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If you could change one rule at Discovery Elementary, what would it be?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
717
Elementary
DISTRICT 765 · STATE 465
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·SAN MARCOS UNIFIED·NCES 063488007353
Discovery Elementary
730 Applewilde Dr., San Marcos, CA 92078 · (760) 290-2077 · San Diego County
GRADES KG–05ELEMENTARY21-SUBURBREGULAR SCHOOL717 STUDENTS
A
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 89% of California public elementary schools
- ATest scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- B+Beats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- B-Three-year trend Change in reading and math proficiency over the last three test years.
Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded California public elementary schools
Student : Teacher
26.1:1
28 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 23.3:1 · STATE 22.3:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
17%
125 students
DISTRICT 41% · STATE 65%
Community
6
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other elementary schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Kindergarten | 163 | 23% |
| Grade 1 | 101 | 14% |
| Grade 2 | 127 | 18% |
| Grade 3 | 103 | 14% |
| Grade 4 | 112 | 16% |
| Grade 5 | 111 | 15% |
This year's kindergarten class (163) is 47% larger than its 5th grade class (111).
Student demographics
69%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 64% · STATE 62% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
Test scores
CAASPP 2024-25 . % met or exceeded standardEnglish Language Arts
80.1%
CA avg 49.1% . +15.1pp since 2014
Math
78.2%
CA avg 37.7% . +15.2pp since 2014
What this means: On the CAASPP, California's statewide test, about 80 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 78 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all California schools, those numbers are about 49 and 38. Reading and writing scores are up about 15 points since 2014, while math scores are up about 15 points.
Performance levels, 2024-25
| Subject | Standard Exceeded | Standard Met | Standard Nearly Met | Standard Not Met |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| English Language Arts | 57.7% | 22.4% | 9.5% | 10.4% |
| Math | 51.2% | 27.0% | 13.8% | 8.0% |
Share of tested students at each CAASPP level. Each student counts in one level, so a row adds to about 100%.
CAASPP results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 80.1% | 78.2% |
| 2023-24 | 73.2% | 76.5% |
| 2022-23 | 83.3% | 81.6% |
| 2021-22 | 77.9% | 76.4% |
| 2018-19 | 80.0% | 66.2% |
| 2017-18 | 73.9% | 66.0% |
| 2016-17 | 66.4% | 60.6% |
| 2015-16 | 74.0% | 63.0% |
| 2014-15 | 65.0% | 63.0% |
% met or exceeded standard, all students and all tested grades.
Source: CAASPP. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
76.9%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
69.3%
based on CA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+7.6pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 77% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 69% typical for California schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among California's top nor bottom 10%.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
Schools most like Discovery Elementary
Discovery Elementary's state test result (76.9% proficient) is higher than 4 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Discovery Elementary this school | 717 | 17.4% | 76.9% |
| Valhalla Elementary Pleasant Hill | 721 | 20.2% | 59.9% |
| Lincoln Elementary Redondo Beach | 626 | 16.9% | 74.2% |
| Joe Michell Livermore | 786 | 17.7% | 50.7% |
| Quarry Trail Elementary Rocklin | 705 | 13.6% | 67.4% |
| Walnut Acres Elementary Walnut Creek | 689 | 14.9% | 79.7% |
Matched among California elementary schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where Discovery Elementary ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In California | In San Diego County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 76.9% | #357 of 5,151 | #48 of 392 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 78.2% | #300 of 5,172 ▲ 64 | #37 of 393 ▲ 8 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 80.1% | #268 of 5,172 ▲ 281 | #31 of 393 ▲ 39 |
| 3-year test score change ranked biggest gain first | +2.0pp | #2,657 of 5,116 | #184 of 387 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 717 | #679 of 5,915 | #58 of 453 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 26.1:1 | #4,875 of 5,352 | #384 of 418 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 69.1% | #741 of 5,354 | #60 of 418 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 17.4% | #5,240 of 5,625 | #394 of 442 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked fastest growth first | +10.0% | #517 of 1,139 | #39 of 97 |
Ranked against other public elementary schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
717
+128 (+22%) vs 2020
-10% since 2000-01, when it was 793
Student : Teacher
26.1:1
was 21.0:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 717 | 27.5 | 26.1:1 | 17% (125) |
| 2023-24 | 687 | 31 | 22.2:1 | 20% (137) |
| 2022-23 | 668 | 28 | 23.9:1 | 20% (136) |
| 2020-21 | 589 | 28 | 21.0:1 | 20% (118) |
| 2017-18 | 652 | 12.5 | 52.2:1 | 30% (196) |
| 2015-16 | 1,041 | 38 | 27.4:1 | 22% (228) |
| 2010-11 | 940 | N/A | N/A | 24% (227) |
| 2000-01 | 793 | 38 | 20.9:1 | 32% (257) |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Discovery Elementary.
