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La Costa Meadows Elementary

Q: Is La Costa Meadows Elementary a good school?

La Costa Meadows Elementary ranks 586 th of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 5 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-5

586^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,857 California Elementary Schools

Better than 90% of California elementary schools

Summary

La Costa Meadows Elementary is a highly-rated public K-5 school serving 725 students in Carlsbad, part of the San Marcos Unified School District, known for its consistent academic excellence and strong, balanced performance across all subjects.

The school stands out for its effectiveness in serving all students well, with particularly strong results in science and for students with special education needs. It achieves these outcomes with moderate per-student spending compared to some neighbors, like Mission Estancia Elementary. While it operates in a district with a lower overall ranking than neighboring Encinitas Union Elementary or Carlsbad Unified districts, La Costa Meadows itself competes effectively with top schools from those areas, such as La Costa Heights Elementary and Poinsettia Elementary.

Compared to nearby schools with similar demographics like Carrillo Elementary, La Costa Meadows shows more consistent year-to-year performance and higher science proficiency. The school has also made impressive strides in improving student attendance since the pandemic. Its balanced approach—excelling equally in English and math—and its resilience through challenges make it a standout choice for families in the area.

725

Students ?

23.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$16,972

Per pupil spending ?

17.1%

Free/discounted lunch ?

6889 El Fuerte St.
Carlsbad, CA 92009-5923

(760) 290-2121

District: San Marcos Unified

Students who attend La Costa Meadows Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	San Elijo Middle
High:	San Marcos High

Racial breakdown:

White:

64.8%

Hispanic:

18.1%

Two or more races:

11.0%

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Compare La Costa Meadows Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 92nd percentile in 2013 → 90th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the California average (70% 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

!Large classes — about 24 students per teacher

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school70%

District avg50%

California avg41%

586^th of 5,857

California public elementary schools ?

Top 10%▼ down 3 pts since 2015

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

4^th of 12Elementary Schools in the San Marcos Unified

488^th of 1,543San Marcos 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	91.4	586 of 5857	90.0%	★★★★★
2024	91.3	622 of 5869	89.4%	★★★★☆
2023	91.7	594 of 5859	89.9%	★★★★☆
2022	92.9	527 of 5883	91.0%	★★★★★
2019	88.2	745 of 5789	87.1%	★★★★☆
2018	89.6	657 of 5662	88.4%	★★★★☆
2017	93.0	449 of 5692	92.1%	★★★★★
2016	91.7	516 of 5614	90.8%	★★★★★
2015	93.7	397 of 5611	92.9%	★★★★★
2013	90.1	458 of 5530	91.7%	★★★★★
2012	89.2	477 of 5390	91.2%	★★★★★
2011	88.9	501 of 5377	90.7%	★★★★★
2010	87.1	631 of 5314	88.1%	★★★★☆
2009	81.3	939 of 5193	81.9%	★★★★☆
2008	83.0	837 of 5113	83.6%	★★★★☆
2007	88.5	589 of 5113	88.5%	★★★★☆
2006	87.8	599 of 4818	87.6%	★★★★☆
2005	89.0	540 of 4822	88.8%	★★★★☆
2004	88.8	557 of 4809	88.4%	★★★★☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	98.6	36 of 2227	98.4%	★★★★★
2019	67.4	551 of 2585	78.7%	★★★★☆
2018	38.7	1073 of 2128	49.6%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	90.4	574 of 5597	89.7%	★★★★☆
2024	91.9	508 of 5612	90.9%	★★★★★
2023	93.3	420 of 5609	92.5%	★★★★★
2022	90.9	591 of 5635	89.5%	★★★★☆
2019	85.0	814 of 5492	85.2%	★★★★☆
2018	85.0	828 of 5413	84.7%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	84.9	547 of 5107	89.3%	★★★★☆
2024	91.1	310 of 5107	93.9%	★★★★★
2023	92.9	246 of 5087	95.2%	★★★★★
2022	95.9	161 of 5084	96.8%	★★★★★
2019	78.3	769 of 4963	84.5%	★★★★☆
2018	78.7	744 of 4830	84.6%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	85.5	557 of 5460	89.8%	★★★★☆
2024	87.3	541 of 5517	90.2%	★★★★★
2023	87.2	486 of 5363	90.9%	★★★★★
2022	80.1	756 of 5264	85.6%	★★★★☆
2019	73.9	977 of 5173	81.1%	★★★★☆
2018	81.3	630 of 5084	87.6%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	88.9	636 of 5628	88.7%	★★★★☆
2024	88.1	713 of 5643	87.4%	★★★★☆
2023	88.3	711 of 5638	87.4%	★★★★☆
2022	92.9	451 of 5663	92.0%	★★★★★
2019	88.6	656 of 5510	88.1%	★★★★☆
2018	91.0	513 of 5431	90.6%	★★★★★

