 88
  • Willow Grove ElementarySan Diego · High ceiling · Broad base · Grade-to-grade gains
    99thStrongScope Score 87
  • Design 39 CampusSan Diego · High ceiling · Broad base · Grade-to-grade gains
    99thStrongScope Score 86
Show the other 23 elementary schools
Context

The average elementary school in Poway Unified had 5 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 Poway Unified score highest?

Design 39 Campus is highest, at the 99th percentile.

That’s higher than 99 in 100 of the 2,529 California middle schools we score (spring 2026 tests).

Highest in Poway Unified

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

Show the other 4 middle schools
Context

The average middle school in Poway Unified had 7 in 100 students chronically absent in 2025–26; the average California middle school we score had 18 in 100.

High schools

Which high schools in Poway Unified score highest?

Del Norte High and Westview High are highest, both at the 97th percentile.

That’s higher than 97 in 100 of the 1,498 California high schools we score (spring 2025 tests).

Highest in Poway Unified

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

Show the other 3 high schools
Context

The average high school in Poway Unified had 9 in 100 students chronically absent in 2025–26; the average California high school we score had 22 in 100.

The district

Where does Poway Unified’s money go, and what does it plan?

Poway Unified spent $15,880 per student in the 2024–25 school year.

The typical California district spent $20,491. About 65 cents of every Poway Unified dollar went to classroom instruction.

Spending by function

Day-to-day spending per student in average daily attendance, from the district’s annual financial report (SACS) to the California Department of Education. District-wide: it includes central administration and costs never assigned to one campus.

Share by function, 2024–25

  • Instruction65%
  • Instruction support12%
  • Student services8%
  • Administration5%
  • Buildings & maintenance9%
  • Other1%

Shares of the same spending total, by the report’s spending categories, rounded so they add up to 100. Names are simplified from the report’s own categories.

What the district plans

$32.2 million

planned in its 2026–27 plan for 27 funded actions in 3 goals. That’s 5% of its $586.2 million general fund budget. These are planned amounts; the district reports what it spent in a later plan.

The plan in short

Source: the district’s yearly spending plan (Local Control and Accountability Plan, or LCAP, 157 pages), as posted to the California School Dashboard.

Where the money goes

Three actions take 38% of the money. The plan itself puts 90% of it toward staff.

  • Increased Counseling Support Elementary $4.9 million
  • Intervention Counselors Secondary $4.1 million
  • STEAM Participation $3.3 million
  • 24 other actions
Reading, math and catch-up help

9 of the plan’s 27 funded actions name reading, math, catch-up help or English learners in their titles.

Actions whose titles name catch-up help or English learners
  • Catch-up help $9.5 million
  • English learners $2.1 million

An action naming two of these appears under both.

Largest of these

  • Intervention Counselors Secondary$4.1 million
  • Intervention Support Secondary$2.3 million
  • Elementary Intervention Support and Planning$1.6 million
For high-need students (English learners, low-income students and foster youth), what changed and what its goals measure
For high-need students

It plans $23.4 million in extra services for English learners, low-income students and foster youth. For 2025–26, it planned $23.2 million and estimates it spent $22.7 million, $0.5 million (3%) less than planned (our arithmetic).

What changed

The total is $593,636 (2%) lower than in the 2025–26 plan. The biggest change in dollars is Increased Counseling Support Elementary, which went from $5.8 million to $4.9 million.

Largest cuts

  • Increased Counseling Support Elementary−⁠$890,833
  • Expanded Learning Structures−⁠$637,428
  • Elementary Intervention Support and Planning−⁠$409,763

Largest increases

  • Intervention Counselors Secondary+⁠$663,308
  • English Language Development+⁠$375,378
  • Co-Teaching and Inclusive Practices Support Secondary+⁠$341,903
What its goals measure

Read these state results for the district’s own schools as context for the goals they measure; results alone can’t show what the plan caused.

What its goals measure: state results, 2024–25 and 2025–26
Measure2024–252025–26Change
English, every tested grade: Proficient or Advanced in 2025–26, met or exceeded in 2024–25Goal 274%74%no change
Math, every tested grade: Proficient or Advanced in 2025–26, met or exceeded in 2024–25Goal 266%66%no change
Suspended at least onceGoal 1 · Safe and Inclusive Learning Environments1.2%1.2%no change

Goal 3 isn’t shown because it tracks other measures.

Figures from CDE’s state test, chronic absence and suspension files. Test figures cover every grade the district tests (California tests grades 3–8 and 11), so they differ from a profile’s rated grades. We combined the district’s schools ourselves, weighted by students and leaving out charter schools. Chronically absent means a student missed 10% or more of school days.

