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Palmquist Elementary

Q: Is Palmquist Elementary a good school?

Palmquist Elementary ranks 2570 th of 5804 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-5

2570^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,804 California Elementary Schools

Better than 56% of California elementary schools

Summary

Palmquist Elementary serves 512 students in kindergarten through fifth grade in Oceanside, within Oceanside Unified. Its chronic absenteeism has improved to 16%, below the district’s 21% and California’s 18%. The most important takeaway is an uneven academic profile: math stands out against state and district results, while science is the clearest weakness compared with nearby K–5 schools.

In 2025–26, 42% of students were proficient in math, above the state’s 38% and the district’s 33%; ELA proficiency was 46%, above the district’s 44% but below the state’s 49%. Science was weaker at 31%, below the district’s 32% and state’s 36%. Compared with averages at nine nearby K–5 schools, Palmquist was below average in all three subjects: by 9 percentage points in ELA, 9 in math, and 13 in science. Math results vary by grade: third-grade proficiency was 55%, but fourth and fifth grade were lower, at 40% and 32%.

Results have improved since 2022–23 in math, up 7 percentage points, and science, up 8; ELA rose by 1 point. However, science has fallen from 41% in 2023–24 to 31% in 2025–26. SchoolDigger places Palmquist at the 56th statewide percentile, rank 2,570 of 5,804, with 3 stars. Its 2024–25 student-teacher ratio was 26.3, the second highest among the 11 compared schools, and 57% of students were free/reduced lunch eligible in 2024–25. SchoolDigger’s statewide effectiveness rankings also show lower standing for Hispanic Students (20th percentile) and Low Socio Economic Status Students (18th) than for the school overall (56th), highlighting groups for which its rankings are notably lower.

512

Students ?

26.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$23,640

Per pupil spending ?

56.4%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

All students in California receive free school meals.

1999 California St.
Oceanside, CA 92054-5685

(760) 901-8500

District: Oceanside Unified

Students who attend Palmquist Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Lincoln Middle
High:	Oceanside High

Racial breakdown:

White:

44.9%

Hispanic:

43.0%

Two or more races:

8.4%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Palmquist Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 47th percentile in 2015 → 56th in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 9 percentile points since 2015

✓Above the California median (56th percentile)

Worth a look

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

!Large classes — about 26 students per teacher

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school42%

District avg38%

California avg42%

2,570^th of 5,804

California public elementary schools ?

Top 44%▼ down 1 pts since 2016

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

7^th of 14Elementary Schools in the Oceanside Unified

487^th of 968Oceanside 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
2026	50.6	2570 of 5804	55.7%	★★★☆☆
2025	47.9	2712 of 5857	53.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	54.3	2327 of 5869	60.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	46.7	2711 of 5859	53.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	50.4	2521 of 5883	57.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	57.2	2201 of 5789	62.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	47.7	2674 of 5662	52.8%	★★★☆☆
2017	48.6	2627 of 5692	53.8%	★★★☆☆
2016	51.1	2434 of 5614	56.6%	★★★☆☆
2015	40.9	2965 of 5611	47.2%	★★☆☆☆
2013	62.7	1964 of 5530	64.5%	★★★☆☆
2012	71.0	1471 of 5390	72.7%	★★★★☆
2011	67.9	1583 of 5377	70.6%	★★★★☆
2010	56.0	2219 of 5314	58.2%	★★★☆☆
2009	38.8	3124 of 5193	39.8%	★★☆☆☆
2008	37.5	3100 of 5113	39.4%	★★☆☆☆
2007	60.4	1803 of 5113	64.7%	★★★☆☆
2006	54.7	1976 of 4818	59.0%	★★★☆☆
2005	50.8	2154 of 4822	55.3%	★★★☆☆
2004	46.7	2324 of 4809	51.7%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	23.3	1840 of 2227	17.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	59.2	601 of 2128	71.8%	★★★★☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	20.9	3156 of 3311	4.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	47.5	2656 of 5569	52.3%	★★★☆☆
2025	49.3	2506 of 5597	55.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	54.8	2180 of 5612	61.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	45.5	2667 of 5609	52.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	53.7	2227 of 5635	60.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	60.0	1961 of 5492	64.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	50.4	2472 of 5413	54.3%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	25.5	4058 of 5085	20.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	32.4	3589 of 5107	29.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	41.0	2903 of 5107	43.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	32.1	3536 of 5087	30.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	28.6	3825 of 5084	24.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	46.9	2492 of 4963	49.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	34.8	3225 of 4830	33.2%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	23.6	4429 of 5412	18.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	34.4	3633 of 5460	33.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	43.8	2836 of 5517	48.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	43.6	2794 of 5363	47.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	42.1	2827 of 5264	46.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	47.8	2556 of 5173	50.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	36.5	3280 of 5084	35.5%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	52.2	2377 of 5590	57.5%	★★★☆☆
2025	46.1	2725 of 5628	51.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	53.6	2284 of 5643	59.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	46.8	2632 of 5638	53.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	47.3	2593 of 5663	54.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	54.1	2252 of 5510	59.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	44.6	2744 of 5431	49.5%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	46.1	1231 of 2920	57.8%	★★★☆☆
2025	32.8	1849 of 2847	35.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	36.7	1480 of 2635	43.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	36.5	1361 of 2420	43.8%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	61.8	1050 of 2532	58.5%	★★★☆☆
2025	53.2	1318 of 2598	49.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	47.9	1483 of 2651	44.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	38.9	1751 of 2661	34.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	47.9	1531 of 2726	43.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	52.9	1462 of 2834	48.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	45.0	1663 of 2737	39.2%	★★☆☆☆

