Is Poinsettia Elementary a good school?

Yes! Poinsettia Elementary is one of the best elementary schools in the state. It ranks 135 th of 5862 California elementary schools.

How many students attend Poinsettia Elementary?

In the 2023-24 school year, 509 students attended Poinsettia Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Poinsettia Elementary?

Students at Poinsettia Elementary are 52% White, 27% Hispanic, 12% Two or more races, 7% Asian, 2% African American.

What schools do graduates of Poinsettia Elementary attend?

Students who attend Poinsettia Elementary usually go on to attend: Middle : Aviara Oaks Middle High : Carlsbad High

Poinsettia Elementary

Summary:

Poinsettia Elementary is a high-performing public elementary school in Carlsbad, California, serving 480 students in grades K-5. The school consistently ranks among the top elementary schools in the state, with exceptional academic performance that exceeds both the Carlsbad Unified and California state averages.

Poinsettia Elementary's students excel in English Language Arts/Literacy and Mathematics, with 89.74% and 82.65% proficiency, respectively, for the 2023-2024 school year. The school's performance is particularly strong in 3rd and 4th grade, where students outperform their peers in the Carlsbad Unified district. Poinsettia's diverse student population, with significant representation of Hispanic and White students, also performs exceptionally well, with Hispanic and White student subgroups ranking among the top 13% and 84% of all California elementary schools, respectively.

When compared to nearby schools in the Encinitas Union Elementary, High Technical Elementary North County, and San Marcos Unified districts, Poinsettia Elementary stands out as a top-performing school, with academic performance that exceeds its neighbors. However, the school's relatively low percentage of economically disadvantaged students raises questions about its ability to effectively support students from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds.

Detail:

Public K-5

2445 Mica Rd.
Carlsbad, CA 92009-1733

(760) 331-6500

District: Carlsbad Unified

SchoolDigger Rank:
135^th of 5,862 California Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $7,606

Students who attend Poinsettia Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Aviara Oaks Middle
High:	Carlsbad High

Student/teacher ratio: 21.8

Number of students: 509

Racial breakdown:

White:

52.5%

Hispanic:

27.1%

Two or more races:

11.8%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 20.4%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Poinsettia Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Poinsettia Elementary ranks better than 97.7% of elementary schools in California. It also ranks 3^rd among 9 ranked elementary schools in the Carlsbad Unified School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 97.35. (See more...)

Chronic absenteeism in a school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.

Student Body

Compare Details Racial makeup is: White (52.5%), Hispanic (27.1%), two or more races (11.8%). (See more...)

Compare Details 20.4% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Poinsettia Elementary is 21.8, which is the 2^nd best among 9 elementary schools in the Carlsbad Unified School District. (See more...)

Compare Poinsettia Elementary employs 23.2 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Poinsettia Elementary is $7,606, which is the 4^th highest among 9 elementary schools in the Carlsbad Unified School District.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Poinsettia Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Poinsettia Elementary 135^th of 5862 California public elementary schools. (See Poinsettia Elementary in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Special Education students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

Hispanic students:

White students:

Carlsbad Unified:

SchoolDigger ranks Carlsbad Unified 160^th of 1568 California school districts. (See district ranking list.)

Average Parent Rating:

Read all reviews and ratings detail for Poinsettia Elementary.

What do you think?

Your rating for Poinsettia Elementary?

(Ranking FAQ)

Rank History for Poinsettia Elementary

Compare

Rank History for all students at Poinsettia Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2009	72.04	1346^th	5193	74.1%
2010	74.99	1233^rd	5314	76.8%
2011	75.72	1220^th	5377	77.3%
2012	68.49	1606^th	5390	70.2%
2013	80.46	1022^nd	5530	81.5%
2015	90.51	597^th	5611	89.4%
2016	88.67	697^th	5614	87.6%
2017	91.98	521^st	5692	90.8%
2018	90.49	610^th	5662	89.2%
2019	93.16	425^th	5789	92.7%
2022	97.00	202^nd	5883	96.6%
2023	97.79	117^th	5874	98.0%
2024	97.35	135^th	5862	97.7%

See the entire list of California Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for Multi-racial students at Poinsettia Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	90.90	16^th	669	97.6%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Multi-racial Students!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Poinsettia Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2018	79.76	340^th	3246	89.5%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for English Language Learner Students!

