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Del Mar Elementary

Q: Is Del Mar Elementary a good school?

Del Mar Elementary ranks 3048 th of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-5

3048^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,857 California Elementary Schools

Better than 48% of California elementary schools

Summary

Del Mar Elementary is a public K-5 school serving 322 students in Santa Cruz's Live Oak neighborhood, part of the Live Oak Elementary district, which has recently seen a decline in its statewide academic ranking to the 48th percentile.

Academically, the school's performance is mixed: while math scores are close to the state average, English and particularly science proficiency are lower. A significant concern is a dramatic drop in performance in 5th grade across all subjects, which is more severe than at neighboring schools like Green Acres Elementary or Live Oak Elementary. Compared to schools in other nearby districts, such as Main Street Elementary (Soquel Union) or De Laveaga Elementary (Santa Cruz City), Del Mar generally ranks lower.

Despite having the highest per-student spending in its immediate district, these resources have not yet translated into higher overall achievement. On a positive note, the school has made excellent progress in reducing chronic student absenteeism. The school's performance also varies considerably for different student groups from year to year, and it is outperformed within its own district by the charter school, Tierra Pacifica Charter, which spends less per student.

322

Students ?

23.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$21,045

Per pupil spending ?

62.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1959 Merrill St.
Santa Cruz, CA 95062-4102

(831) 477-2063

District: Live Oak Elementary

Students who attend Del Mar Elementary usually attend:

Middle:

Shoreline Middle

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

58.7%

White:

33.9%

Two or more races:

2.8%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Del Mar Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Recently slipping — 72nd percentile in 2017 → 48th in 2025

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped from its 72nd-percentile peak (2017) to 48th (2025)

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

!Science scores 10 pts below the California average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school37%

District avg42%

California avg41%

3,048^th of 5,857

California public elementary schools ?

Bottom 48%▲ up 11 pts since 2015

From bottom 37% (2015) to bottom 48% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd of 4Elementary Schools in the Live Oak Elementary

543^rd of 1,543Live Oak Elementary among California districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	42.3	3048 of 5857	48.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	51.3	2494 of 5869	57.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	55.0	2279 of 5859	61.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	48.9	2586 of 5883	56.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	55.3	2293 of 5789	60.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	63.3	1895 of 5662	66.5%	★★★☆☆
2017	69.0	1617 of 5692	71.6%	★★★★☆
2016	50.6	2464 of 5614	56.1%	★★★☆☆
2015	32.1	3542 of 5611	36.9%	★★☆☆☆
2013	34.9	3686 of 5530	33.3%	★★☆☆☆
2012	33.6	3693 of 5390	31.5%	★★☆☆☆
2011	35.3	3591 of 5377	33.2%	★★☆☆☆
2010	42.6	3013 of 5314	43.3%	★★☆☆☆
2009	38.2	3160 of 5193	39.1%	★★☆☆☆
2008	22.4	4163 of 5113	18.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	30.9	3501 of 5113	31.5%	★★☆☆☆
2006	35.3	2983 of 4818	38.1%	★★☆☆☆
2005	53.7	2017 of 4822	58.2%	★★★☆☆
2004	38.1	2745 of 4809	42.9%	★★☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	44.2	952 of 2227	57.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	39.9	1300 of 2585	49.7%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	50.3	1161 of 3162	63.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	50.9	1145 of 3245	64.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	34.7	2221 of 3311	32.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	57.7	904 of 3275	72.4%	★★★★☆
2018	57.8	938 of 3246	71.1%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	36.8	3320 of 5597	40.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	55.9	2133 of 5612	62.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	42.8	2826 of 5609	49.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	37.6	3150 of 5635	44.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	50.5	2462 of 5492	55.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	58.2	2070 of 5413	61.8%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	40.3	2998 of 5107	41.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	48.6	2367 of 5107	53.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	39.8	2917 of 5087	42.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	31.9	3538 of 5084	30.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	52.0	2156 of 4963	56.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	61.0	1571 of 4830	67.5%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	39.3	3243 of 5460	40.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	44.1	2806 of 5517	49.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	47.0	2567 of 5363	52.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	37.1	3248 of 5264	38.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	64.2	1503 of 5173	70.9%	★★★★☆
2018	64.7	1465 of 5084	71.2%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	46.4	2708 of 5628	51.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	45.1	2752 of 5643	51.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	66.7	1656 of 5638	70.6%	★★★★☆
2022	58.7	2020 of 5663	64.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	58.1	2031 of 5510	63.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	65.6	1684 of 5431	69.0%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	50.5	1047 of 2847	63.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	51.7	924 of 2635	64.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	58.6	683 of 2420	71.8%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	31.3	1907 of 2598	26.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	64.5	979 of 2651	63.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	64.8	968 of 2661	63.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	68.1	873 of 2726	68.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	53.2	1450 of 2834	48.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	60.3	1190 of 2737	56.5%	★★★☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

