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Nipomo Elementary

Q: Is Nipomo Elementary a good school?

Nipomo Elementary ranks 4388 th of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

Public Grades K-6

4388^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,857 California Elementary Schools

Better than 25% of California elementary schools

Summary

Nipomo Elementary is a K-6 public school serving 436 students in the Lucia Mar Unified school district, which serves the coastal Nipomo area and holds a 3-star state rating.

The school is currently facing significant academic challenges, with its statewide ranking dropping sharply in recent years to a 1-star rating; it now performs well below both the district and state averages in English, math, and science. A particularly concerning finding is a large performance gap between female and male students, suggesting a need for different engagement strategies. Furthermore, the school's rate of chronic absenteeism, while improved from a pandemic peak, remains higher than the district average and is notably double the rate of nearby Lange (Dorothea) Elementary.

Comparisons with other local schools provide important context. While Nipomo Elementary serves a student population with high economic need, it receives similar per-student funding to higher-performing schools in its own district like Lange (Dorothea) Elementary. Notably, some schools in the neighboring Santa Maria-Bonita district, such as Ontiveros (Juan Pacifico) Elementary, achieve better academic results while serving an even more economically disadvantaged population, indicating that demographic challenges do not solely determine outcomes and that improvement is possible with effective practices.

436

Students ?

19.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$15,541

Per pupil spending ?

83.7%

Free/discounted lunch ?

190 East Price St.
Nipomo, CA 93444-9099

(805) 474-3780

District: Lucia Mar Unified

Students who attend Nipomo Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Mesa Middle
High:	Central Coast New Technical High
	Nipomo High

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

80.5%

White:

17.0%

Two or more races:

1.4%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Nipomo Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 55th percentile in 2013 → 25th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (26% vs 41% meeting standards)

!Ranking has slipped — down 30 percentile points since 2013

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school26%

District avg45%

California avg41%

4,388^th of 5,857

California public elementary schools ?

Bottom 25%▼ down 20 pts since 2015

From bottom 45% (2015) to bottom 25% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

11^th of 11Elementary Schools in the Lucia Mar Unified

582^nd of 1,543Lucia Mar 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	25.1	4388 of 5857	25.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	27.3	4170 of 5869	28.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	40.2	3104 of 5859	47.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	26.4	4208 of 5883	28.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	39.1	3241 of 5789	44.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	35.0	3474 of 5662	38.6%	★★☆☆☆
2017	34.4	3491 of 5692	38.7%	★★☆☆☆
2016	30.2	3749 of 5614	33.2%	★★☆☆☆
2015	39.2	3058 of 5611	45.5%	★★☆☆☆
2013	53.4	2484 of 5530	55.1%	★★★☆☆
2012	50.5	2583 of 5390	52.1%	★★★☆☆
2011	46.4	2812 of 5377	47.7%	★★☆☆☆
2010	53.7	2349 of 5314	55.8%	★★★☆☆
2009	28.3	3819 of 5193	26.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	22.6	4153 of 5113	18.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	28.0	3713 of 5113	27.4%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	22.3	2987 of 3162	5.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	48.8	1254 of 3245	61.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	36.3	2103 of 3311	36.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	38.3	1895 of 3275	42.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	38.1	1865 of 3246	42.5%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	37.3	3270 of 5597	41.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	29.1	3874 of 5612	31.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	41.1	2959 of 5609	47.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	25.3	4188 of 5635	25.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	40.4	3074 of 5492	44.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	32.9	3544 of 5413	34.5%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	23.9	4179 of 5107	18.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	24.5	4145 of 5107	18.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	47.5	2385 of 5087	53.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	24.5	4153 of 5084	18.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	40.3	2945 of 4963	40.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	36.9	3085 of 4830	36.1%	★★☆☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	24.9	372 of 429	13.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	43.7	198 of 364	45.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	47.8	149 of 335	55.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	32.2	266 of 356	25.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	22.3	4564 of 5460	16.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	30.5	3902 of 5517	29.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	45.9	2631 of 5363	50.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	30.8	3774 of 5264	28.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	41.4	3008 of 5173	41.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	35.3	3373 of 5084	33.7%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	14.3	5175 of 5628	8.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	28.5	3957 of 5643	29.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	41.3	2971 of 5638	47.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	29.2	3850 of 5663	32.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	39.5	3065 of 5510	44.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	38.0	3156 of 5431	41.9%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	22.5	2445 of 2847	14.1%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	57.9	1195 of 2651	54.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	34.6	2023 of 2834	28.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	31.9	2029 of 2737	25.9%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

