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Robert Down Elementary

Public Grades K-5

564^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,857 California Elementary Schools

Better than 90% of California elementary schools

Summary

Robert Down Elementary is a top-rated K-5 public school serving 422 students in the Pacific Grove Unified school district, consistently ranking in the top 10% of all California elementary schools.

The school's academic results are exceptional, with over 72% of students proficient in both English and Math, significantly outperforming other local schools like Forest Grove Elementary and charter options such as the Monterey Bay Charter. Remarkably, Robert Down achieves these results with lower per-student spending than some nearby schools, indicating highly effective resource use. It also demonstrates a particular strength in supporting student growth across all backgrounds, with historically underserved student groups achieving some of the school's highest statewide percentile rankings.

While the school excels academically, its chronic absenteeism rate is similar to the district average, a notable point as some lower-performing schools in neighboring districts like Monterey Peninsula Unified have better attendance. The performance gap between the high-achieving Pacific Grove Unified district and surrounding areas is striking, solidifying Robert Down's position as a standout choice for elementary education in the region.

422

Students ?

17.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$33,163

Per pupil spending ?

19%

Free/discounted lunch ?

485 Pine Ave.
Pacific Grove, CA 93950-3401

(831) 646-6540

District: Pacific Grove Unified

Students who attend Robert Down Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Pacific Grove Middle
High:	Pacific Grove High

Racial breakdown:

White:

56.4%

Hispanic:

15.9%

Two or more races:

15.6%

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Compare Robert Down Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 91st percentile in 2013 → 90th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the California average (73% vs 41% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 10% of California elementary schools

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school73%

District avg66%

California avg41%

564^th of 5,857

California public elementary schools ?

Top 10%▲ up 3 pts since 2015

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 2Elementary Schools in the Pacific Grove Unified

124^th of 1,543Pacific Grove 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	91.7	564 of 5857	90.4%	★★★★★
2024	92.0	571 of 5869	90.3%	★★★★★
2023	93.4	475 of 5859	91.9%	★★★★★
2022	96.6	232 of 5883	96.1%	★★★★★
2019	93.3	414 of 5789	92.8%	★★★★★
2018	96.2	200 of 5662	96.5%	★★★★★
2017	92.5	483 of 5692	91.5%	★★★★★
2016	87.5	760 of 5614	86.5%	★★★★☆
2015	88.6	690 of 5611	87.7%	★★★★☆
2013	89.8	474 of 5530	91.4%	★★★★★
2012	87.6	578 of 5390	89.3%	★★★★☆
2011	88.9	493 of 5377	90.8%	★★★★★
2010	88.5	545 of 5314	89.7%	★★★★☆
2009	91.4	397 of 5193	92.4%	★★★★★
2008	88.3	569 of 5113	88.9%	★★★★☆
2007	83.6	818 of 5113	84.0%	★★★★☆
2006	85.2	724 of 4818	85.0%	★★★★☆
2005	83.1	811 of 4822	83.2%	★★★★☆
2004	88.3	575 of 4809	88.0%	★★★★☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2019	57.4	602 of 1149	47.6%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	88.2	679 of 5597	87.9%	★★★★☆
2024	92.4	469 of 5612	91.6%	★★★★★
2023	90.7	583 of 5609	89.6%	★★★★☆
2022	94.9	311 of 5635	94.5%	★★★★★
2019	91.1	499 of 5492	90.9%	★★★★★
2018	95.2	211 of 5413	96.1%	★★★★★

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	96.3	111 of 5107	97.8%	★★★★★
2023	98.1	68 of 5087	98.7%	★★★★★
2022	99.6	18 of 5084	99.6%	★★★★★
2019	87.8	397 of 4963	92.0%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	95.3	171 of 5460	96.9%	★★★★★
2024	95.2	229 of 5517	95.8%	★★★★★
2019	84.6	513 of 5173	90.1%	★★★★★
2018	95.0	128 of 5084	97.5%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	93.1	394 of 5628	93.0%	★★★★★
2024	87.4	745 of 5643	86.8%	★★★★☆
2023	93.6	388 of 5638	93.1%	★★★★★
2022	97.0	152 of 5663	97.3%	★★★★★
2019	93.2	357 of 5510	93.5%	★★★★★
2018	95.6	216 of 5431	96.0%	★★★★★

