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Paloma Elementary

Public Grades K-5

436^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,857 California Elementary Schools

Better than 93% of California elementary schools

Summary

Paloma Elementary is a highly-regarded K-5 public school serving 758 students in the San Marcos Unified district, consistently ranking among the top 15% of all California elementary schools for academic excellence.

The school stands out for its strong academic results, with over 76% of students proficient in English and 73% in Math, significantly outperforming both the district and state averages. This success is consistent across all student groups, including those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds and students receiving special education services, with these subgroups ranking in the 91st percentile statewide. Furthermore, Paloma achieves these outcomes efficiently, spending less per student than several lower-performing neighboring schools like Joli Ann Leichtag Elementary and San Marcos Elementary.

When compared to nearby schools, Paloma's performance is notably strong. Its proficiency rates are dramatically higher than those at La Mirada Academy and San Marcos Elementary, and it maintains a lower chronic absenteeism rate. Within its own district, Discovery Elementary is a similarly high-performing school, creating a cluster of excellence. The school's decade-long record of high rankings suggests stable, effective practices that benefit all learners.

758

Students ?

22.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$15,481

Per pupil spending ?

31.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

660 Camino Magnifico
San Marcos, CA 92069-7323

(760) 290-2199

District: San Marcos Unified

Students who attend Paloma Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	San Marcos Middle
High:	Mission Hills High

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

37.3%

White:

33.4%

Asian:

16.9%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Paloma Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 90th percentile in 2013 → 93rd in 2025

Strengths

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

✓Ranks in the top 7% of California elementary schools

✓Among the top-ranked schools in San Marcos Unified

Worth a look

!Large classes — about 22 students per teacher

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school73%

District avg50%

California avg41%

436^th of 5,857

California public elementary schools ?

Top 7%▲ up 8 pts since 2015

From top 16% (2015) to top 7% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd 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	93.6	436 of 5857	92.6%	★★★★★
2024	93.5	470 of 5869	92.0%	★★★★★
2023	87.6	841 of 5859	85.6%	★★★★☆
2022	92.3	576 of 5883	90.2%	★★★★★
2019	91.6	546 of 5789	90.6%	★★★★★
2018	86.5	825 of 5662	85.4%	★★★★☆
2017	85.6	884 of 5692	84.5%	★★★★☆
2016	89.3	658 of 5614	88.3%	★★★★☆
2015	85.1	877 of 5611	84.4%	★★★★☆
2013	88.0	577 of 5530	89.6%	★★★★☆
2012	87.3	595 of 5390	89.0%	★★★★☆
2011	89.6	459 of 5377	91.5%	★★★★★
2010	88.3	558 of 5314	89.5%	★★★★☆
2009	78.8	1057 of 5193	79.6%	★★★★☆
2008	74.3	1226 of 5113	76.0%	★★★★☆
2007	77.8	1059 of 5113	79.3%	★★★★☆
2006	80.1	963 of 4818	80.0%	★★★★☆
2005	79.8	928 of 4822	80.8%	★★★★☆
2004	78.6	954 of 4809	80.2%	★★★★☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	82.2	106 of 1203	91.2%	★★★★★
2024	78.5	199 of 1205	83.5%	★★★★☆
2023	74.9	277 of 1190	76.7%	★★★★☆
2022	80.3	140 of 1154	87.9%	★★★★☆
2019	82.0	85 of 1149	92.6%	★★★★★
2018	77.7	192 of 1071	82.1%	★★★★☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	70.6	410 of 2227	81.6%	★★★★☆
2019	63.8	634 of 2585	75.5%	★★★★☆
2018	61.0	564 of 2128	73.5%	★★★★☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	75.0	389 of 3311	88.3%	★★★★☆
2019	92.9	129 of 3275	96.1%	★★★★★
2018	71.2	518 of 3246	84.0%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	91.7	466 of 5597	91.7%	★★★★★
2024	88.4	692 of 5612	87.7%	★★★★☆
2023	85.9	842 of 5609	85.0%	★★★★☆
2022	89.0	693 of 5635	87.7%	★★★★☆
2019	89.7	576 of 5492	89.5%	★★★★☆
2018	82.7	925 of 5413	82.9%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	84.4	561 of 5107	89.0%	★★★★☆
2024	86.7	484 of 5107	90.5%	★★★★★
2023	85.9	508 of 5087	90.0%	★★★★★
2022	89.4	381 of 5084	92.5%	★★★★★
2019	90.5	282 of 4963	94.3%	★★★★★
2018	77.4	791 of 4830	83.6%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	86.4	516 of 5460	90.5%	★★★★★
2024	87.2	543 of 5517	90.2%	★★★★★
2023	83.5	638 of 5363	88.1%	★★★★☆
2022	94.4	203 of 5264	96.1%	★★★★★
2019	93.2	193 of 5173	96.3%	★★★★★
2018	81.2	637 of 5084	87.5%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	93.2	392 of 5628	93.0%	★★★★★
2024	95.1	277 of 5643	95.1%	★★★★★
2023	87.1	769 of 5638	86.4%	★★★★☆
2022	92.9	453 of 5663	92.0%	★★★★★
2019	91.5	478 of 5510	91.3%	★★★★★
2018	87.5	713 of 5431	86.9%	★★★★☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	84.6	60 of 718	91.6%	★★★★★
2024	88.4	31 of 670	95.4%	★★★★★
2022	82.8	65 of 610	89.3%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	87.4	260 of 2847	90.9%	★★★★★
2024	70.8	481 of 2635	81.7%	★★★★☆
2023	65.4	554 of 2420	77.1%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	92.5	29 of 2598	98.9%	★★★★★
2024	90.6	75 of 2651	97.2%	★★★★★
2023	79.7	431 of 2661	83.8%	★★★★☆
2022	82.6	355 of 2726	87.0%	★★★★☆
2019	86.0	223 of 2834	92.1%	★★★★★
2018	84.0	296 of 2737	89.2%	★★★★☆

