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Palm Crest Elementary

Public Grades K-6
9th
SchoolDigger Rank ?
of 5,817 California Elementary Schools
Better than 100% of California elementary schools
Summary

Palm Crest Elementary serves grades K–6 and enrolls 642 students in La Canada, California. In 2025–26, 91% of students were proficient in English language arts, 90% in math, and 92% in science. SchoolDigger ranks the school 9th out of 5,804 California schools and gives it five stars. The most important finding for families is that Palm Crest had the highest all-grades proficiency results among the 10 nearby schools in all three subjects.

Palm Crest’s results are especially strong in science: they exceed the state by 56 points and La Canada Unified by 11 points. Its advantages over the state are also substantial in math (52 points) and ELA (41 points); compared with the district, the margins are 6 points in math and 3 in ELA. Palm Crest’s results are about 14 points above the nearby-school average in ELA, 16 in math, and 24 in science. Paradise Canyon Elementary is its closest nearby competitor overall, trailing by 4 points in ELA, 6 in math, and 3 in science. Grade 4 ELA is a relative exception: La Canada Elementary scored 91%, compared with Palm Crest’s 89%.

Results over time are mixed: ELA and math were slightly lower in 2025–26 than in 2022–23, while science rose 4 points, from 88% to 92%, after dropping to 73% in 2024–25. The school’s lead over state results narrowed in all three subjects. SchoolDigger nevertheless placed Palm Crest 9th in 2025–26, up from 40th the prior year, and its ranking was in the 99th or 100th percentile in every year shown. In 2024–25, its student-teacher ratio was 22.5, the second-lowest among the 11 comparison schools. That year, 5% of students were free/reduced lunch eligible, tied with Paradise Canyon Elementary for the lowest nearby figure; this is an eligibility measure, not a measure of meal access.

642
Students ?
22.5
Student/teacher ratio ?
$25,743
Per pupil spending ?
4.8%
Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?
All students in California receive free school meals.
98%
Kindergartners with all required immunizations (2024-25)
Exemptions: 0% (any vaccine)
 5025 Palm Dr.
       La Canada, CA  91011-1518

(818) 952-8360

District: La Canada Unified


Students who attend Palm Crest Elementary usually attend:

High:    La Canada High
Racial breakdown:

White:
37.9%
Asian:
34.7%
Hispanic:
13.9%
more
 See top rated California elementary schools

 Compare Palm Crest Elementary to nearby elementary schools!
At a glance
▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 99th percentile in 2015 → 100th in 2026
Strengths
✓Test scores above the California average (91% vs 42% meeting standards)
✓Ranks in the top 1% of California elementary schools
Worth a look
!Large classes — about 22 students per teacher
Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?
This school91%
District avg85%
California avg42%
9th of 5,817
California public elementary schools ?
Top 1%▲ up 1 pts since 2016
See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →
★★★★★
SchoolDigger rating ?
1st of 3Elementary Schools in the La Canada Unified
5th of 1,530La Canada 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
202699.19 of 581799.8%★★★★★
202598.340 of 585799.3%★★★★★
202498.921 of 586999.6%★★★★★
202399.118 of 585999.7%★★★★★
202299.021 of 588399.6%★★★★★
201998.257 of 578999.0%★★★★★
201898.724 of 566299.6%★★★★★
201798.543 of 569299.2%★★★★★
201698.247 of 561499.2%★★★★★
201598.281 of 561198.6%★★★★★
201396.062 of 553098.9%★★★★★
201295.276 of 539098.6%★★★★★
201196.539 of 537799.3%★★★★★
201096.743 of 531499.2%★★★★★
200996.868 of 519398.7%★★★★★
200896.698 of 511398.1%★★★★★
200797.291 of 511398.2%★★★★★
200695.7172 of 481896.4%★★★★★
200597.960 of 482298.8%★★★★★
200498.079 of 480998.4%★★★★★

Asian

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202686.832 of 121097.4%★★★★★
202587.030 of 120397.5%★★★★★
202484.269 of 120594.3%★★★★★
202387.617 of 119098.6%★★★★★
202287.117 of 115498.5%★★★★★
201981.3109 of 114990.5%★★★★★
201884.043 of 107196.0%★★★★★

Disabled

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202298.634 of 222798.5%★★★★★
201899.93 of 212899.9%★★★★★

Female

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202698.714 of 558199.7%★★★★★
202598.328 of 559799.5%★★★★★
202498.712 of 561299.8%★★★★★
202398.626 of 560999.5%★★★★★
202298.430 of 563599.5%★★★★★
201996.994 of 549298.3%★★★★★
201897.944 of 541399.2%★★★★★

Hispanic

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202698.449 of 509499.0%★★★★★
202598.056 of 510798.9%★★★★★
201999.420 of 496399.6%★★★★★
201899.79 of 483099.8%★★★★★

Male

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202698.811 of 560399.8%★★★★★
202597.577 of 562898.6%★★★★★
202498.433 of 564399.4%★★★★★
202399.18 of 563899.9%★★★★★
202298.825 of 566399.6%★★★★★
201998.339 of 551099.3%★★★★★
201898.816 of 543199.7%★★★★★

Multi-racial

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202692.25 of 75399.3%★★★★★
202593.01 of 71899.9%★★★★★
202493.23 of 67099.6%★★★★★
202392.67 of 66999.0%★★★★★
202288.920 of 61096.7%★★★★★
201980.860 of 44586.5%★★★★☆
201894.21 of 33999.7%★★★★★

Special Education

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202699.711 of 292799.6%★★★★★
202599.315 of 284799.5%★★★★★
202499.032 of 263598.8%★★★★★

White

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202695.011 of 253699.6%★★★★★
202587.4152 of 259894.1%★★★★★
202494.314 of 265199.5%★★★★★
202394.113 of 266199.5%★★★★★
202289.4135 of 272695.0%★★★★★
201990.880 of 283497.2%★★★★★
201892.152 of 273798.1%★★★★★
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 (2026)100th percentile~ school
Female (2026)100th percentile~ school
Special Education (2026)100th percentile~ school
White (2026)100th percentile~ school
Multi-racial (2026)99th percentile~ school
Hispanic (2026)99th percentile~ school
Disabled (2022)98th percentile~ school
Asian (2026)97th percentile~ school
By subject vs California (2025-2026) ?
Science92%+56 vs state
English Language Arts/Literacy91%+41 vs state
Mathematics90%+52 vs state

5.0
1 rating · 1 written review
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What people are saying
by a parent
Tuesday, September 4, 2012

Open Quote Great community school -- Ms. Hurley is an excellent principal. Close Quote





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Frequently Asked Questions about Palm Crest Elementary

In the 2024-25 school year, 642 students attended Palm Crest Elementary.

Yes! Palm Crest Elementary is one of the best elementary schools in the state. It ranks 9th of 5817 California elementary schools.

Students who attend Palm Crest Elementary usually go on to attend:

High : La Canada High

Students at Palm Crest Elementary are 38% White, 35% Asian, 14% Hispanic, 13% Two or more races.

Rate Palm Crest Elementary!



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Latest California data All new data »
2013–14 through 2024–25 immunization rates (updated)NewOct 19, 2026
2025–26 attendance data, dropout rates & graduation ratesOct 15, 2026
2025–26 CAST, CSA Spanish & Smarter Balanced Assessments scoresOct 15, 2026
2024–25 school spending dataJul 1, 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.

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