Is Buena Vista Elementary a good school?

Buena Vista Elementary ranks 609 th of 5862 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Buena Vista Elementary?

In the 2023-24 school year, 288 students attended Buena Vista Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Buena Vista Elementary?

Students at Buena Vista Elementary are 50% White, 34% Hispanic, 10% Two or more races, 4% Asian, 1% African American.

What schools do graduates of Buena Vista Elementary attend?

Students who attend Buena Vista Elementary usually go on to attend: Middle : Valley Middle High : Carlsbad High

Buena Vista Elementary

Summary:

Buena Vista Elementary is a public elementary school in Carlsbad, California, serving 276 students in grades K-5. This high-performing school consistently ranks in the top 20% of California elementary schools and is part of the Carlsbad Unified School District, which is ranked 160 out of 1,568 districts in the state.

Buena Vista Elementary's academic performance is impressive, with 70.27% of students proficient or better in English Language Arts/Literacy and 73.15% in Mathematics, outperforming the state averages. The school also excels in Science, with 58.49% of students proficient or better on the CAST assessment, compared to the state average of 30.7%. Notably, Buena Vista performs exceptionally well for its Hispanic and low-income student populations, ranking in the top 5% and top 10% of California elementary schools, respectively, in these categories.

While Buena Vista Elementary outperforms other Carlsbad Unified schools, including Calavera Hills Elementary, Hope Elementary, and Kelly Elementary, it lags behind the top-performing Magnolia Elementary. However, Buena Vista's ability to maintain strong academic outcomes despite serving a more economically disadvantaged student population is commendable. The recent increase in chronic absenteeism, from 8.8% in 2018-2019 to 30% in 2022-2023, is a concern that the school and district should address.

Detail:

Public K-5

1330 Buena Vista Way
Carlsbad, CA 92008-1535

(760) 331-5400

District: Carlsbad Unified

SchoolDigger Rank:
609^th of 5,862 California Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $21,243

Students who attend Buena Vista Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Valley Middle
High:	Carlsbad High

Student/teacher ratio: 22.1

Number of students: 288

Racial breakdown:

White:

49.7%

Hispanic:

34.4%

Two or more races:

9.7%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 26.7%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Buena Vista Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Buena Vista Elementary ranks better than 89.6% of elementary schools in California. It also ranks 6^th among 9 ranked elementary schools in the Carlsbad Unified School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 91.43. (See more...)

Chronic absenteeism in a school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.

Student Body

Compare Details Buena Vista Elementary has the smallest elementary school student body size in the Carlsbad Unified School District. Racial makeup is: White (49.7%), Hispanic (34.4%), two or more races (9.7%). (See more...)

Compare Details 26.7% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Compare Details

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Buena Vista Elementary is 22.1, which is the 4^th best among 9 elementary schools in the Carlsbad Unified School District. (See more...)

Compare Buena Vista Elementary employs 13 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Buena Vista Elementary is $21,243, which is the highest among 9 elementary schools in the Carlsbad Unified School District! (See more...)

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Buena Vista Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Buena Vista Elementary 609^th of 5862 California public elementary schools. (See Buena Vista Elementary in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

Hispanic students:

White students:

Carlsbad Unified:

SchoolDigger ranks Carlsbad Unified 160^th of 1568 California school districts. (See district ranking list.)

Average Parent Rating:

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Rank History for Buena Vista Elementary

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Rank History for all students at Buena Vista Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2004	73.28	1182^nd	4809	75.4%
2005	70.53	1313^th	4822	72.8%
2006	72.80	1224^th	4818	74.6%
2007	71.50	1307^th	5113	74.4%
2008	50.97	2319^th	5113	54.6%
2009	82.74	845^th	5193	83.7%
2010	72.98	1330^th	5314	75.0%
2011	72.05	1391^st	5377	74.1%
2012	72.46	1394^th	5390	74.1%
2013	69.48	1597^th	5530	71.1%
2015	89.60	636^th	5611	88.7%
2016	81.65	1061^st	5614	81.1%
2017	92.53	486^th	5692	91.5%
2018	85.19	878^th	5662	84.5%
2019	84.24	953^rd	5789	83.5%
2022	85.92	897^th	5883	84.8%
2023	74.07	1425^th	5874	75.7%
2024	91.43	609^th	5862	89.6%

See the entire list of California Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Buena Vista Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	74.32	967^th	5084	81.0%
2019	76.42	873^rd	5173	83.1%
2022	80.10	755^th	5264	85.7%
2023	81.30	725^th	5374	86.5%
2024	86.97	552^nd	5511	90.0%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Buena Vista Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	80.20	1029^th	5413	81.0%
2019	80.58	1046^th	5492	81.0%
2022	84.40	898^th	5635	84.1%
2023	77.26	1203^rd	5617	78.6%
2024	92.54	458^th	5605	91.8%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Male students at Buena Vista Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	86.86	747^th	5431	86.2%
2019	85.42	802^nd	5510	85.4%
2022	83.82	927^th	5663	83.6%
2023	67.21	1633^rd	5650	71.1%
2024	86.13	810^th	5636	85.6%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Buena Vista Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	79.44	716^th	4830	85.2%
2019	87.79	396^th	4963	92.0%
2022	87.76	444^th	5084	91.3%
2023	67.09	1314^th	5098	74.2%
2024	94.19	201^st	5102	96.1%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for White students at Buena Vista Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	80.41	438^th	2737	84.0%
2019	72.73	714^th	2834	74.8%
2022	73.34	685^th	2726	74.9%
2023	59.96	1113^th	2662	58.2%
2024	82.78	325^th	2647	87.7%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: California Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Data source: California Department of Education

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 4)

100%

No reviews have been submitted!

