San Marcos Unified School District

255 Pico Ave. Ste. 250
San Marcos, CA 92069-3712
(District boundaries shown in map)
9/
10
Top 20%

Top Rankings

San Marcos Unified School District ranks among the top 20% of public school district in California for:

Category
Attribute
Overall Rank
Highest overall rank (Top 20%)
Math Proficiency
Highest math proficiency (Top 20%)
Reading/Language Arts Proficiency
Highest reading/language arts proficiency (Top 20%)
Community Size
Largest student body (number of students) (Top 1%)
For the 2024 school year, there are 19 public schools serving 19,600 students in San Marcos Unified School District. This district's average testing ranking is 9/10, which is in the top 20% of public schools in California.
Public Schools in San Marcos Unified School District have an average math proficiency score of 46% (versus the California public school average of 33%), and reading proficiency score of 60% (versus the 47% statewide average).
Minority enrollment is 61% of the student body (majority Hispanic), which is less than the California public school average of 79% (majority Hispanic).

Overview

This School District
This State (CA)
# Schools
19 Schools
10,378 Schools
# Students
19,600 Students
5,877,829 Students
# Teachers
812 Teachers
267,754 Teachers
Student : Teacher Ratio
24:1
24:1

District Rank

San Marcos Unified School District, which is ranked #335 of all 1,939 school districts in California (based off of combined math and reading proficiency testing data) for the 2021-2022 school year.
The school district's graduation rate of 95% has stayed relatively flat over five school years.
This School District
State Average (CA)
#335 out of 1941 school districts
(Top 20%)
This chart displays the overall district rank of San Marcos Unified  School District, with the latest 2021-22 school year data.
46%
33%
This chart displays the percentage of public school students that scored at or above 'proficient' levels in Math of San Marcos Unified  School District and the percentage of public school students that scored at or above 'proficient' levels in Math of California by year, with the latest 2021-22 school year data.
60%
47%
This chart displays the percentage of public school students that scored at or above 'proficient' levels in Reading/Language Arts of San Marcos Unified  School District and the percentage of public school students that scored at or above 'proficient' levels in Reading/Language Arts of California by year, with the latest 2021-22 school year data.
39%
29%
95%
87%
This chart displays public school graduation rate of San Marcos Unified  School District and public school graduation rate of California by year, with the latest 2021-22 school year data.

Students by Ethnicity:

0.64
0.63
# American Indian Students
87 Students
27,207 Students
% American Indian Students
n/a
1%
# Asian Students
1,536 Students
696,650 Students
% Asian Students
8%
12%
# Hispanic Students
8,914 Students
3,281,593 Students
% Hispanic Students
46%
56%
# Black Students
213 Students
296,698 Students
% Black Students
1%
5%
# White Students
7,670 Students
1,235,110 Students
% White Students
39%
21%
# Hawaiian Students
64 Students
24,653 Students
% Hawaiian Students
n/a
n/a
# Two or more races Students
1,086 Students
309,952 Students
% of Two or more races Students
6%
5%

Students by Grade:

# Students in PK Grade:
-
18
# Students in K Grade:
1,472
469,575
# Students in 1st Grade:
1,321
408,278
# Students in 2nd Grade:
1,367
421,129
# Students in 3rd Grade:
1,424
426,453
# Students in 4th Grade:
1,397
432,771
# Students in 5th Grade:
1,542
440,675
# Students in 6th Grade:
1,456
440,627
# Students in 7th Grade:
1,400
434,997
# Students in 8th Grade:
1,541
455,821
# Students in 9th Grade:
1,637
484,176
# Students in 10th Grade:
1,685
494,854
# Students in 11th Grade:
1,647
478,576
# Students in 12th Grade:
1,711
489,879
# Ungraded Students:
-
-

