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Ada W. Harris Elementary

Public Grades 3-6

570^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,857 California Elementary Schools

Better than 90% of California elementary schools

Summary

Ada W. Harris Elementary is a highly-rated public school serving 382 students in grades 3 through 6 in the affluent coastal community of Cardiff by the Sea, operating as the upper campus in the two-school Cardiff Elementary district.

The school is distinguished by its exceptionally low chronic absenteeism rate of 5.2%, a dramatic improvement since the pandemic, and its consistent academic performance, ranking in the 90th percentile statewide. It shows particular strength in serving special education students and operates with notable efficiency, achieving strong results with moderate per-student spending compared to some neighbors like Solana Vista Elementary and Skyline Elementary. While academically solid, an interesting pattern emerges in math, where proficiency dips in 5th grade before rebounding strongly in 6th grade, and science scores, while above state average, lag behind the school's own performance in English and math.

Compared to nearby schools in the Solana Beach Elementary district, Ada W. Harris maintains a very high ranking with a less economically diverse student population. The school's specialized 3-6 grade configuration creates a focused environment, though its partner school, Cardiff Elementary, has a higher chronic absenteeism rate, suggesting potential transition considerations. The school's success in improving attendance correlates with its stable, high academic achievement, making it a consistently strong choice in the region.

382

Students ?

22.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$25,962

Per pupil spending ?

11%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1508 Windsor Rd.
Cardiff by the Sea, CA 92007-1356

(760) 632-5894

District: Cardiff Elementary

Students who attend Ada W. Harris Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Oak Crest Middle
High:	La Costa Canyon High

Racial breakdown:

White:

63.9%

Two or more races:

18.1%

Hispanic:

14.4%

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Compare Ada W. Harris Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 86th percentile in 2013 → 90th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the California average (71% vs 41% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 10% of California elementary schools

Worth a look

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

!Large classes — about 22 students per teacher

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school71%

District avg71%

California avg41%

570^th of 5,857

California public elementary schools ?

Top 10%▬ steady since 2015

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

102^nd of 1,543Cardiff Elementary 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

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	91.6	570 of 5857	90.3%	★★★★★
2024	90.8	645 of 5869	89.0%	★★★★☆
2023	91.3	618 of 5859	89.5%	★★★★☆
2022	92.8	535 of 5883	90.9%	★★★★★
2019	90.8	599 of 5789	89.7%	★★★★☆
2018	91.8	529 of 5662	90.7%	★★★★★
2017	92.5	488 of 5692	91.4%	★★★★★
2016	91.9	505 of 5614	91.0%	★★★★★
2015	91.0	564 of 5611	89.9%	★★★★☆
2013	84.6	787 of 5530	85.8%	★★★★☆
2012	88.9	495 of 5390	90.8%	★★★★★
2011	87.3	619 of 5377	88.5%	★★★★☆
2010	90.2	424 of 5314	92.0%	★★★★★
2009	92.9	293 of 5193	94.4%	★★★★★
2008	87.8	610 of 5113	88.1%	★★★★☆
2007	87.9	634 of 5113	87.6%	★★★★☆
2006	91.5	410 of 4818	91.5%	★★★★★
2005	89.3	524 of 4822	89.1%	★★★★☆
2004	77.0	1035 of 4809	78.5%	★★★★☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	86.2	217 of 2227	90.3%	★★★★★
2019	54.8	848 of 2585	67.2%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	89.1	640 of 5597	88.6%	★★★★☆
2024	88.1	714 of 5612	87.3%	★★★★☆
2023	92.5	471 of 5609	91.6%	★★★★★
2022	92.5	479 of 5635	91.5%	★★★★★
2019	89.6	583 of 5492	89.4%	★★★★☆
2018	89.7	585 of 5413	89.2%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	72.0	1113 of 5107	78.2%	★★★★☆
2024	77.0	851 of 5107	83.3%	★★★★☆
2023	77.5	852 of 5087	83.3%	★★★★☆
2022	77.1	856 of 5084	83.2%	★★★★☆
2019	83.7	564 of 4963	88.6%	★★★★☆
2018	89.2	336 of 4830	93.0%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	58.7	1918 of 5460	64.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	75.9	1015 of 5517	81.6%	★★★★☆
2023	78.5	830 of 5363	84.5%	★★★★☆
2022	61.5	1596 of 5264	69.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	68.7	1253 of 5173	75.8%	★★★★☆
2018	70.6	1148 of 5084	77.4%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	91.8	474 of 5628	91.6%	★★★★★
2024	90.5	572 of 5643	89.9%	★★★★☆
2023	86.7	779 of 5638	86.2%	★★★★☆
2022	90.7	589 of 5663	89.6%	★★★★☆
2019	89.7	597 of 5510	89.2%	★★★★☆
2018	91.7	465 of 5431	91.4%	★★★★★

