Poinsettia Elementary earned the top spot among Carlsbad schools in the 2027 U.S. News Best Elementary Schools rankings, placing No. 63 out of 5,920 ranked California elementary schools with an overall score of 98.95 out of 100.

Ninety percent of Poinsettia students scored at or above the proficient level in reading, and 83% hit that mark in math, according to U.S. News. Both figures topped the Carlsbad Unified School District (CUSD) averages of 76% in reading and 73% in math.

The school on Mica Road serves 481 students in grades K-5 with a 22-to-1 student-teacher ratio. All 22 full-time teachers are certified.

Two other Carlsbad campuses also cracked the state's top 200. Pacific Rim Elementary ranked No. 111 with a 98.14 score, posting 88% reading proficiency and 85% math proficiency among its 642 students. Aviara Oaks Elementary came in at No. 167, scoring 97.2 out of 100, with 83% of students proficient in both subjects.

All three schools rated "well above expectations" in both reading and math performance, according to U.S. News.

CUSD said on Instagram on Oct. 25 that Poinsettia ranked seventh among San Diego County elementary schools in the report, with Pacific Rim and Aviara Oaks landing in the county's top 20. The district did not specify the total number of county schools in that comparison.

Across the district, Carlsbad Unified's nine ranked elementary schools serve a portion of the district's 10,708 total students. District-wide elementary proficiency rates of 76% in reading and 73% in math both exceed California's statewide averages of 44% and 38%, respectively.

The U.S. News methodology weighs math and reading proficiency at 50% of the formula. The other 50% measures performance against modeled expectations based on socioeconomic factors. Rankings draw on 2023-2024 state assessment data collected by RTI International.

Eric Brooks, U.S. News director of education data analysis, said in an Oct. 20 press release that the updated approach "gives families, educators and community leaders an even clearer view of academic achievement."

In total, U.S. News ranked about 46,000 public elementary schools nationwide.

California's top 10 elementary schools, per U.S. News:

  1. Buckeye Union Mandarin Immersion Charter, El Dorado Hills
  2. Cold Spring Elementary, Santa Barbara
  3. Murdock-Portal Elementary, San Jose
  4. William Faria Elementary, Cupertino
  5. North Star Academy, Redwood City
  6. Herbert Hoover Elementary, Palo Alto
  7. Covington Elementary, Los Altos
  8. Bullis Charter, Los Altos
  9. Elkhorn, Stockton
  10. Jack L. Weaver Elementary, Los Alamitos