District Revenue and Spending

The revenue/student of $18,009 in this school district is less than the state median of $19,801. The school district revenue/student has grown by 30% over four school years.
The school district's spending/student of $14,761 is less than the state median of $18,236. The school district spending/student has grown by 8% over four school years.
This School District
This State (CA)
Total Revenue
$353 MM
$116,387 MM
This chart displays total revenue of San Marcos Unified  School District and median value from total revenues of all school districts in California by year, with the latest 2020-21 school year data.
Spending
$289 MM
$107,188 MM
This chart displays total spending of San Marcos Unified  School District and median value from total spendings of all school districts in California by year, with the latest 2020-21 school year data.
Revenue / Student
$18,009
$19,801
This chart displays average revenue per public school student in San Marcos Unified  School District and average revenue per public school student of all school districts in California by year, with the latest 2020-21 school year data.
Spending / Student
$14,761
$18,236
This chart displays average spending per public school student in San Marcos Unified  School District and average spending per public school student of all school districts in California by year, with the latest 2020-21 school year data.

Best San Marcos Unified School District Public Schools (2024)

School
(Math and Reading Proficiency)
Location
Grades
Students
Rank: #11.
Discovery Elementary School
(Math: 75% | Reading: 76%)
Rank:
10/
10
Top 10%
730 Applewilde Dr.
San Marcos, CA 92078
(760) 290-2077
Grades: K-5
| 570 students
Rank: #22.
Carrillo Elementary School
(Math: 71% | Reading: 76%)
Rank:
10/
10
Top 10%
2875 Poinsettia Ln.
Carlsbad, CA 92009
(760) 290-2900
Grades: K-5
| 759 students
Rank: #33.
Paloma Elementary School
(Math: 70% | Reading: 73%)
Rank:
10/
10
Top 10%
660 Camino Magnifico
San Marcos, CA 92069
(760) 290-2199
Grades: K-5
| 717 students
Rank: #44.
La Costa Meadows Elementary School
(Math: 76% | Reading: 69%)
Rank:
10/
10
Top 10%
6889 El Fuerte St.
Carlsbad, CA 92009
(760) 290-2121
Grades: K-5
| 719 students
Rank: #55.
San Elijo Elementary School
(Math: 67% | Reading: 71%)
Rank:
10/
10
Top 10%
1615 Schhouse Way
San Marcos, CA 92078
(760) 290-2600
Grades: K-5
| 874 students
Rank: #66.
Double Peak
(Math: 61% | Reading: 68%)
Rank:
9/
10
Top 20%
111 San Elijo Rd.
San Marcos, CA 92078
(760) 290-2340
Grades: K-8
| 1,196 students
Rank: #77.
San Elijo Middle School
(Math: 52% | Reading: 71%)
Rank:
9/
10
Top 20%
1600 Schhouse Way
San Marcos, CA 92078
(760) 290-2800
Grades: 6-8
| 1,496 students
Rank: #88.
Richland Elementary School
(Math: 59% | Reading: 65%)
Rank:
9/
10
Top 20%
910 Borden Rd.
San Marcos, CA 92069
(760) 290-2400
Grades: K-5
| 751 students
Rank: #99.
Knob Hill Elementary School
(Math: 47% | Reading: 59%)
Rank:
8/
10
Top 30%
1825 Knob Hill Rd.
San Marcos, CA 92069
(760) 290-2080
Grades: K-5
| 756 students
Rank: #1010.
Foothills High School
Alternative School
(Math: 35-39% | Reading: 60-64%)
Rank:
8/
10
Top 30%
158 Cassou Rd.
San Marcos, CA 92069
(760) 290-2544
Grades: 9-12
| 188 students
Rank: #1111.
Woodland Park Middle School
(Math: 38% | Reading: 61%)
Rank:
8/
10
Top 30%
1270 Rock Springs Rd.
San Marcos, CA 92069
(760) 290-2455
Grades: 6-8
| 1,119 students
Rank: #1212.
Twin Oaks Elementary School
(Math: 49% | Reading: 48%)
Rank:
7/
10
Top 50%
1 Cassou Rd.
San Marcos, CA 92069
(760) 290-2588
Grades: K-5
| 669 students
Rank: #1313.
San Marcos High School
(Math: 33% | Reading: 59%)
Rank:
7/
10
Top 50%
1615 San Marcos Blvd.
San Marcos, CA 92078
(760) 290-2200
Grades: 9-12
| 3,529 students
Rank: #1414.
Mission Hills High School
(Math: 29% | Reading: 65%)
Rank:
7/
10
Top 50%
1 Mission Hills Ct.
San Marcos, CA 92069
(760) 290-2700
Grades: 9-12
| 2,877 students
Rank: #1515.
Joli Ann Leichtag Elementary School
(Math: 47% | Reading: 44%)
Rank:
7/
10
Top 50%
653 Poinsettia Ave.
Vista, CA 92081
(760) 290-2888
Grades: K-5
| 625 students
Rank: #1616.
San Marcos Middle School
(Math: 29% | Reading: 45%)
Rank:
6/
10
Top 50%
650 W. Mission Rd.
San Marcos, CA 92069
(760) 290-2500
Grades: 6-8
| 990 students
Rank: #1717.
La Mirada Academy
(Math: 25% | Reading: 36%)
Rank:
5/
10
Bottom 50%
3697 La Mirada Dr.
San Marcos, CA 92078
(760) 290-2000
Grades: K-8
| 952 students
Rank: #1818.
San Marcos Elementary School
(Math: 24% | Reading: 32%)
Rank:
4/
10
Bottom 50%
1 Tiger Way
San Marcos, CA 92069
(760) 290-2430
Grades: K-5
| 622 students
Rank: #1919.
Twin Oaks High School
Alternative School
(Math: ≤10% | Reading: 10-14%)
Rank:
1/
10
Bottom 50%
158 Cassou Rd.
San Marcos, CA 92069
(760) 290-2555
Grades: 9-12
| 191 students

