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Shell Beach Elementary

Q: Is Shell Beach Elementary a good school?

Shell Beach Elementary ranks 1109 th of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-6

1109^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,857 California Elementary Schools

Better than 81% of California elementary schools

Summary

Shell Beach Elementary is a well-regarded K-6 public school serving about 330 students in the coastal community of Pismo Beach, part of the Lucia Mar Unified district, and it consistently ranks among the top schools in its district and the state.

Academically, the school is a strong performer, with student test scores in English and Math significantly above both the district and state averages. It maintains a very low rate of chronic absenteeism, which has improved dramatically in recent years. While the school serves a student population with a lower rate of economic need than many others in Lucia Mar Unified, it shows effective support for students from all backgrounds. Within the district, its performance is similar to Ocean View Elementary, and it compares favorably to schools in neighboring districts like Sinsheimer Elementary and Los Ranchos Elementary in San Luis Coastal Unified.

The school achieves these results with efficient use of resources, operating with a slightly higher student-teacher ratio than some other district schools. There are some interesting patterns in performance across grades, with sixth graders excelling and fifth grade presenting more of a challenge, particularly in math. Overall, Shell Beach Elementary is recognized for its consistent, high-quality education and stands out as a leading choice for families in the area.

330

Students ?

20.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$17,342

Per pupil spending ?

33%

Free/discounted lunch ?

2100 Shell Beach Rd.
Pismo Beach, CA 93449-1800

(805) 474-3760

District: Lucia Mar Unified

Students who attend Shell Beach Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Judkins Middle
High:	Arroyo Grande High
	Central Coast New Technical High

Racial breakdown:

White:

56.4%

Hispanic:

26.1%

Two or more races:

14.5%

See top rated California elementary schools

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At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 90th percentile in 2013 → 81st in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the California average (65% vs 41% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 19% of California elementary schools

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 9 percentile points since 2013

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school65%

District avg45%

California avg41%

1,109^th of 5,857

California public elementary schools ?

Top 19%▼ down 3 pts since 2015

From top 16% (2015) to top 19% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd 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	81.2	1109 of 5857	81.1%	★★★★☆
2024	87.1	862 of 5869	85.3%	★★★★☆
2023	85.4	935 of 5859	84.0%	★★★★☆
2022	85.5	922 of 5883	84.3%	★★★★☆
2019	79.5	1198 of 5789	79.3%	★★★★☆
2018	72.6	1456 of 5662	74.3%	★★★★☆
2017	77.6	1222 of 5692	78.5%	★★★★☆
2016	79.7	1142 of 5614	79.7%	★★★★☆
2015	85.1	878 of 5611	84.4%	★★★★☆
2013	88.6	553 of 5530	90.0%	★★★★★
2012	87.6	575 of 5390	89.3%	★★★★☆
2011	84.4	761 of 5377	85.8%	★★★★☆
2010	89.0	502 of 5314	90.6%	★★★★★
2009	89.5	507 of 5193	90.2%	★★★★★
2008	89.8	494 of 5113	90.3%	★★★★★
2007	89.1	556 of 5113	89.1%	★★★★☆
2006	90.3	467 of 4818	90.3%	★★★★★
2005	92.3	363 of 4822	92.5%	★★★★★
2004	91.7	418 of 4809	91.3%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	69.7	1516 of 5597	72.9%	★★★★☆
2024	80.4	1080 of 5612	80.8%	★★★★☆
2023	77.1	1209 of 5609	78.4%	★★★★☆
2022	82.0	1014 of 5635	82.0%	★★★★☆
2019	80.4	1056 of 5492	80.8%	★★★★☆
2018	69.6	1521 of 5413	71.9%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	73.6	1031 of 5107	79.8%	★★★★☆
2024	83.5	607 of 5107	88.1%	★★★★☆
2023	85.2	541 of 5087	89.4%	★★★★☆
2022	91.5	301 of 5084	94.1%	★★★★★
2018	66.6	1304 of 4830	73.0%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	72.0	1180 of 5460	78.4%	★★★★☆
2024	75.1	1055 of 5517	80.9%	★★★★☆
2023	89.3	416 of 5363	92.2%	★★★★★
2022	92.0	278 of 5264	94.7%	★★★★★
2019	70.2	1171 of 5173	77.4%	★★★★☆
2018	68.0	1300 of 5084	74.4%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	86.7	759 of 5628	86.5%	★★★★☆
2024	89.5	643 of 5643	88.6%	★★★★☆
2023	86.5	789 of 5638	86.0%	★★★★☆
2022	85.4	849 of 5663	85.0%	★★★★☆
2019	74.6	1313 of 5510	76.2%	★★★★☆
2018	72.6	1376 of 5431	74.7%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	44.0	1289 of 2847	54.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	31.7	1564 of 2420	35.4%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	66.3	898 of 2598	65.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	74.1	665 of 2651	74.9%	★★★★☆
2023	66.6	907 of 2661	65.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	66.7	928 of 2726	66.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	63.1	1092 of 2834	61.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	55.2	1351 of 2737	50.6%	★★★☆☆

