Carmel Del Mar Elementary, San Diego CA

Original Research by School Decision on Carmel Del Mar Elementary

Carmel Del Mar Elementary is a mid-sized kindergarten through sixth-grade school in the Carmel Valley neighborhood of San Diego. Enrollment sits at a level typical for this grade span, with students distributed fairly evenly across grades.

The school's academic performance across 2024-25 is strong. In mathematics, proficiency across the grades tested runs solidly in the high range, with fourth grade performing at a notably higher level. English language arts proficiency is similarly strong and consistent across grades three through six. Science proficiency in fifth grade, the only grade tested, is lower than both math and ELA but still respectable. Across all tested subjects and grades, Carmel Del Mar's overall proficiency index places it in the top quartile when compared to schools across San Diego County districts, a meaningful position of strength.

The school community is economically secure. A small share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. In terms of student composition, the enrollment is predominantly Asian and white, with smaller numbers of Hispanic students and very few Black or Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander students. The data provided does not show counts or rates for special education or English learner populations, so parents may want to ask the school directly about those support services.

The broader economic context around the school is affluent. Home values in the 92130 zip code are well above both state and national medians, and rental prices are correspondingly high. Mortgage affordability in this area requires substantial income, and rent-to-income ratios run high relative to national benchmarks. This is a neighborhood where housing costs are a dominant family consideration.

Carmel Del Mar is part of the Del Mar Union Elementary School District, which has undertaken a major facilities modernization program funded by Measure MM, a general obligation bond approved by local voters. The district's flagship project, the full rebuild of Del Mar Heights Elementary, reopened after several years of construction, and other campuses including Del Mar Hills Academy have been modernized as well. These improvements represent lasting, concrete changes to district facilities, though they also carry property tax implications for homeowners in the district.

The school itself sits within this modernization effort. Parents considering Carmel Del Mar should factor both the school's strong academic standing and the socioeconomic composition of the community into their decision, alongside the broader district context of capital investment and associated tax commitments.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 386%

School 86% · District 83% · ▲ 4 pts above district

▲ 43 pts above state median · ▲ 38 pts above county median

Grade 493%

School 93% · District 82% · ▲ 12 pts above district

▲ 56 pts above state median · ▲ 51 pts above county median

Grade 586%

School 86% · District 84% · ▲ 2 pts above district

▲ 56 pts above state median · ▲ 52 pts above county median

Grade 688%

School 88% · District 84% · ▲ 4 pts above district

▲ 58 pts above state median · ▲ 53 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 386%

School 86% · District 79% · ▲ 7 pts above district

▲ 45 pts above state median · ▲ 39 pts above county median

Grade 484%

School 84% · District 77% · ▲ 7 pts above district

▲ 42 pts above state median · ▲ 36 pts above county median

Grade 589%

School 89% · District 86% · ▲ 3 pts above district

▲ 44 pts above state median · ▲ 37 pts above county median

Grade 685%

School 85% · District 85%

▲ 41 pts above state median · ▲ 33 pts above county median

Science

Grade 575%

School 75% · District 75%

▲ 46 pts above state median · ▲ 40 pts above county median

This schoolDel Mar Union Elementary, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 4Lower-income91%Higher-income83%8 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income92%Higher-income89%3 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 4Lower-income91%Higher-income93%3 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income83%Higher-income87%3 pp gap