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 (2025)99th percentile+6 vs school

Male (2025)93rd percentile~ school

Female (2025)92nd percentile~ school

Multi-racial (2025)92nd percentile~ school

Asian (2025)91st percentile~ school

Special Education (2025)91st percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)91st percentile~ school

Hispanic (2025)89th percentile-4 vs school

English Language Learner (2022)88th percentile~ school

Disabled (2022)82nd percentile-9 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy77%+28 vs state

Mathematics73%+36 vs state

Science61%+29 vs state

★

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Schools Near Paloma 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 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
Paloma Elementary	Public	K-5	660 Camino Magnifico	San Marcos	92069	San Diego County	San Marcos Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 290-2199	758	34	22.3	31.4%	253 (33.4%)	13 (1.7%)	283 (37.3%)	128 (16.9%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.5%)	77 (10.2%)	93.6	436^th of 5857 public elementary schools	92.6%		93.5	470^th of 5869 public elementary schools	92.0%	34	61.3		61.3	73.6	75.0	83.0				76.9	72.8	76.7	69.8				73.2	97.4				98.3		$15,481	$1,128	$14,353
Joli Ann Leichtag Elementary	Public	K-5	653 Poinsettia Ave.	Vista	92081	San Diego County	San Marcos Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 290-2888	579	26	22.2	69.1%	100 (17.3%)	6 (1.0%)	424 (73.2%)	28 (4.8%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.5%)	18 (3.1%)	52.8	2444^th of 5857 public elementary schools	58.3%		59.3	2099^th of 5869 public elementary schools	64.2%	345	22.8		22.8	48.4	46.5	35.6				43.3	59.1	49.0	40.6				49.3							$18,029	$1,749	$16,280
La Mirada Academy	Public	K-8	3697 La Mirada Dr.	San Marcos	92078	San Diego County	San Marcos Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 290-2000	868	37	23.3	77.4%	37 (4.3%)	3 (0.3%)	785 (90.4%)	26 (3.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.3%)	14 (1.6%)	26.7	4250^th of 5857 public elementary schools	27.4%		32.1	3777^th of 5869 public elementary schools	35.6%	473	26.1	8.7	15.9	27.2	23.4	52.3	26.8	24.0	23.0	28.7	25.9	30.5	27.3	11.8	14.9	4.8	17.8							$17,841	$1,747	$16,094
San Marcos Elementary	Public	K-5	1 Tiger Way	San Marcos	92069	San Diego County	San Marcos Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 290-2430	546	24	22.7	87.2%	12 (2.2%)	1 (0.2%)	518 (94.9%)	7 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (1.5%)	15.9	5191^st of 5857 public elementary schools	11.4%		19.9	4880^th of 5869 public elementary schools	16.9%	311	11.7		11.7	17.7	17.7	28.7				21.5	30.6	20.8	14.9				21.8							$18,507	$1,976	$16,531
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
Twin Oaks Elementary	Public	K-5	1 Cassou Rd.	San Marcos	92069	San Diego County	San Marcos Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 290-2588	648	31	20.9	47.7%	204 (31.5%)	6 (0.9%)	380 (58.6%)	24 (3.7%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.5%)	31 (4.8%)	54	2367^th of 5857 public elementary schools	59.6%		57.8	2161^st of 5869 public elementary schools	63.2%	206	39.6		39.6	31.5	45.1	58.0				45.4	42.7	36.7	47.5				42.5	96.6	96.6	98.0	98.0	97.3		$17,290	$1,508	$15,782
