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Branch Elementary

Public Grades K-6

414^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,857 California Elementary Schools

Better than 93% of California elementary schools

Summary

Branch Elementary is a public elementary school located in Arroyo Grande, California, serving 254 students in grades K-6. As part of the Lucia Mar Unified School District, Branch Elementary consistently outperforms the district and the state of California in academic assessments, making it a standout school in the region.

Branch Elementary's academic performance is particularly impressive, with 80.6% of students proficient or better in English Language Arts and 72.93% proficient or better in Mathematics, far exceeding the district and state averages. The school's strong performance extends to Science as well, with 76.47% of students scoring proficient or better. This high level of achievement is seen across different student groups, including male, female, Hispanic, and White students, as well as those from low socioeconomic backgrounds.

Compared to nearby schools in the Lucia Mar Unified School District, Branch Elementary stands out as a top performer, outpacing schools like Shell Beach Elementary, Dana Elementary, and Nipomo Elementary. The school's low student-teacher ratio of 21 students per teacher and efficient use of resources, as evidenced by its increasing per-student spending, may contribute to its academic success.

261

Students ?

20.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$17,773

Per pupil spending ?

35.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

970 School Rd.
Arroyo Grande, CA 93420-6109

(805) 474-3720

District: Lucia Mar Unified

Students who attend Branch Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Paulding Middle
High:	Arroyo Grande High
	Central Coast New Technical High

Racial breakdown:

White:

59.4%

Hispanic:

28.4%

Two or more races:

11.5%

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At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 84th percentile in 2013 → 93rd in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the California average (77% vs 41% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 7% of California elementary schools

✓Ranking is trending up — up 9 percentile points since 2013

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school77%

District avg45%

California avg41%

414^th of 5,857

California public elementary schools ?

Top 7%▲ up 9 pts since 2015

From top 16% (2015) to top 7% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 11Elementary Schools in the Lucia Mar Unified

582^nd of 1,543Lucia Mar Unified 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	93.8	414 of 5857	92.9%	★★★★★
2024	90.5	671 of 5869	88.6%	★★★★☆
2023	89.1	761 of 5859	87.0%	★★★★☆
2022	77.0	1324 of 5883	77.5%	★★★★☆
2019	75.9	1347 of 5789	76.7%	★★★★☆
2018	81.6	1044 of 5662	81.6%	★★★★☆
2017	75.4	1319 of 5692	76.8%	★★★★☆
2016	79.5	1151 of 5614	79.5%	★★★★☆
2015	84.4	915 of 5611	83.7%	★★★★☆
2013	83.3	858 of 5530	84.5%	★★★★☆
2012	80.9	978 of 5390	81.9%	★★★★☆
2011	87.6	588 of 5377	89.1%	★★★★☆
2010	88.9	510 of 5314	90.4%	★★★★★
2009	87.5	613 of 5193	88.2%	★★★★☆
2008	81.0	921 of 5113	82.0%	★★★★☆
2007	87.3	656 of 5113	87.2%	★★★★☆
2006	80.1	960 of 4818	80.1%	★★★★☆
2005	87.3	631 of 4822	86.9%	★★★★☆
2004	90.9	461 of 4809	90.4%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	90.0	595 of 5597	89.4%	★★★★☆
2024	86.5	803 of 5612	85.7%	★★★★☆
2023	81.8	1022 of 5609	81.8%	★★★★☆
2022	71.7	1454 of 5635	74.2%	★★★★☆
2019	72.7	1383 of 5492	74.8%	★★★★☆
2018	81.2	983 of 5413	81.8%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	78.6	791 of 5084	84.4%	★★★★☆
2019	69.4	1200 of 4963	75.8%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	92.7	262 of 5460	95.2%	★★★★★
2024	86.5	574 of 5517	89.6%	★★★★☆
2023	78.4	835 of 5363	84.4%	★★★★☆
2022	69.7	1192 of 5264	77.4%	★★★★☆
2019	54.6	2098 of 5173	59.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	67.9	1305 of 5084	74.3%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	93.5	367 of 5628	93.5%	★★★★★
2024	91.6	514 of 5643	90.9%	★★★★★
2023	91.6	522 of 5638	90.7%	★★★★★
2022	79.2	1143 of 5663	79.8%	★★★★☆
2019	72.7	1402 of 5510	74.6%	★★★★☆
2018	78.7	1116 of 5431	79.5%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	83.5	286 of 2598	89.0%	★★★★☆
2024	78.4	487 of 2651	81.6%	★★★★☆
2023	71.0	768 of 2661	71.1%	★★★★☆
2022	53.5	1353 of 2726	50.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	58.5	1266 of 2834	55.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	67.7	907 of 2737	66.9%	★★★☆☆