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	86.8	235 of 2635	91.1%	★★★★★

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	78.5	467 of 2598	82.0%	★★★★☆
2024	82.0	351 of 2651	86.8%	★★★★☆
2023	78.7	486 of 2661	81.7%	★★★★☆
2022	89.8	117 of 2726	95.7%	★★★★★
2019	85.4	261 of 2834	90.8%	★★★★★
2018	86.6	194 of 2737	92.9%	★★★★★

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)

Hispanic (2025)98th percentile+7 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)97th percentile+6 vs school

Male (2025)93rd percentile+3 vs school

Special Education (2024)91st percentile~ school

Female (2025)88th percentile-3 vs school

White (2025)82nd percentile-8 vs school

Asian (2019)48th percentile-45 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy73%+25 vs state

Science72%+40 vs state

Mathematics72%+35 vs state

★

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Schools Near Robert Down 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)	% 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 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	% MMR KG	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Robert Down Elementary	Public	K-5	485 Pine Ave.	Pacific Grove	93950	Monterey County	Pacific Grove Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 646-6540	422	24	17.9	19.0%	238 (56.4%)	4 (0.9%)	67 (15.9%)	44 (10.4%)	2 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	66 (15.6%)	91.7	564^th of 5857 public elementary schools	90.4%		92	571^st of 5869 public elementary schools	90.3%	7	72.2		72.2	77.9	63.2	77.6				73.4	84.3	56.9	72.2				72.0	92.7			95.6		$33,163	$31,978	$1,185
Forest Grove Elementary	Public	K-5	1065 Congress Ave.	Pacific Grove	93950	Monterey County	Pacific Grove Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 646-6560	324	19	16.7	22.2%	159 (49.1%)	6 (1.9%)	87 (26.9%)	17 (5.2%)	1 (0.3%)	2 (0.6%)	52 (16.0%)	75.8	1343^rd of 5857 public elementary schools	77.1%		75.8	1343^rd of 5869 public elementary schools	77.1%		56.7		56.7	50.8	59.6	66.1				58.6	50.8	54.7	57.4				54.2	96.7					$40,061	$38,800	$1,261
Monterey Bay Charter	Public, Charter	K-8	1004 David Ave.	Pacific Grove	93950	Monterey County	Monterey Bay Charter District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 655-4638	475	17	27.9	31.2%	260 (54.7%)	3 (0.6%)	128 (26.9%)	16 (3.4%)	3 (0.6%)	3 (0.6%)	62 (13.1%)	74.6	1388^th of 5857 public elementary schools	76.3%		68.3	1672^nd of 5869 public elementary schools	71.5%	284	65.3	29.4	47.0	42.9	65.1	73.5	68.8	75.5	60.0	64.2	42.0	40.9	55.1	60.4	60.0	25.5	47.3	95.8	97.2	97.2
Monte Vista	Public	K-8	100 Toda Vista Dr.	Monterey	93940	Monterey County	Monterey Peninsula Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 392-3890	688	29	23.6	45.9%	305 (44.3%)	24 (3.5%)	261 (37.9%)	33 (4.8%)	1 (0.1%)	9 (1.3%)	55 (8.0%)	69.2	1637^th of 5857 public elementary schools	72.1%		63.4	1907^th of 5869 public elementary schools	67.5%	270	50.6	45.5	48.6	54.7	62.5	51.8	50.9	43.2	61.8	54.0	60.0	64.2	34.1	37.3	25.7	41.8	44.3	98.1		98.1	98.1	98.1	$21,763	$20,268	$1,495
Bay View Academy	Public, Charter	K-8	222 Casa Verde Ave.	Monterey	93940	Monterey County	Bay View Academy District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 717-4630	477	21	22.7	43.4%	109 (22.9%)	11 (2.3%)	263 (55.1%)	31 (6.5%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.6%)	60 (12.6%)	51.3	2536^th of 5857 public elementary schools	56.7%		50.2	2540^th of 5869 public elementary schools	56.7%	4	48.0	38.0	43.0	44.2	25.9	62.0	56.5	38.2	52.0	45.9	38.5	20.8	38.0	41.3	14.6	38.0	31.4
