Is C L Smith Elementary a good school?

C L Smith Elementary ranks 1000 th of 5862 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

How many students attend C L Smith Elementary?

In the 2023-24 school year, 484 students attended C L Smith Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of C L Smith Elementary?

Students at C L Smith Elementary are 47% White, 39% Hispanic, 7% Two or more races, 5% Asian, 2% African American.

What schools do graduates of C L Smith Elementary attend?

Students who attend C L Smith Elementary usually go on to attend: Middle : Laguna Middle Middle : Teach Elementary High : San Luis Obispo High

C L Smith Elementary

Summary:

C L Smith Elementary is a public elementary school in San Luis Obispo, California, serving 465 students in grades K-6 and part of the San Luis Coastal Unified School District.

C L Smith Elementary consistently outperforms the state average in Smarter Balanced Assessments for English Language Arts/Literacy and Mathematics, with proficiency rates of 63.11% and 60% respectively in the 2023-2024 school year, compared to the state averages of 47.04% and 35.54%. The school also performs particularly well for its White and Special Education student subgroups, ranking in the top 15% and top 20% of California elementary schools. However, the school's chronic absenteeism rate has been steadily increasing, from 12.5% in 2017-2018 to 26.3% in 2022-2023, which is now higher than the state average.

Compared to other public elementary schools in the San Luis Coastal Unified School District, C L Smith Elementary generally performs better, particularly in terms of test scores and student group performance. However, Monarch Grove Elementary and Bellevue-Santa Fe Charter School outperform C L Smith Elementary in several key metrics, including test scores and chronic absenteeism rates. Despite these challenges, C L Smith Elementary has shown improvement in its statewide ranking and SchoolDigger star rating over the past decade, moving from a 2-star to a 4-star school.

Detail:

Public K-6

1375 Balboa St.
San Luis Obispo, CA 93405-4935

(805) 596-4094

District: San Luis Coastal Unified

SchoolDigger Rank:
1000^th of 5,862 California Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $13,777

Students who attend C L Smith Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Laguna Middle
	Teach Elementary
High:	San Luis Obispo High

Student/teacher ratio: 22.0

Number of students: 484

Racial breakdown:

White:

46.7%

Hispanic:

38.6%

Two or more races:

7.4%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 56%

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Compare C L Smith Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details C L Smith Elementary ranks better than 82.9% of elementary schools in California. It also ranks 4^th among 9 ranked elementary schools in the San Luis Coastal Unified School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 83.87. (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 (46.7%), Hispanic (38.6%), two or more races (7.4%). (See more...)

Compare Details 56% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at C L Smith Elementary is 22. 4 elementary schools in the San Luis Coastal Unified School District have better student/teacher ratios. (See more...)

Compare C L Smith Elementary employs 22 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at C L Smith Elementary is $13,777, which is the 3^rd highest among 9 elementary schools in the San Luis Coastal Unified School District.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

C L Smith Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks C L Smith Elementary 1000^th of 5862 California public elementary schools. (See C L Smith 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:

San Luis Coastal Unified:

SchoolDigger ranks San Luis Coastal Unified 254^th of 1568 California school districts. (See district ranking list.)

Average Parent Rating:

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Rank History for C L Smith Elementary

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Rank History for all students at C L Smith Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2004	68.82	1339^th	4809	72.2%
2005	65.34	1531^st	4822	68.2%
2006	54.41	1990^th	4818	58.7%
2007	51.90	2213^th	5113	56.7%
2008	51.79	2273^rd	5113	55.5%
2009	47.77	2620^th	5193	49.5%
2010	44.21	2905^th	5314	45.3%
2011	44.81	2908^th	5377	45.9%
2012	54.60	2355^th	5390	56.3%
2013	41.54	3213^th	5530	41.9%
2015	49.63	2467^th	5611	56.0%
2016	54.48	2269^th	5614	59.6%
2017	45.08	2795^th	5692	50.9%
2018	47.49	2689^th	5662	52.5%
2019	57.32	2197^th	5789	62.0%
2021	55.15	575^th	1417	59.4%
2022	73.64	1466^th	5883	75.1%
2023	71.10	1532^nd	5874	73.9%
2024	83.87	1000^th	5862	82.9%

