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Magnolia Elementary

Public Grades K-5

248^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,817 California Elementary Schools

Better than 96% of California elementary schools

Summary

Magnolia Elementary serves 488 students in kindergarten through fifth grade in Carlsbad, in Carlsbad Unified. Its 2025–2026 results stand out across English language arts (ELA), math and science: proficiency was 80% in ELA, 78% in math and 69% in science, all well above state and district levels. The clearest overall takeaway is that Magnolia combines high achievement in all three subjects with especially strong math results: its math proficiency was 40 percentage points above the state.

Compared with nearby schools, Magnolia led in ELA and ranked second in math and third in science. Its ELA proficiency was 17 points above the nearby-school average and higher than the next-best reported score; in math, it was 19 points above the average, though Kelly Elementary scored higher. In science, Magnolia was 17 points above the nearby average but trailed Kelly and Hope Elementary. Magnolia also exceeded Carlsbad Unified and state proficiency in each subject. Grade-level results show some variation: third-grade ELA and fourth-grade math were the highest among nearby schools with reported results, while fifth-grade math was a relative dip at 74%—still above the district’s 69% and the state’s 37%.

Scores remain high, but each subject is lower than in 2022–2023: ELA fell 3 percentage points, math 2 and science 4. Over the same period, Magnolia’s lead over the state narrowed by 6 points in ELA, 6 in math and 10 in science. SchoolDigger gives Magnolia 5 stars and a statewide rank at the 96th percentile; its rank number of 247 narrowly leads Kelly’s 250 among nearby schools with reported ranks. Context includes a student-teacher ratio of 24.4 in 2024–2025, above the nearby average of 22.9, and 21% free/reduced lunch eligible that school year, compared with a 47% nearby average. SchoolDigger’s ranking for “Multi-racial Students” was at the 63rd percentile in 2025–2026, below Magnolia’s overall 96th-percentile standing and its 97th-percentile subgroup ranking in 2022–2023; subgroup enrollment details are not provided.

488

Students ?

24.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$15,708

Per pupil spending ?

21.1%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

All students in California receive free school meals.

≥ 98%

Kindergartners with all required immunizations (2024-25)

1905 Magnolia Ave.
Carlsbad, CA 92009-2632

(760) 331-5600

District: Carlsbad Unified

Students who attend Magnolia Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Valley Middle
High:	Carlsbad High

Racial breakdown:

White:

70.5%

Hispanic:

17.6%

Two or more races:

9.8%

See top rated California elementary schools

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At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 88th percentile in 2015 → 96th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the California average (77% vs 42% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 4% of California elementary schools

✓Ranking is trending up — up 8 percentile points since 2015

Worth a look

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

!Large classes — about 24 students per teacher

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school77%

District avg65%

California avg42%

248^th of 5,817

California public elementary schools ?

Top 4%▬ steady since 2016

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd of 9Elementary Schools in the Carlsbad Unified

156^th of 1,530Carlsbad 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

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	95.9	248 of 5817	95.7%	★★★★★
2025	95.2	310 of 5857	94.7%	★★★★★
2024	97.2	146 of 5869	97.5%	★★★★★
2023	97.1	178 of 5859	97.0%	★★★★★
2022	97.3	173 of 5883	97.1%	★★★★★
2019	96.0	217 of 5789	96.3%	★★★★★
2018	94.0	373 of 5662	93.4%	★★★★★
2017	93.1	446 of 5692	92.2%	★★★★★
2016	96.0	233 of 5614	95.8%	★★★★★
2015	89.1	664 of 5611	88.2%	★★★★☆
2013	88.9	539 of 5530	90.3%	★★★★★
2012	80.5	1001 of 5390	81.4%	★★★★☆
2011	84.5	753 of 5377	86.0%	★★★★☆
2010	80.3	1000 of 5314	81.2%	★★★★☆
2009	81.9	896 of 5193	82.7%	★★★★☆
2008	83.6	810 of 5113	84.2%	★★★★☆
2007	88.7	576 of 5113	88.7%	★★★★☆
2006	87.6	611 of 4818	87.3%	★★★★☆
2005	84.7	739 of 4822	84.7%	★★★★☆
2004	90.4	489 of 4809	89.8%	★★★★☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	97.0	72 of 2227	96.8%	★★★★★
2019	97.7	56 of 2585	97.8%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	96.1	153 of 5581	97.3%	★★★★★
2025	95.2	245 of 5597	95.6%	★★★★★
2024	96.2	176 of 5612	96.9%	★★★★★
2023	95.0	282 of 5609	95.0%	★★★★★
2022	95.3	279 of 5635	95.0%	★★★★★
2019	95.0	227 of 5492	95.9%	★★★★★
2018	91.7	463 of 5413	91.4%	★★★★★