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 (2026)59th percentile+3 vs school

Special Education (2026)58th percentile~ school

Male (2026)57th percentile~ school

Female (2026)52nd percentile-3 vs school

Hispanic (2026)20th percentile-36 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)18th percentile-38 vs school

Disabled (2022)17th percentile-40 vs school

English Language Learner (2022)5th percentile-52 vs school

By subject vs California (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy46%-3 vs state

Mathematics42%+3 vs state

Science31%-5 vs state

4.5

2 ratings · 2 written reviews

5★1

4★1

3★0

2★0

1★0

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What people are saying

by a parent
Thursday, April 27, 2017

My kids both go to Palmquist and we Iove it. The teachers are excellent and so is the principal. We have an organic garden and they kids get to eat what they plant. My kids have gotten a excellent education here! I highly recommend this school! Close Quote

by a parent
Sunday, September 2, 2012

I have had a wonderful experience at this school. I have twins. They started in Kinder last year and they had Acosta and Robison. Both wonderful. The PTO are really strong and they offer after school sessions in many subjects. I am not a PTO member, but my kids did karate and dance and had a great time. Academic standards are high. First grade has been crazy we had a relocation of schools due to construction and things really do seem to be out of control as they find their footing in a new location but everyone is trying really hard.
I love this school. My kids love and have excelled at this school. Close Quote