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 (2025)87th percentile+5 vs school

Hispanic (2025)80th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)78th percentile-3 vs school

Female (2025)73rd percentile-8 vs school

White (2025)65th percentile-16 vs school

Special Education (2025)55th percentile-26 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy73%+24 vs state

Mathematics65%+27 vs state

Science40%+8 vs state

3.7

3 ratings · 1 written review

5★2

4★0

3★0

2★0

1★1

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What people are saying

by a parent
Monday, October 8, 2018

The school environment is fraught with bullies and hatefulness and the principal is lazy. Close Quote

Schools Near Shell Beach 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)	% Polio (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	% 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
Shell Beach Elementary	Public	K-6	2100 Shell Beach Rd.	Pismo Beach	93449	San Luis Obispo County	Lucia Mar Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 474-3760	330	16	20.6	33.0%	186 (56.4%)	1 (0.3%)	86 (26.1%)	9 (2.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	48 (14.5%)	81.2	1109^th of 5857 public elementary schools	81.1%		87.1	862^nd of 5869 public elementary schools	85.3%	247	40.4	40.4	74.3	81.3	51.9	84.3	72.6	77.1	70.8	32.7	82.4	64.5	94.6		96.4	96.4		96.4	$17,342	$14,528	$2,814
Bellevue-Santa Fe Charter	Public, Charter	K-6	1401 San Luis Bay Dr.	San Luis Obispo	93405	San Luis Obispo County	Bellevue-Santa Fe Charter District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 595-7169	163	7	23.2	16.6%	131 (80.4%)	1 (0.6%)	13 (8.0%)	7 (4.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (6.7%)	94.8	355^th of 5857 public elementary schools	93.9%		96	265^th of 5869 public elementary schools	95.5%	90	68.4	68.4	68.2	87.5	84.2	91.3	83.0	86.4	62.5	68.4	82.6	75.0	91.7	91.7
Grover Heights Elementary	Public	K-6	770 North Eighth St.	Grover Beach	93433	San Luis Obispo County	Lucia Mar Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 474-3700	290	16	18.3	59.3%	120 (41.4%)	0 (0.0%)	139 (47.9%)	6 (2.1%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (8.3%)	41.4	3121^st of 5857 public elementary schools	46.7%		48.6	2636^th of 5869 public elementary schools	55.1%	485	23.4	23.4	43.2	45.5	31.9	53.3	43.2	27.0	44.1	23.4	35.6	31.9	96.6						$17,263	$14,630	$2,633
Grover Beach Elementary	Public	K-6	365 South 10th St.	Grover Beach	93433	San Luis Obispo County	Lucia Mar Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 474-3770	368	21	17.6	82.3%	90 (24.5%)	1 (0.3%)	241 (65.5%)	13 (3.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (6.0%)	28.6	4084^th of 5857 public elementary schools	30.3%		23.3	4559^th of 5869 public elementary schools	22.3%	475	23.6	23.6	41.9	38.5	25.5	31.5	33.8	31.8	28.9	16.4	24.1	24.9							$16,973	$14,248	$2,725
Ocean View Elementary	Public	K-6	1208 Linda Dr.	Arroyo Grande	93420	San Luis Obispo County	Lucia Mar Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 474-3730	547	25	21.5	34.0%	334 (61.1%)	4 (0.7%)	123 (22.5%)	22 (4.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	64 (11.7%)	87.7	794^th of 5857 public elementary schools	86.4%		92	567^th of 5869 public elementary schools	90.3%	227	52.0	52.0	65.8	72.9	64.0	87.5	73.1	64.5	70.0	53.3	67.1	63.8							$17,007	$14,368	$2,639
