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Mary Farmar Elementary

Public Grades K-5
1450th
SchoolDigger Rank ?
of 5,857 California Elementary Schools
Better than 75% of California elementary schools
Summary

Mary Farmar Elementary is a well-regarded K-5 public school serving 477 students in the high-performing Benicia Unified school district, consistently ranking in the top quarter of all California elementary schools.

The school has particular strengths in mathematics and science, outperforming both state and district averages, and provides notably effective support for students in special education. While attendance dipped during the pandemic, the school has successfully brought chronic absenteeism rates down to a healthy 12.7%, which is significantly better than the state average. Compared to schools in the neighboring Vallejo City Unified district, Mary Farmar and its Benicia peers like Robert Semple Elementary and Joe Henderson Elementary achieve stronger academic results with more efficient per-student spending.

Within Benicia, Mary Farmar is a solid, consistent choice, though it trails the top-ranked Matthew Turner Elementary in overall proficiency. The school's performance shows some variation across different student groups and grade levels, with areas like 4th grade English Language Arts presenting an opportunity for growth. Overall, it is a stable and above-average school that delivers good value and effective instruction for its community.

477
Students ?
23.8
Student/teacher ratio ?
$13,969
Per pupil spending ?
26.6%
Free/discounted lunch ?
 901 Military West
       Benicia, CA  94510-2558

(707) 747-8350

District: Benicia Unified


Students who attend Mary Farmar Elementary usually attend:

Middle:    Benicia Middle
High:    Benicia High
Racial breakdown:

White:
41.9%
Hispanic:
29.4%
Two or more races:
16.6%
more
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At a glance
▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 73rd percentile in 2013 → 75th in 2025
Strengths
✓Test scores above the California average (55% vs 41% meeting standards)
✓Ranks in the top 25% of California elementary schools
Worth a look
!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing
!Near the bottom of Benicia Unified's ranking
!Large classes — about 24 students per teacher
Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?
This school55%
District avg52%
California avg41%
1,450th of 5,857
California public elementary schools ?
Top 25%▼ down 6 pts since 2015
From top 19% (2015) to top 25% (2025)
See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →
★★★★★
SchoolDigger rating ?
3rd of 4Elementary Schools in the Benicia Unified
419th of 1,543Benicia Unified among California districts
Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)
Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202573.51450 of 585775.2%★★★★☆
202474.61380 of 586976.5%★★★★☆
202370.01577 of 585973.1%★★★★☆
202274.11447 of 588375.4%★★★★☆
201963.21917 of 578966.9%★★★☆☆
201868.91620 of 566271.4%★★★★☆
201778.01205 of 569278.8%★★★★☆
201682.21040 of 561481.5%★★★★☆
201580.91075 of 561180.8%★★★★☆
201372.01472 of 553073.4%★★★★☆
201272.01416 of 539073.7%★★★★☆
201175.51227 of 537777.2%★★★★☆
201076.91135 of 531478.6%★★★★☆
200974.01252 of 519375.9%★★★★☆
200878.31049 of 511379.5%★★★★☆
200780.7954 of 511381.3%★★★★☆
200680.1959 of 481880.1%★★★★☆
200576.61071 of 482277.8%★★★★☆
200486.4647 of 480986.5%★★★★☆

Female

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202570.21491 of 559773.4%★★★★☆
202474.91296 of 561276.9%★★★★☆
202373.41348 of 560976.0%★★★★☆
202272.21434 of 563574.6%★★★★☆
201961.01927 of 549264.9%★★★☆☆
201868.11587 of 541370.7%★★★★☆

Hispanic

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202565.81409 of 510772.4%★★★★☆
202463.51501 of 510770.6%★★★★☆
202364.11448 of 508771.5%★★★★☆
202278.8780 of 508484.7%★★★★☆
201950.42266 of 496354.3%★★★☆☆
201852.52076 of 483057.0%★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202556.32064 of 546062.2%★★★☆☆
202468.01355 of 551775.4%★★★★☆
202348.82446 of 536354.4%★★★☆☆
202257.51829 of 526465.3%★★★☆☆
201938.83216 of 517337.8%★★☆☆☆
201867.81312 of 508474.2%★★★★☆

Male

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202573.21375 of 562875.6%★★★★☆
202471.81419 of 564374.9%★★★★☆
202363.51786 of 563868.3%★★★☆☆
202273.71357 of 566376.0%★★★★☆
201961.31899 of 551065.5%★★★☆☆
201866.51643 of 543169.7%★★★☆☆

Multi-racial

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202557.7355 of 71850.6%★★★☆☆
202445.9427 of 67036.3%★★☆☆☆
202245.7378 of 61038.0%★★☆☆☆

Special Education

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202568.7575 of 284779.8%★★★★☆
202466.6570 of 263578.4%★★★★☆

White

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202555.81226 of 259852.8%★★★☆☆
202469.8810 of 265169.4%★★★☆☆
202354.31315 of 266150.6%★★★☆☆
202252.71378 of 272649.4%★★☆☆☆
201948.41601 of 283443.5%★★☆☆☆
201862.81088 of 273760.2%★★★☆☆
How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)
Special Education (2025)80th percentile+5 vs school
Male (2025)76th percentile~ school
Female (2025)73rd percentile~ school
Hispanic (2025)72nd percentile-3 vs school
Low Socio Economic Status (2025)62nd percentile-13 vs school
White (2025)53rd percentile-22 vs school
Multi-racial (2025)51st percentile-25 vs school
By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?
Mathematics60%+23 vs state
Science55%+23 vs state
English Language Arts/Literacy51%~ state avg

★
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Frequently Asked Questions about Mary Farmar Elementary

Students who attend Mary Farmar Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Benicia Middle
High : Benicia High

In the 2024-25 school year, 477 students attended Mary Farmar Elementary.

Mary Farmar Elementary ranks 1450th of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Students at Mary Farmar Elementary are 42% White, 29% Hispanic, 17% Two or more races, 7% Asian, 4% African American.


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Schools in Benicia, CA

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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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