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La Honda Elementary

Q: Is La Honda Elementary a good school?

La Honda Elementary ranks 1292 nd of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-5

1292^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,857 California Elementary Schools

Better than 78% of California elementary schools

Summary

La Honda Elementary is a small, rural public school serving about 65 students in grades K-5 within the La Honda-Pescadero Unified School District, and it stands out for its strong academic performance despite serving a community with greater economic need than many of its affluent neighbors.

The school's journey is impressive, rising from a lower-performing rating a decade ago to consistently ranking in the top quartile of California elementary schools. With 62% of students proficient in both English and Math, it significantly outperforms the state average and its district peer, Pescadero Elementary and Middle. This success is notable when compared to nearby top-ranked schools like Las Lomitas Elementary and Woodside Elementary, which achieve similar scores but serve student populations with far fewer economic challenges.

As a small school, La Honda benefits from a low student-teacher ratio and high per-student spending, which appears to support its strong results. However, it faces distinct challenges, such as a chronic absenteeism rate that, while near the state average, is higher and more volatile than in nearby affluent areas. The data shows that with dedicated resources and effective practices, this rural school provides a high-quality education that defies simple expectations based on community demographics.

Students ?

16.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$33,423

Per pupil spending ?

21.5%

Free/discounted lunch ?

450 Sears Ranch Rd.
La Honda, CA 94020

(650) 747-0051

District: La Honda-Pescadero Unified

Students who attend La Honda Elementary usually attend:

High:

Pescadero High

Racial breakdown:

White:

72.3%

Hispanic:

23.1%

Asian:

3.1%

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At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Rebounding — 21st percentile in 2011 → 78th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the California average (62% vs 43% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 22% of California elementary schools

✓Ranking is rebounding — up to 78th (2025) from a 21st-percentile low (2011)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school62%

District avg48%

California avg43%

1,292^nd of 5,857

California public elementary schools ?

Top 22%▲ up 5 pts since 2015

From top 27% (2015) to top 22% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

409^th of 1,543La Honda-Pescadero 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	76.9	1292 of 5857	77.9%	★★★★☆
2015	69.6	1516 of 5611	73.0%	★★★★☆
2012	39.0	3331 of 5390	38.2%	★★☆☆☆
2011	26.3	4239 of 5377	21.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	34.8	3501 of 5314	34.1%	★★☆☆☆
2009	56.1	2116 of 5193	59.3%	★★★☆☆
2008	74.4	1219 of 5113	76.2%	★★★★☆
2007	88.3	604 of 5113	88.2%	★★★★☆
2006	85.5	709 of 4818	85.3%	★★★★☆
2005	93.1	319 of 4822	93.4%	★★★★★
2004	76.9	1039 of 4809	78.4%	★★★★☆