White (2024)55th percentile+26 vs school

Female (2025)42nd percentile+16 vs school

Hispanic (2025)18th percentile-7 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)16th percentile-9 vs school

Special Education (2025)14th percentile-11 vs school

Homeless (2025)13th percentile-12 vs school

Male (2025)8th percentile-17 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)6th percentile-23 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy29%-19 vs state

Science24%-9 vs state

Mathematics22%-15 vs state

★

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Schools Near Nipomo 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 (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)	% Varicella (2022)	% DTP (2022)	% MMR (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/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 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 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 All Grades	% Completely Immunized 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
Nipomo Elementary	Public	K-6	190 East Price St.	Nipomo	93444	San Luis Obispo County	Lucia Mar Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 474-3780	436	22	19.9	83.7%	74 (17.0%)	2 (0.5%)	351 (80.5%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.4%)	25.1	4388^th of 5857 public elementary schools	25.1%		27.3	4170^th of 5869 public elementary schools	28.9%	218	24.1	24.1	13.0	21.6	35.6	41.9	29.4	21.7	17.7	28.1	21.3	22.3	95.4	96.9		96.9		$15,541	$12,676	$2,865
Dana Elementary	Public	K-6	920 West Tefft St.	Nipomo	93444	San Luis Obispo County	Lucia Mar Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 474-3790	612	31	19.9	77.1%	161 (26.3%)	1 (0.2%)	418 (68.3%)	4 (0.7%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	26 (4.2%)	29.7	3989^th of 5857 public elementary schools	31.9%		37.8	3318^th of 5869 public elementary schools	43.5%	671	14.0	14.0	37.8	33.8	30.4	35.3	34.1	43.2	26.1	22.6	27.7	29.6	98.0					$14,152	$11,334	$2,818
Lange (Dorothea) Elementary	Public	K-6	1661 Via Alta Mesa	Nipomo	93444	San Luis Obispo County	Lucia Mar Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 474-3670	577	26	22.4	67.2%	209 (36.2%)	0 (0.0%)	340 (58.9%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (4.3%)	46.7	2781^st of 5857 public elementary schools	52.5%		41.3	3102^nd of 5869 public elementary schools	47.1%	321	23.5	23.5	49.4	44.7	40.2	43.9	44.4	54.3	40.0	23.5	38.3	38.3						$14,626	$11,834	$2,792
Ontiveros (Juan Pacifico) Elementary	Public	K-6	930 West Rancho Verde	Santa Maria	93458	Santa Barbara County	Santa Maria-Bonita	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 361-7680	869	35	24.8	94.2%	8 (0.9%)	1 (0.1%)	840 (96.7%)	10 (1.2%)	6 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.5%)	40.6	3177^th of 5857 public elementary schools	45.8%		44.8	2878^th of 5869 public elementary schools	51.0%	299	22.1	22.1	32.5	44.4	40.2	37.7	38.5	49.6	46.3	30.1	22.8	37.2						$21,512	$19,834	$1,678
Oakley (Calvin C.) Elementary	Public	K-6	1120 West Harding St.	Santa Maria	93458	Santa Barbara County	Santa Maria-Bonita	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 361-7620	849	40	21.0	95.9%	4 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	830 (97.8%)	11 (1.3%)	2 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.2%)	15	5261^st of 5857 public elementary schools	10.2%		14.8	5321^st of 5869 public elementary schools	9.3%	60	13.5	13.5	14.2	25.9	20.0	17.2	19.4	18.2	33.0	12.7	11.1	19.0	95.6			96.4		$22,073	$20,412	$1,661
