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%)
Diversity
Most diverse schools (Top 1%)
Community Size
Largest student body (number of students) (Top 1%)
For the 2025 school year, there are 15 public elementary schools serving 12,997 students in San Marcos Unified School District. This district's average elementary testing ranking is 9/10, which is in the top 20% of public elementary schools in California.
Public Elementary Schools in San Marcos Unified School District have an average math proficiency score of 49% (versus the California public elementary school average of 35%), and reading proficiency score of 60% (versus the 45% statewide average).
Minority enrollment is 63% of the student body (majority Hispanic), which is less than the California public elementary school average of 79% (majority Hispanic).

Overview

This School District
This State (CA)
# Schools
19 Schools
7,700 Schools
# Students
19,355 Students
3,822,920 Students
# Teachers
796 Teachers
174,006 Teachers
Student : Teacher Ratio
24:1
24:1

Student By Grade

District Rank

San Marcos Unified School District, which is ranked #333 of all 1,925 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%)
46%
33%
60%
47%
39%
29%
95%
87%

Students by Ethnicity:

0.65
0.64
% American Indian
n/a
1%
% Asian
8%
12%
% Hispanic
46%
55%
% Black
1%
5%
% White
37%
21%
% Hawaiian
n/a
n/a
% Two or more races
8%
6%
All Ethnic Groups

District Revenue and Spending

The revenue/student of $18,236 in this school district is less than the state median of $19,974. The school district revenue/student has stayed relatively flat over four school years.
The school district's spending/student of $14,948 is less than the state median of $18,396. The school district spending/student has stayed relatively flat over four school years.
This School District
This State (CA)
Total Revenue
$353 MM
$116,387 MM
Spending
$289 MM
$107,188 MM
Revenue / Student
$18,236
$19,974
Spending / Student
$14,948
$18,396

Best San Marcos Unified School District Public Elementary Schools (2025)

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
| 687 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
| 756 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
| 742 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
| 723 students
Rank: #55.
San Elijo Elementary School
(Math: 67% | Reading: 71%)
Rank:
10/
10
Top 10%
1615 Schoolhouse Way
San Marcos, CA 92078
(760) 290-2600
Grades: K-5
| 846 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
| 1,198 students
Rank: #77.
San Elijo Middle School
(Math: 52% | Reading: 71%)
Rank:
9/
10
Top 20%
1600 Schoolhouse Way
San Marcos, CA 92078
(760) 290-2800
Grades: 6-8
| 1,482 students
Rank: #88.
Richland Elementary School
(Math: 59% | Reading: 65%)
Rank:
9/
10
Top 20%
910 Richland Rd.
San Marcos, CA 92069
(760) 290-2400
Grades: K-5
| 869 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
| 726 students
Rank: #1010.
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
| 1,179 students
Rank: #1111.
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
| 706 students
Rank: #1212.
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
| 600 students
Rank: #1313.
San Marcos Middle School
(Math: 29% | Reading: 45%)
Rank:
6/
10
Top 50%
650 West Mission Rd.
San Marcos, CA 92069
(760) 290-2500
Grades: 6-8
| 987 students
Rank: #1414.
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
| 897 students
Rank: #1515.
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
| 599 students

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Quick Stats (2025)

  • District size: 19 schools
  • Grades: KG-12
  • Enrollment: 19,355 students
  • Student:Teacher Ratio: 24:1
  • Minority Enrollment: 63%
  • : 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

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