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Best Schools in San Luis Obispo, CA
San Luis Obispo, CA has 36 public schools (9 high, 7 middle, 17 elementary) serving 14,834 students. On average they score 50% on state proficiency tests against a projected 44%, so schools in San Luis Obispo exceed expectations. Rankings below compare each school’s actual results with the projection for its socioeconomic context.
Best High Schools in San Luis Obispo, CA
The top high schools in San Luis Obispo, ranked by actual test performance against the projection for each school’s socioeconomic context.
1. Central Coast New Tech High
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Lucia Mar Unified • Public • Grades 9 - 12 • 267 Students
2. San Luis Obispo High
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
San Luis Coastal Unified • Public • Grades 9 - 12 • 1644 Students
3. Arroyo Grande High
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Lucia Mar Unified • Public • Grades 9 - 12 • 1991 Students
4. Morro Bay High
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
San Luis Coastal Unified • Public • Grades 9 - 12 • 795 Students
5. Atascadero High
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Atascadero Unified • Public • Grades 9 - 12 • 1173 Students
6. Grizzly Challenge Charter
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
San Luis Obispo County Office Of Education • Charter • Grades 10 - 12 • 212 Students
7. Pacific Beach High
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
San Luis Coastal Unified • Public • Grades 10 - 12 • 64 Students
8. San Luis Obispo County Community
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
San Luis Obispo County Office Of Education • Public • Grades 6 - 12 • 68 Students
9. San Luis Obispo County Juvenile Court
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
San Luis Obispo County Office Of Education • Public • Grades 6 - 12 • 9 Students
Best Middle Schools in San Luis Obispo, CA
The top middle schools in San Luis Obispo, ranked by actual test performance against the projection for each school’s socioeconomic context.
1. Teach Elementary
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
San Luis Coastal Unified • Public • Grades 4 - 6 • 167 Students
2. Laguna Middle
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
San Luis Coastal Unified • Public • Grades 7 - 8 • 789 Students
3. Los Osos Middle
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
San Luis Coastal Unified • Public • Grades 6 - 8 • 539 Students
4. Fine Arts Academy
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Atascadero Unified • Public • Grades 4 - 8 • 183 Students
5. Paulding Middle
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Lucia Mar Unified • Public • Grades 7 - 8 • 536 Students
6. Judkins Middle
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Lucia Mar Unified • Public • Grades 7 - 8 • 458 Students
7. Atascadero Middle
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Atascadero Unified • Public • Grades 6 - 8 • 835 Students
Best Elementary Schools in San Luis Obispo, CA
The top elementary schools in San Luis Obispo, ranked by actual test performance against the projection for each school’s socioeconomic context.
1. Branch Elementary
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Lucia Mar Unified • Public • Grades KG - 6 • 244 Students
2. Bellevue-santa Fe Charter
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Bellevue-santa Fe Charter District • Charter • Grades KG - 6 • 162 Students
3. Los Ranchos Elementary
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
San Luis Coastal Unified • Public • Grades KG - 6 • 450 Students
4. Bishop's Peak Elementary
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
San Luis Coastal Unified • Public • Grades KG - 6 • 369 Students
5. Shell Beach Elementary
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Lucia Mar Unified • Public • Grades KG - 6 • 325 Students
6. Sinsheimer Elementary
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
San Luis Coastal Unified • Public • Grades KG - 6 • 371 Students
7. C L Smith Elementary
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
San Luis Coastal Unified • Public • Grades KG - 6 • 465 Students
8. Del Mar Elementary
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
San Luis Coastal Unified • Public • Grades KG - 5 • 290 Students
9. Santa Margarita Elementary
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Atascadero Unified • Public • Grades KG - 5 • 267 Students
10. Hawthorne Elementary
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
San Luis Coastal Unified • Public • Grades KG - 6 • 430 Students
Education & Community Snapshot in San Luis Obispo, CA
City-level factors that shape the learning environment around local schools.