English Language Learner (2024)63rd percentile+6 vs school

Special Education (2025)63rd percentile+15 vs school

Disabled (2022)57th percentile~ school

Male (2025)52nd percentile+4 vs school

Hispanic (2025)41st percentile-7 vs school

Female (2025)41st percentile-7 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)41st percentile-7 vs school

White (2025)27th percentile-21 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy40%-8 vs state

Mathematics38%~ state avg

Science22%-10 vs state

★

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Schools Near Del Mar Elementary

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Immunizations Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				CAST Science (2025)			Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy (2025)							Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2025)							% Completely Immunized (2022)	% Polio (2022)	% Hepatitis B (2022)	% Varicella (2022)	% DTP (2022)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	CAST Science 5th Grade	CAST Science 8th Grade	CAST Science All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 3rd Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 4th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 5th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 6th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 7th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 8th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 3rd Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 4th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 5th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 6th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 7th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 8th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics All Grades	% Completely Immunized KG	% Polio KG	% Hepatitis B KG	% Varicella KG	% DTP KG	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Del Mar Elementary	Public	K-5	1959 Merrill St.	Santa Cruz	95062	Santa Cruz County	Live Oak Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 477-2063	322	14	23.0	62.4%	109 (33.9%)	7 (2.2%)	189 (58.7%)	7 (2.2%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (2.8%)	42.3	3048^th of 5857 public elementary schools	48.0%		51.3	2494^th of 5869 public elementary schools	57.5%	554	22.2		22.2	43.8	46.9	31.5				40.4	52.1	51.0	13.0				37.8	95.8	95.8			97.2	$21,045	$1,565	$19,480
Live Oak Elementary	Public	K-5	1916 Capitola Rd.	Santa Cruz	95062	Santa Cruz County	Live Oak Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 475-2000	362	15	24.1	58.6%	90 (24.9%)	5 (1.4%)	252 (69.6%)	7 (1.9%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.7%)	35.7	3527^th of 5857 public elementary schools	39.8%		44.3	2909^th of 5869 public elementary schools	50.4%	618	27.9		27.9	33.3	37.3	51.2				39.1	27.1	27.9	37.2				29.8	93.9	96.3		96.3	95.1	$19,181	$1,390	$17,791
Tierra Pacifica Charter	Public, Charter	K-8	986 Bostwick Ln.	Santa Cruz	95062	Santa Cruz County	Live Oak Elementary	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 462-9404	166	9	17.5	28.9%	105 (63.3%)	3 (1.8%)	40 (24.1%)	4 (2.4%)	2 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (7.2%)	58	2171^st of 5857 public elementary schools	62.9%		71	1551^st of 5869 public elementary schools	73.6%	620	35.3	54.6	42.9	52.9	62.5	17.7	53.3	75.0	54.6	52.2	76.5	50.0	5.9	53.3	62.5	72.7	52.2						$13,628	$00	$13,628
Green Acres Elementary	Public	K-5	966 Bostwick Ln.	Santa Cruz	95062	Santa Cruz County	Live Oak Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 475-0111	262	12	21.8	54.2%	104 (39.7%)	7 (2.7%)	128 (48.9%)	10 (3.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (4.6%)	51.2	2538^th of 5857 public elementary schools	56.7%		56.4	2220^th of 5869 public elementary schools	62.2%	318	25.0		25.0	48.8	52.2	37.2				46.2	53.7	54.4	22.7				43.5	91.7	96.7	95.0		93.3	$21,740	$1,474	$20,266