The plan’s own titles and amounts
  • Increased Counseling Support Elementary · $4,937,282
  • Intervention Counselors Secondary · $4,098,563
  • STEAM Participation · $3,306,403
The full plan3 goals, 39 measures and where the money goes

We calculate each action’s share of the plan by dividing its planned amount by the total of the plan’s funded actions ($32.2 million).

Where does the money go?

57% to Goal 1, Safe and Inclusive Learning Environments. Each box is one action, sized by its planned dollars and coloured by its change since last year’s plan. Tap a box to open its goal.

G1
G2

Change since the 2025–26 plan, same title

  • fell 25% or more
  • fell 10–25%
  • fell 2–10%
  • within 2%
  • grew 2–10%
  • grew 10–25%
  • grew 25% or more
  • new or renamed title
  • not compared: unconfirmed, or repeated across goals

Every goal, in the plan’s order

Goal 1Safe and Inclusive Learning Environments$18.3 million57% of action budgets

“Engage students and staff with social emotional wellness supports in order to create safe, positive and healthy learning environments that demonstrate value for the individual; and advance each and every student toward their greatest potential” p. 19 ↗

10 funded actions · 2025–26 plan: $18.2 million (+⁠$82,579)

Largest funded actions

  1. Increased Counseling Support Elementary$4.9 millionaction 1.6 · p. 112 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services
  2. Intervention Counselors Secondary$4.1 millionaction 1.1 · p. 112 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services
  3. STEAM Participation$3.3 millionaction 1.10 · p. 113 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services · of which $1.6 million is state funding counted toward those services
  4. Campus Supervisors Middle School$2.6 millionaction 1.8 · p. 113 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services
  5. Mending Matters Social Worker Secondary$1.2 millionaction 1.2 · p. 112 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services

5 more funded actions in this goal

  • Multi-Tiered Systems of Supports (MTSS) Teams: · action 1.4 · p. 112 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services · of which $712,206 is state funding counted toward those services$1.1 million
  • Inclusive Practices and MTSS Support K-12 · action 1.5 · p. 112 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services$0.3 million
  • Families Experiencing Homeless Support · action 1.9 · p. 113 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services$0.3 million
  • Chronic Absenteeism Action Plan · action 1.7 · p. 112 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services$0.3 million
  • Caring Connections Counseling · action 1.3 · p. 112 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services$0.2 million

Changes from last year’s plan, same title

  1. Increased Counseling Support Elementary−⁠$0.9 million$5.8 million → $4.9 million · p. 112 ↗
  2. Intervention Counselors Secondary+⁠$0.7 million$3.4 million → $4.1 million · p. 112 ↗
  3. Inclusive Practices and MTSS Support K-12+⁠$122,655$170,278 → $292,933 · p. 112 ↗

Every other line in this goal, against last year’s plan

  • STEAM Participation · $3.2 million → $3.3 million · p. 113 ↗+⁠$0.1 million
  • Campus Supervisors Middle School · $2.5 million → $2.6 million · p. 113 ↗+⁠$0.1 million
  • Mending Matters Social Worker Secondary · $1.1 million → $1.2 million · p. 112 ↗+⁠$0.1 million
  • Multi-Tiered Systems of Supports (MTSS) Teams: · $1.0 million → $1.1 million · p. 112 ↗+⁠$0.1 million
  • Families Experiencing Homeless Support · $298,644 → $288,262 · p. 113 ↗−⁠$10,382
  • Chronic Absenteeism Action Plan · $320,275 → $258,099 · p. 112 ↗−⁠$62,176
  • Caring Connections Counseling · $337,205 → $219,099 · p. 112 ↗−⁠$118,106

How the plan measures it · 11 measures

None of these has an all-students line we can quote; the plan’s table lists them from p. 19 ↗.

Goal 2Improving Systems, Structures and Programs that Lead to Increased Student Achievement and Learning…$13.8 million43% of action budgets

“Improving Systems, Structures and Programs that Lead to Increased Student Achievement and Learning Opportunities for All: Create equitable learning pathways to increase student success by leveraging inclusive practices, personalized learning and rigorous standards-based thinking opportunities to prepare students to thrive in college, career and life. Align opportunities for staff professional learning to accomplish this goal. LCFF Priorities: 1.Basic, 2.Implementation of Standards, 4.Pupil Achievement, 5.Pupil Engagement, 7.Course Access, 8. Pupil Outcomes” p. 39 ↗

