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What's something Nichols Elementary does better than most schools?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
522
Elementary
DISTRICT 524 · STATE 465
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·OCEANSIDE UNIFIED·NCES 062825010645
Nichols Elementary
4250 Old Grove Rd., Oceanside, CA 92057 · (760) 435-7400 · San Diego County
GRADES KG–05ELEMENTARY21-SUBURBTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL522 STUDENTS
C-
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 24% of California public elementary schools
- C+Test scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- C-Beats 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
22.2:1
24 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 23.6:1 · STATE 22.3:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
67%
351 students
DISTRICT 74% · 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 | 114 | 22% |
| Grade 1 | 77 | 15% |
| Grade 2 | 74 | 14% |
| Grade 3 | 84 | 16% |
| Grade 4 | 89 | 17% |
| Grade 5 | 84 | 16% |
This year's kindergarten class (114) is 36% larger than its 5th grade class (84).
Student demographics
62%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 58% · 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
35.3%
CA avg 49.1% . -6.7pp since 2014
Math
31.0%
CA avg 37.7% . -7.0pp since 2014
What this means: On the CAASPP, California's statewide test, about 35 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 31 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all California schools, those numbers are about 49 and 38. Reading and writing scores are down about 7 points since 2014, while math scores are down about 7 points.
Performance levels, 2024-25
| Subject | Standard Exceeded | Standard Met | Standard Nearly Met | Standard Not Met |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| English Language Arts | 15.3% | 19.9% | 27.0% | 37.8% |
| Math | 12.2% | 18.8% | 30.2% | 38.8% |
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 | 35.3% | 31.0% |
| 2023-24 | 33.8% | 32.5% |
| 2022-23 | 29.0% | 27.4% |
| 2021-22 | 35.3% | 34.3% |
| 2018-19 | 40.1% | 36.8% |
| 2017-18 | 45.8% | 41.2% |
| 2016-17 | 35.4% | 33.8% |
| 2015-16 | 37.0% | 39.0% |
| 2014-15 | 42.0% | 38.0% |
% 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
33.2%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
40.1%
based on CA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-7.0pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 33% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 40% 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 Nichols Elementary
Nichols Elementary's state test result (33.2% proficient) is higher than 0 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nichols Elementary this school | 522 | 67.2% | 33.2% |
| Dearborn Elementary Charter Academy Northridge | 527 | 72.1% | 58.0% |
| Mayall Street Elementary North Hills | 471 | 65.0% | 69.5% |
| Orchard Elementary Modesto | 579 | 70.1% | 35.3% |
| Stephen Foster Elementary Lakewood | 501 | 66.3% | 52.8% |
| Toluca Lake Elementary North Hollywood | 503 | 65.4% | 54.1% |
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 Nichols Elementary ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In California | In San Diego County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 33.2% | #3,143 of 5,151 | #275 of 392 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 31.0% | #3,127 of 5,172 ▼ 297 | #266 of 393 ▼ 17 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 35.3% | #3,410 of 5,172 ▼ 41 | #289 of 393 ▲ 5 |
| 3-year test score change ranked biggest drop first | -1.7pp | #1,308 of 5,116 | #119 of 387 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 522 | #2,182 of 5,915 | #163 of 453 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 22.2:1 | #2,348 of 5,352 | #140 of 418 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 62.4% | #1,587 of 5,354 | #164 of 418 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 67.2% | #3,103 of 5,625 | #186 of 442 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -19.3% | #1,498 of 3,837 | #104 of 279 |
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
522
-48 (-8%) vs 2020
-34% since 2010-11, when it was 794
Student : Teacher
22.2:1
was 25.9:1
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 | 522 | 23.5 | 22.2:1 | 67% (351) |
| 2023-24 | 526 | 22.5 | 23.4:1 | 70% (366) |
| 2022-23 | 511 | 19.5 | 26.2:1 | 73% (374) |
| 2020-21 | 570 | 22 | 25.9:1 | 64% (362) |
| 2017-18 | 647 | 30.2 | 21.4:1 | 64% (412) |
| 2015-16 | 704 | 31 | 22.7:1 | 57% (400) |
| 2010-11 | 794 | N/A | N/A | 49% (389) |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Nichols Elementary.
