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Carmel River Elementary

Public Grades K-5

281^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,857 California Elementary Schools

Better than 95% of California elementary schools

Summary

Carmel River Elementary is a top-ranked K-5 public school serving about 400 students in the highly-rated Carmel Unified district, consistently performing among the best elementary schools in California.

The school's academic results are exceptional, with nearly 80% of students proficient in both English and Math, far exceeding state averages. This success is consistent across different student groups, with the school ranking in the 99th percentile for students from low socioeconomic backgrounds. While well-resourced, spending about 67% more per student than many nearby schools, its effectiveness is notable. For comparison, schools just a few miles away in the Monterey Peninsula Unified district, like Martin Luther King and Del Rey Woods Elementary, show proficiency rates that are often 50 points lower, highlighting a stark performance gap within the same region.

For families considering alternatives, Robert Down Elementary in the Pacific Grove Unified district is a strong nearby option, ranking in the 90th percentile. Charter schools like Monterey Bay Charter and Bay View Academy show more mixed results and do not match Carmel River's high performance. The school maintains strong student engagement with a chronic absenteeism rate well below the state average, solidifying its position as the clear academic leader in the area.

400

Students ?

21.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$37,456

Per pupil spending ?

14.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

Monte Verde St. and 15th Ave.
Carmel, CA 93923

(831) 624-4609

District: Carmel Unified

Students who attend Carmel River Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Carmel Middle
High:	Carmel High

Racial breakdown:

White:

57.3%

Hispanic:

18.8%

Two or more races:

16.0%

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Compare Carmel River Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 97th percentile in 2015 → 95th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the California average (78% vs 41% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 5% of California elementary schools

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school78%

District avg68%

California avg41%

281^st of 5,857

California public elementary schools ?

Top 5%▼ down 2 pts since 2015

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 2Elementary Schools in the Carmel Unified

86^th of 1,543Carmel 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
2025	95.6	281 of 5857	95.2%	★★★★★
2024	93.5	472 of 5869	92.0%	★★★★★
2023	90.1	702 of 5859	88.0%	★★★★☆
2022	95.9	298 of 5883	94.9%	★★★★★
2021	90.1	154 of 1417	89.1%	★★★★☆
2019	96.6	179 of 5789	96.9%	★★★★★
2018	92.9	451 of 5662	92.0%	★★★★★
2017	95.4	302 of 5692	94.7%	★★★★★
2016	95.9	249 of 5614	95.6%	★★★★★
2015	97.1	173 of 5611	96.9%	★★★★★
2013	93.6	211 of 5530	96.2%	★★★★★
2012	93.7	172 of 5390	96.8%	★★★★★
2011	93.8	194 of 5377	96.4%	★★★★★
2010	94.6	153 of 5314	97.1%	★★★★★
2009	95.3	141 of 5193	97.3%	★★★★★
2008	94.7	205 of 5113	96.0%	★★★★★
2007	97.7	70 of 5113	98.6%	★★★★★
2006	98.0	53 of 4818	98.9%	★★★★★
2005	98.3	34 of 4822	99.3%	★★★★★
2004	96.4	157 of 4809	96.7%	★★★★★

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2019	76.3	224 of 1149	80.5%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	95.6	201 of 5597	96.4%	★★★★★
2024	93.6	395 of 5612	93.0%	★★★★★
2023	87.3	773 of 5609	86.2%	★★★★☆
2022	95.8	237 of 5635	95.8%	★★★★★
2021	89.8	143 of 1267	88.7%	★★★★☆
2019	95.8	179 of 5492	96.7%	★★★★★
2018	89.8	579 of 5413	89.3%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2019	99.8	5 of 4963	99.9%	★★★★★
2018	87.9	379 of 4830	92.2%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	98.4	59 of 5460	98.9%	★★★★★
2024	96.9	154 of 5517	97.2%	★★★★★
2018	78.3	756 of 5084	85.1%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	93.6	354 of 5628	93.7%	★★★★★
2024	91.3	528 of 5643	90.6%	★★★★★
2023	90.6	575 of 5638	89.8%	★★★★☆
2022	94.4	346 of 5663	93.9%	★★★★★
2021	87.5	161 of 1272	87.3%	★★★★☆
2019	95.8	190 of 5510	96.6%	★★★★★
2018	93.7	339 of 5431	93.8%	★★★★★