Los Ranchos Elementary	Public	K-6	5785 Los Ranchos Rd.	San Luis Obispo	93401	San Luis Obispo County	San Luis Coastal Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 596-4075	521	23	22.6	23.6%	361 (69.3%)	5 (1.0%)	66 (12.7%)	28 (5.4%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	59 (11.3%)	88.3	759^th of 5857 public elementary schools	87.0%		91.4	611^th of 5869 public elementary schools	89.6%	148	62.7	62.7	64.6	63.4	78.0	67.3	67.8	76.9	64.7	66.1	55.4	66.0	88.0	94.0			94.0	94.0	$17,742	$16,186	$1,556
Oceano Elementary	Public	K-6	1551 17th St.	Oceano	93445	San Luis Obispo County	Lucia Mar Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 474-3800	377	21	17.6	90.7%	80 (21.2%)	0 (0.0%)	285 (75.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (2.9%)	40.7	3174^th of 5857 public elementary schools	45.8%		38.8	3244^th of 5869 public elementary schools	44.7%	70	29.3	29.3	43.8	33.9	47.4	46.3	42.8	39.6	17.5	32.8	30.4	29.7							$15,383	$12,694	$2,689
Fairgrove Elementary	Public	K-6	2101 The Pike	Grover Beach	93433	San Luis Obispo County	Lucia Mar Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 474-3740	365	20	18.6	67.9%	128 (35.1%)	0 (0.0%)	212 (58.1%)	6 (1.6%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (4.9%)	64.7	1854^th of 5857 public elementary schools	68.3%		64.8	1833^rd of 5869 public elementary schools	68.8%	21	37.5	37.5	55.8	59.5	52.5	57.1	56.3	55.8	45.2	30.0	42.9	44.2	93.0	94.4	97.2	94.4	95.8	95.8	$14,066	$11,248	$2,818
Harloe Elementary	Public	K-6	901 Fair Oaks Ave.	Arroyo Grande	93420	San Luis Obispo County	Lucia Mar Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 474-3710	619	27	22.5	54.0%	312 (50.4%)	1 (0.2%)	236 (38.1%)	11 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	59 (9.5%)	73.7	1437^th of 5857 public elementary schools	75.5%		76	1336^th of 5869 public elementary schools	77.2%	101	52.8	52.8	61.4	43.5	64.8	70.2	59.7	70.5	39.1	47.3	48.8	51.3							$16,685	$13,990	$2,695
C L Smith Elementary	Public	K-6	1375 Balboa St.	San Luis Obispo	93405	San Luis Obispo County	San Luis Coastal Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 596-4094	528	24	22.4	45.5%	241 (45.6%)	10 (1.9%)	219 (41.5%)	23 (4.4%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	34 (6.4%)	79.1	1191^st of 5857 public elementary schools	79.7%		83.9	1003^rd of 5869 public elementary schools	82.9%	188	50.0	50.0	66.7	61.0	69.0	65.2	65.7	58.0	59.3	44.4	48.6	52.2							$19,133	$16,578	$2,555

Frequently Asked Questions about Shell Beach Elementary

What district is Shell Beach Elementary in?

Lucia Mar Unified

Is Shell Beach Elementary a good school?

Shell Beach Elementary ranks 1109^th of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Shell Beach Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 330 students attended Shell Beach Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Shell Beach Elementary?

Students at Shell Beach Elementary are 56% White, 26% Hispanic, 15% Two or more races, 3% Asian.

What schools do graduates of Shell Beach Elementary attend?

Students who attend Shell Beach Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Judkins Middle
High : Arroyo Grande High
High : Central Coast New Technical 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.