Rank History for Special Education students at Poinsettia Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2024	94.00	131^st	2634	95.0%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Poinsettia Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	71.34	1113^th	5084	78.1%
2019	79.12	758^th	5173	85.3%
2022	72.36	1055^th	5264	80.0%
2023	91.11	342^nd	5374	93.6%
2024	99.10	48^th	5511	99.1%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Poinsettia Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	90.09	570^th	5413	89.5%
2019	92.20	420^th	5492	92.4%
2022	95.68	246^th	5635	95.6%
2023	96.68	154^th	5617	97.3%
2024	97.85	60^th	5605	98.9%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Disabled students at Poinsettia Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2018	68.77	425^th	2128	80.0%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Disabled Students!

Rank History for Male students at Poinsettia Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	88.86	637^th	5431	88.3%
2019	91.78	458^th	5510	91.7%
2022	96.83	170^th	5663	97.0%
2023	97.12	138^th	5650	97.6%
2024	95.08	275^th	5636	95.1%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Poinsettia Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	71.22	1081^st	4830	77.6%
2019	80.47	687^th	4963	86.2%
2022	88.18	427^th	5084	91.6%
2023	95.45	151^st	5098	97.0%
2024	99.51	13^th	5102	99.7%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for White students at Poinsettia Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	86.98	183^rd	2737	93.3%
2019	83.62	314^th	2834	88.9%
2022	91.46	68^th	2726	97.5%
2023	91.79	54^th	2662	98.0%
2024	90.27	84^th	2647	96.8%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: California Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Data source: California Department of Education

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 5)

100%

Reviews:

by a parent
Tuesday, July 11, 2017

I love the staff - they are very involved with the students. My on has an IEP and the special ed teachers are fabulous!!!! Close Quote

Enrollment information for Poinsettia Elementary

Compare

Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Total
2008	226	20	63	114	1	n/a	n/a	424
2009	258	21	78	125	2	4	23	511
2010	276	12	72	152	3	1	18	534
2011	278	9	75	142	3	1	14	522
2012	284	10	65	149	5	1	27	541
2013	265	7	67	138	2	0	25	504
2014	300	9	63	144	2	1	29	548
2015	312	7	51	142	2	1	37	552
2016	288	9	49	145	1	1	47	540
2017	295	5	46	157	0	1	64	568
2018	285	7	46	138	0	1	52	529
2019	260	10	32	109	0	2	52	465
2020	270	7	29	95	0	1	52	454
2021	214	8	25	97	1	1	45	391
2022	268	8	35	112	0	1	52	476
2023	263	9	33	110	0	0	65	480
2024	267	9	34	138	1	0	60	509

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Poinsettia Elementary

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2008	424	20.0	21.2	9.9
2009	511	22.6	20.8	25.2
2010	534	24.0	22.2	26
2011	522	n/a	n/a	25.9
2012	541	18.0	30.0	n/a
2013	504	18.0	28.0	25.8
2014	548	17.5	31.3	18.8
2015	552	20.0	27.6	21.4
2016	540	20.0	27.0	22.4
2017	568	20.9	27.1	22
2018	529	21.5	24.6	24
2019	465	19.5	23.8	25.2
2020	454	n/a	n/a	21.1
2021	391	19.5	20.0	19.9
2022	476	21.7	21.8	17.9
2023	480	21.7	22.0	16.9
2024	509	23.2	21.8	20.4

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Poinsettia Elementary

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2008	424	20.0	21.2	9.9
2009	511	22.6	20.8	25.2
2010	534	24.0	22.2	26
2011	522	n/a	n/a	25.9
2012	541	18.0	30.0	n/a
2013	504	18.0	28.0	25.8
2014	548	17.5	31.3	18.8
2015	552	20.0	27.6	21.4
2016	540	20.0	27.0	22.4
2017	568	20.9	27.1	22
2018	529	21.5	24.6	24
2019	465	19.5	23.8	25.2
2020	454	n/a	n/a	21.1
2021	391	19.5	20.0	19.9
2022	476	21.7	21.8	17.9
2023	480	21.7	22.0	16.9
2024	509	23.2	21.8	20.4

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.

Kindergarten Immunization Rates