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Del Mar Elementary

Q: Is Del Mar Elementary a good school?

Del Mar Elementary ranks 2391 st of 5804 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-5

2391^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,804 California Elementary Schools

Better than 59% of California elementary schools

Summary

Del Mar Elementary is a K–5 school in Santa Cruz, California, with 322 students. Its clearest academic strength is science, while English language arts—especially fourth-grade ELA—is the most important area of concern.

Compared with nearby K–5 schools, Del Mar stands out most in science: 50% of students were proficient, versus 36% statewide and 41% in the district; its result was 8 points above the nearby-school average. Only Main Street Elementary and Monarch scored higher. ELA is the weaker picture: 46% proficiency was below the state’s 49%, the district’s 47%, and the nearby average of 50%, making Del Mar the third-lowest of nine nearby schools. Fourth-grade ELA was especially low at 37%, 9 points below the state and 4 below the district. Fifth-grade ELA was a relative bright spot at 56%, above both benchmarks. Math was above state and district results overall, though below the nearby average.

Results have shifted from year to year: from 2022–23 to 2025–26, science rose 13 points overall, math rose 2 points, and ELA declined 2 points despite a 6-point rebound in the latest year. Chronic absenteeism also fell substantially, from 40% to 14%; the latest rate was below the state’s 18% but above the district’s 12%. SchoolDigger placed Del Mar at the 59th percentile with 3 stars in 2025–26, up from the 48th percentile the year before. Its 2024–25 free/reduced lunch eligible rate was 62%, compared with a nearby average of 40%; its student–teacher ratio was 23.0, close to the nearby average of 22.8. SchoolDigger’s statewide ranking for Low Socio Economic Status Students was at the 43rd percentile, below the school’s overall 59th percentile. Its English Language Learner Students ranking rose sharply from the 33rd percentile in 2021–22 to the 65th in 2022–23.

322

Students ?

23.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

62.4%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

All students in California receive free school meals.

1959 Merrill St.
Santa Cruz, CA 95062-4102

(831) 477-2063

District: Live Oak Elementary

Students who attend Del Mar Elementary usually attend:

Middle:

Shoreline Middle

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

58.7%

White:

33.9%

Two or more races:

2.8%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Del Mar Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 37th percentile in 2015 → 59th in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 22 percentile points since 2015

✓Above the California median (59th percentile)

Worth a look

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

!Near the bottom of Live Oak Elementary's ranking

!Large classes — about 23 students per teacher

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school44%

District avg42%

California avg42%

2,391^st of 5,804

California public elementary schools ?

Top 41%▲ up 3 pts since 2016

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd of 4Elementary Schools in the Live Oak Elementary