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	75.6	157 of 718	78.1%	★★★★☆
2024	60.9	322 of 670	51.9%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	83.2	299 of 2598	88.5%	★★★★☆
2024	80.2	417 of 2651	84.3%	★★★★☆
2023	74.0	657 of 2661	75.3%	★★★★☆
2022	85.2	260 of 2726	90.5%	★★★★★
2019	87.3	177 of 2834	93.8%	★★★★★
2018	82.4	362 of 2737	86.8%	★★★★☆

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 (2019)100th percentile+3 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)99th percentile+4 vs school

Female (2025)96th percentile~ school

Male (2025)94th percentile~ school

White (2025)88th percentile-7 vs school

Asian (2019)81st percentile-16 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)78th percentile-17 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

Mathematics80%+43 vs state

English Language Arts/Literacy80%+31 vs state

Science65%+33 vs state

1.0

1 rating · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a parent
Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Mr. Marden, the principal lacks leadership and the school is plagued by the common problems of public schools, such as staff covering up for each other. This school is living off the innate talent and intelligence of the children whose parents can afford to live in one of the most expensive neighborhoods. If you are committed to hours of teaching your child outside of school and ok with your child sitting in the class getting almost nothing out of the curriculum, or if your child is behind, this is the place for you. If your do not want to have any homework, this is your dream. If your conscious is ok with teachers giving children higher rankings because of their parents, then, welcome to the exclusive Carmel River School Country Club. Close Quote