15 funded actions · 2025–26 plan: $14.5 million (−⁠$716,671)

Largest funded actions

  1. Career Technical Education Pathways$3.1 millionaction 2.14 · p. 115 ↗
  2. Intervention Support Secondary$2.3 millionaction 2.1 · p. 113 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services · of which $717,455 is state funding counted toward those services
  3. Co-Teaching and Inclusive Practices Support Secondary$1.7 millionaction 2.2 · p. 113 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services · of which $1.3 million is state funding counted toward those services
  4. Expanded Learning Structures$1.6 millionaction 2.13 · p. 115 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services · of which $1.2 million is state funding counted toward those services
  5. Elementary Intervention Support and Planning$1.6 millionaction 2.3 · p. 114 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services · of which $832,753 is state funding counted toward those services

10 more funded actions in this goal

  • English Language Development · action 2.10 · p. 114 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services$1.3 million
  • Support for Long-Term English Learners · action 2.6 · p. 114 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services · of which $376,916 is state funding counted toward those services$0.5 million
  • Advancement Via Individual Determination AVID · action 2.8 · p. 114 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services · of which $426,874 is state funding counted toward those services$0.5 million
  • Professional Learning Leaders Elementary · action 2.5 · p. 114 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services$0.3 million
  • Least Restrictive Environment · action 2.15 · p. 115 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services$0.3 million
  • Site Intervention Support for English Learners · action 2.7 · p. 114 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services$0.2 million
  • Bilingual Parent Liaisons · action 2.12 · p. 114 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services$0.2 million
  • Advancement Via Individual Determination AVID Excel Middle School · action 2.9 · p. 114 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services · of which $106,718 is state funding counted toward those services$0.1 million
  • Family Learning Center · action 2.11 · p. 114 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services · of which $32,067 is state funding counted toward those services$0.1 million
  • Equity and Inclusion Plan · action 2.4 · p. 114 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need servicesunder $0.1 million

Changes from last year’s plan, same title

  1. Expanded Learning Structures−⁠$0.6 million$2.3 million → $1.6 million · p. 115 ↗
  2. Elementary Intervention Support and Planning−⁠$0.4 million$2.0 million → $1.6 million · p. 114 ↗
  3. English Language Development+⁠$0.4 million$0.9 million → $1.3 million · p. 114 ↗

Every other line in this goal, against last year’s plan

  • Career Technical Education Pathways · $3.0 million → $3.1 million · p. 115 ↗+⁠$0.1 million
  • Intervention Support Secondary · $2.6 million → $2.3 million · p. 113 ↗−⁠$0.3 million
  • Co-Teaching and Inclusive Practices Support Secondary · $1.4 million → $1.7 million · p. 113 ↗+⁠$0.3 million
  • Support for Long-Term English Learners · $492,636 → $475,116 · p. 114 ↗−⁠$17,520
  • Advancement Via Individual Determination AVID · $470,175 → $467,376 · p. 114 ↗−⁠$2,799
  • Professional Learning Leaders Elementary · $306,631 → $311,620 · p. 114 ↗+⁠$4,989
  • Least Restrictive Environment · $170,278 → $266,485 · p. 115 ↗+⁠$96,207
  • Site Intervention Support for English Learners · $186,080 → $187,200 · p. 114 ↗+⁠$1,120
  • Bilingual Parent Liaisons · $195,707 → $156,444 · p. 114 ↗−⁠$39,263
  • Advancement Via Individual Determination AVID Excel Middle School · $117,543 → $116,844 · p. 114 ↗−⁠$699
  • Family Learning Center · $274,436 → $101,249 · p. 114 ↗−⁠$173,187
  • Equity and Inclusion Plan · $6,000 → $6,000 · p. 114 ↗unchanged

How the plan measures it · 22 measures

None of these has an all-students line we can quote; the plan’s table lists them from p. 39 ↗.

Goal 3Foster and Maintain Positive Relationships with Parents and Community: Increase engagement of parents…$156,918under 1% of action budgets

“Foster and Maintain Positive Relationships with Parents and Community: Increase engagement of parents, business, and community partners to foster shared responsibility and accountability in order to deliver personalized, rich, and rigorous learning experiences. LCFF Priority 3.Parent Involvement” p. 70 ↗

2 funded actions · 2025–26 plan: $116,462 (+⁠$40,456)

Largest funded actions

  1. Parent Engagement$106,918action 3.4 · p. 115 ↗
  2. Two-Way Communication$50,000action 3.1 · p. 115 ↗

Changes from last year’s plan, same title

  1. Parent Engagement−⁠$9,044$115,962 → $106,918 · p. 115 ↗

Every other line in this goal, against last year’s plan

  • Two-Way Communication · $50,000 · p. 115 ↗new or renamed

A reworded title counts as new.

