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What's the biggest difference between Robert Down Elementary and what you expected?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
422
Elementary
DISTRICT 373 · STATE 465
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·PACIFIC GROVE UNIFIED·NCES 062937004527
Robert Down Elementary
485 Pine Ave., Pacific Grove, CA 93950 · (831) 646-6540 · Monterey County
GRADES KG–05ELEMENTARY22-SUBURBREGULAR SCHOOL422 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
17.9:1
24 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 17.4:1 · STATE 22.3:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
19%
80 students
DISTRICT 23% · STATE 65%
Community
5
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 | 100 | 24% |
| Grade 1 | 53 | 13% |
| Grade 2 | 60 | 14% |
| Grade 3 | 74 | 18% |
| Grade 4 | 58 | 14% |
| Grade 5 | 77 | 18% |
Student demographics
62%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
School pathway
Students here typically continue to
Robert Down Elementary→Pacific Grove Middle
Based on grade levels within Pacific Grove Unified. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
CAASPP 2024-25 . % met or exceeded standardEnglish Language Arts
73.4%
CA avg 49.1% . +5.4pp since 2014
Math
72.0%
CA avg 37.7% . +13.0pp since 2014
What this means: On the CAASPP, California's statewide test, about 73 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 72 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 5 points since 2014, while math scores are up about 13 points.
Performance levels, 2024-25
| Subject | Standard Exceeded | Standard Met | Standard Nearly Met | Standard Not Met |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| English Language Arts | 49.0% | 24.5% | 17.2% | 9.4% |
| Math | 38.5% | 33.5% | 21.5% | 6.5% |
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 | 73.4% | 72.0% |
| 2023-24 | 73.4% | 68.2% |
| 2022-23 | 76.9% | 71.4% |
| 2021-22 | 83.7% | 74.7% |
| 2018-19 | 79.0% | 75.3% |
| 2017-18 | 84.5% | 79.1% |
| 2016-17 | 74.9% | 71.9% |
| 2015-16 | 71.0% | 62.0% |
| 2014-15 | 68.0% | 59.0% |
% 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
71.7%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
68.4%
based on CA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+3.2pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 72% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 68% 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 →
Where Robert Down Elementary ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In California | In Monterey County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 71.7% | #578 of 5,151 | #3 of 70 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 72.0% | #519 of 5,172 | #3 of 70 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 73.4% | #570 of 5,172 | #2 of 70 |
| 3-year test score change ranked biggest drop first | -6.5pp | #355 of 5,116 | #5 of 70 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 422 | #3,397 of 5,915 | #58 of 81 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 17.9:1 | #255 of 5,352 | #2 of 70 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 62.1% | #1,607 of 5,354 | #9 of 70 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 19.0% | #5,185 of 5,625 | #71 of 74 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -14.1% | #2,141 of 3,837 | #29 of 55 |
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.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
422
-20 (-5%) vs 2020
-8% since 1990-91, when it was 458
Student : Teacher
17.9:1
was 20.1:1
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 | 422 | 23.5 | 17.9:1 | 19% (80) |
| 2023-24 | 403 | 21.5 | 18.7:1 | 17% (68) |
| 2022-23 | 408 | 22.5 | 18.1:1 | 15% (60) |
| 2020-21 | 442 | 22 | 20.1:1 | 17% (75) |
| 2017-18 | 491 | 18 | 27.3:1 | 16% (77) |
| 2015-16 | 469 | 17 | 27.6:1 | 16% (75) |
| 2010-11 | 491 | N/A | N/A | 16% (80) |
| 2000-01 | 405 | 23 | 17.6:1 | 9% (38) |
| 1990-91 | 458 | 19 | 24.1:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Robert Down Elementary.
About Robert Down Elementary
The public elementary school Robert Down Elementary is located in Pacific Grove, California. Enrolled students number 422 students, in kindergarten through 5.
Across its 5 schools, Pacific Grove Unified enrolls 1,749 students. Robert Down Elementary is one of those schools.
White students make up a majority at Robert Down Elementary, at 56%. The remaining students are 16% Hispanic, 16% multiracial, and 10% Asian. Census figures show Monterey County is about 36% White. Robert Down Elementary's diversity index is 62%, against a US figure of 70%.
The teaching staff at Robert Down Elementary is 23.5 full-time-equivalent teachers, and the ratio is 17.9:1. This ratio sits 4.4 below the 22.3:1 average for elementary schools in California. The percentage of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch is 19%. The rate at public schools in Monterey County averages 76%, higher than here.
The model predicts 68.4% for a school in California with Robert Down Elementary's free or reduced-price lunch share. Robert Down Elementary posts 71.7%.
Recent Census Bureau figures for Monterey County show that the median household income is $97,230, roughly 28% of adults have a four-year degree or more, and the share of residents below the poverty line is 10%. Robert Down Elementary is one of 153 public schools in the county.
Nearby, Pacific Grove Middle is about 0.3 miles away. There are at least 8 more public schools inside five miles. Local comparison: Robert Down Elementary ranks 2nd of 6 nearby schools, at 71.7% versus a 57.4% average.
Locale data from NCES put Robert Down Elementary in a suburban area outside a principal city, within an urbanized area with a population between 100,000 and 250,000 (Suburb: Mid-size).
2024-25 enrollment was 422, a 5% decrease from 442 in 2020-21. The ratio of students to teachers went from 20.1:1 to 17.9:1 over the same years.
Community posts for Robert Down Elementary can cover enrollment questions, class placement, and PTA news. Alumni can share how the school prepared them.
Monterey County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
437,613
Census ACS
Median income
$97,230
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
28%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
10%
Below federal line
Schools in county
153
73,845 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Pacific Grove Unified
- Pacific Grove HighHigh · 552 students
- Pacific Grove MiddleMiddle · 439 students
- Forest Grove ElementaryElementary · 324 students
- Community High (Continuation)High · 12 students
Other schools in Pacific Grove
- Pacific Grove HighHigh · 552 students
- Monterey Bay CharterElementary · 475 students
- Pacific Grove MiddleMiddle · 439 students
- Forest Grove ElementaryElementary · 324 students
- Community High (Continuation)High · 12 students
Nearby schools
- Pacific Grove Middle0.3 mi · 439
- Pacific Grove High0.7 mi · 552
- Forest Grove Elementary0.8 mi · 324
- Big Sur Charter1.1 mi · 101
- Community High (Continuation)1.1 mi · 12
- Monterey Bay Charter1.1 mi · 475
Frequently asked questions
About Robert Down ElementaryHow large is Robert Down Elementary?
Robert Down Elementary enrolls approximately 422 students in grades KG-05.
What age range does Robert Down Elementary serve?
Robert Down Elementary serves students from grade KG through grade 05.
How many students per teacher at Robert Down Elementary?
Approximately 17.9:1 students per teacher at Robert Down Elementary.
What is the student diversity at Robert Down Elementary?
Student demographics at Robert Down Elementary are roughly 56% White, 16% Hispanic, 1% Black, 10% Asian, 16% Two or more.
Who oversees Robert Down Elementary?
Robert Down Elementary is overseen by Pacific Grove Unified in Monterey County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.