Community Factors
San Luis Obispo, CA has a total population of 65,170 with 46% of that population attending schools. The adult high school graduation rate is 95%, and 53% of adults have a bachelor’s degree or higher.
Students in San Luis Obispo, CA
K-12 Students
High School Graduates
Adults 25+ with HS diplomas
College Graduates
Adults 25+ with a Bachelor’s degree or higher
Demographics statistics provided by Best Neighborhood San Luis Obispo, CA.
Safety
Crime Grades summarize reported incidents per 1,000 residents. Use them as neighborhood context, not a school rating.
Overall Crime Grade
23.53 per 1,000 Residents
Violent Crime Grade
5.73 per 1,000 Residents
Property Crime Grade
17.79 per 1,000 Residents
Crime statistics provided by CrimeGrade in San Luis Obispo, CA.
Connectivity
Connectivity influences learning at home. We summarize internet infrastructure, typical download speed, and a digital connectivity index for San Luis Obispo, CA.
ISP Report Card
Internet Infrastructure Grade
Average Download Speed
Speed Most Residents Can Get
Digital Connectivity Index
ISP Connectivity Demand Report
To read more about these statistics, please visit San Luis Obispo, CA Internet Health Assessment.
Questions About Schools in San Luis Obispo, CA
How many schools are in San Luis Obispo, CA?
San Luis Obispo, CA has 36 public schools: 9 high schools, 7 middle schools and 17 elementary schools, serving 14,834 students in total.
How do schools in San Luis Obispo perform on state tests?
On average, 36 schools in San Luis Obispo score 50% proficient on state assessments. Given the socioeconomic context of their students we project 44%, so on average schools in San Luis Obispo exceed expectations.
How does SchoolGrade rank the best schools in San Luis Obispo?
Every public school gets a SchoolGrade from A+ to F based on the share of students at or above the state proficiency bar. The Impact Grade compares that result with what we would expect given the school’s student and community context, so schools that outperform their circumstances stand out. Schools cannot pay to change a grade. Read the full methodology.
Best Schools in Cities Near San Luis Obispo, CA
Explore nearby cities to widen your school search.
- Actual: 55%
- Projected: 43%
- Impact Grade: Greatly Exceeds Expectations
- Actual: 51%
- Projected: 40%
- Impact Grade: Greatly Exceeds Expectations
- Actual: 52%
- Projected: 43%
- Impact Grade: Greatly Exceeds Expectations
- Actual: 54%
- Projected: 42%
- Impact Grade: Greatly Exceeds Expectations
- Actual: 48%
- Projected: 39%
- Impact Grade: Greatly Exceeds Expectations
- Actual: 59%
- Projected: 46%
- Impact Grade: Greatly Exceeds Expectations
- Actual: 40%
- Projected: 33%
- Impact Grade: Exceeds Expectations
- Actual: 46%
- Projected: 39%
- Impact Grade: Exceeds Expectations
- Actual: 47%
- Projected: 40%
- Impact Grade: Exceeds Expectations
- Actual: 41%
- Projected: 31%
- Impact Grade: Greatly Exceeds Expectations
Every school in San Luis Obispo
13 of 16 schools in San Luis Obispo carry a SchoolGrade (3 have no school-level proficiency results in our source data). Grade distribution:
A: 8B: 2D: 1F: 2
All 16 public schools we grade in San Luis Obispo. The ranked lists above show the top ten per level; every school has its own page.
High schools (2)
Middle and junior high schools (1)
Elementary and primary schools (7)
- Bishops Peak Elementary
- C L Smith Elementary
- Hawthorne Elementary
- Los Ranchos Elementary
- Pacheco Elementary
- Sinsheimer Elementary
- Teach Elementary
Other schools and academies (6)
- Bellevue Santa Fe Charter
- Grizzly Challenge Charter
- Peep Prepare
- San Luis County Special Education
- San Luis Obispo County Community
- San Luis Obispo County Juvenile Court
Private schools (5)
Private schools have a SchoolGrade only where their state publishes their test results.