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C L Smith Elementary

Q: Is C L Smith Elementary a good school?

C L Smith Elementary ranks 1191 st of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-6

1191^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,857 California Elementary Schools

Better than 80% of California elementary schools

Summary

C L Smith Elementary is a K-6 public school serving 528 students in the San Luis Coastal Unified School District, consistently performing as a strong, 4-star school within a highly-rated district.

Academically, C L Smith outperforms state averages across the board, with particular strength in serving students from various backgrounds. The school shows a notable upward trend, improving its statewide ranking significantly over the past decade. While it spends less per student than some nearby schools like Baywood Elementary or Monarch Grove Elementary, it achieves comparable or better results, especially when compared to schools with similar student demographics such as Hawthorne Elementary. A key area for attention is a dip in math scores in 5th grade, a pattern seen in some other local schools but more pronounced here.

The school's main challenge is a chronic absenteeism rate that, while improving, is higher than the district average and notably higher than schools like Pacheco Elementary. Within the district, C L Smith holds a solid middle position—it trails higher-performing schools with lower rates of student need like Los Ranchos Elementary but reliably outperforms those with similar demographics. Overall, it is a school on an upward trajectory that effectively supports its diverse student community.

528

Students ?

22.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$19,133

Per pupil spending ?

45.5%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1375 Balboa St.
San Luis Obispo, CA 93405-4935

(805) 596-4094

District: San Luis Coastal Unified

Students who attend C L Smith Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Laguna Middle
	Teach Elementary
High:	San Luis Obispo High

Racial breakdown:

White:

45.6%

Hispanic:

41.5%

Two or more races:

6.4%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare C L Smith Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 56th percentile in 2015 → 80th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the California average (58% vs 41% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 20% of California elementary schools

✓Ranking is trending up — up 24 percentile points since 2015

Worth a look

!Large classes — about 22 students per teacher

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school58%

District avg60%

California avg41%

1,191^st of 5,857

California public elementary schools ?

Top 20%▲ up 24 pts since 2015

From top 44% (2015) to top 20% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

5^th of 9Elementary Schools in the San Luis Coastal Unified

275^th of 1,543San Luis Coastal 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	79.1	1191 of 5857	79.7%	★★★★☆
2024	83.9	1003 of 5869	82.9%	★★★★☆
2023	71.1	1529 of 5859	73.9%	★★★★☆
2022	73.6	1466 of 5883	75.1%	★★★★☆
2021	55.1	575 of 1417	59.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	57.3	2197 of 5789	62.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	47.5	2689 of 5662	52.5%	★★★☆☆
2017	45.1	2795 of 5692	50.9%	★★★☆☆
2016	54.5	2269 of 5614	59.6%	★★★☆☆
2015	49.6	2467 of 5611	56.0%	★★★☆☆
2013	41.5	3213 of 5530	41.9%	★★☆☆☆
2012	54.6	2355 of 5390	56.3%	★★★☆☆
2011	44.8	2908 of 5377	45.9%	★★☆☆☆
2010	44.2	2905 of 5314	45.3%	★★☆☆☆
2009	47.8	2620 of 5193	49.5%	★★☆☆☆
2008	51.8	2273 of 5113	55.5%	★★★☆☆
2007	51.9	2213 of 5113	56.7%	★★★☆☆
2006	54.4	1990 of 4818	58.7%	★★★☆☆
2005	65.3	1531 of 4822	68.2%	★★★☆☆
2004	68.8	1339 of 4809	72.2%	★★★★☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	60.4	590 of 2227	73.5%	★★★★☆
2021	52.5	101 of 293	65.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	49.0	1006 of 2585	61.1%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2019	58.2	889 of 3275	72.9%	★★★★☆
2018	27.9	2534 of 3246	21.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	81.7	1006 of 5597	82.0%	★★★★☆
2024	80.4	1077 of 5612	80.8%	★★★★☆
2023	66.3	1659 of 5609	70.4%	★★★★☆
2022	68.3	1590 of 5635	71.8%	★★★★☆
2021	62.2	420 of 1267	66.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	56.9	2120 of 5492	61.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	42.4	2922 of 5413	46.0%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	65.9	1399 of 5107	72.6%	★★★★☆
2024	65.4	1394 of 5107	72.7%	★★★★☆
2023	57.0	1818 of 5087	64.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	61.1	1573 of 5084	69.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	49.3	2323 of 4963	53.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	30.8	3499 of 4830	27.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	68.2	1379 of 5460	74.7%	★★★★☆
2024	64.6	1522 of 5517	72.4%	★★★★☆
2023	54.6	2059 of 5363	61.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	74.9	961 of 5264	81.7%	★★★★☆
2021	49.7	483 of 1110	56.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	35.2	3493 of 5173	32.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	33.7	3504 of 5084	31.1%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	71.8	1438 of 5628	74.4%	★★★★☆
2024	82.8	974 of 5643	82.7%	★★★★☆
2023	72.5	1390 of 5638	75.3%	★★★★☆
2022	75.8	1296 of 5663	77.1%	★★★★☆
2021	47.6	592 of 1272	53.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	55.4	2173 of 5510	60.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	50.1	2436 of 5431	55.1%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	64.9	679 of 2847	76.2%	★★★★☆
2024	70.6	487 of 2635	81.5%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	76.7	540 of 2598	79.2%	★★★★☆
2024	83.5	301 of 2651	88.6%	★★★★☆
2023	70.4	787 of 2661	70.4%	★★★★☆
2022	71.9	738 of 2726	72.9%	★★★★☆
2019	51.0	1518 of 2834	46.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	47.1	1606 of 2737	41.3%	★★☆☆☆