324^th of 968Live Oak Elementary 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	53.8	2391 of 5804	58.8%	★★★☆☆
2025	42.3	3048 of 5857	48.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	51.3	2494 of 5869	57.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	55.0	2279 of 5859	61.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	48.9	2586 of 5883	56.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	55.3	2293 of 5789	60.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	63.3	1895 of 5662	66.5%	★★★☆☆
2017	69.0	1617 of 5692	71.6%	★★★★☆
2016	50.6	2464 of 5614	56.1%	★★★☆☆
2015	32.1	3542 of 5611	36.9%	★★☆☆☆
2013	34.9	3686 of 5530	33.3%	★★☆☆☆
2012	33.6	3693 of 5390	31.5%	★★☆☆☆
2011	35.3	3591 of 5377	33.2%	★★☆☆☆
2010	42.6	3013 of 5314	43.3%	★★☆☆☆
2009	38.2	3160 of 5193	39.1%	★★☆☆☆
2008	22.4	4163 of 5113	18.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	30.9	3501 of 5113	31.5%	★★☆☆☆
2006	35.3	2983 of 4818	38.1%	★★☆☆☆
2005	53.7	2017 of 4822	58.2%	★★★☆☆
2004	38.1	2745 of 4809	42.9%	★★☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	44.2	952 of 2227	57.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	39.9	1300 of 2585	49.7%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	50.3	1161 of 3162	63.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	50.9	1145 of 3245	64.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	34.7	2221 of 3311	32.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	57.7	904 of 3275	72.4%	★★★★☆
2018	57.8	938 of 3246	71.1%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	56.0	2176 of 5569	60.9%	★★★☆☆
2025	36.8	3320 of 5597	40.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	55.9	2133 of 5612	62.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	42.8	2826 of 5609	49.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	37.6	3150 of 5635	44.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	50.5	2462 of 5492	55.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	58.2	2070 of 5413	61.8%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	53.4	2125 of 5085	58.2%	★★★☆☆
2025	40.3	2998 of 5107	41.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	48.6	2367 of 5107	53.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	39.8	2917 of 5087	42.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	31.9	3538 of 5084	30.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	52.0	2156 of 4963	56.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	61.0	1571 of 4830	67.5%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	41.2	3093 of 5412	42.8%	★★☆☆☆
2025	39.3	3243 of 5460	40.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	44.1	2806 of 5517	49.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	47.0	2567 of 5363	52.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	37.1	3248 of 5264	38.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	64.2	1503 of 5173	70.9%	★★★★☆
2018	64.7	1465 of 5084	71.2%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	49.4	2514 of 5590	55.0%	★★★☆☆
2025	46.4	2708 of 5628	51.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	45.1	2752 of 5643	51.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	66.7	1656 of 5638	70.6%	★★★★☆
2022	58.7	2020 of 5663	64.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	58.1	2031 of 5510	63.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	65.6	1684 of 5431	69.0%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	44.9	1286 of 2920	56.0%	★★★☆☆
2025	50.5	1047 of 2847	63.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	51.7	924 of 2635	64.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	58.6	683 of 2420	71.8%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	53.2	1300 of 2532	48.7%	★★☆☆☆
2025	31.3	1907 of 2598	26.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	64.5	979 of 2651	63.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	64.8	968 of 2661	63.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	68.1	873 of 2726	68.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	53.2	1450 of 2834	48.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	60.3	1190 of 2737	56.5%	★★★☆☆

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)

English Language Learner (2024)63rd percentile+6 vs school

Female (2026)61st percentile~ school

Hispanic (2026)58th percentile~ school

Disabled (2022)57th percentile~ school

Special Education (2026)56th percentile-3 vs school

Male (2026)55th percentile-4 vs school

White (2026)49th percentile-10 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)43rd percentile-16 vs school

By subject vs California (2025-2026) ?

