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Hawthorne Elementary

Q: Is Hawthorne Elementary a good school?

Hawthorne Elementary ranks 1482 nd of 5804 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-6

1482^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,804 California Elementary Schools

Better than 74% of California elementary schools

Summary

Hawthorne Elementary in San Luis Obispo, California, serves 437 students in grades K–6 in San Luis Coastal Unified. SchoolDigger rates the district four stars and places it at the 86th percentile statewide. The key takeaway is that Hawthorne’s 2025–26 proficiency rates were above California’s in all three tested subjects, but below the district’s in all three.

Sixth-grade ELA is a standout, while fourth grade—especially math—is a concern. Sixth-grade ELA proficiency was 78%, compared with 69% districtwide and 48% statewide; it was the second-highest result among eight nearby schools with scores. Across all grades, Hawthorne reached 60% in ELA, 51% in math and 47% in science—11, 13 and 11 points above state rates, respectively, but 8, 6 and 8 points below district rates. Among nearby schools with current scores, Hawthorne ranked fifth of 10 in ELA, seventh in math and sixth in science. Fourth-grade math was 44%, 19 points below the district and the second-lowest result among 10 nearby schools; fourth-grade ELA was 51%, 13 points below the district.

Science has improved over the longer term, rising from 28% in 2022–23 to 47% in 2025–26, though it fluctuated considerably in between. ELA rose only slightly over that period, while math was nearly flat. SchoolDigger places Hawthorne at the 74th percentile statewide with four stars, ranking it seventh among 10 nearby schools with current rankings. Its 2024–25 student-teacher ratio was 23.0, near the middle of the nearby group. In 2024–25, 54% of students were free/reduced lunch eligible, the highest rate among same-district schools and second-highest among nearby schools with reported figures. SchoolDigger’s statewide ranking suggests relative weakness for Hispanic students: the group ranked at the 46th percentile in 2025–26, versus 74th overall, after falling from the 67th percentile in 2023–24 to 36th in 2024–25.

437

Students ?

23.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$20,413

Per pupil spending ?

53.5%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

All students in California receive free school meals.

2125 Story St.
San Luis Obispo, CA 93401-5232

(805) 596-4070

District: San Luis Coastal Unified

Students who attend Hawthorne Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Laguna Middle
	Teach Elementary
High:	San Luis Obispo High

Racial breakdown:

White:

44.2%

Hispanic:

40.0%

Two or more races:

11.0%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Hawthorne Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 77th percentile in 2016 → 74th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the California average (55% vs 42% meeting standards)

✓Above the California median (74th percentile)

Worth a look

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

!Large classes — about 23 students per teacher

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school55%

District avg61%

California avg42%

1,482^nd of 5,804

California public elementary schools ?

