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Best Public Schools in Zip Code 94044

At a glance

Schools

3,851

Students

Districts

Top rankedOceana High274^th of 2,162 California high schools

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Biggest riser

Ortega Elementary up 202 spots statewide this year

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Smallest classes

Oceana High 16.9 students per teacher

SchoolDigger ratings

4★

2★

1 school without a SchoolDigger rating (too few tested students)

See the top-ranked California schools →

Summary:

In Pacifica, California (zip code 94044), families are served by nine public schools across two districts, offering education from elementary through high school for over 3,400 students.

Overall, the schools in this area perform well, with most ranking above state averages. The standout high school is Oceana High, which has the highest test scores and a very low dropout rate, while Terra Nova High boasts the highest graduation rate. Among elementary schools, Vallemar Elementary consistently leads in academic performance. However, Sunset Ridge Elementary is a notable exception, with significantly lower test scores and a higher rate of chronic student absenteeism that requires attention.

These schools are split between the Pacifica School District (elementary and middle) and the Jefferson Union High School District. Interestingly, the high schools spend considerably more per student than the elementary schools, yet the elementary schools generally show strong results relative to the state. A clear pattern is that schools with lower chronic absenteeism, like Cabrillo Elementary and Oceana High, tend to be the top performers, highlighting the importance of regular attendance for student success.

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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)	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 11th Grade	CAST Science 12th 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 11th 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 11th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics All Grades	% Completely Immunized KG	% Polio KG	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Oceana High	Public	9-12	401 Paloma Ave.	Pacifica	94044	San Mateo County	Jefferson Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(650) 550-7300	471	28	16.9	18.7%	106 (22.5%)	7 (1.5%)	117 (24.8%)	177 (37.6%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.4%)	52 (11.0%)	86.5	274^th of 2162 public high schools	87.3%		81.2	392^nd of 2159 public high schools	81.8%	118			55.3	26.7	51.7							67.3	67.3							50.0	50.0			$34,107	$31,552	$2,555
Terra Nova High	Public	9-12	1450 Terra Nova Blvd.	Pacifica	94044	San Mateo County	Jefferson Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(650) 550-7600	740	37	20.0	14.9%	310 (41.9%)	7 (0.9%)	211 (28.5%)	91 (12.3%)	4 (0.5%)	3 (0.4%)	109 (14.7%)	74.9	496^th of 2162 public high schools	77.1%		73.8	510^th of 2159 public high schools	76.4%	14			38.4	20.0	36.7							64.0	64.0							41.4	41.4			$28,148	$26,262	$1,886
Cabrillo Elementary	Public	K-8	601 Crespi Dr.	Pacifica	94044	San Mateo County	Pacifica	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(650) 738-6660	524	23	22.4	13.5%	265 (50.6%)	1 (0.2%)	127 (24.2%)	45 (8.6%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	85 (16.2%)	67.3	1723^rd of 5857 public elementary schools	70.6%		75.1	1366^th of 5869 public elementary schools	76.7%	357	33.8	59.2			43.9	65.0	38.3	59.5	57.8	52.5	61.2		55.6	50.0	56.7	54.1	44.4	52.5	49.0		51.6			$17,119	$15,736	$1,383
Ocean Shore Elementary	Public	K-8	411 Oceana Blvd.	Pacifica	94044	San Mateo County	Pacifica	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(650) 738-6650	368	17	21.9	16.6%	119 (32.3%)	5 (1.4%)	81 (22.0%)	88 (23.9%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.1%)	70 (19.0%)	76.9	1291^st of 5857 public elementary schools	78.0%		78.8	1209^th of 5869 public elementary schools	79.4%	82	61.9	38.2			51.3	40.0	67.4	76.2	53.9	53.9	61.1		59.7	60.0	67.4	59.5	26.9	46.2	55.9		55.1			$17,958	$16,610	$1,348
Vallemar Elementary	Public	K-8	377 Reina del Mar Ave.	Pacifica	94044	San Mateo County	Pacifica	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(650) 738-6655	500	21	23.9	15.6%	202 (40.4%)	3 (0.6%)	137 (27.4%)	68 (13.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	89 (17.8%)	80.4	1146^th of 5857 public elementary schools	80.4%		78.4	1225^th of 5869 public elementary schools	79.1%	79	52.8	58.3			55.5	56.9	70.2	69.8	47.7	55.6	60.4		61.3	70.7	71.6	50.9	40.9	48.2	62.5		59.6			$17,322	$15,920	$1,402
Sunset Ridge Elementary	Public	K-5	340 Inverness Dr.	Pacifica	94044	San Mateo County	Pacifica	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(650) 738-6687	348	18	19.3	41.7%	67 (19.3%)	7 (2.0%)	131 (37.6%)	81 (23.3%)	1 (0.3%)	2 (0.6%)	59 (17.0%)	33.8	3663^rd of 5857 public elementary schools	37.5%		33.6	3633^rd of 5869 public elementary schools	38.1%	30	25.9				25.9	22.4	41.4	33.3					32.4	36.2	35.1	31.5					34.3	97.0	98.0	$20,075	$18,174	$1,901
Ingrid B. Lacy Middle	Public	6-8	1427 Palmetto Ave.	Pacifica	94044	San Mateo County	Pacifica	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(650) 738-6665	484	24	19.8	19.0%	168 (34.7%)	10 (2.1%)	140 (28.9%)	91 (18.8%)	1 (0.2%)	3 (0.6%)	70 (14.5%)	72.5	630^th of 2761 public middle schools	77.2%		78.8	508^th of 2783 public middle schools	81.7%	122		36.5			36.5				56.9	56.9	55.0		56.2				55.4	47.2	46.5		49.8			$17,940	$16,468	$1,472
Ortega Elementary	Public	K-5	1283 Terra Nova Blvd.	Pacifica	94044	San Mateo County	Pacifica	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(650) 738-6670	404	19	21.2	13.6%	204 (50.5%)	2 (0.5%)	77 (19.1%)	43 (10.6%)	1 (0.2%)	4 (1.0%)	73 (18.1%)	69.5	1624^th of 5857 public elementary schools	72.3%		64.9	1826^th of 5869 public elementary schools	68.9%	202	44.1				44.1	43.6	54.1	54.2					50.9	59.3	59.0	50.9					56.3			$19,928	$18,046	$1,882
Pacifica Independent Home Study	Public	K-8	1283 Terra Nova Blvd	Pacifica	94044	San Mateo County	Pacifica	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(650) 738-6670	12	1	12.5	58.3%	4 (33.3%)	2 (16.7%)	5 (41.7%)	1 (8.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)																								$29,164	$28,338	$826

Cities Near Zip Code 94044

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Pacifica	0.68 mi	10	185^th
San Bruno	2.24 mi	9	299^th
South San Francisco	3.2 mi	14	491^st
Daly City	3.58 mi	21	349^th
Millbrae	3.65 mi	5	56^th

See the top CA California cities

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.