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A+

Cardiff Elementary School District

Public school districtGrades K–6

Encinitas’ School Grade A better than 94% of California school districts

Students
641
Schools
2
Spent per student
$20,760
CA $21,206
Students per teacher
22:1
Free or reduced lunch
11%
Debt
$36.6M
fiscal 2024
The gist

What stands out about Cardiff Elementary School District

  • Its letter, A+: results better than 97% of California districts
  • Math proficiency 38 pts above the state
  • Reading proficiency 26 pts above the state
  • 22 students per teacher
  • Debt of $36.6M, about $57,162 per student
The School Grade

What this district adds to its towns’ grade

A+: better than 97% of the 1,872 California school districts we grade. Each town’s School Grade weighs its districts by the students they test; spending and class size are shown but don’t count.

Test scoresReading and math well above the state, 2021–22
A+

How TownRatings grades schools →

Where would my kid go?

The school path for Encinitas. Grade by grade →

K–65 schoolsEncinitas Union Elementary School District
7–82 middle schoolsSan Dieguito Union High School District
9–12San Dieguito HS AcademySan Dieguito Union High School District

Test scores vs. CA

2021–22
Math proficiency71%
State average 33.1% · 367 students tested
Reading / language arts73%
State average 46.7% · 366 students tested

97% of students in the tested grades sat the 2022 tests.

Graduation rate 96% at San Dieguito Union High, which runs the high school (state 86.2%) · class of 2023.

Reported to the U.S. Department of Education (EDFacts via ED Data Express and the Urban Institute); the newest year for each measure.

Where the money goes

fiscal 2024
$20,760 per student · 2% below CA
Spending
Classroom instruction 63%Support & administration 30%Other 7%
Paid for by
Local (mostly property tax) 86%State 11%Federal 3%

Fiscal 2022–24 includes federal pandemic relief (ESSER).

U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances.

Enrollment over time
632’20
631’21
641’22
649’23
641’24

About steady since 2020–21.

Students
White 65%Two or more races 18%Hispanic 14%Asian 3%Black <1%American Indian/Alaska Native <1%Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander <1%

Schools in the district

2 public schools. Each public school’s letter compares its own 2020–21 reading and math results with California’s other public schools.

Cardiff Elementary
Elementary · Grades K–2 · Cardiff-by-the-Sea
259 students22:1
Ada W. Harris Elementary
Elementary · Grades 3–6 · Cardiff-by-the-Sea
382 students22:1

Nearby districts

Compare spending and schools next door.

San Dieguito Union High School DistrictCarlsbad, San Marcos, Solana Beach
$15,720per student
Carlsbad Unified School DistrictCarlsbad
$15,702per student
Escondido Union High School DistrictSan Marcos
$21,430per student
San Marcos Unified School DistrictSan Marcos
$16,525per student

District facts: U.S. Department of Education (NCES school directory 2024–25 and district boundaries) and the U.S. Census Bureau’s school finance survey. Test scores and graduation: state results reported to the U.S. Department of Education (EDFacts via ED Data Express and the Urban Institute). The letters are our own summary, graded within California.