How the plan measures it · 6 measures

None of these has an all-students line we can quote; the plan’s table lists them from p. 70 ↗.

All amounts are planned. We read them from the PDF and added up each goal’s actions ourselves. Page links open the plan at that page.

Who goes to the district’s schools
Who attends

Student mix

2024–25 · October enrollment count, 34,405 students
1. White: 38%2. Asian: 26%3. Hispanic or Latino: 17%4. Two or more races: 12%5. Filipino: 6%6. Black or African American: 2%7. Pacific Islander: <1%8. American Indian or Alaska Native: <1%9. Not reported: <1%Student mix2024–25
  1. White38%
  2. Asian26%
  3. Hispanic or Latino17%
  4. Two or more races12%
  5. Filipino6%
  6. Black or African American2%
  7. Pacific Islander<1%
  8. American Indian or Alaska Native<1%
  9. Not reported<1%
Shares use the district's own October enrollment counts from the CDE, including its charter schools. Rounded labels may not total 100%; segments use the original shares.

Free or reduced-price meals

16%

Across California, 63% of students qualify.

2024–25 · 5,320 of 34,259 students qualify, summed from the CDE’s meal counts for every school it lists under the district, charters included. It comes from a different CDE file than the student mix, so the two totals differ.

The district’s state records

Is the state giving the district extra help?

The state is giving Poway Unified extra help in 2026, the second year after it qualified on the 2025 Dashboard.

How English learners moved up on the state’s English test

From spring 2025 to spring 2026, 58% of the district’s English learners moved up at least one level on the state’s English test (ELPAC), or stayed at the top (793 of 1,364 students). California: 47%. It counts students moving up the test’s levels, so a student can count here before becoming fluent.

2 schools getting state support, 2025–26

Abraxas Continuation High (Most intensive support, graduation rate) · Deer Canyon Elementary (Targeted support)

This list covers the district’s own schools; each charter school’s page shows its record. Federal designation under the Every Student Succeeds Act, 2025–26.

Sources: District help (CDE) ↗ · English learner progress (CDE) ↗ · School support (CDE) ↗. State results from the 2026 California School Dashboard.

Which places nearby can you look at next?

Cities in the district

More places (4)

Districts nearby

Common questions

Which public schools in Poway Unified rank highest?

Elementary: 3 schools at the 99th percentile (Strong): Adobe Bluffs Elementary, Willow Grove Elementary and Design 39 Campus. Middle: Design 39 Campus, 99th percentile (Strong). High: 2 schools at the 97th percentile (Strong): Del Norte High and Westview High. 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 the Poway Unified district decide which school my child attends?

Not by itself. Attendance boundaries, programs, transfers and space all matter. Confirm the school for your address, grade and program with the district.
More questions (5)

Are the public schools in Poway Unified good?

Poway Unified’s 26 public elementary schools run from the 55th to the 99th percentile among the 5,726 California elementary schools we score (spring 2026 tests). By band: 24 Strong and 2 Solid. Poway Unified’s 7 public middle schools run from the 70th to the 99th percentile among the 2,529 California middle schools we score (spring 2026 tests). By band: 6 Strong and 1 Solid. Poway Unified’s 6 public high schools run from the 74th to the 97th percentile among the 1,498 California high schools we score (spring 2025 tests). By band: 5 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 Poway Unified compare with California?

The average elementary school in Poway Unified had 5 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. The average middle school in Poway Unified had 7 in 100 students chronically absent in 2025–26; the average California middle school we score had 18 in 100. The average high school in Poway Unified had 9 in 100 students chronically absent in 2025–26; the average California high school we score had 22 in 100. These are averages of school rates: each school counts once, whatever its size.

How much does Poway Unified spend per student?

Poway Unified spent $15,880 per student in the 2024–25 school year. The typical California district spent $20,491. About 65 cents of every Poway Unified dollar went to classroom instruction. Day-to-day spending per student in average daily attendance, from its annual financial report to the California Department of Education. The district’s spending, by function.

What is in Poway Unified’s 2026–27 spending plan?

The district’s 2026–27 spending plan puts $32.2 million into 27 funded actions in 3 goals, 5% of its $586.2 million general fund budget. Its largest goal holds $18.3 million, 57% of the action budgets. The 2026–27 plan, goal by goal.

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 governed and funded by Poway Unified, with the district’s spending and state accountability records.

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.