Summary:
Stanford, California, has two elementary schools serving kindergarten through grade 5, both in Palo Alto Unified, with 782 students combined. In 2025–26, both schools were well above California’s proficiency results in ELA, math and science. The most important finding is that Lucille M. Nixon Elementary led Escondido Elementary in all three all-grade subjects, with the biggest difference in science.
Nixon stands out overall: its results were 81% in ELA, 85% in math and 84% in science, compared with Escondido’s 79%, 77% and 70%. Nixon’s lead was 2 percentage points in ELA, 8 in math and 14 in science; both schools exceeded state results in every subject. SchoolDigger ranks Nixon 121st of 5,804 statewide (98th percentile) and Escondido 340th (94th percentile), giving both five stars. Grade-level results offer an important exception: Escondido led grade 3 ELA, 86% to 83%, while Nixon led in math in grades 3, 4 and 5 and in ELA in grades 4 and 5.
Results moved in different directions from 2024–25 to 2025–26: Escondido gained 3 points in ELA but fell 2 in math and 6 in science; Nixon fell 5 in ELA and gained 2 in math and 1 in science. SchoolDigger rankings improved for both between 2024–25 and 2025–26, from 367th to 340th for Escondido and 128th to 121st for Nixon, though Nixon’s ELA score declined. As additional context, 2024–25 student-teacher ratios were 17.8 at Escondido and 18.9 at Nixon; free/reduced lunch eligible shares that year were 21% and 6%, respectively. These differences describe the schools but do not establish what explains their results.
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