Enrollment information for Buena Vista Elementary

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	299	14	20	94	2	n/a	n/a	0	429
1989	413	42	12	135	0	n/a	n/a	0	602
1990	458	37	11	149	0	n/a	n/a	0	655
1991	478	30	12	178	1	n/a	n/a	0	699
1992	416	29	18	210	0	n/a	n/a	0	673
1993	392	26	12	226	1	n/a	n/a	0	657
1994	350	25	15	210	0	n/a	n/a	0	600
1995	314	29	13	250	0	n/a	n/a	0	606
1996	314	29	13	250	0	n/a	n/a	0	606
1997	300	27	18	221	0	n/a	n/a	0	566
1998	280	21	20	224	1	n/a	n/a	0	546
1999	268	16	22	195	0	n/a	n/a	0	501
2000	269	12	28	195	0	n/a	n/a	0	504
2001	257	12	33	188	1	n/a	n/a	7	498
2002	206	13	25	169	1	n/a	n/a	8	422
2003	206	13	25	169	1	n/a	n/a	8	422
2004	192	12	19	136	1	n/a	n/a	21	381
2005	199	11	17	155	0	n/a	n/a	18	400
2006	128	15	16	131	3	n/a	n/a	25	318
2007	121	9	17	117	1	n/a	n/a	27	292
2008	116	12	13	107	1	n/a	n/a	0	249
2009	126	9	16	103	1	3	29	0	287
2010	113	6	11	103	1	1	20	0	255
2011	132	4	14	112	1	0	13	0	276
2012	133	4	21	113	2	1	12	0	286
2013	141	6	19	107	2	0	14	0	289
2014	141	11	14	100	3	1	13	0	283
2015	169	6	9	121	0	3	10	0	318
2016	143	2	8	107	0	3	19	0	282
2017	148	1	12	107	0	1	19	0	288
2018	169	6	15	113	0	1	20	0	324
2019	174	6	24	135	1	0	21	0	361
2020	190	5	17	141	1	0	30	0	384
2021	141	3	11	108	1	0	23	0	287
2022	142	1	11	111	1	0	23	0	289
2023	131	2	11	107	1	0	24	0	276
2024	143	4	12	99	1	1	28	0	288

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Buena Vista Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	429	18.3	23.4	n/a
1989	602	23.7	25.4	n/a
1990	655	25.7	25.4	n/a
1991	699	25.3	27.6	n/a
1992	673	25.7	26.1	40.3
1993	657	23.0	28.6	40.8
1994	600	23.0	26.1	43.5
1995	606	23.0	26.3	50.5
1996	606	23.0	26.3	50.5
1997	566	23.5	24.1	48.8
1998	546	25.0	21.8	52.9
1999	501	25.8	19.4	45.7
2000	504	24.0	21.0	40.7
2001	498	24.0	20.8	44.4
2002	422	20.0	21.1	42.8
2003	422	20.0	21.1	42.8
2004	381	18.5	20.6	37.2
2005	400	17.0	23.5	49.7
2006	318	17.0	18.7	35.5
2007	292	18.0	16.2	66.8
2008	249	15.6	16.0	56.2
2009	287	11.6	18.4	42.9
2010	255	19.1	13.3	43.1
2011	276	n/a	n/a	43.1
2012	286	10.0	28.6	n/a
2013	289	10.5	27.5	38.4
2014	283	10.0	28.3	31.1
2015	318	12.0	26.5	30.8
2016	282	10.0	28.2	32.6
2017	288	11.0	26.1	25.7
2018	324	13.0	24.9	31.2
2019	361	14.0	25.7	29.1
2020	384	n/a	n/a	30.2
2021	287	13.0	22.0	28.2
2022	289	14.0	20.6	24.9
2023	276	13.0	21.2	30.1
2024	288	13.0	22.1	26.7

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Buena Vista Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	429	18.3	23.4	n/a
1989	602	23.7	25.4	n/a
1990	655	25.7	25.4	n/a
1991	699	25.3	27.6	n/a
1992	673	25.7	26.1	40.3
1993	657	23.0	28.6	40.8
1994	600	23.0	26.1	43.5
1995	606	23.0	26.3	50.5
1996	606	23.0	26.3	50.5
1997	566	23.5	24.1	48.8
1998	546	25.0	21.8	52.9
1999	501	25.8	19.4	45.7
2000	504	24.0	21.0	40.7
2001	498	24.0	20.8	44.4
2002	422	20.0	21.1	42.8
2003	422	20.0	21.1	42.8
2004	381	18.5	20.6	37.2
2005	400	17.0	23.5	49.7
2006	318	17.0	18.7	35.5
2007	292	18.0	16.2	66.8
2008	249	15.6	16.0	56.2
2009	287	11.6	18.4	42.9
2010	255	19.1	13.3	43.1
2011	276	n/a	n/a	43.1
2012	286	10.0	28.6	n/a
2013	289	10.5	27.5	38.4
2014	283	10.0	28.3	31.1
2015	318	12.0	26.5	30.8
2016	282	10.0	28.2	32.6
2017	288	11.0	26.1	25.7
2018	324	13.0	24.9	31.2
2019	361	14.0	25.7	29.1
2020	384	n/a	n/a	30.2
2021	287	13.0	22.0	28.2
2022	289	14.0	20.6	24.9
2023	276	13.0	21.2	30.1
2024	288	13.0	22.1	26.7

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.

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