Public schools in Carlsbad, CA

Carlsbad has 22 public schools with a 2024-25 address in the city: 3 high, 3 middle, 15 elementary, 1 other, enrolling 13,964 students. They are run by 3 districts and agencies; Carlsbad Unified runs 16 of them.

NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25: schools open that year with enrollment · method

The 3 districts and agencies that run Carlsbad's public schools

Each district decides who can enroll where; its page holds its schools, spending and teachers.

DistrictSchools in CarlsbadDistrict students, fall 2022Spending per student, FY23
Carlsbad Unified1610,981$15,022
Encinitas Union School District44,648$17,128
San Marcos Unified219,532$14,622

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25: school location city and operating agency; NCES F-33 fiscal year 2022-23: district fall membership and current spending per student. Schools on a city's edge can serve students from outside it.

3 high schools in Carlsbad, 3,663 students

SchoolStudents 2024‑25Per teacherFree lunchDistrict
Carlsbad High2,33623.823.5%Carlsbad Unified
Sage Creek High1,28924.720.9%Carlsbad Unified
Carlsbad Village Academy386.663.2%Carlsbad Unified

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (membership, staff, lunch); level from the directory. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count.

3 middle schools in Carlsbad, 2,453 students

SchoolStudents 2024‑25Per teacherFree lunchDistrict
Aviara Oaks Middle99122.315.0%Carlsbad Unified
Valley Middle80722.226.6%Carlsbad Unified
Calavera Hills Middle65520.924.0%Carlsbad Unified

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (membership, staff, lunch); level from the directory. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count.

15 elementary schools in Carlsbad, 7,810 students

SchoolStudents 2024‑25Per teacherFree lunchDistrict
Carrillo Elementary72525.020.4%San Marcos Unified
La Costa Meadows Elementary72523.715.0%San Marcos Unified
Hope Elementary65922.016.8%Carlsbad Unified
Pacific Rim Elementary64224.712.8%Carlsbad Unified
Aviara Oaks Elementary61224.518.5%Carlsbad Unified
La Costa Heights Elementary55224.09.8%Encinitas Union
Olivenhain Pioneer Elementary52023.64.2%Encinitas Union
Magnolia Elementary48824.412.9%Carlsbad Unified
Poinsettia Elementary48122.425.4%Carlsbad Unified
Jefferson Elementary47120.244.6%Carlsbad Unified
The other 5 elementary schools
SchoolStudents 2024‑25Per teacherFree lunchDistrict
Kelly Elementary44920.014.3%Carlsbad Unified
Calavera Hills Elementary44122.135.6%Carlsbad Unified
El Camino Creek Elementary40925.63.7%Encinitas Union
Mission Estancia Elementary35522.29.9%Encinitas Union
Buena Vista Elementary28123.428.5%Carlsbad Unified

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (membership, staff, lunch); level from the directory. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count.

One other school in Carlsbad, 38 students

SchoolStudents 2024‑25Per teacherFree lunchDistrict
Carlsbad Seaside Academy3817.026.3%Carlsbad Unified

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (membership, staff, lunch); level from the directory. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count.

How Carlsbad's public schools compare with California's

The median Carlsbad school has 22.9 students per full-time teacher, more than the California median of 21.6. Its median school enrolls 536 students (state 471).

Carlsbad against California, schools open in 2024-25 with students
CarlsbadCalifornia
Median students per teacher22.921.6
Median school size (students)536471
Schools with a schoolwide Title I program (2021-22)not reportednot reported
Schools where every student eats free (CEP)0%74%
Charter schools0%13%

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (membership, staff, lunch program, charter status; the 22 Carlsbad schools and the 9,918 California schools open that year with students); Title I status CCD 2021-22. Students per teacher counts 2024-25 teachers and ratios from 3 to 99.

What to look at next in Carlsbad

  1. Carlsbad UnifiedRuns 16 of Carlsbad's 22 public schools and spent $15,022 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$15,022
  2. Carlsbad High, the largest high school in Carlsbad2,336 students in 2024-25, 23.8 per teacher.2,336
  3. Compare Carlsbad Unified with Encinitas Union School DistrictCarlsbad's two largest operators side by side: enrollment, spending and schools.
  4. The largest public schools in CaliforniaCalifornia's 50 largest schools open in 2024-25, by enrollment.
  5. Find the school district for a Carlsbad addressA home's district, not its city, decides which public schools it can enroll in.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (schools and their operating agencies); NCES F-33 finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23 (spending per student).

Choosing among them: how to choose a school district with the federal data, and what a Title I school is.

Other cities in California

  1. Los Angeles564 schools
  2. San Diego283 schools
  3. San Jose232 schools
  4. Sacramento197 schools
  5. Fresno179 schools
  6. Bakersfield146 schools
  7. San Francisco123 schools
  8. Stockton122 schools

Questions about schools in Carlsbad

  1. How many public schools are in Carlsbad, CA?
    22 public schools with an address in Carlsbad were open in 2024-25: 3 high, 3 middle, 15 elementary, 1 other, enrolling 13,964 students.
  2. What is the largest high school in Carlsbad?
    Carlsbad High, with 2,336 students in 2024-25 (Carlsbad Unified).
  3. Which districts run Carlsbad's schools?
    Carlsbad Unified (16 schools), Encinitas Union School District (4 schools), San Marcos Unified (2 schools). A school's district, not its city, decides who can enroll.

These figures are for information and are not a substitute for the district's enrollment office, which confirms the school a home is assigned to.

Sources

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School directory, membership, staff and lunch files · 2024-25

Source: NCES Common Core of Data Public school search (the official record of each school) · 2024-25

Compiled from official source data by .