Robert Down Elementary

Robert Down Elementary is a reasonably sized elementary school in Pacific Grove, California, part of Pacific Grove Unified. The school caters to 422 students in grades K through 5.

Pacific Grove Unified comprises 5 schools with combined enrollment of 1,749 students; Robert Down Elementary is among them.

On demographics, Robert Down Elementary logs that 56% of the student body identifies as White. Other groups include 16% Hispanic, 16% multiracial, 10% Asian. By comparison, Monterey County as a whole is about 36% White, so the school skews considerably more White than its surroundings.

Looking at school resources, Staff filings list 24 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to roughly 17.9:1 students per teacher. The state averages around 22.3:1, so this campus is tighter than the state norm typical. About 19% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, often used as a Title I proxy. That share is below Monterey County's rate of about 76%.

On a demographically-adjusted basis, Robert Down Elementary sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 68.4%; this one delivers 71.7%.

In the surrounding community, Monterey County reports that median household earnings sit near $97,230, roughly 28% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and roughly 10% of residents live below the federal poverty line. In all, Monterey County runs 153 public schools (combined enrollment of about 73,845 students), of which Robert Down Elementary is one.

The closest other public school is Pacific Grove Middle, roughly 0.3 miles away. Counting just inside five miles, 8 other public schools cluster around Robert Down Elementary. Among the 6 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), Robert Down Elementary ranks 2nd on composite proficiency, above the local average of 57.7%.

Geographically, the school is in a bedroom-community area.

Five-year trend. Over the past 7-year window, the student count decreased 14%: 491 students in 2018 compared to 422 in 2025. White enrollment moved from 64% to 56% across the same window. Class-load math has narrowed: from 27.3:1 in 2018 to 17.9:1 in 2025.

On this page, posts here usually surface around pickup logistics, teacher feedback, and after-school programs. Parents, students, alumni, and staff are welcome to weigh in.