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	66.0	257 of 718	64.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	61.5	311 of 670	53.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	58.5	289 of 610	52.6%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	85.5	294 of 2847	89.7%	★★★★☆
2024	89.0	206 of 2635	92.2%	★★★★★
2023	92.7	135 of 2420	94.4%	★★★★★

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	78.6	463 of 2598	82.2%	★★★★☆
2024	81.0	385 of 2651	85.5%	★★★★☆
2023	79.2	459 of 2661	82.8%	★★★★☆
2022	77.9	529 of 2726	80.6%	★★★★☆
2019	75.5	613 of 2834	78.4%	★★★★☆
2018	77.4	536 of 2737	80.4%	★★★★☆

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)

Disabled (2022)98th percentile+7 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)90th percentile~ school

Female (2025)90th percentile~ school

Special Education (2025)90th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2025)89th percentile~ school

Male (2025)89th percentile~ school

White (2025)82nd percentile-8 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)64th percentile-26 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

Mathematics71%+34 vs state

English Language Arts/Literacy71%+23 vs state

Science61%+29 vs state

2.0

1 rating · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a parent
Wednesday, February 7, 2024

The social and emotional well-being of the students seem to take a back seat at this school. They claim to understand the importance of mental health and its connection to academic growth but I have not seen it with the new administration. Staff is supported while the children and their feelings are not considered. I’m glad my child is graduating this year or I would consider moving her to another school. Close Quote

