Mahadev Maitri Foundation
US Initiatives
Elementary Schools

Best Elementary Schools
in Oceanside Unified

This page covers 15 elementary schools in Oceanside Unified. Rankings use a composite of neighborhood opportunity, class sizes, and per-student investment — signals available consistently from federal data across all US public schools. Schools in this district score near the national median on neighborhood opportunity. Use these rankings as a starting point; pair them with school visits and conversations with local parents before making any enrollment decision.

15
Schools Ranked
California
State
None
Charter Schools
RankingsHow We RankFAQAbout Data

Elementary Schools Rankings

Showing 10 of 15
1
rank
Stuart Mesa Elementary
Grades KG–08553 students
Ranked for: above-average investment ($17,167/student)
43
/100
Student:Teacher
21.1:1
Near nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
41/100
Near nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$17,167
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
64%
Near nat'l 52.2%
2
rank
Ivey Ranch Elementary
Grades KG–05725 students
Ranked for: above-average investment ($17,167/student)
42
/100
Student:Teacher
24.2:1
Near nat'l 15.4:1
Per-Pupil Spend
$17,167
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
42%
Near nat'l 52.2%
3
rank
Palmquist Elementary
Grades KG–05529 students
Ranked for: above-average investment ($17,167/student)
40
/100
Student:Teacher
25.9:1
Near nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
44/100
Near nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$17,167
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
59%
Near nat'l 52.2%
4
rank
Santa Margarita Elementary
Grades KG–08541 students
Ranked for: above-average investment ($17,167/student)
40
/100
Student:Teacher
22.9:1
Near nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
41/100
Near nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$17,167
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
66%
Near nat'l 52.2%
5
rank
South Oceanside Elementary
Grades KG–05489 students
Ranked for: above-average investment ($17,167/student)
40
/100
Student:Teacher
24.4:1
Near nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
44/100
Near nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$17,167
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
67%
Near nat'l 52.2%
6
rank
North Terrace Elementary
Grades KG–08766 students
Ranked for: above-average investment ($17,167/student)
39
/100
Student:Teacher
24.7:1
Near nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
41/100
Near nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$17,167
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
61%
Near nat'l 52.2%
7
rank
Pablo Tac School of the Arts
Grades KG–05456 students
Ranked for: above-average investment ($17,167/student)
39
/100
Student:Teacher
24.0:1
Near nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
44/100
Near nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$17,167
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
81%
High economic need
8
rank
Louise Foussat Elementary
Grades KG–05525 students
Ranked for: above-average investment ($17,167/student)
38
/100
Student:Teacher
23.9:1
Near nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
41/100
Near nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$17,167
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
80%
High economic need
9
rank
Christa McAuliffe Elementary
Grades KG–05495 students
Ranked for: above-average investment ($17,167/student)
38
/100
Student:Teacher
24.7:1
Near nat'l 15.4:1
Per-Pupil Spend
$17,167
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
61%
Near nat'l 52.2%
10
rank
Laurel Elementary
Grades KG–05399 students
Ranked for: above-average investment ($17,167/student)
37
/100
Student:Teacher
23.5:1
Near nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
41/100
Near nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$17,167
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
95%
High economic need
5 more elementary schools in Oceanside Unified not shown here.
View all schools in Oceanside Unified
How We Rank Elementary Schools

Each school receives a composite score (0–100) built from 4 federal data signals, weighted to reflect what matters most at the elementary school level. All signals are normalised against national benchmarks so a school's score reflects its standing across the entire US, not just within this district.

Neighborhood Opportunity
40%
Harvard Opportunity Atlas score for the school's neighbourhood. Higher means children from this area historically achieve stronger economic outcomes.
Student-Teacher Ratio
30%
Lower ratio = smaller classes = more individual attention per child. Normalised against national range.
Per-Pupil Expenditure
20%
Annual district spending per enrolled student from the NCES F-33 Finance Survey. Compared against national average.
Free Lunch Rate
10%
Percentage of students qualifying for free/reduced-price lunch. Used as a neighbourhood economic-context signal.
Test scores are excluded: they are not published as consistent open federal data across all states, making reliable cross-district comparison impossible with this signal alone.
District at a Glance
15
Elementary Schools
24
Total Schools
43
#1 Score
38
Avg Score
Top Ranked Elementary School
Compare Oceanside Unified with neighbouring districts
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Frequently Asked Questions
About This Data

All figures on this page come directly from US federal open datasets: NCES Common Core of Data (enrollment, school characteristics, student-teacher ratios), NCES F-33 Finance Survey (per-pupil expenditure), Harvard Opportunity Atlas (neighbourhood opportunity scores). Federal data is published on an annual cycle and may not reflect the very latest school-year changes. Rankings reflect available data and should be used as a starting point — not a substitute for visiting schools or consulting district resources directly. What this ranking does not measure: teacher quality, classroom culture, extracurricular programmes, school safety, or parent and student satisfaction.