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	77.3	144 of 718	79.9%	★★★★☆
2024	71.4	195 of 670	70.9%	★★★★☆
2023	64.4	257 of 669	61.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	68.1	211 of 610	65.4%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	87.5	256 of 2847	91.0%	★★★★★
2024	79.7	346 of 2635	86.9%	★★★★☆
2023	87.3	202 of 2420	91.7%	★★★★★

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	77.2	516 of 2598	80.1%	★★★★☆
2024	76.4	573 of 2651	78.4%	★★★★☆
2023	80.9	391 of 2661	85.3%	★★★★☆
2022	83.4	329 of 2726	87.9%	★★★★☆
2019	78.8	503 of 2834	82.3%	★★★★☆
2018	80.5	435 of 2737	84.1%	★★★★☆

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)

Male (2025)92nd percentile~ school

Special Education (2025)91st percentile~ school

Disabled (2022)90th percentile~ school

Female (2025)89th percentile~ school

White (2025)80th percentile-10 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)80th percentile-10 vs school

Hispanic (2025)78th percentile-12 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)65th percentile-25 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy78%+29 vs state

Mathematics69%+31 vs state

Science55%+23 vs state

★

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Schools Near Ada W. Harris Elementary

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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 (2025)				Ranking (2024)				CAST Science (2025)			Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy (2025)							Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2025)							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	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 8th 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 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 3rd Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 4th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 5th Grade	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
Ada W. Harris Elementary	Public	3-6	1508 Windsor Rd.	Cardiff by the Sea	92007	San Diego County	Cardiff Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 632-5894	382	17	22.4	11.0%	244 (63.9%)	2 (0.5%)	55 (14.4%)	11 (2.9%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	69 (18.1%)	91.6	570^th of 5857 public elementary schools	90.3%		90.8	645^th of 5869 public elementary schools	89.0%	75	55.3		55.3	70.1	79.5	75.3	84.0			77.5	75.9	67.0	54.1	77.7			68.8	$25,962	$25,858	$104
Ocean Knoll Elementary	Public	K-6	910 Melba Rd.	Encinitas	92024	San Diego County	Encinitas Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 944-4351	479	19	25.2	37.0%	235 (49.1%)	1 (0.2%)	187 (39.0%)	13 (2.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	43 (9.0%)	76.7	1300^th of 5857 public elementary schools	77.8%		80.7	1127^th of 5869 public elementary schools	80.8%	173	44.3		44.3	64.1	58.1	63.3	58.4			60.9	62.5	57.5	50.6	48.1			54.3	$23,299	$22,824	$475
Cardiff Elementary	Public	K-2	1888 Montgomery Ave.	Cardiff by the Sea	92007	San Diego County	Cardiff Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 632-5892	259	12	21.5	11.2%	173 (66.8%)	0 (0.0%)	35 (13.5%)	5 (1.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	44 (17.0%)								(n/a)																		$35,071	$34,290	$781
JCS - Mountain Oaks	Public, Charter	K-8	539 Encinitas Blvd.	Encinitas	92024	San Diego County	JCS - Mountain Oaks District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 632-4989	255	16	16.2	25.9%	165 (64.7%)	2 (0.8%)	33 (12.9%)	22 (8.6%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	32 (12.5%)	86.3	861^st of 5857 public elementary schools	85.3%		82.6	1050^th of 5869 public elementary schools	82.1%	189	58.6	54.6	56.9	45.8	70.4	79.3	74.4	84.9	77.3	73.0	54.2	59.3	65.5	79.1	87.5	63.6	70.1	$28,453	$28,194	$259