Schools Near La Costa Meadows Elementary

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 (2024)
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
La Costa Meadows Elementary	Public	K-5	6889 El Fuerte St.	Carlsbad	92009	San Diego County	San Marcos Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 290-2121	725	31	23.6	17.1%	470 (64.8%)	2 (0.3%)	131 (18.1%)	41 (5.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	80 (11.0%)	91.4	586^th of 5857 public elementary schools	90.0%		91.3	622^nd of 5869 public elementary schools	89.4%	36	61.3	61.3	71.0	68.6	74.5		71.4	78.0	66.7	69.5		71.4	95.6				97.1		$16,972	$1,014	$15,958
Carrillo Elementary	Public	K-5	2875 Poinsettia Ln.	Carlsbad	92009	San Diego County	San Marcos Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 290-2900	725	29	25.0	22.6%	384 (53.0%)	6 (0.8%)	174 (24.0%)	77 (10.6%)	3 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	81 (11.2%)	90.3	639^th of 5857 public elementary schools	89.1%		84.5	972^nd of 5869 public elementary schools	83.4%	333	54.9	54.9	70.6	71.8	69.7		70.7	78.0	70.2	65.6		71.0	93.8	96.1	96.9	95.3	94.5	96.1	$16,375	$1,166	$15,209
Poinsettia Elementary	Public	K-5	2445 Mica Rd.	Carlsbad	92009	San Diego County	Carlsbad Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 331-6500	481	22	22.3	28.9%	237 (49.3%)	4 (0.8%)	136 (28.3%)	41 (8.5%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	61 (12.7%)	95.9	243^rd of 5857 public elementary schools	95.9%		97.3	135^th of 5869 public elementary schools	97.7%	108	62.5	62.5	82.4	89.4	75.0		82.4	88.0	83.3	70.3		81.0							$16,202	$395	$15,807
La Costa Heights Elementary	Public	K-6	3035 Levante St.	Carlsbad	92009	San Diego County	Encinitas Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 944-4375	552	23	24.0	14.5%	369 (66.8%)	2 (0.4%)	82 (14.9%)	21 (3.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	78 (14.1%)	94.7	360^th of 5857 public elementary schools	93.9%		95.4	311^th of 5869 public elementary schools	94.7%	49	66.7	66.7	75.0	79.6	77.7	85.2	79.6	69.2	71.3	73.8	82.5	74.3							$17,657	$809	$16,848
Aviara Oaks Elementary	Public	K-5	6900 Ambrosia Ln.	Carlsbad	92011	San Diego County	Carlsbad Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 331-6000	612	25	24.4	22.1%	343 (56.0%)	9 (1.5%)	123 (20.1%)	64 (10.5%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.3%)	71 (11.6%)	96	241^st of 5857 public elementary schools	95.9%		97.5	123^rd of 5869 public elementary schools	97.9%	118	65.5	65.5	76.3	80.4	85.1		81.2	79.2	76.6	80.1		78.8							$15,253	$284	$14,969
Mission Estancia Elementary	Public	K-6	3330 Calle Barcelona	Carlsbad	92009	San Diego County	Encinitas Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 943-2004	355	16	22.1	12.7%	239 (67.3%)	5 (1.4%)	40 (11.3%)	30 (8.5%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	40 (11.3%)	90	657^th of 5857 public elementary schools	88.8%		91.4	616^th of 5869 public elementary schools	89.5%	41	55.2	55.2	70.8	83.9	72.4	74.5	75.8	79.2	72.6	51.7	57.5	65.1							$19,205	$911	$18,294
El Camino Creek Elementary	Public	K-6	7885 Paseo Aliso	Carlsbad	92009	San Diego County	Encinitas Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 943-2051	409	16	25.5	5.1%	306 (74.8%)	1 (0.2%)	38 (9.3%)	15 (3.7%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	46 (11.2%)	98.2	58^th of 5857 public elementary schools	99.0%		96.6	203^rd of 5869 public elementary schools	96.5%	145	72.2	72.2	89.3	85.3	85.7	89.3	87.4	91.1	96.7	76.7	80.0	85.2							$16,908	$611	$16,297
San Elijo Elementary	Public	K-5	1615 Schoolhouse Way	San Marcos	92078	San Diego County	San Marcos Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 290-2600	834	38	22.1	15.9%	510 (61.2%)	7 (0.8%)	163 (19.5%)	64 (7.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	89 (10.7%)	91.2	596^th of 5857 public elementary schools	89.8%		92	572^nd of 5869 public elementary schools	90.3%	24	55.6	55.6	71.1	75.2	74.5		73.6	74.1	69.6	67.3		70.2	95.4	98.5	97.7	97.7	97.7	97.7	$16,921	$1,144	$15,777
Olivenhain Pioneer Elementary	Public	K-6	8000 Calle Acervo	Carlsbad	92009	San Diego County	Encinitas Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 943-2000	520	22	23.6	6.5%	386 (74.2%)	6 (1.2%)	52 (10.0%)	19 (3.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	57 (11.0%)	95.4	299^th of 5857 public elementary schools	94.9%		95.3	322^nd of 5869 public elementary schools	94.5%	23	62.4	62.4	78.5	83.6	83.5	74.4	79.9	80.0	77.9	70.2	76.8	75.9							$16,718	$652	$16,066
High Technical Elementary North County	Public, Charter	K-5	1480 West San Marcos Blvd.	San Marcos	92078	San Diego County	High Technical Elementary North County District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 759-2785	438	18	24.3	50.2%	112 (25.6%)	10 (2.3%)	230 (52.5%)	65 (14.8%)	5 (1.1%)	7 (1.6%)	9 (2.1%)	28.3	4114^th of 5857 public elementary schools	29.8%		40.7	3145^th of 5869 public elementary schools	46.4%	969	19.4	19.4	36.5	37.0	34.7		36.1	41.9	16.4	13.9		24.2	97.1		97.1				$14,432	$1,035	$13,397

Frequently Asked Questions about La Costa Meadows Elementary

What schools do graduates of La Costa Meadows Elementary attend?

Students who attend La Costa Meadows Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : San Elijo Middle
High : San Marcos High

Is La Costa Meadows Elementary a good school?

La Costa Meadows Elementary ranks 586^th of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 5 stars out of 5.

How many students attend La Costa Meadows Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 725 students attended La Costa Meadows Elementary.

What district is La Costa Meadows Elementary in?

San Marcos Unified

What is the racial makeup of La Costa Meadows Elementary?

Students at La Costa Meadows Elementary are 65% White, 18% Hispanic, 11% Two or more races, 6% Asian.

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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.