See the entire list of California Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at C L Smith Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2018	27.91	2534^th	3246	21.9%
2019	58.19	889^th	3275	72.9%

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

Rank History for Special Education students at C L Smith Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2024	70.56	486^th	2634	81.5%

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

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at C L Smith Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	33.73	3504^th	5084	31.1%
2019	35.18	3493^rd	5173	32.5%
2021	49.70	483^rd	1110	56.5%
2022	74.92	961^st	5264	81.7%
2023	54.65	2061^st	5374	61.6%
2024	64.60	1519^th	5511	72.4%

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

Rank History for Female students at C L Smith Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	42.44	2922^nd	5413	46.0%
2019	56.93	2120^th	5492	61.4%
2021	62.15	420^th	1267	66.9%
2022	68.35	1590^th	5635	71.8%
2023	66.32	1660^th	5617	70.4%
2024	80.41	1075^th	5605	80.8%

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

Rank History for Disabled students at C L Smith Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2019	49.01	1006^th	2585	61.1%
2021	52.49	101^st	293	65.5%
2022	60.41	590^th	2227	73.5%

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

Rank History for Male students at C L Smith Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	50.14	2436^th	5431	55.1%
2019	55.44	2173^rd	5510	60.6%
2021	47.64	592^nd	1272	53.5%
2022	75.77	1296^th	5663	77.1%
2023	72.51	1392^nd	5650	75.4%
2024	82.77	971^st	5636	82.8%

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

Rank History for Hispanic students at C L Smith Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	30.84	3499^th	4830	27.6%
2019	49.34	2323^rd	4963	53.2%
2022	61.11	1573^rd	5084	69.1%
2023	57.01	1819^th	5098	64.3%
2024	65.43	1392^nd	5102	72.7%

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

Rank History for White students at C L Smith Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	47.14	1606^th	2737	41.3%
2019	50.97	1518^th	2834	46.4%
2022	71.90	738^th	2726	72.9%
2023	70.44	787^th	2662	70.4%
2024	83.49	301^st	2647	88.6%

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
Friday, February 26, 2021

This school is great. They put a lot of time and effort into helping children to develop intellectually and emotionally. I'm glad to see that they maintain a good balance between academics and play. Close Quote

Enrollment information for C L Smith Elementary

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	377	16	23	36	0	n/a	n/a	0	452
1989	385	22	23	41	0	n/a	n/a	0	471
1990	387	16	27	42	0	n/a	n/a	0	472
1991	351	19	29	40	1	n/a	n/a	0	440
1992	325	20	32	50	0	n/a	n/a	0	427
1993	312	26	24	67	0	n/a	n/a	0	429
1994	314	22	31	58	0	n/a	n/a	0	425
1995	295	19	13	60	1	n/a	n/a	0	388
1996	295	19	13	60	1	n/a	n/a	0	388
1997	305	15	16	58	1	n/a	n/a	0	395
1998	297	14	18	63	1	n/a	n/a	0	393
1999	301	12	16	65	1	n/a	n/a	0	395
2000	289	11	18	74	1	n/a	n/a	0	393
2001	298	13	17	73	1	n/a	n/a	0	402
2002	248	19	16	73	0	n/a	n/a	1	357
2003	248	19	16	73	0	n/a	n/a	1	357
2004	226	17	19	82	0	n/a	n/a	1	345
2005	201	17	21	85	2	n/a	n/a	7	333
2006	179	16	12	95	2	n/a	n/a	8	312
2007	175	15	13	93	2	n/a	n/a	1	299
2008	175	11	18	97	3	n/a	n/a	0	304
2009	193	14	20	108	1	0	1	0	337
2010	165	4	20	125	1	0	26	0	341
2011	205	7	26	131	1	1	30	0	401
2012	212	7	21	140	2	1	24	0	407
2013	225	14	26	152	3	1	28	0	449
2014	206	14	27	162	1	0	26	0	436
2015	175	11	20	190	1	0	21	0	418
2016	173	6	16	175	1	0	17	0	388
2017	160	5	19	178	1	0	23	0	386
2018	147	7	18	169	1	0	25	0	367
2019	164	7	17	176	0	0	29	0	393
2020	167	9	14	182	1	1	29	0	403
2021	160	9	16	161	1	1	23	0	371
2022	200	13	15	170	2	0	24	0	424
2023	218	12	20	180	2	0	33	0	465
2024	226	10	24	187	1	0	36	0	484