Top 26%▼ down 3 pts since 2016

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

7^th of 10Elementary Schools in the San Luis Coastal Unified

139^th of 968San Luis Coastal 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	72.1	1482 of 5804	74.5%	★★★★☆
2025	69.8	1610 of 5857	72.5%	★★★★☆
2024	80.3	1140 of 5869	80.6%	★★★★☆
2023	69.5	1597 of 5859	72.7%	★★★★☆
2022	75.1	1400 of 5883	76.2%	★★★★☆
2021	59.6	514 of 1417	63.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	73.2	1461 of 5789	74.8%	★★★★☆
2018	71.9	1482 of 5662	73.8%	★★★★☆
2017	78.7	1177 of 5692	79.3%	★★★★☆
2016	76.1	1270 of 5614	77.4%	★★★★☆
2015	58.1	2024 of 5611	63.9%	★★★☆☆
2013	51.8	2571 of 5530	53.5%	★★★☆☆
2012	56.5	2234 of 5390	58.6%	★★★☆☆
2011	51.9	2485 of 5377	53.8%	★★★☆☆
2010	48.6	2648 of 5314	50.2%	★★★☆☆
2009	39.0	3108 of 5193	40.2%	★★☆☆☆
2008	53.0	2219 of 5113	56.6%	★★★☆☆
2007	59.7	1840 of 5113	64.0%	★★★☆☆
2006	59.9	1743 of 4818	63.8%	★★★☆☆
2005	67.5	1436 of 4822	70.2%	★★★★☆
2004	59.4	1743 of 4809	63.8%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	65.1	504 of 2227	77.4%	★★★★☆
2021	60.1	77 of 293	73.7%	★★★★☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	47.2	1351 of 3311	59.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	73.0	452 of 3275	86.2%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	64.2	1768 of 5569	68.3%	★★★☆☆
2025	66.2	1679 of 5597	70.0%	★★★★☆
2024	69.9	1501 of 5612	73.3%	★★★★☆
2023	63.5	1786 of 5609	68.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	60.4	1916 of 5635	66.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	55.7	507 of 1267	60.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	71.3	1441 of 5492	73.8%	★★★★☆
2018	73.0	1372 of 5413	74.7%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	44.3	2724 of 5085	46.4%	★★☆☆☆
2025	36.5	3280 of 5107	35.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	60.3	1673 of 5107	67.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	48.0	2360 of 5087	53.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	56.8	1793 of 5084	64.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	63.7	1487 of 4963	70.0%	★★★★☆
2018	59.5	1654 of 4830	65.8%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	55.3	2161 of 5412	60.1%	★★★☆☆
2025	55.5	2100 of 5460	61.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	63.7	1594 of 5517	71.1%	★★★★☆
2023	58.9	1809 of 5363	66.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	76.0	911 of 5264	82.7%	★★★★☆
2021	65.8	291 of 1110	73.8%	★★★★☆
2019	75.4	904 of 5173	82.5%	★★★★☆
2018	68.9	1245 of 5084	75.5%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	70.9	1462 of 5590	73.8%	★★★★☆
2025	67.5	1630 of 5628	71.0%	★★★★☆
2024	85.8	832 of 5643	85.3%	★★★★☆
2023	72.9	1374 of 5638	75.6%	★★★★☆
2022	82.0	1011 of 5663	82.1%	★★★★☆
2021	61.9	435 of 1272	65.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	70.6	1490 of 5510	73.0%	★★★★☆
2018	68.8	1532 of 5431	71.8%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	81.5	359 of 2847	87.4%	★★★★☆
2024	96.0	90 of 2635	96.6%	★★★★★

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	80.3	389 of 2532	84.6%	★★★★☆
2025	70.3	773 of 2598	70.2%	★★★★☆
2024	77.9	500 of 2651	81.1%	★★★★☆
2023	67.4	882 of 2661	66.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	71.6	746 of 2726	72.6%	★★★★☆
2019	68.6	877 of 2834	69.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	76.8	564 of 2737	79.4%	★★★★☆

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)

Special Education (2025)87th percentile+15 vs school

White (2026)85th percentile+10 vs school

Disabled (2022)77th percentile~ school

Male (2026)74th percentile~ school

Female (2026)68th percentile-6 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)60th percentile-14 vs school

English Language Learner (2022)59th percentile-17 vs school

Hispanic (2026)46th percentile-28 vs school

By subject vs California (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy60%+11 vs state