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)

Female (2025)82nd percentile~ school

White (2025)79th percentile~ school

Special Education (2025)76th percentile-4 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)75th percentile-5 vs school

Male (2025)74th percentile-5 vs school

Disabled (2022)74th percentile~ school

English Language Learner (2019)73rd percentile+11 vs school

Hispanic (2025)73rd percentile-7 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy66%+17 vs state

Mathematics52%+15 vs state

Science50%+17 vs state

5.0

1 rating · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a parent
Friday, February 26, 2021

This school is great. They put a lot of time and effort into helping children to develop intellectually and emotionally. I'm glad to see that they maintain a good balance between academics and play. Close Quote

Schools Near C L Smith Elementary

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

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 (2025)
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
C L Smith Elementary	Public	K-6	1375 Balboa St.	San Luis Obispo	93405	San Luis Obispo County	San Luis Coastal Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 596-4094	528	24	22.4	45.5%	241 (45.6%)	10 (1.9%)	219 (41.5%)	23 (4.4%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	34 (6.4%)	79.1	1191^st of 5857 public elementary schools	79.7%		83.9	1003^rd of 5869 public elementary schools	82.9%	188	50.0	50.0	66.7	61.0	69.0	65.2	65.7	58.0	59.3	44.4	48.6	52.2							$19,133	$16,578	$2,555
Hawthorne Elementary	Public	K-6	2125 Story St.	San Luis Obispo	93401	San Luis Obispo County	San Luis Coastal Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 596-4070	437	19	23.0	53.5%	193 (44.2%)	4 (0.9%)	175 (40.0%)	16 (3.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	48 (11.0%)	69.8	1610^th of 5857 public elementary schools	72.5%		80.3	1140^th of 5869 public elementary schools	80.6%	470	42.1	42.1	50.9	55.3	52.6	65.9	55.6	56.4	55.3	40.4	54.8	51.2							$20,413	$19,006	$1,407
Bishop's Peak Elementary	Public	K-6	451 Jaycee Dr.	San Luis Obispo	93405	San Luis Obispo County	San Luis Coastal Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 596-4030	358	17	21.0	34.1%	226 (63.1%)	2 (0.6%)	67 (18.7%)	19 (5.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	43 (12.0%)	86.3	863^rd of 5857 public elementary schools	85.3%		81.2	1106^th of 5869 public elementary schools	81.2%	243	64.3	64.3	61.1	75.0	76.2	64.6	69.0	61.1	78.6	50.0	54.2	62.0	95.2	96.8			96.8		$21,588	$20,126	$1,462
Pacheco Elementary	Public	K-6	261 Cuesta Dr.	San Luis Obispo	93405	San Luis Obispo County	San Luis Coastal Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 596-4081	488	20	24.4	47.7%	159 (32.6%)	4 (0.8%)	298 (61.1%)	2 (0.4%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (4.9%)	68.2	1679^th of 5857 public elementary schools	71.3%		77	1293^rd of 5869 public elementary schools	78.0%	386	34.6	34.6	62.3	53.5	57.4	55.4	57.0	60.7	47.3	32.7	56.9	49.8	83.3	85.4	93.8	83.3	87.5	89.6	$20,599	$19,664	$935