Since 2017-18: students down 19% (647 to 522); teachers down 22% (30.2 to 23.5).
About Nichols Elementary
A mid-sized elementary school in Oceanside, California, Nichols Elementary is part of Oceanside Unified. It reports enrollment of 522 students in kindergarten through 5.
Oceanside Unified is made up of 23 schools with 14,866 students in all.
The student body at Nichols Elementary is 57% Hispanic. Other reported shares: 16% White, 13% multiracial, 7% Asian, and 4% Black. San Diego County's residents are about 35% Hispanic, 22 points below the school's share. On a 0 to 100 scale, the school's diversity index is 62, compared with 70 nationally.
The student-to-teacher ratio at Nichols Elementary is 22.2:1, based on 23.5 full-time-equivalent teachers. It is about the same as the 22.3:1 average for elementary schools in California. Nichols Elementary counts 67% of students as eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. The average for public schools in San Diego County is 54%.
Among California public elementary schools, Nichols Elementary outscored 24%, which works out to a C- on the allk12 Grade.
Test results at Nichols Elementary are 7.0 points below what its free or reduced-price lunch share predicts (33.2% actual, 40.1% predicted).
The school's county is San Diego County. According to Census Bureau estimates, the median household earns about $106,268 a year, a bachelor's degree or higher is held by about 43% of adults, and the share of residents below the poverty line is 7%. Public schools in San Diego County number 766, with about 467,437 students.
Scholarship Prep - Oceanside is about 0.4 miles from Nichols Elementary, the shortest distance to any other public school. Other public schools within five miles: at least 8. Nearby schools with test data average 38.6% proficiency; Nichols Elementary posts 33.2%.
Nichols Elementary is in a suburban area outside a principal city, within an urbanized area with a population of 250,000 or more, a location NCES labels Suburb: Large.
From 2020-21 to 2024-25, enrollment decreased from 570 to 522, an 8% decline. In 2020-21, the student-to-teacher ratio was 25.9:1; by 2024-25 it was 22.2:1.
Nichols Elementary has a community page on allk12 for topics such as special education services, counseling, and support programs. You can also rate the school on this page.
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 Oceanside Unified
- El Camino HighHigh · 2,463 students
- Oceanside HighHigh · 1,948 students
- Martin Luther King Jr. MiddleMiddle · 1,098 students
- North Terrace ElementaryElementary · 771 students
- Louise Foussat ElementaryElementary · 755 students
- Ivey Ranch ElementaryElementary · 698 students
Other schools in Oceanside
- El Camino HighHigh · 2,463 students
- Coastal Academy CharterCombined · 2,015 students
- Oceanside HighHigh · 1,948 students
- Mission Vista HighHigh · 1,670 students
- SIATechHigh · 1,174 students
- Madison MiddleMiddle · 1,158 students
Other Nichols Elementary schools
5 other US public schools in 5 states are named Nichols Elementary. Nichols Elementary is the 2nd largest of the 6.
- Nichols Elementary SchoolFRISCO, TX · 635 students
- Nichols Elementary SchoolSAN ANTONIO, TX · 321 students
- Nichols Elementary SchoolBarboursville, WV · 230 students
- Nichols Elementary SchoolBiloxi, MS · 203 students
- Nichols ElementaryWest Point, KY · 105 students
Nearby schools
- Scholarship Prep - Oceanside0.4 mi · 626
- Louise Foussat Elementary0.8 mi · 755
- Cesar Chavez Middle0.8 mi · 557
- Libby Elementary1.1 mi · 482
- El Camino High1.3 mi · 2,463
- Ivey Ranch Elementary1.5 mi · 698
Frequently asked questions
About Nichols ElementaryWhat is the total enrollment at Nichols Elementary?
Nichols Elementary enrolls approximately 522 students in grades KG-05.
Is Nichols Elementary an elementary, middle, or high school?
Nichols Elementary is an elementary school covering grades KG-05.
How many teachers does Nichols Elementary have?
Nichols Elementary employs 24 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 22.2:1.
What is the racial breakdown of students at Nichols Elementary?
At Nichols Elementary, the student body is approximately 16% White, 57% Hispanic, 4% Black, 7% Asian, 13% Two or more.
Is Nichols Elementary public or private?
Nichols Elementary is a public K-12 school, overseen by Oceanside Unified.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.