Is La Costa Meadows Elementary a good school?

La Costa Meadows Elementary ranks 621 st of 5862 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

How many students attend La Costa Meadows Elementary?

In the 2023-24 school year, 723 students attended La Costa Meadows Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of La Costa Meadows Elementary?

Students at La Costa Meadows Elementary are 64% White, 18% Hispanic, 11% Two or more races, 6% Asian.

What schools do graduates of La Costa Meadows Elementary attend?

Students who attend La Costa Meadows Elementary usually go on to attend: Middle : San Elijo Middle High : San Marcos High

La Costa Meadows Elementary

Summary:

La Costa Meadows Elementary is a public elementary school in Carlsbad, CA, serving 693 students in grades K-5 and part of the San Marcos Unified School District.

La Costa Meadows consistently outperforms the district and state in academic assessments, with 71.97% of students proficient or better in ELA/Literacy and 74.52% in Mathematics, compared to 56.53% and 46.17% for the district, respectively. The school also ranks among the top California elementary schools for various student subgroups, including Hispanic students, Special Education students, and Low Socioeconomic Status students. Additionally, La Costa Meadows has seen a decrease in chronic absenteeism rates over the years, though it is still slightly higher than nearby schools in the Encinitas Union Elementary District.

While La Costa Heights Elementary and Aviara Oaks Elementary in the Encinitas Union Elementary District outperform La Costa Meadows in certain academic metrics, the school's overall strong performance, particularly in English Language Arts/Literacy and Mathematics, is noteworthy. The school's relatively low percentage of free and reduced-price lunch recipients, at 16.59%, suggests a more affluent student population, which may contribute to its academic success.

Detail:

Public K-5

6889 El Fuerte St.
Carlsbad, CA 92009-5923

(760) 290-2121

District: San Marcos Unified

SchoolDigger Rank:
621^st of 5,862 California Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $6,966

Students who attend La Costa Meadows Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	San Elijo Middle
High:	San Marcos High

Student/teacher ratio: 23.3

Number of students: 723

Racial breakdown:

White:

64.5%

Hispanic:

17.7%

Two or more races:

10.8%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 14.8%

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Compare La Costa Meadows Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details La Costa Meadows Elementary ranks better than 89.4% of elementary schools in California. It also ranks 5^th among 12 ranked elementary schools in the San Marcos Unified School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 91.31. (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 (64.5%), Hispanic (17.7%), two or more races (10.8%). (See more...)

Compare Details 14.8% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. This is the lowest percentage in the San Marcos Unified School District. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at La Costa Meadows Elementary is 23.3. 6 elementary schools in the San Marcos Unified School District have better student/teacher ratios. (See more...)

Compare La Costa Meadows Elementary employs 31 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at La Costa Meadows Elementary is $6,966, which is the lowest among 12 elementary schools in the San Marcos Unified School District!

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

La Costa Meadows Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks La Costa Meadows Elementary 621^st of 5862 California public elementary schools. (See La Costa Meadows Elementary in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Multi-racial students:

Special Education students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male 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 La Costa Meadows Elementary

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Rank History for all students at La Costa Meadows Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2004	88.82	557^th	4809	88.4%
2005	88.98	540^th	4822	88.8%
2006	87.84	599^th	4818	87.6%
2007	88.53	589^th	5113	88.5%
2008	82.99	837^th	5113	83.6%
2009	81.25	939^th	5193	81.9%
2010	87.10	631^st	5314	88.1%
2011	88.87	501^st	5377	90.7%
2012	89.17	477^th	5390	91.2%
2013	90.10	458^th	5530	91.7%
2015	93.74	397^th	5611	92.9%
2016	91.71	516^th	5614	90.8%
2017	93.00	449^th	5692	92.1%
2018	89.60	657^th	5662	88.4%
2019	88.18	745^th	5789	87.1%
2022	92.92	527^th	5883	91.0%
2023	91.66	595^th	5874	89.9%
2024	91.31	621^st	5862	89.4%