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	98.8	36 of 5094	99.3%	★★★★★
2025	97.3	80 of 5107	98.4%	★★★★★
2024	98.4	49 of 5107	99.0%	★★★★★
2023	97.9	73 of 5087	98.6%	★★★★★
2022	97.4	95 of 5084	98.1%	★★★★★
2019	96.3	103 of 4963	97.9%	★★★★★
2018	91.4	252 of 4830	94.8%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	85.3	546 of 5423	89.9%	★★★★☆
2025	94.3	203 of 5460	96.3%	★★★★★
2024	99.6	22 of 5517	99.6%	★★★★★
2023	98.3	70 of 5363	98.7%	★★★★★
2022	95.3	170 of 5264	96.8%	★★★★★
2019	94.9	142 of 5173	97.3%	★★★★★
2018	86.7	420 of 5084	91.7%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	93.7	337 of 5603	94.0%	★★★★★
2025	93.0	398 of 5628	92.9%	★★★★★
2024	96.5	159 of 5643	97.2%	★★★★★
2023	96.1	217 of 5638	96.2%	★★★★★
2022	97.7	99 of 5663	98.3%	★★★★★
2019	95.3	227 of 5510	95.9%	★★★★★
2018	94.3	302 of 5431	94.4%	★★★★★

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	66.1	281 of 753	62.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	89.7	20 of 669	97.0%	★★★★★

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	99.4	21 of 2927	99.3%	★★★★★
2025	91.1	192 of 2847	93.3%	★★★★★
2024	99.2	28 of 2635	98.9%	★★★★★
2023	99.0	34 of 2420	98.6%	★★★★★

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	84.5	260 of 2536	89.7%	★★★★☆
2025	80.2	407 of 2598	84.3%	★★★★☆
2024	89.2	109 of 2651	95.9%	★★★★★
2023	89.3	126 of 2661	95.3%	★★★★★
2022	91.3	70 of 2726	97.4%	★★★★★
2019	89.1	125 of 2834	95.6%	★★★★★
2018	85.6	234 of 2737	91.5%	★★★★★

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)

Hispanic (2026)99th percentile+4 vs school

Special Education (2026)99th percentile+4 vs school

Female (2026)97th percentile~ school

Disabled (2022)97th percentile~ school

Male (2026)94th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)90th percentile-6 vs school

White (2026)90th percentile-6 vs school

Multi-racial (2026)63rd percentile-33 vs school

By subject vs California (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy80%+30 vs state

