Poway Unified

The 39 schools in Poway Unified include 26 elementary, six middle and seven high schools, serving students from kindergarten through grade 12. Most comparisons are among schools with similar grade spans; K–8 Design 39 Campus, the grades 11–12 Poway to Palomar Middle College High and alternative Abraxas Continuation High are distinct cases. In 2025–26, every school with reported scores was above the state result in all three subjects, but results varied considerably from school to school: the K–5 range was 31 points in ELA, 39 in math and 35 in science.

Several schools lead their grade-span groups, while others are at the lower end. Among K–5 schools, Adobe Bluffs Elementary led in ELA (85%) and math (87%), while Willow Grove Elementary led in science (80%). Valley Elementary was lowest in ELA (54%) and math (49%), and Turtleback Elementary was lowest in science (46%). Mesa Verde Middle led middle schools in ELA, math and science (82%, 78% and 74%); Twin Peaks Middle was lowest (61%, 44% and 44%). Among comprehensive high schools, Westview High led ELA at 87%, while Del Norte High led math and science at 74% and 68%; Poway High was lowest in all three.

Recent movement was mixed: K–5 average ELA fell about 1 point and science rose 3; middle-school ELA and science each rose about 1 point, while high-school ELA fell 2 and science rose 5. Individual changes could be larger: Valley science climbed 34 points, while Poway High ELA fell 9. SchoolDigger ranked the district 63rd of 968 districts, in the 93rd percentile with five stars. Income figures are context, not an explanation of results: in 2024–25, free/reduced lunch eligible shares were 37% at Valley and 38% at Los Penasquitos Elementary, yet their 2025–26 ELA results were 54% and 72%, respectively. Averages give each school equal weight, and Abraxas’s test results are suppressed.