Sinsheimer Elementary	Public	K-6	2755 Augusta St.	San Luis Obispo	93401	San Luis Obispo County	San Luis Coastal Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 596-4088	401	16	25.0	26.4%	273 (68.1%)	1 (0.2%)	71 (17.7%)	19 (4.7%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	34 (8.5%)	83.4	992^nd of 5857 public elementary schools	83.1%		90.3	688^th of 5869 public elementary schools	88.3%	304	31.8	31.8	73.5	74.4	67.7	88.9	75.3	68.6	65.1	53.0	75.6	64.4							$18,713	$16,816	$1,897
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	$17,742	$16,186	$1,556
Bellevue-Santa Fe Charter	Public, Charter	K-6	1401 San Luis Bay Dr.	San Luis Obispo	93405	San Luis Obispo County	Bellevue-Santa Fe Charter District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 595-7169	163	7	23.2	16.6%	131 (80.4%)	1 (0.6%)	13 (8.0%)	7 (4.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (6.7%)	94.8	355^th of 5857 public elementary schools	93.9%		96	265^th of 5869 public elementary schools	95.5%	90	68.4	68.4	68.2	87.5	84.2	91.3	83.0	86.4	62.5	68.4	82.6	75.0	91.7	91.7
Shell Beach Elementary	Public	K-6	2100 Shell Beach Rd.	Pismo Beach	93449	San Luis Obispo County	Lucia Mar Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 474-3760	330	16	20.6	33.0%	186 (56.4%)	1 (0.3%)	86 (26.1%)	9 (2.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	48 (14.5%)	81.2	1109^th of 5857 public elementary schools	81.1%		87.1	862^nd of 5869 public elementary schools	85.3%	247	40.4	40.4	74.3	81.3	51.9	84.3	72.6	77.1	70.8	32.7	82.4	64.5	94.6		96.4	96.4		96.4	$17,342	$14,528	$2,814
Baywood Elementary	Public	K-5	1330 Ninth St.	Los Osos	93402	San Luis Obispo County	San Luis Coastal Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 534-2856	342	15	22.8	48.5%	163 (47.7%)	0 (0.0%)	128 (37.4%)	24 (7.0%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	24 (7.0%)	59	2116^th of 5857 public elementary schools	63.9%		66.8	1739^th of 5869 public elementary schools	70.4%	377	38.5	38.5	38.0	69.8	56.9		54.2	34.0	51.2	42.3		41.9	95.2	95.2	96.8	95.2	95.2	95.2	$21,262	$19,610	$1,652
Monarch Grove Elementary	Public	K-5	348 Los Osos Valley Rd.	Los Osos	93402	San Luis Obispo County	San Luis Coastal Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 534-2844	324	14	23.1	40.7%	225 (69.4%)	0 (0.0%)	59 (18.2%)	12 (3.7%)	3 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (7.4%)	88.4	749^th of 5857 public elementary schools	87.2%		94.3	411^th of 5869 public elementary schools	93.0%	338	48.9	48.9	73.1	71.7	61.4		69.2	73.6	73.3	65.9		71.3							$22,425	$19,004	$3,421

Frequently Asked Questions about C L Smith Elementary

What is the racial makeup of C L Smith Elementary?

Students at C L Smith Elementary are 46% White, 41% Hispanic, 6% Two or more races, 4% Asian, 2% African American.

How many students attend C L Smith Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 528 students attended C L Smith Elementary.

What schools do graduates of C L Smith Elementary attend?

Students who attend C L Smith Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Laguna Middle
Middle : Teach Elementary
High : San Luis Obispo High

What district is C L Smith Elementary in?

San Luis Coastal Unified

Is C L Smith Elementary a good school?

C L Smith Elementary ranks 1191^st of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Rate C L Smith 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.