Total enrollment
18,837
-906 (-5%) vs SY 2020-21
19 schools in San Marcos Unified
California · 18,837 students · 3 cities
19 public K-12 schools operate under San Marcos Unified in California, teaching roughly 18,837 students (12 elementary, 3 middle, and 4 high).
4-year change in San Marcos Unified
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25School count
19
0 (0%) vs SY 2020-21
Source: NCES Common Core of Data, enrollment-weighted demographic averages
How San Marcos Unified ranks
Among districts| Measure | This district | In California | In the US |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 51.7% | #143 of 534 | N/A |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 18,837 | #65 of 587 | #433 of 9,234 |
| Number of schools ranked most first | 19 | #111 of 587 | N/A |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 23.4:1 | #505 of 587 | #8,897 of 9,044 |
| Free or reduced-price lunch share ranked highest first | 37.9% | #448 of 587 | #5,774 of 8,164 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 64.0% | #142 of 530 | #1,132 of 6,853 |
Districts need at least 2 schools and 500 students to be ranked. Test proficiency is ranked within the state only, since each state gives a different test. Each rank links to the full list.
Inside San Marcos Unified
State test results across the district's 17 scored schools run from Discovery Elementary at 76.9% proficient to San Marcos Elementary at 22.6%, a gap of 54.4 points. That is the 57th widest gap among 458 California districts with four or more scored schools.
Since 2017-18, the 10 district schools that reported both years went from 13,531 to 12,380 students (down 9%) and from 431 to 524 full-time teachers (up 22%), as of 2024-25.
Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across each school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25; schools with fewer than 100 students and schools serving specialized populations are left out. Staffing figures come from the NCES Common Core of Data and count only schools that reported students and teachers in both years.
| Name | City | Level | Grades | Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Marcos High | San Marcos | High | 09-12 | 3,067 |
| Mission Hills High | San Marcos | High | 09-12 | 2,751 |
| San Elijo Middle | San Marcos | Middle | 06-08 | 1,395 |
| Woodland Park Middle | San Marcos | Middle | 06-08 | 1,184 |
| Double Peak | San Marcos | Elementary | KG-08 | 1,171 |
| San Marcos Middle | San Marcos | Middle | 06-08 | 968 |
| Richland Elementary | San Marcos | Elementary | KG-05 | 883 |
| La Mirada Academy | San Marcos | Elementary | KG-08 | 868 |
| San Elijo Elementary | San Marcos | Elementary | KG-05 | 834 |
| Paloma Elementary | San Marcos | Elementary | KG-05 | 758 |
| Carrillo Elementary | Carlsbad | Elementary | KG-05 | 725 |
| Knob Hill Elementary | San Marcos | Elementary | KG-05 | 725 |
| La Costa Meadows Elementary | Carlsbad | Elementary | KG-05 | 725 |
| Discovery Elementary | San Marcos | Elementary | KG-05 | 717 |
| Twin Oaks Elementary | San Marcos | Elementary | KG-05 | 648 |
| Joli Ann Leichtag Elementary | Vista | Elementary | KG-05 | 579 |
| San Marcos Elementary | San Marcos | Elementary | KG-05 | 546 |
| Twin Oaks High | San Marcos | High | 09-12 | 192 |
| Foothills High | San Marcos | High | 09-12 | 101 |
About San Marcos Unified
Across 19 schools, San Marcos Unified teaches about 18,837 students in California. By footprint it is a rural-scale district.
On the school-mix side, San Marcos Unified is made up of 12 elementary, 3 middle, and 4 high schools.
On a per-school basis, San Marcos Unified runs about 991 students per school, 71% meaningfully above the state mean of roughly 578.
Trend over the past 4 years. Total public-school enrollment in San Marcos Unified has declined 5% since SY 2020-21, moving from about 19,743 students to 18,837.
On allk12, the community for San Marcos Unified discusses open enrollment windows, redistricting talk, and busing logistics. Discussions cut across districts, schools, and grade levels.