Frequently Asked Questions

How many schools belong to San Marcos Unified School District?
San Marcos Unified School District manages 19 public schools serving 19,600 students.
What is the rank of San Marcos Unified School District?
San Marcos Unified School District is ranked #335 out of 1,939 school districts in California (top 20%) based off of combined math and reading proficiency testing data for the 2021-2022 school year. This district ranks in the top 20% of California school districts for: Highest overall rank (Top 20%), Highest math proficiency (Top 20%), Highest reading/language arts proficiency (Top 20%) and Largest student body (number of students) (Top 1%)
What is the racial composition of students in San Marcos Unified School District?
46% of San Marcos Unified School District students are Hispanic, 39% of students are White, 8% of students are Asian, 6% of students are Two or more races, and 1% of students are Black.
What is the student/teacher ratio of San Marcos Unified School District?
San Marcos Unified School District has a student/teacher ratio of 24:1, which is higher than the California state average of 22:1.
What is San Marcos Unified School District's spending/student ratio?
The school district's spending/student of $14,761 is less than the state median of $18,236. The school district spending/student has grown by 8% over four school years.

Recent Articles

Should Teacher Salaries be Public Information?
Should Teacher Salaries be Public Information?
Public school teachers are considered public servants – but does that make their salary details public information? Learn about the heated debate surrounding whether teacher salaries should be made public.
The Link Between Education and Incarceration: The NAACP Report
The Link Between Education and Incarceration: The NAACP Report
Education and the rate of incarceration have been linked in a recent NAACP report. Learn about the report and the troubling findings.
Bussing: North Carolina's New Student Assignment Plan
Bussing: North Carolina's New Student Assignment Plan
We analyze a new plan for student assignment in two North Carolina school districts and the public reaction to the idea of bussing students – as well as alternatives that have been proposed by education experts.

Quick Stats (2024)

  • District size: 19 schools
  • Grades: KG-12
  • Enrollment: 19,600 students
  • Student:Teacher Ratio: 24:1
  • Minority Enrollment: 61%
  • : 95% (Top 30% in CA)
  • : Top 20%
  • : 46% (Top 20%)
  • : 60% (Top 20%)
  • : 39% (Top 30%)
  • Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), CA Dept. of Education

Quick Links