Is Discovery Elementary a good school?

Yes. Discovery Elementary ranks in the top 7.6% of California elementary schools.

How many students attend Discovery Elementary?

In the 2023-24 school year, 687 students attended Discovery Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Discovery Elementary?

Students at Discovery Elementary are 48% White, 24% Hispanic, 18% Asian, 10% Two or more races.

What schools do graduates of Discovery Elementary attend?

Students who attend Discovery Elementary usually go on to attend: Middle : San Elijo Middle High : San Marcos High

Discovery Elementary

Summary:

Discovery Elementary is a public elementary school located in San Marcos, California, serving grades K-5 with a total enrollment of 668 students. It is part of the San Marcos Unified School District, which is ranked 475 out of 1,568 districts in California and has a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Discovery Elementary consistently ranks among the top California elementary schools, with a statewide ranking of 443 out of 5,862 schools in the 2023-2024 school year, earning a 5-star rating from SchoolDigger. The school outperforms the San Marcos Unified district and the state of California in both English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics proficiency rates across all grade levels. For example, in 3rd grade ELA, Discovery Elementary had a 68.47% proficiency rate, compared to 57.13% for the district and 42.8% for the state. Discovery Elementary also has consistently high rankings for various student subgroups, such as female students, male students, Hispanic students, and White students, often placing in the top 10-20% of California elementary schools for these groups. The school's performance for Special Education students is particularly noteworthy, ranking 47th out of 2,634 California elementary schools in the 2023-2024 school year.

When compared to nearby schools, Carrillo Elementary, La Costa Meadows Elementary, and San Elijo Elementary are outperformed by Discovery Elementary in both ELA and Mathematics proficiency rates. However, some schools, such as Paloma Elementary and Double Peak, also demonstrate strong academic performance and are competitive with Discovery Elementary. The schools with the highest percentages of free and reduced-price lunch recipients, such as San Marcos Elementary (76.92%) and Joli Ann Leichtag Elementary (66.44%), tend to have lower academic performance compared to Discovery Elementary and other higher-performing schools.

Detail:

Public K-5

730 Applewilde Dr.
San Marcos, CA 92078-4969

(760) 290-2077

District: San Marcos Unified

SchoolDigger Rank:
443^rd of 5,862 California Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $7,719

Students who attend Discovery Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	San Elijo Middle
High:	San Marcos High

Student/teacher ratio: 22.1

Number of students: 687

Racial breakdown:

White:

47.6%

Hispanic:

24.3%

Asian:

17.8%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 19.9%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Discovery Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Discovery Elementary ranks better than 92.4% of elementary schools in California. It also ranks first among 12 ranked elementary schools in the San Marcos Unified School District! (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 93.84. (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 Student population at Discovery Elementary is diverse. Racial makeup is: White (47.6%), Hispanic (24.3%), Asian (17.8%). (See more...)

Compare Details 19.9% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Discovery Elementary is 22.1, which is the 3^rd best among 12 elementary schools in the San Marcos Unified School District. (See more...)

Compare Discovery Elementary employs 31 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Discovery Elementary is $7,719, which is the 6^th highest among 12 elementary schools in the San Marcos Unified School District.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Discovery Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Discovery Elementary 443^rd of 5862 California public elementary schools. (See Discovery 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:

Asian students:

Hispanic students:

White students:

San Marcos Unified:

SchoolDigger ranks San Marcos Unified 475^th of 1568 California school districts. (See district ranking list.)