Since 2017-18: students up 10% (652 to 717); teachers up 120% (12.5 to 27.5).
About Discovery Elementary
Discovery Elementary is a large elementary school with its address in San Marcos, California. It had 717 students in 2024-25, spanning kindergarten through 5. Elementary schools in California have about 465 students on average; enrollment here is 54% higher.
The 19 schools in San Marcos Unified enroll 18,837 students altogether, Discovery Elementary among them.
White students make up 45% of enrollment at Discovery Elementary, the largest share of any group. The remaining shares are 24% Hispanic, 20% Asian, and 10% multiracial. That is in line with San Diego County, where about 48% of residents are White. On a 0 to 100 scale, the school's diversity index is 69, compared with 70 nationally.
Discovery Elementary lists 27.5 full-time-equivalent teachers; that is about 26.1 students per teacher. The school's 26.1:1 compares with an average of 22.3:1 for elementary schools in California. Free or reduced-price lunch covers 17% of the student body. That is 37 points below the 54% average for public schools in San Diego County.
Discovery Elementary holds an A allk12 Grade, placing it above 89% of California public elementary schools.
The BeatsExpectations prediction for Discovery Elementary is 69.3%, and its average proficiency rate across its state test results is 76.9%.
In the wider San Diego County area, median household income comes to about $106,268, roughly 43% of adults have a four-year degree or more, and the share of residents below the poverty line is 7%. San Diego County counts 766 public schools with about 467,437 students.
Discovery Elementary's nearest public school is High Tech High North County (about 0.7 miles). Inside a five-mile radius, there are at least 8 other public schools. Compared with its nearest neighbors, Discovery Elementary ranks 1st of 5 on average proficiency.
Discovery Elementary is coded as Suburb: Large in federal locale data.
Over 4 years, enrollment increased by 128 students, from 589 to 717. There were more students per teacher in 2024-25 (26.1:1) than in 2020-21 (21.0:1).
On allk12, people connected to Discovery Elementary can post about special education services, counseling, and support programs. Members of the school community can share what they know.
San Diego County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
3,288,774
Census ACS
Median income
$106,268
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
43%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
7%
Below federal line
Schools in county
766
467,437 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in San Marcos Unified
- San Marcos HighHigh · 3,067 students
- Mission Hills HighHigh · 2,751 students
- San Elijo MiddleMiddle · 1,395 students
- Woodland Park MiddleMiddle · 1,184 students
- Double PeakElementary · 1,171 students
- San Marcos MiddleMiddle · 968 students
Other schools in San Marcos
- San Marcos HighHigh · 3,067 students
- Mission Hills HighHigh · 2,751 students
- San Elijo MiddleMiddle · 1,395 students
- Woodland Park MiddleMiddle · 1,184 students
- Double PeakElementary · 1,171 students
- San Marcos MiddleMiddle · 968 students
Other Discovery Elementary schools
16 other US public schools in 10 states are named Discovery Elementary. Discovery Elementary is the 3rd largest of the 17.
- Discovery ElementaryBakersfield, CA · 706 students
- Discovery Elementary - 26Sioux Falls, SD · 873 students
- DISCOVERY ELEMENTARY SCHOOLSUNRISE, FL · 789 students
- DISCOVERY ELEMENTARY SCHOOLPALM BAY, FL · 679 students
- Discovery ElementaryGRAND RAPIDS, MI · 674 students
Nearby schools
- High Tech High North County0.7 mi · 409
- High Tech Middle North County0.7 mi · 341
- High Tech Elementary North County0.8 mi · 438
- San Marcos High0.9 mi · 3,067
- Pivot Charter School - San Diego II1.1 mi · 90
- La Mirada Academy1.3 mi · 868
Frequently asked questions
About Discovery ElementaryWhat is the total enrollment at Discovery Elementary?
Discovery Elementary enrolls approximately 717 students in grades KG-05.
What grades does Discovery Elementary serve?
Discovery Elementary serves grades KG-05.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Discovery Elementary?
The student-to-teacher ratio at Discovery Elementary is approximately 26.1:1 (28 FTE teachers).
What is the racial breakdown of students at Discovery Elementary?
At Discovery Elementary, the student body is approximately 45% White, 24% Hispanic, 1% Black, 20% Asian, 10% Two or more.
Is Discovery Elementary public or private?
Discovery Elementary is a public K-12 school, overseen by San Marcos Unified.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.