Schools Near Palmquist 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)	% 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/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	% MMR KG	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Palmquist Elementary	Public	K-5	1999 California St.	Oceanside	92054	San Diego County	Oceanside Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 901-8500	512	19	26.3	56.4%	230 (44.9%)	9 (1.8%)	220 (43.0%)	5 (1.0%)	2 (0.4%)	3 (0.6%)	43 (8.4%)	50.6	2570^th of 5804 public elementary schools	55.7%		47.9	2712^th of 5857 public elementary schools	53.7%	142	30.8		30.8	44.3	47.1	46.8				46.2	55.1	39.5	32.5				41.8							$23,640	$22,366	$1,274
South Oceanside Elementary	Public	K-5	1806 South Horne St.	Oceanside	92054	San Diego County	Oceanside Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 435-2100	487	18	27.0	65.7%	175 (35.9%)	0 (0.0%)	245 (50.3%)	3 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	63 (12.9%)	53.5	2406^th of 5804 public elementary schools	58.5%		43.1	2998^th of 5857 public elementary schools	48.8%	592	26.6		26.6	61.4	57.8	34.6				50.7	51.4	57.8	23.1				43.4	94.7	96.8	96.8		95.7		$21,690	$20,634	$1,056
Buena Vista Elementary	Public	K-5	1330 Buena Vista Way	Carlsbad	92009	San Diego County	Carlsbad Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 331-5400	281	12	23.4	39.9%	139 (49.5%)	4 (1.4%)	97 (34.5%)	12 (4.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (10.0%)	94.4	383^rd of 5804 public elementary schools	93.4%		90.4	632^nd of 5857 public elementary schools	89.2%	249	65.1		65.1	76.9	77.1	73.8				76.1	86.5	75.0	67.4				76.9	94.3			94.3			$35,099	$34,658	$441
Mission Elementary	Public	K-5	2100 Mission Ave.	Oceanside	92058	San Diego County	Oceanside Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 966-8700	419	17	24.6	90.9%	31 (7.4%)	6 (1.4%)	363 (86.6%)	6 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.5%)	11 (2.6%)	32.5	3772^nd of 5804 public elementary schools	35.0%		33.2	3707^th of 5857 public elementary schools	36.7%	65	18.0		18.0	26.8	33.3	42.3				35.0	41.1	33.3	30.8				34.5							$24,024	$22,588	$1,436
Laurel Elementary	Public	K-5	1410 Laurel St.	Oceanside	92058	San Diego County	Oceanside Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 966-4200	352	16	22.0	92.9%	18 (5.1%)	8 (2.3%)	306 (86.9%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	3 (0.9%)	15 (4.3%)	37.4	3401^st of 5804 public elementary schools	41.4%		24.4	4458^th of 5857 public elementary schools	23.9%	1057	25.0		25.0	39.1	42.2	42.9				41.6	45.7	31.3	20.0				31.5							$25,146	$23,180	$1,966
Pablo Tac School of the Arts	Public	K-5	3535 Hacienda Dr.	Oceanside	92054	San Diego County	Oceanside Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 721-2300	425	19	22.3	80.0%	54 (12.7%)	15 (3.5%)	314 (73.9%)	9 (2.1%)	2 (0.5%)	3 (0.7%)	28 (6.6%)	32.8	3740^th of 5804 public elementary schools	35.6%		26.6	4266^th of 5857 public elementary schools	27.2%	526	29.3		29.3	35.8	35.1	40.4				36.9	34.3	32.4	19.6				29.4							$23,667	$22,852	$815
Magnolia Elementary	Public	K-5	1905 Magnolia Ave.	Carlsbad	92009	San Diego County	Carlsbad Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 331-5600	488	20	24.4	21.1%	344 (70.5%)	0 (0.0%)	86 (17.6%)	10 (2.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	48 (9.8%)	95.9	247^th of 5804 public elementary schools	95.7%		95.2	310^th of 5857 public elementary schools	94.7%	63	69.1		69.1	82.7	76.3	80.0				79.6	81.3	80.4	74.1				78.2	95.7	95.7	95.7	97.1	95.7	97.1	$21,470	$21,032	$438
Jefferson Elementary	Public	K-5	3743 Jefferson St.	Carlsbad	92009	San Diego County	Carlsbad Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 331-5500	471	23	20.2	54.4%	185 (39.3%)	11 (2.3%)	224 (47.6%)	8 (1.7%)	5 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	38 (8.1%)	61.8	1998^th of 5804 public elementary schools	65.6%		65.1	1832^nd of 5857 public elementary schools	68.7%	166	38.7		38.7	39.1	61.2	53.2				51.3	51.6	58.2	35.5				48.7	91.7	96.7	95.0	95.0	93.3	95.0	$28,149	$27,150	$999
North Terrace Elementary	Public	K-8	141 Santa Rosa Dr.	Oceanside	92058	San Diego County	Oceanside Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 901-7500	771	32	24.3	69.5%	266 (34.5%)	45 (5.8%)	333 (43.2%)	20 (2.6%)	9 (1.2%)	8 (1.0%)	90 (11.7%)	56.8	2214^th of 5804 public elementary schools	61.9%		71.6	1531^st of 5857 public elementary schools	73.9%	683	36.5	36.7	36.6	50.0	51.6	42.9	56.7	66.7	71.4	55.9	44.6	57.1	25.4	41.4	49.1	34.7	42.2							$20,887	$19,594	$1,293
Christa McAuliffe Elementary	Public	K-5	3701 Kelton Dr.	Oceanside	92056	San Diego County	Oceanside Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 901-8400	461	20	22.9	59.0%	162 (35.1%)	9 (2.0%)	225 (48.8%)	13 (2.8%)	1 (0.2%)	3 (0.7%)	48 (10.4%)	59	2110^th of 5804 public elementary schools	63.6%		45.3	2870^th of 5857 public elementary schools	51.0%	760	47.0		47.0	36.0	50.0	60.0				49.8	26.5	51.8	42.4				42.4	92.9	95.3		94.1	95.3	95.3	$22,709	$21,926	$783

Frequently Asked Questions about Palmquist Elementary

How many students attend Palmquist Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 512 students attended Palmquist Elementary.

What district is Palmquist Elementary in?

Oceanside Unified

What is the racial makeup of Palmquist Elementary?

Students at Palmquist Elementary are 45% White, 43% Hispanic, 8% Two or more races, 2% African American.

Is Palmquist Elementary a good school?

Palmquist Elementary ranks 2570^th of 5804 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What schools do graduates of Palmquist Elementary attend?

Students who attend Palmquist Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Lincoln Middle
High : Oceanside High

Rate Palmquist 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.