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Middle Schools in San Marcos Unified

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At a glance

DistrictSan Marcos Unified271^st of 968 California districtsFull district overview →

Schools

3,547

Students

Top rankedSan Elijo Middle573^rd of 2,703 California middle schools

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Biggest riser

Woodland Park Middle up 94 spots statewide this year

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

Summary:

San Marcos Unified has three middle schools serving grades 6–8. In 2025–2026, their simple average was above California’s in English language arts (ELA) and math, but below the state in science: 55% versus 49% in ELA, 40% versus 38% in math, and 34% versus 36% in science. The most important finding is how uneven results are across the schools: the top-to-bottom gap was 17 points in ELA, 15 in math and 21 in science.

San Elijo Middle led all three subjects, with 62% proficiency in ELA, 47% in math and 43% in science; San Marcos Middle had the lowest results, at 45%, 32% and 22%, respectively. San Elijo’s lead over San Marcos was 17 points in ELA, 15 in math and 21 in science. Woodland Park Middle was between them at 57% in ELA, 41% in math and 39% in science, and exceeded the state in all three subjects. SchoolDigger ranked San Elijo in the 79th percentile statewide, Woodland Park in the 71st and San Marcos Middle in the 49th.

Two-year changes were mixed: Woodland Park gained 4 points in ELA, 2 in math and 9 in science, while San Elijo fell 5 points in ELA and 2 in math, and San Marcos Middle edged down in all three subjects. Woodland Park’s science result rose from 29% to 39%, moving from below to above the state; San Elijo still led in 2025–2026 despite its declines. School context also differs: San Elijo had 1,395 students and a 23.2-to-1 student-teacher ratio, Woodland Park had 1,184 students and the lowest ratio at 22.8 to 1, and San Marcos Middle had 968 students and the highest ratio at 24.1 to 1. In 2024–2025, the share eligible for free/reduced lunch was 19% at San Elijo, 42% at Woodland Park and 59% at San Marcos Middle; these figures describe a pattern, not its cause.

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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 Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				CAST Science (2026)		Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy (2026)				Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2026)				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/reduced lunch (2024-25)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	CAST Science 8th Grade	CAST Science All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 6th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 7th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 8th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 6th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 7th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 8th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
San Marcos Middle	Public	6-8	650 West Mission Rd.	San Marcos	92069	San Diego County	San Marcos Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 290-2500	968	40	24.1	58.7%	144 (14.9%)	13 (1.3%)	699 (72.2%)	66 (6.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	46 (4.8%)	42.7	1390^th of 2703 public middle schools	48.6%		46.1	1292^nd of 2761 public middle schools	53.2%	98	21.6	21.6	42.7	47.3	44.7	44.9	34.3	32.9	28.9	32.0	$23,704	$22,782	$922
Woodland Park Middle	Public	6-8	1270 Rock Springs Rd.	San Marcos	92069	San Diego County	San Marcos Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 290-2455	1,184	52	22.8	42.3%	358 (30.2%)	12 (1.0%)	618 (52.2%)	79 (6.7%)	2 (0.2%)	5 (0.4%)	110 (9.3%)	65.5	795^th of 2703 public middle schools	70.6%		60.6	889^th of 2761 public middle schools	67.8%	94	38.9	38.9	54.5	58.2	59.5	57.4	40.8	40.2	41.3	40.8	$22,477	$21,560	$917
San Elijo Middle	Public	6-8	1600 Schoolhouse Way	San Marcos	92078	San Diego County	San Marcos Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 290-2800	1,395	60	23.2	19.1%	791 (56.7%)	16 (1.1%)	334 (23.9%)	112 (8.0%)	4 (0.3%)	2 (0.1%)	136 (9.7%)	74.6	573^rd of 2703 public middle schools	78.8%		80.9	461^st of 2761 public middle schools	83.3%	112	42.6	42.6	61.5	62.4	62.5	62.2	49.9	46.4	44.6	47.0	$21,062	$20,474	$588

Districts nearby

District	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
SBC - High Technical High	0.64 mi	6
High Technical Elementary North County District	0.66 mi	1	771^st
High Technical Middle North County District	0.75 mi	1	119^th
High Technical High North County District	0.75 mi	1	132^nd
Mountain Empire Unified	1.2 mi	16	675^th

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.