See the entire list of California Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for Multi-racial students at La Costa Meadows Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2022	58.50	289^th	610	52.6%
2024	61.49	310^th	669	53.7%

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

Rank History for Special Education students at La Costa Meadows Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	92.67	135^th	2420	94.4%
2024	88.97	206^th	2634	92.2%

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

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at La Costa Meadows Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	81.27	630^th	5084	87.6%
2019	73.86	977^th	5173	81.1%
2022	80.07	756^th	5264	85.6%
2023	87.22	487^th	5374	90.9%
2024	87.26	540^th	5511	90.2%

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

Rank History for Female students at La Costa Meadows Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	84.97	828^th	5413	84.7%
2019	85.04	814^th	5492	85.2%
2022	90.89	591^st	5635	89.5%
2023	93.25	421^st	5617	92.5%
2024	91.90	508^th	5605	90.9%

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

Rank History for Disabled students at La Costa Meadows Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	38.67	1073^rd	2128	49.6%
2019	67.40	551^st	2585	78.7%
2022	98.59	36^th	2227	98.4%

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

Rank History for Male students at La Costa Meadows Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	90.98	513^th	5431	90.6%
2019	88.65	656^th	5510	88.1%
2022	92.94	451^st	5663	92.0%
2023	88.25	713^th	5650	87.4%
2024	88.06	712^th	5636	87.4%

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

Rank History for Hispanic students at La Costa Meadows Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	78.68	744^th	4830	84.6%
2019	78.28	769^th	4963	84.5%
2022	95.88	161^st	5084	96.8%
2023	92.86	247^th	5098	95.2%
2024	91.10	310^th	5102	93.9%

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

Rank History for White students at La Costa Meadows Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	77.43	536^th	2737	80.4%
2019	75.51	613^th	2834	78.4%
2022	77.91	529^th	2726	80.6%
2023	79.19	459^th	2662	82.8%
2024	81.01	385^th	2647	85.5%

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: 2)

100%

Reviews:

by a parent
Wednesday, February 7, 2024

The social and emotional well-being of the students seem to take a back seat at this school. They claim to understand the importance of mental health and its connection to academic growth but I have not seen it with the new administration. Staff is supported while the children and their feelings are not considered. I’m glad my child is graduating this year or I would consider moving her to another school. Close Quote

Enrollment information for La Costa Meadows Elementary

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	589	4	28	35	6	n/a	n/a	0	662
1989	640	4	30	48	3	n/a	n/a	0	725
1990	730	2	48	59	3	n/a	n/a	0	842
1991	614	4	39	35	7	n/a	n/a	0	699
1992	665	9	46	40	3	n/a	n/a	0	763
1993	649	11	45	40	4	n/a	n/a	0	749
1994	754	12	50	73	10	n/a	n/a	0	899
1995	760	10	55	80	3	n/a	n/a	0	908
1996	760	10	55	80	3	n/a	n/a	0	908
1997	794	12	59	85	4	n/a	n/a	0	954
1998	651	10	50	64	5	n/a	n/a	0	780
1999	637	11	45	71	7	n/a	n/a	0	771
2000	551	8	39	77	4	n/a	n/a	0	679
2001	494	7	45	81	5	n/a	n/a	0	632
2002	578	20	49	93	4	n/a	n/a	1	745
2003	578	20	49	93	4	n/a	n/a	1	745
2004	639	20	59	99	6	n/a	n/a	1	824
2005	500	10	42	81	4	n/a	n/a	1	638
2006	509	16	38	97	7	n/a	n/a	1	668
2007	533	18	51	122	8	n/a	n/a	3	735
2008	508	19	54	137	5	n/a	n/a	0	723
2009	488	26	60	153	7	4	13	0	751
2010	556	23	59	135	7	6	12	0	798
2011	615	29	71	150	7	8	10	0	890
2012	613	26	65	152	6	5	23	0	890
2013	663	22	68	158	4	4	32	0	951
2014	662	20	67	153	3	4	43	0	952
2015	669	14	70	147	2	3	43	0	948
2016	683	10	57	152	2	4	35	0	943
2017	709	6	45	158	1	4	0	0	923
2018	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	0	0
2019	596	28	73	161	4	5	0	0	867
2020	573	6	54	160	0	2	59	0	854
2021	458	0	45	138	5	1	49	0	696
2022	480	4	43	127	2	0	61	2	719
2023	464	0	40	123	5	2	59	0	693
2024	466	7	41	128	0	2	78	1	723