Dual Language Immersion North County	Public, Charter	K-8	2030 University Dr.	Vista	92803	San Diego County	Dual Language Immersion North County District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 631-6200	276	16	17.4	44.9%	55 (19.9%)	5 (1.8%)	195 (70.7%)	7 (2.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (5.1%)	89.7	676^th of 5857 public elementary schools	88.5%		78.8	1206^th of 5869 public elementary schools	79.5%	530	50.0	24.0	34.9	69.6	85.7	83.3	91.3	76.5	58.3	77.4	73.9	60.7	61.1	52.2	35.3	28.0	52.2	92.3			92.3			$15,763	$1,045	$14,718
Hannalei Elementary	Public	K-5	120 Hannalei Dr.	Vista	92083	San Diego County	Vista Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 631-6248	480	22	21.8	73.5%	55 (11.5%)	1 (0.2%)	402 (83.8%)	4 (0.8%)	1 (0.2%)	5 (1.0%)	12 (2.5%)	17.3	5069^th of 5857 public elementary schools	13.5%		23.7	4497^th of 5869 public elementary schools	23.4%	572	6.9		6.9	25.0	31.3	28.2				28.0	23.4	27.3	8.2				19.4							$19,882	$2,571	$17,311
Classical Academy Vista	Public, Charter	K-8	2022 University Dr	Vista	92083	San Diego County	Classical Academy Vista District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 330-9800	651	28	23.2	28.0%	388 (59.6%)	9 (1.4%)	179 (27.5%)	14 (2.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	60 (9.2%)	79.1	1189^th of 5857 public elementary schools	79.7%		82.7	1049^th of 5869 public elementary schools	82.1%	140	49.3	52.2	50.9	64.8	68.0	62.7	66.3	64.1	68.5	65.7	54.9	72.0	44.0	49.4	50.0	46.1	51.3	73.7	73.7	73.7	73.7	73.7	73.7	$12,917	$150	$12,767
Discovery Elementary	Public	K-5	730 Applewilde Dr.	San Marcos	92078	San Diego County	San Marcos Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 290-2077	717	28	26.0	17.4%	321 (44.8%)	7 (1.0%)	175 (24.4%)	141 (19.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	73 (10.2%)	95.8	251^st of 5857 public elementary schools	95.7%		93.8	443^rd of 5869 public elementary schools	92.5%	192	69.1		69.1	72.4	82.0	85.5				80.1	77.1	81.1	76.4				78.2							$17,592	$1,032	$16,560

Frequently Asked Questions about Paloma Elementary

Is Paloma Elementary a good school?

Yes. Paloma Elementary ranks in the top 7.4% of California elementary schools.

What is the racial makeup of Paloma Elementary?

Students at Paloma Elementary are 37% Hispanic, 33% White, 17% Asian, 10% Two or more races, 2% African American.

How many students attend Paloma Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 758 students attended Paloma Elementary.

What district is Paloma Elementary in?

San Marcos Unified

What schools do graduates of Paloma Elementary attend?

Students who attend Paloma Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : San Marcos Middle
High : Mission Hills High

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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.