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What's one thing La Costa Meadows Elementary gets right about preparing students for what comes next?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
725
Elementary
DISTRICT 765 · STATE 465
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·SAN MARCOS UNIFIED·NCES 063488008974
La Costa Meadows Elementary
6889 El Fuerte St., Carlsbad, CA 92009 · (760) 290-2121 · San Diego County
GRADES KG–05ELEMENTARY12-CITYREGULAR SCHOOL725 STUDENTS
B+
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 71% 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.
- BBeats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- C-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
23.7:1
31 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 23.3:1 · STATE 22.3:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
17%
124 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 | 159 | 22% |
| Grade 1 | 105 | 14% |
| Grade 2 | 129 | 18% |
| Grade 3 | 112 | 15% |
| Grade 4 | 109 | 15% |
| Grade 5 | 111 | 15% |
This year's kindergarten class (159) is 43% larger than its 5th grade class (111).
Student demographics
53%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
71.4%
CA avg 49.1% . -0.6pp since 2014
Math
71.4%
CA avg 37.7% . +4.4pp since 2014
What this means: On the CAASPP, California's statewide test, about 71 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 71 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all California schools, those numbers are about 49 and 38. Reading and writing scores have held steady since 2014, while math scores are up about 4 points.
Performance levels, 2024-25
| Subject | Standard Exceeded | Standard Met | Standard Nearly Met | Standard Not Met |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| English Language Arts | 44.0% | 27.4% | 15.7% | 12.9% |
| Math | 42.9% | 28.6% | 17.1% | 11.5% |
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 | 71.4% | 71.4% |
| 2023-24 | 72.0% | 74.5% |
| 2022-23 | 72.1% | 73.3% |
| 2021-22 | 70.5% | 78.2% |
| 2018-19 | 77.3% | 66.4% |
| 2017-18 | 75.7% | 67.2% |
| 2016-17 | 78.0% | 68.9% |
| 2015-16 | 78.0% | 68.0% |
| 2014-15 | 72.0% | 67.0% |
% 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
72.3%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
69.5%
based on CA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+2.8pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 72% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 70% 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 La Costa Meadows Elementary
La Costa Meadows Elementary's state test result (72.3% proficient) is higher than 0 of the 3 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| La Costa Meadows Elementary this school | 725 | 17.1% | 72.3% |
| Vista del Mar Elementary San Clemente | 692 | 14.6% | 77.2% |
| Pacific Rim Elementary Carlsbad | 642 | 17.4% | 86.4% |
| Community Roots Academy Laguna Niguel | 780 | 13.5% | N/A |
| San Elijo Elementary San Marcos | 834 | 15.9% | 72.5% |
| CHIME Institute's Schwarzenegger Community Woodland Hills | 724 | 18.4% | N/A |
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 La Costa Meadows Elementary ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In California | In San Diego County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 72.3% | #547 of 5,151 | #68 of 392 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 71.4% | #537 of 5,172 ▼ 104 | #63 of 393 ▼ 10 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 71.4% | #681 of 5,172 ▼ 69 | #80 of 393 ▼ 1 |
| 3-year test score change ranked biggest drop first | -2.9pp | #993 of 5,116 | #83 of 387 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 725 | #639 of 5,915 | #52 of 453 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 23.7:1 | #3,510 of 5,352 | #253 of 418 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 53.2% | #2,505 of 5,354 | #257 of 418 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 17.1% | #5,246 of 5,625 | #395 of 442 |
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
725
+29 (+4%) vs 2020
+4% since 1990-91, when it was 699
Student : Teacher
23.7:1
was 21.1:1
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 | 725 | 30.6 | 23.7:1 | 17% (124) |
| 2023-24 | 723 | 31 | 23.3:1 | 15% (107) |
| 2022-23 | 693 | 29 | 23.9:1 | 17% (115) |
| 2020-21 | 696 | 33 | 21.1:1 | 16% (109) |
| 2015-16 | 943 | 35 | 26.9:1 | 10% (99) |
| 2010-11 | 890 | N/A | N/A | 16% (143) |
| 2000-01 | 632 | 33 | 19.1:1 | 10% (63) |
| 1990-91 | 699 | 32 | 21.8:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for La Costa Meadows Elementary.