Average Parent Rating:

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Rank History for Discovery Elementary

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Rank History for all students at Discovery Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2004	84.21	737^th	4809	84.7%
2005	81.03	890^th	4822	81.5%
2006	82.83	835^th	4818	82.7%
2007	84.07	791^st	5113	84.5%
2008	88.13	582^nd	5113	88.6%
2009	91.40	396^th	5193	92.4%
2010	89.44	474^th	5314	91.1%
2011	91.98	315^th	5377	94.1%
2012	90.01	421^st	5390	92.2%
2013	89.70	483^rd	5530	91.3%
2015	88.94	670^th	5611	88.1%
2016	89.44	650^th	5614	88.4%
2017	83.42	984^th	5692	82.7%
2018	88.23	729^th	5662	87.1%
2019	89.20	690^th	5789	88.1%
2022	95.67	320^th	5883	94.6%
2023	97.21	167^th	5874	97.2%
2024	93.84	443^rd	5862	92.4%

See the entire list of California Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Discovery Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2018	72.31	489^th	3246	84.9%
2019	74.00	441^st	3275	86.5%

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

Rank History for Special Education students at Discovery Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2024	98.29	47^th	2634	98.2%

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

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Discovery Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	80.99	644^th	5084	87.3%
2019	83.19	577^th	5173	88.8%
2022	95.83	150^th	5264	97.2%
2023	96.20	149^th	5374	97.2%
2024	90.67	422^nd	5511	92.3%

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

Rank History for Female students at Discovery Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	90.02	573^rd	5413	89.4%
2019	89.63	581^st	5492	89.4%
2022	95.77	240^th	5635	95.7%
2023	95.46	244^th	5617	95.7%
2024	94.04	354^th	5605	93.7%

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

Rank History for Disabled students at Discovery Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2018	82.20	254^th	2128	88.1%
2019	88.85	197^th	2585	92.4%

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

Rank History for Male students at Discovery Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	83.05	932^nd	5431	82.8%
2019	85.35	805^th	5510	85.4%
2022	93.84	384^th	5663	93.2%
2023	97.54	100^th	5650	98.2%
2024	90.72	563^rd	5636	90.0%

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

Rank History for Asian students at Discovery Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2022	83.95	59^th	1154	94.9%
2024	70.33	406^th	1203	66.3%

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

Rank History for Hispanic students at Discovery Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	85.20	486^th	4830	89.9%
2019	94.27	155^th	4963	96.9%
2022	93.55	244^th	5084	95.2%
2023	96.09	127^th	5098	97.5%
2024	89.61	365^th	5102	92.8%

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

Rank History for White students at Discovery Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	79.78	455^th	2737	83.4%
2019	77.45	559^th	2834	80.3%
2022	90.89	80^th	2726	97.1%
2023	91.11	71^st	2662	97.3%
2024	84.54	256^th	2647	90.3%

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: 1)

100%

Reviews:

by a parent
Friday, January 18, 2019

While I think there are some wonderful people at Discovery as teachers and other staff, I have to give a low rating based on the principal and vice principle. For all of the 2017/2018 school year, my son was repeatedly harmed on the playground by another child. He asked for help multiple times, and nothing was ever done. Within the first month of the 2018/2019 school year, my son finally got fed up and hit the other child back. This happened twice, and both times my son was labeled a fighter. Only when I explained in detail what had been happening to his teacher, did anything change. Somehow she managed to work it out with the other childs teacher so the boys would not be near each other on the playground. She miraculously made it all stop almost immediately with just a bit of effort. Shortly after that finally ended, my son was playing with a couple of friends, when another boy and his two friends approached them. Something rude was apparently said, and my son told them it wasn't nice. He proceeded to then get kicked in the legs and testicles. At that point he again fought back and hit the boy once. He was then strangled hard enough to leave hand marks on his neck for 3 days, as well as two fat, bruised lips that he cried in pain about for an entire week. My son was spoken to without me (by the principal, because as a supervisor brought my bleeding son to the vice principal she was told "don't bring that to me, I don't want to deal with it"), and then I was simply told that he needs to work on controlling himself when he gets frustrated. End of story. I previously worked there as a supervisor, and have seen kids hurt each other on a regular basis. I believe this is now the climate of the school as the kids have learned that they will not have consequences for physically hurting another child. I will not return to work there, and my son has been enrolled elsewhere as I do not feel as though I should have to worry whether my SEVEN year old is safe and protected at school every day. As I said before, the only stars given to this school were because of other staff members that work hard and are good at their jobs. Close Quote

by a parent on FaceBook
Tuesday, August 16, 2016

Less than average school. Bullying, stealing in school. Unresponsive, careless Principal. Close Quote

