Teach Elementary, San Luis Obispo CA

Original Research by School Decision on Teach Elementary

Teach Elementary serves grades 4 through 6 in San Luis Obispo as part of San Luis Coastal Unified. The school's test results show broad strength in both English language arts and math. In fourth grade, proficiency is especially high in both subjects. Fifth grade math dips notably below the school's overall pattern, while proficiency in fifth-grade science sits in a comparable range. Sixth grade performs solidly in both tested subjects. Across all tested grades and subjects, the school's overall proficiency index places it well above the median for San Luis Obispo County districts, positioning it in the top tier of performance countywide.

The school enrolls a small student body, roughly evenly split across its three grade levels. Students are predominantly white, with smaller shares identifying as multiracial, Asian, and Hispanic, and very few students from other racial and ethnic backgrounds. A modest portion of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The school's civil rights data, beyond race and ethnicity, was not available, so enrollment and proficiency patterns for students with disabilities or English learners could not be assessed.

San Luis Obispo is a walkable, compact city built around a historic downtown centered on Mission Plaza and the Spanish mission. The area sees significant foot traffic, especially on Thursday evenings when the farmers' market draws crowds, and a bicycling culture is embedded in the community through formal infrastructure and Bicycle Friendly Community designation. Most daily commerce, dining, and cultural activities cluster in or near downtown, though newer residential development is pushing outward to the city's edges and Cal Poly, a major regional employer, sits on a separate campus roughly a couple of miles away. The housing market is tight and expensive, with home values well above state and national benchmarks and rents rising at a faster pace than long-term trends; renters in the area spend a substantial share of income on housing. The broader economy leans on Cal Poly, county government, healthcare, and utilities, with a recent influx of private-sector software employment.

The San Luis Coastal district is in the middle of significant infrastructure investment and facility modernization driven by a voter-approved bond measure, which comes with a lasting property-tax component families relocating to the area should be aware of. At the same time, the district faces a structural budget crisis beginning in the 2026-27 school year, caused by the loss of one-time COVID relief funding and tax revenue tied to the Diablo Canyon nuclear power facility. The district has already begun cuts affecting classroom teaching positions, secondary counselors, librarians, music programming, and English-learner services, with more reductions expected. These changes will affect class sizes and access to support services across the district. This is a material consideration for families evaluating the district for the medium term.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 495%

School 95% · District 64% · ▲ 31 pts above district

▲ 58 pts above state median · ▲ 48 pts above county median

Grade 575%

School 75% · District 52% · ▲ 24 pts above district

▲ 45 pts above state median · ▲ 35 pts above county median

Grade 684%

School 84% · District 61% · ▲ 23 pts above district

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

English language arts

Grade 495%

School 95% · District 68% · ▲ 28 pts above district

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

Grade 585%

School 85% · District 67% · ▲ 18 pts above district

▲ 39 pts above state median · ▲ 29 pts above county median

Grade 692%

School 92% · District 71% · ▲ 21 pts above district

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

Science

Grade 572%

School 72% · District 50% · ▲ 23 pts above district

▲ 44 pts above state median · ▲ 31 pts above county median

This schoolSan Luis Coastal Unified, 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-income100%Higher-income94%6 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income90%Higher-income82%8 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income83%Higher-income96%12 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 4Lower-income75%Higher-income100%25 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income70%Higher-income78%8 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income71%Higher-income89%18 pp gap