Mathematics78%+40 vs state

Science69%+33 vs state

★

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Schools Near Magnolia 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 Vaccination 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)				Vaccination (2024-25)		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 5th 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 All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 3rd Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 4th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 5th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics All Grades	Vaccination: Kindergartners with all required immunizations	Vaccination: Exemption rate	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Magnolia Elementary	Public	K-5	1905 Magnolia Ave.	Carlsbad	92009	San Diego County	Carlsbad Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 331-5600	488	20	24.4	21.1%	344 (70.5%)	0 (0.0%)	86 (17.6%)	10 (2.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	48 (9.8%)	95.9	248^th of 5817 public elementary schools	95.7%		95.2	310^th of 5857 public elementary schools	94.7%	62	69.1	69.1	82.7	76.3	80.0	79.6	81.3	80.4	74.1	78.2	≥ 98%		$15,708	$438	$15,270
Jefferson Elementary	Public	K-5	3743 Jefferson St.	Carlsbad	92009	San Diego County	Carlsbad Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 331-5500	471	23	20.2	54.4%	185 (39.3%)	11 (2.3%)	224 (47.6%)	8 (1.7%)	5 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	38 (8.1%)	61.8	2002^nd of 5817 public elementary schools	65.6%		65.1	1832^nd of 5857 public elementary schools	68.7%	170	38.7	38.7	39.1	61.2	53.2	51.3	51.6	58.2	35.5	48.7	98%	0%	$19,328	$999	$18,329
Buena Vista Elementary	Public	K-5	1330 Buena Vista Way	Carlsbad	92009	San Diego County	Carlsbad Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 331-5400	281	12	23.4	39.9%	139 (49.5%)	4 (1.4%)	97 (34.5%)	12 (4.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (10.0%)	94.4	384^th of 5817 public elementary schools	93.4%		90.4	632^nd of 5857 public elementary schools	89.2%	248	65.1	65.1	76.9	77.1	73.8	76.1	86.5	75.0	67.4	76.9	≥ 95%		$22,524	$441	$22,083
Kelly Elementary	Public	K-5	4885 Kelly Dr.	Carlsbad	92009	San Diego County	Carlsbad Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 331-5800	449	22	19.9	20.9%	270 (60.1%)	8 (1.8%)	72 (16.0%)	32 (7.1%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	65 (14.5%)	95.8	251^st of 5817 public elementary schools	95.7%		96.4	202^nd of 5857 public elementary schools	96.6%	49	74.0	74.0	73.1	75.7	82.2	76.9	84.6	77.0	79.5	80.4	≥ 98%		$18,926	$371	$18,555
Hope Elementary	Public	K-5	3010 Tamarack Ave.	Carlsbad	92009	San Diego County	Carlsbad Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 331-5900	659	30	21.9	27.2%	365 (55.4%)	3 (0.5%)	163 (24.7%)	29 (4.4%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.5%)	96 (14.6%)	91.7	557^th of 5817 public elementary schools	90.4%		90.6	624^th of 5857 public elementary schools	89.3%	67	73.4	73.4	78.6	62.0	83.0	73.7	75.9	68.6	64.9	70.0	97%	0%	$16,403	$439	$15,964
South Oceanside Elementary	Public	K-5	1806 South Horne St.	Oceanside	92054	San Diego County	Oceanside Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 435-2100	487	18	27.0	65.7%	175 (35.9%)	0 (0.0%)	245 (50.3%)	3 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	63 (12.9%)	53.5	2411^th of 5817 public elementary schools	58.6%		43.1	2998^th of 5857 public elementary schools	48.8%	587	26.6	26.6	61.4	57.8	34.6	50.7	51.4	57.8	23.1	43.4	96%	0%	$18,924	$1,056	$17,868
Calavera Hills Elementary	Public	K-5	4100 Tamarack Ave.	Carlsbad	92009	San Diego County	Carlsbad Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 331-6300	441	20	22.0	45.1%	194 (44.0%)	2 (0.5%)	181 (41.0%)	25 (5.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	38 (8.6%)	86.5	838^th of 5817 public elementary schools	85.6%		81.7	1089^th of 5857 public elementary schools	81.4%	251	60.3	60.3	55.3	68.2	73.4	65.1	67.1	76.9	59.4	67.8	97%	0%	$17,631	$857	$16,774
Palmquist Elementary	Public	K-5	1999 California St.	Oceanside	92054	San Diego County	Oceanside Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 901-8500	512	19	26.3	56.4%	230 (44.9%)	9 (1.8%)	220 (43.0%)	5 (1.0%)	2 (0.4%)	3 (0.6%)	43 (8.4%)	50.6	2575^th of 5817 public elementary schools	55.7%		47.9	2712^th of 5857 public elementary schools	53.7%	137	30.8	30.8	44.3	47.1	46.8	46.2	55.1	39.5	32.5	41.8	97%	0%	$20,008	$1,274	$18,734
Christa McAuliffe Elementary	Public	K-5	3701 Kelton Dr.	Oceanside	92056	San Diego County	Oceanside Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 901-8400	461	20	22.9	59.0%	162 (35.1%)	9 (2.0%)	225 (48.8%)	13 (2.8%)	1 (0.2%)	3 (0.7%)	48 (10.4%)	59	2114^th of 5817 public elementary schools	63.7%		45.3	2870^th of 5857 public elementary schools	51.0%	756	47.0	47.0	36.0	50.0	60.0	49.8	26.5	51.8	42.4	42.4	≥ 98%		$19,297	$783	$18,514
Casita Center for Science/Math/Technology	Public	K-5	260 Cedar Dr.	Vista	92084	San Diego County	Vista Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 724-8442	744	28	26.5	42.3%	274 (36.8%)	8 (1.1%)	354 (47.6%)	43 (5.8%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	63 (8.5%)	87.3	787^th of 5817 public elementary schools	86.5%		85.9	887^th of 5857 public elementary schools	84.9%	100	52.8	52.8	71.8	74.0	71.1	72.3	75.2	68.3	49.6	64.1	≥ 99%		$17,114	$996	$16,118

Frequently Asked Questions about Magnolia Elementary

Is Magnolia Elementary a good school?

Yes! Magnolia Elementary is one of the best elementary schools in the state. It ranks 248^th of 5817 California elementary schools.

How many students attend Magnolia Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 488 students attended Magnolia Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Magnolia Elementary?

Students at Magnolia Elementary are 70% White, 18% Hispanic, 10% Two or more races, 2% Asian.

What district is Magnolia Elementary in?

Carlsbad Unified

What schools do graduates of Magnolia Elementary attend?

Students who attend Magnolia Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Valley Middle
High : Carlsbad High

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Latest California data All new data »

2024–25 school spending data (updated)NewNov 2, 2026

2013–14 through 2024–25 immunization rates (updated)Oct 19, 2026

2025–26 attendance data, dropout rates & graduation ratesOct 15, 2026

2025–26 CAST, CSA Spanish & Smarter Balanced Assessments scoresOct 15, 2026

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.