About La Costa Meadows Elementary
As a large elementary school, La Costa Meadows Elementary serves students in Carlsbad, California. It had 725 students in 2024-25, spanning kindergarten through 5. By comparison, elementary schools in California enroll about 465 students on average.
La Costa Meadows Elementary is one school in San Marcos Unified, a system of 19 schools with 18,837 students.
Federal enrollment data show La Costa Meadows Elementary is 65% White. Next come 18% Hispanic, 11% multiracial, and 6% Asian. The county population is about 48% White. On a 0 to 100 scale, the school's diversity index is 53, compared with 70 nationally.
The student-to-teacher ratio at La Costa Meadows Elementary is 23.7:1, based on 30.6 full-time-equivalent teachers. Compared with the 22.3:1 average for elementary schools in California, this school's ratio is higher. Lunch program data show 17% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price meals. Among public schools in San Diego County, the average eligibility rate is 54%.
La Costa Meadows Elementary earns a B+ on the allk12 Grade, which blends test scores, results against poverty-based expectations, and the three-year trend. It scored higher than 71% of California public elementary schools.
The BeatsExpectations prediction for La Costa Meadows Elementary is 69.5%, and its average proficiency rate across its state test results is 72.3%.
For the population of San Diego County, median household income comes to about $106,268, roughly 43% of adults have a four-year degree or more, and about 7% of residents live below the federal poverty line. San Diego County's 766 public schools enroll about 467,437 students and include La Costa Meadows Elementary.
About 1.2 miles separate La Costa Meadows Elementary from the closest public school, Carrillo Elementary. The five-mile area around La Costa Meadows Elementary holds at least 8 other public schools. Ranking the closest schools with test data puts La Costa Meadows Elementary at 5th of 9.
The federal government classifies La Costa Meadows Elementary's location as City: Mid-size.
Enrollment rose 4% over 4 years, reaching 725 in 2024-25. Its ratio of students to teachers was 21.1:1 in 2020-21, and 23.7:1 in 2024-25.
People can post here about homework, tutoring, and testing dates and other school topics. Parents, students, alumni, and staff are welcome to post.
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 Carlsbad
- Carlsbad HighHigh · 2,336 students
- La Costa Canyon HighHigh · 1,774 students
- Sage Creek HighHigh · 1,289 students
- Aviara Oaks MiddleMiddle · 991 students
- Valley MiddleMiddle · 807 students
- Carrillo ElementaryElementary · 725 students
Nearby schools
- Carrillo Elementary1.2 mi · 725
- Poinsettia Elementary1.3 mi · 481
- La Costa Heights Elementary1.6 mi · 552
- Aviara Oaks Middle2.1 mi · 991
- Aviara Oaks Elementary2.1 mi · 612
- Mission Estancia Elementary2.2 mi · 355
Frequently asked questions
About La Costa Meadows ElementaryHow many students attend La Costa Meadows Elementary?
La Costa Meadows Elementary enrolls approximately 725 students in grades KG-05.
Is La Costa Meadows Elementary an elementary, middle, or high school?
La Costa Meadows Elementary is an elementary school covering grades KG-05.
How many teachers does La Costa Meadows Elementary have?
La Costa Meadows Elementary employs 31 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 23.7:1.
What is the student diversity at La Costa Meadows Elementary?
Student demographics at La Costa Meadows Elementary are roughly 65% White, 18% Hispanic, 0% Black, 6% Asian, 11% Two or more.
Is La Costa Meadows Elementary public or private?
La Costa Meadows 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.