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 La Costa Meadows Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	662	27.9	23.7	n/a
1989	725	30.3	23.9	n/a
1990	842	33.3	25.2	n/a
1991	699	32.2	21.7	n/a
1992	763	32.7	23.3	5.8
1993	749	31.4	23.9	8.9
1994	899	35.0	25.7	12.9
1995	908	36.4	24.9	12.8
1996	908	36.4	24.9	12.8
1997	954	41.0	23.3	11.8
1998	780	39.0	20.0	11.5
1999	771	37.5	20.6	9.1
2000	679	37.6	18.1	8.4
2001	632	33.2	19.0	10
2002	745	37.7	19.8	9.8
2003	745	37.7	19.8	9.8
2004	824	38.4	21.5	7.2
2005	638	30.4	21.0	8.5
2006	668	31.4	21.3	10.6
2007	735	33.9	21.7	11.7
2008	723	37.3	19.4	13.7
2009	751	35.4	19.1	16
2010	798	33.4	23.8	17.7
2011	890	n/a	n/a	16.1
2012	890	35.5	25.0	n/a
2013	951	34.0	27.9	13.8
2014	952	36.0	26.4	15.7
2015	948	35.0	27.0	12
2016	943	35.0	26.9	10.5
2017	923	35.5	26.0	10.8
2018	0	n/a	n/a	n/a
2019	867	n/a	n/a	14.2
2020	854	n/a	n/a	14.9
2021	696	33.0	21.0	15.7
2022	719	30.7	23.4	18.2
2023	693	29.0	23.8	16.6
2024	723	31.0	23.3	14.8

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 La Costa Meadows Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	662	27.9	23.7	n/a
1989	725	30.3	23.9	n/a
1990	842	33.3	25.2	n/a
1991	699	32.2	21.7	n/a
1992	763	32.7	23.3	5.8
1993	749	31.4	23.9	8.9
1994	899	35.0	25.7	12.9
1995	908	36.4	24.9	12.8
1996	908	36.4	24.9	12.8
1997	954	41.0	23.3	11.8
1998	780	39.0	20.0	11.5
1999	771	37.5	20.6	9.1
2000	679	37.6	18.1	8.4
2001	632	33.2	19.0	10
2002	745	37.7	19.8	9.8
2003	745	37.7	19.8	9.8
2004	824	38.4	21.5	7.2
2005	638	30.4	21.0	8.5
2006	668	31.4	21.3	10.6
2007	735	33.9	21.7	11.7
2008	723	37.3	19.4	13.7
2009	751	35.4	19.1	16
2010	798	33.4	23.8	17.7
2011	890	n/a	n/a	16.1
2012	890	35.5	25.0	n/a
2013	951	34.0	27.9	13.8
2014	952	36.0	26.4	15.7
2015	948	35.0	27.0	12
2016	943	35.0	26.9	10.5
2017	923	35.5	26.0	10.8
2018	0	n/a	n/a	n/a
2019	867	n/a	n/a	14.2
2020	854	n/a	n/a	14.9
2021	696	33.0	21.0	15.7
2022	719	30.7	23.4	18.2
2023	693	29.0	23.8	16.6
2024	723	31.0	23.3	14.8

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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