Taylor (Ida Redmond) Elementary	Public	K-6	1921 North Carlotti Dr.	Santa Maria	93454	Santa Barbara County	Santa Maria-Bonita	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 361-6250	849	45	19.0	85.7%	36 (4.2%)	2 (0.2%)	762 (89.8%)	33 (3.9%)	2 (0.2%)	2 (0.2%)	12 (1.4%)	17.3	5074^th of 5857 public elementary schools	13.4%		18.2	5009^th of 5869 public elementary schools	14.7%	65	12.4	12.4	17.2	26.3	20.7	30.3	24.3	19.0	21.6	10.7	24.1	19.0	98.3		98.3		98.3	$23,943	$21,272	$2,671
Rice (William) Elementary	Public	K-6	700 East Vickie Ave.	Santa Maria	93454	Santa Barbara County	Santa Maria-Bonita	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 361-7740	887	40	21.9	95.2%	16 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	847 (95.5%)	3 (0.3%)	7 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (1.6%)	11	5567^th of 5857 public elementary schools	5.0%		13	5480^th of 5869 public elementary schools	6.6%	87	5.1	5.1	19.7	13.0	13.8	25.6	18.1	24.1	13.4	6.8	13.3	14.4						$21,406	$19,548	$1,858
Bruce (Robert) Elementary	Public	K-6	601 West Alvin Ave.	Santa Maria	93458	Santa Barbara County	Santa Maria-Bonita	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 361-6940	1,050	47	22.3	96.1%	10 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1,026 (97.7%)	4 (0.4%)	4 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (0.6%)	10.8	5583^rd of 5857 public elementary schools	4.7%		10.7	5651^st of 5869 public elementary schools	3.7%	68	8.6	8.6	12.0	17.1	26.3	11.9	16.5	17.6	20.5	14.2	6.7	14.6	98.1					$20,386	$18,294	$2,092
Alvin Elementary	Public	K-6	301 East Alvin Ave.	Santa Maria	93454	Santa Barbara County	Santa Maria-Bonita	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 361-6760	998	41	24.2	97.6%	12 (1.2%)	1 (0.1%)	973 (97.5%)	3 (0.3%)	5 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.4%)	12	5502^nd of 5857 public elementary schools	6.1%		14.8	5322^nd of 5869 public elementary schools	9.3%	180	12.8	12.8	17.2	17.4	22.2	15.9	18.1	22.3	16.4	16.7	6.7	15.6	97.2					$19,564	$17,888	$1,676
Bonita Elementary	Public	K-6	2715 West Main St.	Santa Maria	93458	Santa Barbara County	Santa Maria-Bonita	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 361-8290	535	30	18.1	97.8%	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	529 (98.9%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.4%)	11.3	5548^th of 5857 public elementary schools	5.3%		12.7	5504^th of 5869 public elementary schools	6.2%	44	4.3	4.3	14.3	11.1	14.3	27.0	16.7	19.5	13.9	11.4	18.9	16.0						$25,957	$24,212	$1,745

Frequently Asked Questions about Nipomo Elementary

How many students attend Nipomo Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 436 students attended Nipomo Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Nipomo Elementary?

Students at Nipomo Elementary are 81% Hispanic, 17% White, 1% Two or more races.

What district is Nipomo Elementary in?

Lucia Mar Unified

What schools do graduates of Nipomo Elementary attend?

Students who attend Nipomo Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Mesa Middle
High : Central Coast New Technical High
High : Nipomo High

Is Nipomo Elementary a good school?

Nipomo Elementary ranks 4388^th of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

Rate Nipomo 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.