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)

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)95th percentile~ school

Male (2025)93rd percentile~ school

Female (2025)89th percentile-4 vs school

White (2025)89th percentile-4 vs school

Hispanic (2022)84th percentile+7 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy81%+32 vs state

Science76%+44 vs state

Mathematics73%+36 vs state

★

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Schools Near Branch 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)	% MMR (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 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 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 All Grades	% Completely Immunized KG	% Polio KG	% Hepatitis B KG	% Varicella KG	% DTP KG	% MMR KG	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Branch Elementary	Public	K-6	970 School Rd.	Arroyo Grande	93420	San Luis Obispo County	Lucia Mar Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 474-3720	261	13	20.3	35.2%	155 (59.4%)	1 (0.4%)	74 (28.4%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	30 (11.5%)	93.8	414^th of 5857 public elementary schools	92.9%		90.5	671^st of 5869 public elementary schools	88.6%	257	76.5	76.5	71.4	91.4	85.3	73.3	80.6	68.6	91.2	76.5	53.3	72.9							$17,773	$1,395	$16,378
Harloe Elementary	Public	K-6	901 Fair Oaks Ave.	Arroyo Grande	93420	San Luis Obispo County	Lucia Mar Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 474-3710	619	27	22.5	54.0%	312 (50.4%)	1 (0.2%)	236 (38.1%)	11 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	59 (9.5%)	73.7	1437^th of 5857 public elementary schools	75.5%		76	1336^th of 5869 public elementary schools	77.2%	101	52.8	52.8	61.4	43.5	64.8	70.2	59.7	70.5	39.1	47.3	48.8	51.3							$17,051	$1,462	$15,589
Ocean View Elementary	Public	K-6	1208 Linda Dr.	Arroyo Grande	93420	San Luis Obispo County	Lucia Mar Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 474-3730	547	25	21.5	34.0%	334 (61.1%)	4 (0.7%)	123 (22.5%)	22 (4.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	64 (11.7%)	87.7	794^th of 5857 public elementary schools	86.4%		92	567^th of 5869 public elementary schools	90.3%	227	52.0	52.0	65.8	72.9	64.0	87.5	73.1	64.5	70.0	53.3	67.1	63.8							$16,769	$1,395	$15,374
Fairgrove Elementary	Public	K-6	2101 The Pike	Grover Beach	93433	San Luis Obispo County	Lucia Mar Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 474-3740	365	20	18.6	67.9%	128 (35.1%)	0 (0.0%)	212 (58.1%)	6 (1.6%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (4.9%)	64.7	1854^th of 5857 public elementary schools	68.3%		64.8	1833^rd of 5869 public elementary schools	68.8%	21	37.5	37.5	55.8	59.5	52.5	57.1	56.3	55.8	45.2	30.0	42.9	44.2	93.0	94.4	97.2	94.4	95.8	95.8	$15,697	$1,515	$14,182
Grover Heights Elementary	Public	K-6	770 North Eighth St.	Grover Beach	93433	San Luis Obispo County	Lucia Mar Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 474-3700	290	16	18.3	59.3%	120 (41.4%)	0 (0.0%)	139 (47.9%)	6 (2.1%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (8.3%)	41.4	3121^st of 5857 public elementary schools	46.7%		48.6	2636^th of 5869 public elementary schools	55.1%	485	23.4	23.4	43.2	45.5	31.9	53.3	43.2	27.0	44.1	23.4	35.6	31.9	96.6						$17,038	$1,459	$15,579
