Summary:
Zip code 94044 has six elementary schools in the Pacifica Unified School District, including two K–8 schools, Vallemar Elementary and Ocean Shore Elementary. Five schools reported 2025–2026 all-grades test results; Pacifica Independent Home Study’s scores were suppressed by the state. Across the five schools with results, average scores were 53% in English Language Arts (ELA), 51% in math, and 52% in science, compared with state averages of 49%, 38%, and 36%. All five were above the state in math and science, and four were above it in ELA. The key takeaway is that the area performs above state averages, especially in math and science, but results vary substantially from school to school.
Vallemar stands out as the top all-around performer, leading the other four schools’ average by 10 points in ELA, 22 in math, and 16 in science; its scores were also 12, 30, and 29 points above state averages. At the other end, Ocean Shore had the lowest ELA and math results, at 41% and 40%. Its ELA score was 8 points below the state, while its math score was 1 point above. Ortega Elementary had the lowest science score, 40%, though it remained 4 points above the state.
Recent changes distinguish Sunset Ridge Elementary from Ocean Shore: Sunset gained 21 points in ELA, 9 in math, and 28 in science from 2024–2025, while Ocean Shore fell 19, 16, and 5 points, respectively. SchoolDigger’s percentile ranking also rose for Sunset Ridge, from the 38th to the 68th percentile, while Ocean Shore fell from the 79th to the 54th; Vallemar rose from the 79th to the 85th. Income measures offer context, not an explanation: in 2024–2025, 42% of Sunset Ridge students were free/reduced lunch eligible, compared with 16% at Vallemar and 17% at Ocean Shore, whose results differed considerably. Student–teacher ratios at the five tested schools ranged from 19.3 to 23.9.
Thank you for your feedback!