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy62%+13 vs state

Mathematics62%+25 vs state

★

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Schools Near La Honda 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)	% Hepatitis B (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	% Hepatitis B KG	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
La Honda Elementary	Public	K-5	450 Sears Ranch Rd.	La Honda	94020	San Mateo County	La Honda-Pescadero Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(650) 747-0051	65	4	16.2	21.5%	47 (72.3%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (23.1%)	2 (3.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.5%)	76.9	1292^nd of 5857 public elementary schools	77.9%					(n/a)				45.5	75.0					62.1	45.5	75.0					62.1			$33,423	$4,110	$29,313
Ormondale Elementary	Public	K-3	200 Shawnee Pass	Portola Valley	94028	San Mateo County	Portola Valley Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(650) 851-1777	243	14	17.3	6.2%	157 (64.6%)	4 (1.6%)	30 (12.3%)	15 (6.2%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.2%)	34 (14.0%)								(n/a)				82.0						82.0	88.5						88.5			$33,514	$513	$33,001
Kings Mountain Elementary	Public	K-5	211 Swett Rd.	Woodside	94062	San Mateo County	Cabrillo Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(650) 712-7180	46	3	15.3	17.4%	34 (73.9%)	1 (2.2%)	8 (17.4%)	1 (2.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (4.3%)								(n/a)										85.7							50.0			$21,817	$1,750	$20,067
Pescadero Elementary and Middle	Public	K-8	620 North St.	Pescadero	94060	San Mateo County	La Honda-Pescadero Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(650) 879-0332	126	10	13.0	42.1%	23 (18.3%)	0 (0.0%)	100 (79.4%)	2 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.8%)								(n/a)		33.3	25.9	53.9				60.9	33.3	50.0	38.5				39.1	11.1	28.2			$30,638	$4,240	$26,398
Woodside Elementary	Public	K-8	3195 Woodside Rd.	Woodside	94062	San Mateo County	Woodside Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(650) 851-1571	385	32	11.8	7.3%	241 (62.6%)	6 (1.6%)	68 (17.7%)	24 (6.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	46 (11.9%)	97.7	93^rd of 5857 public elementary schools	98.4%		96.7	193^rd of 5869 public elementary schools	96.7%	100	73.0	61.8	67.6	84.1	87.5	91.9	76.3	93.1	94.1	87.4	86.4	91.7	83.8	76.3	86.2	70.6	83.0			$36,986	$732	$36,254
Las Lomitas Elementary	Public	K-3	299 Alameda de Las Pulgas	Atherton	94027	San Mateo County	Las Lomitas Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(650) 854-5900	522	26	20.0	5.2%	220 (42.1%)	3 (0.6%)	93 (17.8%)	132 (25.3%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.4%)	72 (13.8%)								(n/a)				80.8						80.8	87.3						87.3			$29,175	$706	$28,469
Oak Knoll Elementary	Public	K-5	1895 Oak Knoll Ln.	Menlo Park	94025	San Mateo County	Menlo Park City Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(650) 854-4433	574	30	18.8	5.7%	329 (57.3%)	4 (0.7%)	60 (10.5%)	90 (15.7%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	89 (15.5%)	97.8	91^st of 5857 public elementary schools	98.4%		97.2	150^th of 5869 public elementary schools	97.4%	59	78.0		78.0	77.7	84.9	89.0				84.0	84.5	90.9	80.2				85.4			$23,814	$192	$23,622
Gardner Bullis Elementary	Public	K-6	25890 Fremont Rd.	Los Altos Hills	94022	Santa Clara County	Los Altos Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(650) 559-3200	313	17	18.6	1.9%	144 (46.0%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (6.4%)	99 (31.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	50 (16.0%)	98	68^th of 5857 public elementary schools	98.8%		98.3	62^nd of 5869 public elementary schools	98.9%	6	86.1		86.1	79.6	84.6	86.1	88.6			84.6	85.7	87.5	83.7	82.2			84.8	91.7	94.4	$22,032	$300	$21,732
Lucille M. Nixon Elementary	Public	K-5	1711 Stanford Ave.	Stanford	94305	Santa Clara County	Palo Alto Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(650) 856-1622	350	18	18.9	6.0%	118 (33.7%)	10 (2.9%)	43 (12.3%)	128 (36.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	50 (14.3%)	97.3	128^th of 5857 public elementary schools	97.8%		98.5	49^th of 5869 public elementary schools	99.2%	79	83.1		83.1	75.4	91.5	91.1				85.6	77.6	88.1	82.8				82.6			$29,692	$947	$28,745
Roy Cloud Elementary	Public	K-8	3790 Red Oak Way	Redwood City	94061	San Mateo County	Redwood City Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(650) 482-2414	636	34	18.8	14.5%	359 (56.4%)	2 (0.3%)	141 (22.2%)	58 (9.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	76 (11.9%)	76.6	1305^th of 5857 public elementary schools	77.7%		75.7	1345^th of 5869 public elementary schools	77.1%	40	42.1	62.0	53.7	57.1	41.1	64.9	67.8	69.8	83.3	65.0	68.3	51.8	61.4	59.3	59.6	74.4	63.3			$22,378	$2,751	$19,627

Frequently Asked Questions about La Honda Elementary

How many students attend La Honda Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 65 students attended La Honda Elementary.

What district is La Honda Elementary in?

La Honda-Pescadero Unified

What is the racial makeup of La Honda Elementary?

Students at La Honda Elementary are 72% White, 23% Hispanic, 3% Asian, 2% Two or more races.

Is La Honda Elementary a good school?

La Honda Elementary ranks 1292^nd of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What schools do graduates of La Honda Elementary attend?

Students who attend La Honda Elementary usually go on to attend:

High : Pescadero High

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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.