Flora Vista Elementary	Public	K-6	1690 Wandering Rd.	Encinitas	92024	San Diego County	Encinitas Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 944-4329	377	15	25.1	13.3%	253 (67.1%)	0 (0.0%)	53 (14.1%)	11 (2.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	60 (15.9%)	88.1	769^th of 5857 public elementary schools	86.9%		92.1	566^th of 5869 public elementary schools	90.4%	203	61.4		61.4	53.7	74.2	77.1	71.0			70.6	51.2	79.0	60.0	66.1			65.1	$27,392	$26,766	$626
Park Dale Lane Elementary	Public	K-6	2050 Park Dale Ln.	Encinitas	92024	San Diego County	Encinitas Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 944-4344	424	20	21.2	24.5%	270 (63.7%)	1 (0.2%)	97 (22.9%)	7 (1.7%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	48 (11.3%)	79.7	1166^th of 5857 public elementary schools	80.1%		84	993^rd of 5869 public elementary schools	83.1%	173	59.7		59.7	54.2	62.3	64.5	72.2			62.7	52.8	63.9	50.0	55.6			55.4	$25,669	$25,448	$221
Paul Ecke-Central Elementary	Public	K-6	185 Union St.	Encinitas	92024	San Diego County	Encinitas Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 944-4323	569	25	22.7	27.1%	326 (57.3%)	0 (0.0%)	170 (29.9%)	5 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	67 (11.8%)	84.3	946^th of 5857 public elementary schools	83.8%		79.6	1172^nd of 5869 public elementary schools	80.0%	226	55.8		55.8	67.1	63.2	64.9	62.7			64.4	67.1	59.8	59.7	58.7			61.3	$23,208	$22,536	$672
Solana Vista Elementary	Public	K-3	780 Santa Victoria Ave.	Solana Beach	92075	San Diego County	Solana Beach Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(858) 794-3700	317	14	22.6	22.7%	208 (65.6%)	1 (0.3%)	77 (24.3%)	8 (2.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (7.3%)								(n/a)				75.0						75.0	71.3						71.3	$29,178	$28,618	$560
Skyline Elementary	Public	K-6	606 Lomas Santa Fe Dr.	Solana Beach	92075	San Diego County	Solana Beach Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(858) 794-3600	410	17	24.1	17.8%	256 (62.4%)	2 (0.5%)	91 (22.2%)	10 (2.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	51 (12.4%)	94.8	348^th of 5857 public elementary schools	94.1%		95.8	279^th of 5869 public elementary schools	95.2%	69	60.8		60.8	88.9	79.0	84.2	83.2			82.7	88.9	73.7	60.8	78.5			72.5	$29,081	$28,572	$509
Olivenhain Pioneer Elementary	Public	K-6	8000 Calle Acervo	Carlsbad	92009	San Diego County	Encinitas Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 943-2000	520	22	23.6	6.5%	386 (74.2%)	6 (1.2%)	52 (10.0%)	19 (3.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	57 (11.0%)	95.4	299^th of 5857 public elementary schools	94.9%		95.3	322^nd of 5869 public elementary schools	94.5%	23	62.4		62.4	78.5	83.6	83.5	74.4			79.9	80.0	77.9	70.2	76.8			75.9	$23,486	$23,048	$438

Frequently Asked Questions about Ada W. Harris Elementary

What is the racial makeup of Ada W. Harris Elementary?

Students at Ada W. Harris Elementary are 64% White, 18% Two or more races, 14% Hispanic, 3% Asian.

What district is Ada W. Harris Elementary in?

Cardiff Elementary

How many students attend Ada W. Harris Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 382 students attended Ada W. Harris Elementary.

Is Ada W. Harris Elementary a good school?

Yes. Ada W. Harris Elementary ranks in the top 9.7% of California elementary schools.

What schools do graduates of Ada W. Harris Elementary attend?

Students who attend Ada W. Harris Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Oak Crest Middle
High : La Costa Canyon High

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Latest California data All new data »

2024–25 school spending dataJul 1, 2026

2024–25 attendance dataMar 13, 2026

2024–25 CSA Spanish test scoresDec 22, 2025

2024–25 dropout rates & graduation ratesNov 14, 2025

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.