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San Marcos Unified


At a glance
488thof 1,543 California districts▼ 12
Better than 68% of California districts
255 Pico Ave. Ste. 250
San Marcos, CA 92069-3712
·(760) 752-1299·All California district rankings →
Statewide performance 2016–2025
2025: better than 68.4% of districts
19
Schools
18,837
Students
4
5-star schools
Top rankedDiscovery Elementary251st of 5,857 California elementary schools
Biggest riser
Carrillo Elementary up 333 spots statewide this year
Smallest classes
Twin Oaks High 10 students per teacher
SchoolDigger ratings
5★
4★
3★
1★
Summary:

The San Marcos Unified district serves a diverse community across 19 schools, including 12 elementary, 3 middle, and 4 high schools, with notable variations in academic performance and student demographics.

Academic performance varies widely across the district, with standout elementary schools like Discovery Elementary and Paloma Elementary ranking in the top 10% statewide, while San Marcos Elementary and La Mirada Academy face significant challenges. The middle schools show a clear performance gap, with San Elijo Middle leading, followed by Woodland Park Middle and San Marcos Middle. At the high school level, both San Marcos High and Mission Hills High maintain strong graduation rates but struggle specifically with mathematics proficiency.

Key district findings include a strong overall graduation rate, but a concerning paradox at Twin Oaks High, which receives the highest per-student funding yet has the lowest test scores and highest chronic absenteeism. The data also shows that higher student-teacher ratios, as seen at top-performing Discovery Elementary, do not necessarily hinder success, and that some schools with greater challenges, like Twin Oaks Elementary, manage to achieve near-average performance despite higher levels of student need.

Ranking:
Map legend
E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private




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.





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