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Elementary Schools in Carlsbad Unified

Coming soon: We're expecting this year's test scores from the California Department of Education any day now — new rankings will be posted the moment they're released!

Coming soon: This year's test scores are expected from the California Department of Education any day now — new rankings will follow the moment they're released!

At a glance

DistrictCarlsbad Unified156^th of 1,543 California districtsFull district overview →

Schools

4,524

Students

5-star schools

Top rankedPacific Rim Elementary70^th of 5,857 California elementary schools

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Biggest riser

Jefferson Elementary up 149 spots statewide this year

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Smallest classes

Kelly Elementary 19.9 students per teacher

SchoolDigger ratings

5★

4★

3★

Compare California districts →See the top-ranked California schools →

Summary:

This analysis covers nine elementary schools (grades K-5) within the high-performing Carlsbad Unified School District, which ranks in the top 10% of all California districts.

Overall, these are excellent schools, with eight of the nine ranking in the 80th percentile or higher statewide. Pacific Rim Elementary is the clear top performer, ranking in the 99th percentile, while Jefferson Elementary is the only school below that high benchmark, ranking in the 69th percentile. Kelly Elementary stands out for its exceptional science scores, and Aviara Oaks Elementary and Poinsettia Elementary are also consistently high achievers.

Key factors differentiating the schools include chronic absenteeism, which is lowest at Magnolia Elementary (7.9%) and highest at Jefferson (21.1%), and per-student spending, which varies significantly but does not directly correlate with ranking. The district strongly outperforms state averages in all subjects, though 5th-grade math and science scores show the widest variation between schools. For parents, this means nearly all options are very strong, with Pacific Rim, Kelly, Aviara Oaks, and Poinsettia representing the academic leaders.

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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 (2025)	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 All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 3rd Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 4th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 5th 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
Buena Vista Elementary	Public	K-5	1330 Buena Vista Way	Carlsbad	92009	San Diego County	Carlsbad Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 331-5400	281	12	23.4	39.9%	139 (49.5%)	4 (1.4%)	97 (34.5%)	12 (4.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (10.0%)	90.4	632^nd of 5857 public elementary schools	89.2%		91.4	610^th of 5869 public elementary schools	89.6%	22	66.1	66.1	69.6	68.4	71.2	69.9	76.1	60.5	67.8	68.5	94.3			94.3			$35,099	$34,658	$441
Jefferson Elementary	Public	K-5	3743 Jefferson St.	Carlsbad	92009	San Diego County	Carlsbad Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 331-5500	471	23	20.2	54.4%	185 (39.3%)	11 (2.3%)	224 (47.6%)	8 (1.7%)	5 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	38 (8.1%)	65.1	1832^nd of 5857 public elementary schools	68.7%		62	1981^st of 5869 public elementary schools	66.2%	149	44.1	44.1	48.7	49.2	59.1	52.3	54.1	47.5	42.7	48.3	91.7	96.7	95.0	95.0	93.3	95.0	$28,149	$27,150	$999
Kelly Elementary	Public	K-5	4885 Kelly Dr.	Carlsbad	92009	San Diego County	Carlsbad Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 331-5800	449	22	19.9	20.9%	270 (60.1%)	8 (1.8%)	72 (16.0%)	32 (7.1%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	65 (14.5%)	96.4	202^nd of 5857 public elementary schools	96.6%		95.3	319^th of 5869 public elementary schools	94.6%	117	78.2	78.2	80.8	73.9	84.6	80.0	82.2	79.7	76.9	79.6	96.8						$27,973	$27,602	$371
Magnolia Elementary	Public	K-5	1905 Magnolia Ave.	Carlsbad	92009	San Diego County	Carlsbad Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 331-5600	488	20	24.4	21.1%	344 (70.5%)	0 (0.0%)	86 (17.6%)	10 (2.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	48 (9.8%)	95.2	310^th of 5857 public elementary schools	94.7%		97.2	146^th of 5869 public elementary schools	97.5%	164	64.8	64.8	77.7	74.8	81.8	77.9	82.4	75.7	78.4	78.6	95.7	95.7	95.7	97.1	95.7	97.1	$21,470	$21,032	$438
Pacific Rim Elementary	Public	K-5	1100 Camino de las Ondas	Carlsbad	92009	San Diego County	Carlsbad Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 331-6200	642	26	24.6	17.4%	410 (63.9%)	3 (0.5%)	106 (16.5%)	54 (8.4%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	67 (10.4%)	98	70^th of 5857 public elementary schools	98.8%		98.3	60^th of 5869 public elementary schools	99.0%	10	72.5	72.5	87.3	91.4	89.0	89.2	90.8	80.0	78.9	83.5	93.8			95.8		95.8	$22,946	$22,508	$438
Hope Elementary	Public	K-5	3010 Tamarack Ave.	Carlsbad	92009	San Diego County	Carlsbad Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 331-5900	659	30	21.9	27.2%	365 (55.4%)	3 (0.5%)	163 (24.7%)	29 (4.4%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.5%)	96 (14.6%)	90.6	624^th of 5857 public elementary schools	89.3%		90.8	648^th of 5869 public elementary schools	89.0%	24	60.8	60.8	67.5	81.1	68.6	71.8	73.4	78.9	58.8	70.3							$22,859	$22,420	$439
Aviara Oaks Elementary	Public	K-5	6900 Ambrosia Ln.	Carlsbad	92009	San Diego County	Carlsbad Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 331-6000	612	25	24.4	22.1%	343 (56.0%)	9 (1.5%)	123 (20.1%)	64 (10.5%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.3%)	71 (11.6%)	96	241^st of 5857 public elementary schools	95.9%		97.5	123^rd of 5869 public elementary schools	97.9%	118	65.5	65.5	76.3	80.4	85.1	81.2	79.2	76.6	80.1	78.8							$23,250	$22,812	$438
Calavera Hills Elementary	Public	K-5	4100 Tamarack Ave.	Carlsbad	92009	San Diego County	Carlsbad Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 331-6300	441	20	22.0	45.1%	194 (44.0%)	2 (0.5%)	181 (41.0%)	25 (5.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	38 (8.6%)	81.7	1089^th of 5857 public elementary schools	81.4%		83.5	1016^th of 5869 public elementary schools	82.7%	73	43.2	43.2	79.6	57.4	67.1	67.5	83.3	59.0	53.4	63.1							$24,897	$24,040	$857
Poinsettia Elementary	Public	K-5	2445 Mica Rd.	Carlsbad	92009	San Diego County	Carlsbad Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 331-6500	481	22	22.3	28.9%	237 (49.3%)	4 (0.8%)	136 (28.3%)	41 (8.5%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	61 (12.7%)	95.9	243^rd of 5857 public elementary schools	95.9%		97.3	135^th of 5869 public elementary schools	97.7%	108	62.5	62.5	82.4	89.4	75.0	82.4	88.0	83.3	70.3	81.0							$25,822	$25,384	$438

Districts nearby

District	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
State Board Of Education - Audeo Charter II	0.9 mi	1
Oceanside Unified	1.02 mi	25	789^th
Altus Schools Coastal District	3.06 mi	1
Mountain Empire Unified	3.14 mi	16	1361^st
Pacific View Charter District	3.33 mi	1

See the top CA California districts

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.