Ocean Alternative Education Center	Public	K-8	984 Bostwick Ln. Ste. 6	Santa Cruz	95062	Santa Cruz County	Live Oak Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 475-0767	76	4	21.5	47.4%	40 (52.6%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (31.6%)	1 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (14.5%)								(n/a)			60.0							50.0							38.6						$22,434	$944	$21,490
Gault Elementary	Public	K-5	1320 Seabright Ave.	Santa Cruz	95062	Santa Cruz County	Santa Cruz City Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 429-3856	314	14	22.4	48.1%	100 (31.8%)	2 (0.6%)	192 (61.1%)	4 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (5.1%)	50.3	2573^rd of 5857 public elementary schools	56.1%		46.5	2764^th of 5869 public elementary schools	52.9%	191	32.8		32.8	45.5	53.7	44.3				47.1	50.9	41.5	24.6				38.2	97.0					$22,403	$3,402	$19,001
De Laveaga Elementary	Public	K-5	1145 Morrissey Blvd.	Santa Cruz	95065	Santa Cruz County	Santa Cruz City Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 429-3807	481	20	23.5	27.7%	221 (45.9%)	6 (1.2%)	200 (41.6%)	19 (4.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	34 (7.1%)	66.6	1761^st of 5857 public elementary schools	69.9%		70.8	1559^th of 5869 public elementary schools	73.4%	202	42.0		42.0	50.0	56.0	62.5				55.9	51.7	50.7	39.5				47.4	96.6	96.6			96.6	$16,889	$1,887	$15,002
Santa Cruz City Elementary Alternative Education-Monarch	Public	K-5	840 North Branciforte Ave.	Santa Cruz	95062	Santa Cruz County	Santa Cruz City Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 429-3898	114	5	22.8	27.2%	63 (55.3%)	1 (0.9%)	26 (22.8%)	3 (2.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (18.4%)	77.2	1270^th of 5857 public elementary schools	78.3%		75.1	1365^th of 5869 public elementary schools	76.7%	95	71.4		71.4	57.9	68.0	76.2				67.7	36.8	60.0	42.9				47.7						$23,997	$2,508	$21,489
Soquel Elementary	Public	K-5	2700 Porter St.	Soquel	95073	Santa Cruz County	Soquel Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 464-5655	337	15	22.0	40.1%	132 (39.2%)	6 (1.8%)	160 (47.5%)	14 (4.2%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.6%)	22 (6.5%)	49.7	2611^th of 5857 public elementary schools	55.4%		56.5	2208^th of 5869 public elementary schools	62.4%	403	40.0		40.0	42.6	40.0	49.1				44.0	40.8	39.2	34.6				38.1	91.1	96.4	96.4		96.4	$13,999	$1,422	$12,577
Main Street Elementary	Public	K-5	3400 North Main St.	Soquel	95073	Santa Cruz County	Soquel Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 464-5650	383	17	23.2	24.8%	234 (61.1%)	3 (0.8%)	105 (27.4%)	8 (2.1%)	2 (0.5%)	2 (0.5%)	29 (7.6%)	66	1788^th of 5857 public elementary schools	69.5%		77.7	1260^th of 5869 public elementary schools	78.5%	528	44.1		44.1	47.2	52.9	60.3				53.4	48.6	50.7	46.3				48.6	95.5	97.0	95.5		97.0	$13,121	$946	$12,175

Frequently Asked Questions about Del Mar Elementary

How many students attend Del Mar Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 322 students attended Del Mar Elementary.

Is Del Mar Elementary a good school?

Del Mar Elementary ranks 3048^th of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Del Mar Elementary?

Students at Del Mar Elementary are 59% Hispanic, 34% White, 3% Two or more races, 2% African American, 2% Asian.

What district is Del Mar Elementary in?

Live Oak Elementary

What schools do graduates of Del Mar Elementary attend?

Students who attend Del Mar Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Shoreline Middle

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the California Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.