La Mesa	Public	K-8	1 La Mesa Way	Monterey	93940	Monterey County	Monterey Peninsula Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 649-1872	689	29	23.4	45.3%	306 (44.4%)	26 (3.8%)	200 (29.0%)	74 (10.7%)	2 (0.3%)	7 (1.0%)	72 (10.4%)	76.4	1319^th of 5857 public elementary schools	77.5%		80.2	1143^rd of 5869 public elementary schools	80.5%	176	47.5	37.9	42.7	54.6	58.2	66.1	57.1	55.0	48.3	56.6	56.1	64.2	49.2	52.4	31.7	44.8	50.1	98.3					$19,072	$17,626	$1,446
Del Rey Woods Elementary	Public	K-6	1281 Plumas Ave.	Seaside	93955	Monterey County	Monterey Peninsula Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 392-3907	390	20	19.1	87.9%	25 (6.4%)	9 (2.3%)	320 (82.1%)	14 (3.6%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.0%)	18 (4.6%)	29.4	4005^th of 5857 public elementary schools	31.6%		21.5	4720^th of 5869 public elementary schools	19.6%	715	17.5		17.5	34.5	24.2	21.3	46.3			31.8	40.4	14.9	9.5	43.3			26.8						$23,464	$21,464	$2,000
Dual Language Academy of the Monterey Peninsula	Public	K-8	1650 Sonoma Ave.	Seaside	93955	Monterey County	Monterey Peninsula Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 899-1100	410	18	22.7	77.8%	30 (7.3%)	3 (0.7%)	365 (89.0%)	2 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.5%)	7 (1.7%)	21	4742^nd of 5857 public elementary schools	19.0%		27.5	4160^th of 5869 public elementary schools	29.1%	582	3.3	25.6	15.9	27.6	5.1	13.8	44.4	52.9	57.1	34.1	30.0	4.9	10.0	32.6	46.3	30.8	26.4						$23,975	$22,146	$1,829
International School of Monterey	Public, Charter	K-8	1720 Yosemite St.	Seaside	93955	Monterey County	International School of Monterey District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 583-2165	439	21	21.3	32.1%	91 (20.7%)	23 (5.2%)	221 (50.3%)	46 (10.5%)	4 (0.9%)	1 (0.2%)	53 (12.1%)	34.9	3597^th of 5857 public elementary schools	38.6%		43.8	2937^th of 5869 public elementary schools	50.0%	660	26.9	29.2	28.0	40.8	37.7	38.5	39.2	69.2	56.3	46.9	30.6	28.3	32.7	19.6	38.5	39.6	31.5
Martin Luther King	Public	K-6	1713 Broadway	Seaside	93955	Monterey County	Monterey Peninsula Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 392-3970	548	27	20.1	89.2%	21 (3.8%)	22 (4.0%)	446 (81.4%)	27 (4.9%)	1 (0.2%)	9 (1.6%)	22 (4.0%)	12.8	5436^th of 5857 public elementary schools	7.2%		9.8	5693^rd of 5869 public elementary schools	3.0%	257	6.3		6.3	14.3	15.1	23.8	39.0			22.9	11.8	16.3	5.0	13.4			11.7						$21,264	$18,924	$2,340

Frequently Asked Questions about Robert Down Elementary

What schools do graduates of Robert Down Elementary attend?

Students who attend Robert Down Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Pacific Grove Middle
High : Pacific Grove High

What district is Robert Down Elementary in?

Pacific Grove Unified

What is the racial makeup of Robert Down Elementary?

Students at Robert Down Elementary are 56% White, 16% Hispanic, 16% Two or more races, 10% Asian.

Is Robert Down Elementary a good school?

Yes. Robert Down Elementary ranks in the top 9.6% of California elementary schools.

How many students attend Robert Down Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 422 students attended Robert Down Elementary.

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Latest California data All new data »

2024–25 school spending dataJul 1, 2026

2024–25 attendance dataMar 13, 2026

2024–25 CSA Spanish test scoresDec 22, 2025

2024–25 dropout rates & graduation ratesNov 14, 2025

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.