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Hawthorne Elementary

Q: Is Hawthorne Elementary a good school?

Hawthorne Elementary ranks 1610 th of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-6

1610^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,857 California Elementary Schools

Better than 73% of California elementary schools

Summary

Hawthorne Elementary is a K-6 public school serving 437 students in the San Luis Coastal Unified School District, consistently earning a solid 4-star rating while serving a community where over half of the students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.

Academically, the school performs above the state average in English and Math, which is a notable achievement given its student demographics. A particular standout strength is its exceptional program for special education students, which has ranked in the state's top 15%. However, the school faces a significant challenge with chronic absenteeism, with over 20% of students missing too much school, a rate higher than both the district and state averages and notably higher than nearby schools like Pacheco Elementary (7.6%). Performance also varies by grade, with 6th graders excelling in English but 5th graders needing more support in Math and Science.

When compared to its neighbors, Hawthorne presents an interesting picture. It serves a higher-need population than schools like Sinsheimer Elementary, which is less than a mile away and has higher test scores. Meanwhile, Los Ranchos Elementary in the same district achieves higher proficiency with similar per-student spending. This shows that Hawthorne is performing respectably within its context, with clear opportunities to improve by reducing absenteeism and boosting performance in specific subjects and grade levels.

437

Students ?

23.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$20,413

Per pupil spending ?

53.5%

Free/discounted lunch ?

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: Improving — 64th percentile in 2015 → 73rd in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the California average (52% vs 41% meeting standards)

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

✓Above the California median (73rd 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 (2024-2025) ?

This school52%

District avg60%

California avg41%

1,610^th of 5,857

California public elementary schools ?

Top 27%▲ up 9 pts since 2015

From top 36% (2015) to top 27% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

6^th of 9Elementary Schools in the San Luis Coastal Unified

275^th of 1,543San 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
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
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
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
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
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
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

Disabled (2022)77th percentile~ school

Male (2025)71st percentile~ school

White (2025)70th percentile~ school

Female (2025)70th percentile-3 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)62nd percentile-11 vs school

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

Hispanic (2025)36th percentile-37 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy56%+7 vs state

Mathematics51%+14 vs state

Science42%+9 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 (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
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%)	69.8	1610^th of 5857 public elementary schools	72.5%		80.3	1140^th of 5869 public elementary schools	80.6%	470	42.1	42.1	50.9	55.3	52.6	65.9	55.6	56.4	55.3	40.4	54.8	51.2							$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%)	83.4	992^nd of 5857 public elementary schools	83.1%		90.3	688^th of 5869 public elementary schools	88.3%	304	31.8	31.8	73.5	74.4	67.7	88.9	75.3	68.6	65.1	53.0	75.6	64.4							$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%)	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
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%)	68.2	1679^th of 5857 public elementary schools	71.3%		77	1293^rd of 5869 public elementary schools	78.0%	386	34.6	34.6	62.3	53.5	57.4	55.4	57.0	60.7	47.3	32.7	56.9	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%)	86.3	863^rd of 5857 public elementary schools	85.3%		81.2	1106^th of 5869 public elementary schools	81.2%	243	64.3	64.3	61.1	75.0	76.2	64.6	69.0	61.1	78.6	50.0	54.2	62.0	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%)	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
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
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
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%)	70.6	1579^th of 5857 public elementary schools	73.0%		68.5	1660^th of 5869 public elementary schools	71.7%	81	41.9	41.9	52.1	66.7	51.6		57.0	55.1	61.9	38.7		53.3							$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%)	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

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 1610^th of 5857 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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Schools in San Luis Obispo, CA

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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.