Schools Near Carmel River Elementary

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Immunizations 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)							% Completely Immunized (2022)	% Polio (2022)	% Hepatitis B (2022)	% Varicella (2022)	% DTP (2022)	% MMR (2022)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
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	% Completely Immunized KG	% Polio KG	% Hepatitis B KG	% Varicella KG	% DTP KG	% MMR KG	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Carmel River Elementary	Public	K-5	Monte Verde St. and 15th Ave.	Carmel	93923	Monterey County	Carmel Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 624-4609	400	19	21.0	14.8%	229 (57.3%)	0 (0.0%)	75 (18.8%)	32 (8.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	64 (16.0%)	95.6	281^st of 5857 public elementary schools	95.2%		93.5	472^nd of 5869 public elementary schools	92.0%	191	65.2		65.2	75.3	85.5	78.3				79.6	83.6	88.7	66.7				79.8	95.3	95.3	95.3	96.9	96.9	96.9	$37,456	$654	$36,802
Monte Vista	Public	K-8	100 Toda Vista Dr.	Monterey	93940	Monterey County	Monterey Peninsula Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 392-3890	688	29	23.6	45.9%	305 (44.3%)	24 (3.5%)	261 (37.9%)	33 (4.8%)	1 (0.1%)	9 (1.3%)	55 (8.0%)	69.2	1637^th of 5857 public elementary schools	72.1%		63.4	1907^th of 5869 public elementary schools	67.5%	270	50.6	45.5	48.6	54.7	62.5	51.8	50.9	43.2	61.8	54.0	60.0	64.2	34.1	37.3	25.7	41.8	44.3	98.1		98.1	98.1		98.1	$21,279	$2,145	$19,134
La Mesa	Public	K-8	1 La Mesa Way	Monterey	93940	Monterey County	Monterey Peninsula Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 649-1872	689	29	23.4	45.3%	306 (44.4%)	26 (3.8%)	200 (29.0%)	74 (10.7%)	2 (0.3%)	7 (1.0%)	72 (10.4%)	76.4	1319^th of 5857 public elementary schools	77.5%		80.2	1143^rd of 5869 public elementary schools	80.5%	176	47.5	37.9	42.7	54.6	58.2	66.1	57.1	55.0	48.3	56.6	56.1	64.2	49.2	52.4	31.7	44.8	50.1	98.3						$19,901	$2,015	$17,886
Monterey Bay Charter	Public, Charter	K-8	1004 David Ave.	Pacific Grove	93950	Monterey County	Monterey Bay Charter District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 655-4638	475	17	27.9	31.2%	260 (54.7%)	3 (0.6%)	128 (26.9%)	16 (3.4%)	3 (0.6%)	3 (0.6%)	62 (13.1%)	74.6	1388^th of 5857 public elementary schools	76.3%		68.3	1672^nd of 5869 public elementary schools	71.5%	284	65.3	29.4	47.0	42.9	65.1	73.5	68.8	75.5	60.0	64.2	42.0	40.9	55.1	60.4	60.0	25.5	47.3	95.8	97.2	97.2				$14,176	$436	$13,740
Forest Grove Elementary	Public	K-5	1065 Congress Ave.	Pacific Grove	93950	Monterey County	Pacific Grove Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 646-6560	324	19	16.7	22.2%	159 (49.1%)	6 (1.9%)	87 (26.9%)	17 (5.2%)	1 (0.3%)	2 (0.6%)	52 (16.0%)	75.8	1343^rd of 5857 public elementary schools	77.1%		75.8	1343^rd of 5869 public elementary schools	77.1%		56.7		56.7	50.8	59.6	66.1				58.6	50.8	54.7	57.4				54.2	96.7						$29,564	$1,420	$28,144
Bay View Academy	Public, Charter	K-8	222 Casa Verde Ave.	Monterey	93940	Monterey County	Bay View Academy District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 717-4630	477	21	22.7	43.4%	109 (22.9%)	11 (2.3%)	263 (55.1%)	31 (6.5%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.6%)	60 (12.6%)	51.3	2536^th of 5857 public elementary schools	56.7%		50.2	2540^th of 5869 public elementary schools	56.7%	4	48.0	38.0	43.0	44.2	25.9	62.0	56.5	38.2	52.0	45.9	38.5	20.8	38.0	41.3	14.6	38.0	31.4							$16,818	$723	$16,095
Robert Down Elementary	Public	K-5	485 Pine Ave.	Pacific Grove	93950	Monterey County	Pacific Grove Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 646-6540	422	24	17.9	19.0%	238 (56.4%)	4 (0.9%)	67 (15.9%)	44 (10.4%)	2 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	66 (15.6%)	91.7	564^th of 5857 public elementary schools	90.4%		92	571^st of 5869 public elementary schools	90.3%	7	72.2		72.2	77.9	63.2	77.6				73.4	84.3	56.9	72.2				72.0	92.7			95.6			$26,000	$1,472	$24,528
Carmel Child Development Center	Public	K	8460 Carmel Valley Rd.	Carmel	93923	Monterey County	Carmel Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 624-8047	0				0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Del Rey Woods Elementary	Public	K-6	1281 Plumas Ave.	Seaside	93955	Monterey County	Monterey Peninsula Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 392-3907	390	20	19.1	87.9%	25 (6.4%)	9 (2.3%)	320 (82.1%)	14 (3.6%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.0%)	18 (4.6%)	29.4	4005^th of 5857 public elementary schools	31.6%		21.5	4720^th of 5869 public elementary schools	19.6%	715	17.5		17.5	34.5	24.2	21.3	46.3			31.8	40.4	14.9	9.5	43.3			26.8							$20,710	$2,409	$18,301
Dual Language Academy of the Monterey Peninsula	Public	K-8	1650 Sonoma Ave.	Seaside	93955	Monterey County	Monterey Peninsula Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 899-1100	410	18	22.7	77.8%	30 (7.3%)	3 (0.7%)	365 (89.0%)	2 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.5%)	7 (1.7%)	21	4742^nd of 5857 public elementary schools	19.0%		27.5	4160^th of 5869 public elementary schools	29.1%	582	3.3	25.6	15.9	27.6	5.1	13.8	44.4	52.9	57.1	34.1	30.0	4.9	10.0	32.6	46.3	30.8	26.4							$22,492	$2,439	$20,053

Frequently Asked Questions about Carmel River Elementary

What district is Carmel River Elementary in?

Carmel Unified

What schools do graduates of Carmel River Elementary attend?

Students who attend Carmel River Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Carmel Middle
High : Carmel High

What is the racial makeup of Carmel River Elementary?

Students at Carmel River Elementary are 57% White, 19% Hispanic, 16% Two or more races, 8% Asian.

Is Carmel River Elementary a good school?

Yes! Carmel River Elementary is one of the best elementary schools in the state. It ranks 281^st of 5857 California elementary schools.

How many students attend Carmel River Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 400 students attended Carmel River Elementary.

Rate Carmel River Elementary!

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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.