Science50%+14 vs state

English Language Arts/Literacy46%-3 vs state

Mathematics41%~ state avg

★

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Schools Near Del Mar 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 Immunizations 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)							% Completely Immunized (2022)	% Polio (2022)	% Hepatitis B (2022)	% Varicella (2022)	% DTP (2022)	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 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	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Del Mar Elementary	Public	K-5	1959 Merrill St.	Santa Cruz	95062	Santa Cruz County	Live Oak Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 477-2063	322	14	23.0	62.4%	109 (33.9%)	7 (2.2%)	189 (58.7%)	7 (2.2%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (2.8%)	53.8	2391^st of 5804 public elementary schools	58.8%		42.3	3048^th of 5857 public elementary schools	48.0%	657	50.0		50.0	47.0	36.9	55.8				45.9	42.7	38.5	40.4				40.5	95.8	95.8			97.2
Live Oak Elementary	Public	K-5	1916 Capitola Rd.	Santa Cruz	95062	Santa Cruz County	Live Oak Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 475-2000	362	15	24.1	58.6%	90 (24.9%)	5 (1.4%)	252 (69.6%)	7 (1.9%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.7%)	46.2	2835^th of 5804 public elementary schools	51.2%		35.7	3527^th of 5857 public elementary schools	39.8%	692	32.3		32.3	58.0	40.8	38.5				45.1	68.0	28.6	20.0				37.2	93.9	96.3		96.3	95.1
Tierra Pacifica Charter	Public, Charter	K-8	986 Bostwick Ln.	Santa Cruz	95062	Santa Cruz County	Tierra Pacifica Charter District	Yes	(n/a)	(n/a)	(n/a)	(831) 462-9404	0			—	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Green Acres Elementary	Public	K-5	966 Bostwick Ln.	Santa Cruz	95062	Santa Cruz County	Live Oak Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 475-0111	262	12	21.8	54.2%	104 (39.7%)	7 (2.7%)	128 (48.9%)	10 (3.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (4.6%)	58.7	2124^th of 5804 public elementary schools	63.4%		51.2	2538^th of 5857 public elementary schools	56.7%	414	40.0		40.0	47.2	47.6	52.3				49.2	61.1	33.3	44.4				45.5	91.7	96.7	95.0		93.3
Ocean Alternative Education Center	Public	K-8	984 Bostwick Ln. Ste. 6	Santa Cruz	95062	Santa Cruz County	Live Oak Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 475-0767	76	4	21.5	47.4%	40 (52.6%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (31.6%)	1 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (14.5%)								(n/a)		33.3	36.4						44.4	47.2				27.3		16.7	32.1
Gault Elementary	Public	K-5	1320 Seabright Ave.	Santa Cruz	95062	Santa Cruz County	Santa Cruz City Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 429-3856	314	14	22.4	48.1%	100 (31.8%)	2 (0.6%)	192 (61.1%)	4 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (5.1%)	54.4	2363^rd of 5804 public elementary schools	59.3%		50.3	2573^rd of 5857 public elementary schools	56.1%	210	40.0		40.0	49.0	41.4	50.0				46.4	53.9	36.2	40.0				43.2	97.0					$29,954	$28,478	$1,476
De Laveaga Elementary	Public	K-5	1145 Morrissey Blvd.	Santa Cruz	95065	Santa Cruz County	Santa Cruz City Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 429-3807	481	20	23.5	27.7%	221 (45.9%)	6 (1.2%)	200 (41.6%)	19 (4.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	34 (7.1%)	63.1	1916^th of 5804 public elementary schools	67.0%		66.6	1761^st of 5857 public elementary schools	69.9%	155	44.3		44.3	49.3	50.6	47.1				49.1	50.8	51.8	47.1				50.0	96.6	96.6			96.6	$24,104	$23,622	$482
Santa Cruz City Elementary Alternative Education-Monarch	Public	K-5	840 North Branciforte Ave.	Santa Cruz	95062	Santa Cruz County	Santa Cruz City Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 429-3898	114	5	22.8	27.2%	63 (55.3%)	1 (0.9%)	26 (22.8%)	3 (2.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (18.4%)	68.4	1660^th of 5804 public elementary schools	71.4%		77.2	1270^th of 5857 public elementary schools	78.3%	390	58.3		58.3	43.8	55.0	66.7				56.7	37.5	45.0	50.0				45.0						$32,890	$32,316	$574
Soquel Elementary	Public	K-5	2700 Porter St.	Soquel	95073	Santa Cruz County	Soquel Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 464-5655	337	15	22.0	40.1%	132 (39.2%)	6 (1.8%)	160 (47.5%)	14 (4.2%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.6%)	22 (6.5%)	43.4	3018^th of 5804 public elementary schools	48.0%		49.7	2611^th of 5857 public elementary schools	55.4%	407	26.9		26.9	51.5	43.1	36.5				44.4	45.5	36.5	23.1				35.9	91.1	96.4	96.4		96.4	$19,611	$19,026	$585
Main Street Elementary	Public	K-5	3400 North Main St.	Soquel	95073	Santa Cruz County	Soquel Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 464-5650	383	17	23.2	24.8%	234 (61.1%)	3 (0.8%)	105 (27.4%)	8 (2.1%)	2 (0.5%)	2 (0.5%)	29 (7.6%)	74.6	1380^th of 5804 public elementary schools	76.2%		66	1788^th of 5857 public elementary schools	69.5%	408	57.1		57.1	63.6	54.2	64.3				60.2	56.8	48.6	47.1				50.0	95.5	97.0	95.5		97.0	$17,658	$17,192	$466

Frequently Asked Questions about Del Mar Elementary

How many students attend Del Mar Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 322 students attended Del Mar Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Del Mar Elementary?

Students at Del Mar Elementary are 59% Hispanic, 34% White, 3% Two or more races, 2% African American, 2% Asian.

What district is Del Mar Elementary in?

Live Oak Elementary

What schools do graduates of Del Mar Elementary attend?

Students who attend Del Mar Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Shoreline Middle

Is Del Mar Elementary a good school?

Del Mar Elementary ranks 2391^st of 5804 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Rate Del Mar Elementary!

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Latest California data All new data »

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

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

2024–25 school spending dataJul 1, 2026

2024–25 attendance dataMar 13, 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.