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 C L Smith Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	452	20.0	22.6	n/a
1989	471	21.0	22.4	n/a
1990	472	22.0	21.4	n/a
1991	440	20.0	22.0	n/a
1992	427	20.3	21.0	18.3
1993	429	17.0	25.2	29.4
1994	425	18.5	23.0	33.6
1995	388	17.8	21.8	35.3
1996	388	17.8	21.8	35.3
1997	395	20.8	19.0	31.4
1998	393	20.8	18.9	32.6
1999	395	20.7	19.1	35.4
2000	393	22.3	17.6	37.4
2001	402	23.8	16.9	28.9
2002	357	19.0	18.8	32.6
2003	357	19.0	18.8	32.6
2004	345	19.5	17.7	36
2005	333	20.0	16.7	36.8
2006	312	17.5	17.8	43.8
2007	299	18.6	16.1	41.6
2008	304	17.9	17.0	38.5
2009	337	21.1	15.2	40.9
2010	341	21.1	16.1	45.2
2011	401	n/a	n/a	44.4
2012	407	24.7	16.4	45.5
2013	449	24.0	18.7	48.1
2014	436	20.0	21.8	47.9
2015	418	18.0	23.2	52.6
2016	388	17.0	22.8	54.4
2017	386	16.5	23.3	48.7
2018	367	18.0	20.3	57.8
2019	393	17.0	23.1	48.9
2020	403	n/a	n/a	47.1
2021	371	20.6	17.9	48
2022	424	20.0	21.2	59.2
2023	465	22.0	21.1	46.2
2024	484	22.0	22.0	56

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 C L Smith Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	452	20.0	22.6	n/a
1989	471	21.0	22.4	n/a
1990	472	22.0	21.4	n/a
1991	440	20.0	22.0	n/a
1992	427	20.3	21.0	18.3
1993	429	17.0	25.2	29.4
1994	425	18.5	23.0	33.6
1995	388	17.8	21.8	35.3
1996	388	17.8	21.8	35.3
1997	395	20.8	19.0	31.4
1998	393	20.8	18.9	32.6
1999	395	20.7	19.1	35.4
2000	393	22.3	17.6	37.4
2001	402	23.8	16.9	28.9
2002	357	19.0	18.8	32.6
2003	357	19.0	18.8	32.6
2004	345	19.5	17.7	36
2005	333	20.0	16.7	36.8
2006	312	17.5	17.8	43.8
2007	299	18.6	16.1	41.6
2008	304	17.9	17.0	38.5
2009	337	21.1	15.2	40.9
2010	341	21.1	16.1	45.2
2011	401	n/a	n/a	44.4
2012	407	24.7	16.4	45.5
2013	449	24.0	18.7	48.1
2014	436	20.0	21.8	47.9
2015	418	18.0	23.2	52.6
2016	388	17.0	22.8	54.4
2017	386	16.5	23.3	48.7
2018	367	18.0	20.3	57.8
2019	393	17.0	23.1	48.9
2020	403	n/a	n/a	47.1
2021	371	20.6	17.9	48
2022	424	20.0	21.2	59.2
2023	465	22.0	21.1	46.2
2024	484	22.0	22.0	56

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.

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