Enrollment information for Discovery Elementary

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1998	343	30	37	337	7	n/a	n/a	0	754
1999	385	40	40	391	5	n/a	n/a	0	861
2000	365	32	36	306	5	n/a	n/a	0	744
2001	417	31	58	279	8	n/a	n/a	0	793
2002	442	24	69	260	9	n/a	n/a	0	804
2003	442	24	69	260	9	n/a	n/a	0	804
2004	431	28	84	281	9	n/a	n/a	0	833
2005	443	34	89	293	9	n/a	n/a	0	868
2006	432	30	106	303	10	n/a	n/a	0	881
2007	443	36	102	312	10	n/a	n/a	8	911
2008	455	26	110	317	9	n/a	n/a	0	917
2009	463	25	114	243	9	9	24	0	887
2010	478	38	114	241	10	8	12	0	901
2011	524	39	109	245	12	6	5	0	940
2012	566	32	100	258	9	5	17	0	987
2013	579	30	102	285	7	4	28	0	1035
2014	571	25	99	263	7	4	35	0	1004
2015	570	18	95	257	5	3	34	0	982
2016	618	20	86	266	7	2	42	0	1041
2017	426	12	60	226	0	1	0	0	725
2018	384	8	57	201	1	1	0	0	652
2019	285	10	80	183	3	11	2	0	574
2020	293	2	72	173	2	3	45	0	590
2021	287	1	79	169	6	4	43	0	589
2022	290	6	73	145	2	1	52	1	570
2023	320	0	94	184	8	1	61	0	668
2024	327	5	122	167	0	0	66	0	687

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 Discovery Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1998	754	35.2	21.4	51.9
1999	861	40.0	21.5	44.8
2000	744	37.0	20.1	38.7
2001	793	38.9	20.4	32.4
2002	804	44.9	17.9	31.1
2003	804	44.9	17.9	31.1
2004	833	36.9	22.6	31.5
2005	868	38.9	22.3	29.8
2006	881	39.9	22.1	29.6
2007	911	39.4	23.1	28
2008	917	41.9	21.9	28.1
2009	887	38.9	20.5	23.6
2010	901	36.4	24.7	24.1
2011	940	n/a	n/a	24.1
2012	987	35.4	27.8	n/a
2013	1035	36.9	27.9	29.1
2014	1004	35.0	28.6	26.7
2015	982	37.0	26.5	22.9
2016	1041	38.0	27.3	21.9
2017	725	27.5	26.3	26.1
2018	652	12.5	52.1	30.1
2019	574	n/a	n/a	29.1
2020	590	n/a	n/a	22.7
2021	589	28.0	21.0	20
2022	570	26.0	21.9	23.2
2023	668	28.0	23.8	20.4
2024	687	31.0	22.1	19.9

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 Discovery Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1998	754	35.2	21.4	51.9
1999	861	40.0	21.5	44.8
2000	744	37.0	20.1	38.7
2001	793	38.9	20.4	32.4
2002	804	44.9	17.9	31.1
2003	804	44.9	17.9	31.1
2004	833	36.9	22.6	31.5
2005	868	38.9	22.3	29.8
2006	881	39.9	22.1	29.6
2007	911	39.4	23.1	28
2008	917	41.9	21.9	28.1
2009	887	38.9	20.5	23.6
2010	901	36.4	24.7	24.1
2011	940	n/a	n/a	24.1
2012	987	35.4	27.8	n/a
2013	1035	36.9	27.9	29.1
2014	1004	35.0	28.6	26.7
2015	982	37.0	26.5	22.9
2016	1041	38.0	27.3	21.9
2017	725	27.5	26.3	26.1
2018	652	12.5	52.1	30.1
2019	574	n/a	n/a	29.1
2020	590	n/a	n/a	22.7
2021	589	28.0	21.0	20
2022	570	26.0	21.9	23.2
2023	668	28.0	23.8	20.4
2024	687	31.0	22.1	19.9

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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