Mathematics51%+13 vs state

Science47%+11 vs state

★

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Schools Near Hawthorne 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 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
Hawthorne Elementary	Public	K-6	2125 Story St.	San Luis Obispo	93401	San Luis Obispo County	San Luis Coastal Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 596-4070	437	19	23.0	53.5%	193 (44.2%)	4 (0.9%)	175 (40.0%)	16 (3.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	48 (11.0%)	72.1	1482^nd of 5804 public elementary schools	74.5%		69.8	1610^th of 5857 public elementary schools	72.5%	128	46.7	46.7	50.0	51.2	60.0	78.4	60.1	52.7	44.2	51.1	54.9	51.0							$20,413	$19,006	$1,407
Sinsheimer Elementary	Public	K-6	2755 Augusta St.	San Luis Obispo	93401	San Luis Obispo County	San Luis Coastal Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 596-4088	401	16	25.0	26.4%	273 (68.1%)	1 (0.2%)	71 (17.7%)	19 (4.7%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	34 (8.5%)	89.1	692^nd of 5804 public elementary schools	88.1%		83.4	992^nd of 5857 public elementary schools	83.1%	300	72.7	72.7	73.4	64.4	77.3	69.5	71.2	71.9	60.0	75.0	52.5	64.6							$18,713	$16,816	$1,897
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%)	73.6	1418^th of 5804 public elementary schools	75.6%		79.1	1191^st of 5857 public elementary schools	79.7%	227	40.7	40.7	56.3	66.2	50.0	66.2	60.1	61.5	58.5	43.3	48.7	53.0							$19,133	$16,578	$2,555
Pacheco Elementary	Public	K-6	261 Cuesta Dr.	San Luis Obispo	93405	San Luis Obispo County	San Luis Coastal Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 596-4081	488	20	24.4	47.7%	159 (32.6%)	4 (0.8%)	298 (61.1%)	2 (0.4%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (4.9%)	68.7	1646^th of 5804 public elementary schools	71.6%		68.2	1679^th of 5857 public elementary schools	71.3%	33	45.2	45.2	51.5	57.6	52.1	61.1	55.1	47.1	54.2	50.0	48.2	49.8	83.3	85.4	93.8	83.3	87.5	89.6	$20,599	$19,664	$935
Bishop's Peak Elementary	Public	K-6	451 Jaycee Dr.	San Luis Obispo	93405	San Luis Obispo County	San Luis Coastal Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 596-4030	358	17	21.0	34.1%	226 (63.1%)	2 (0.6%)	67 (18.7%)	19 (5.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	43 (12.0%)	86.7	816^th of 5804 public elementary schools	85.9%		86.3	863^rd of 5857 public elementary schools	85.3%	47	56.9	56.9	70.4	67.4	65.5	79.6	70.2	72.2	74.0	56.9	45.5	62.6	95.2	96.8			96.8		$21,588	$20,126	$1,462
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%)	90	648^th of 5804 public elementary schools	88.8%		88.3	759^th of 5857 public elementary schools	87.0%	111	57.1	57.1	79.5	68.6	71.8	66.7	72.3	81.3	70.6	56.5	65.0	68.1	88.0	94.0			94.0	94.0	$17,742	$16,186	$1,556
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%)								(n/a)													91.7	91.7
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%)	83.1	1004^th of 5804 public elementary schools	82.7%		81.2	1109^th of 5857 public elementary schools	81.1%	105	41.1	41.1	59.2	63.4	72.7	76.8	68.7	69.4	48.8	58.9	74.6	63.7	94.6		96.4	96.4		96.4	$17,342	$14,528	$2,814
Santa Margarita Elementary	Public	K-5	22070 H St.	Santa Margarita	93453	San Luis Obispo County	Atascadero Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 438-5633	297	12	25.6	33.7%	204 (68.7%)	0 (0.0%)	57 (19.2%)	5 (1.7%)	2 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	29 (9.8%)	72.2	1478^th of 5804 public elementary schools	74.5%		70.6	1579^th of 5857 public elementary schools	73.0%	101	62.2	62.2	55.0	33.3	71.1		52.9	60.0	47.9	62.2		56.9							$16,788	$16,554	$234
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%)	48.7	2674^th of 5804 public elementary schools	53.9%		41.4	3121^st of 5857 public elementary schools	46.7%	447	25.7	25.7	46.2	33.3	54.3	51.1	46.3	51.3	32.5	34.3	36.2	38.5	96.6						$17,263	$14,630	$2,633

Frequently Asked Questions about Hawthorne Elementary

What district is Hawthorne Elementary in?

San Luis Coastal Unified

What schools do graduates of Hawthorne Elementary attend?

Students who attend Hawthorne Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Laguna Middle
Middle : Teach Elementary
High : San Luis Obispo High

How many students attend Hawthorne Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 437 students attended Hawthorne Elementary.

Is Hawthorne Elementary a good school?

Hawthorne Elementary ranks 1482^nd of 5804 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Hawthorne Elementary?

Students at Hawthorne Elementary are 44% White, 40% Hispanic, 11% Two or more races, 4% Asian.

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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.