Grover Beach Elementary	Public	K-6	365 South 10th St.	Grover Beach	93433	San Luis Obispo County	Lucia Mar Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 474-3770	368	21	17.6	82.3%	90 (24.5%)	1 (0.3%)	241 (65.5%)	13 (3.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (6.0%)	28.6	4084^th of 5857 public elementary schools	30.3%		23.3	4559^th of 5869 public elementary schools	22.3%	475	23.6	23.6	41.9	38.5	25.5	31.5	33.8	31.8	28.9	16.4	24.1	24.9							$16,174	$1,532	$14,642
Oceano Elementary	Public	K-6	1551 17th St.	Oceano	93445	San Luis Obispo County	Lucia Mar Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 474-3800	377	21	17.6	90.7%	80 (21.2%)	0 (0.0%)	285 (75.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (2.9%)	40.7	3174^th of 5857 public elementary schools	45.8%		38.8	3244^th of 5869 public elementary schools	44.7%	70	29.3	29.3	43.8	33.9	47.4	46.3	42.8	39.6	17.5	32.8	30.4	29.7							$15,306	$1,550	$13,756
Nipomo Elementary	Public	K-6	190 East Price St.	Nipomo	93444	San Luis Obispo County	Lucia Mar Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 474-3780	436	22	19.9	83.7%	74 (17.0%)	2 (0.5%)	351 (80.5%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.4%)	25.1	4388^th of 5857 public elementary schools	25.1%		27.3	4170^th of 5869 public elementary schools	28.9%	218	24.1	24.1	13.0	21.6	35.6	41.9	29.4	21.7	17.7	28.1	21.3	22.3	95.4		96.9		96.9		$15,327	$1,489	$13,838
Los Ranchos Elementary	Public	K-6	5785 Los Ranchos Rd.	San Luis Obispo	93401	San Luis Obispo County	San Luis Coastal Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 596-4075	521	23	22.6	23.6%	361 (69.3%)	5 (1.0%)	66 (12.7%)	28 (5.4%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	59 (11.3%)	88.3	759^th of 5857 public elementary schools	87.0%		91.4	611^th of 5869 public elementary schools	89.6%	148	62.7	62.7	64.6	63.4	78.0	67.3	67.8	76.9	64.7	66.1	55.4	66.0	88.0	94.0			94.0	94.0	$15,961	$1,988	$13,973
Dana Elementary	Public	K-6	920 West Tefft St.	Nipomo	93444	San Luis Obispo County	Lucia Mar Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 474-3790	612	31	19.9	77.1%	161 (26.3%)	1 (0.2%)	418 (68.3%)	4 (0.7%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	26 (4.2%)	29.7	3989^th of 5857 public elementary schools	31.9%		37.8	3318^th of 5869 public elementary schools	43.5%	671	14.0	14.0	37.8	33.8	30.4	35.3	34.1	43.2	26.1	22.6	27.7	29.6	98.0						$16,974	$1,518	$15,456

Frequently Asked Questions about Branch Elementary

What is the racial makeup of Branch Elementary?

Students at Branch Elementary are 59% White, 28% Hispanic, 11% Two or more races.

Is Branch Elementary a good school?

Yes. Branch Elementary ranks in the top 7.1% of California elementary schools.

What district is Branch Elementary in?

Lucia Mar Unified

What schools do graduates of Branch Elementary attend?

Students who attend Branch Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Paulding Middle
High : Arroyo Grande High
High : Central Coast New Technical High

How many students attend Branch Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 261 students attended Branch Elementary.

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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.