Rancho Santa Fe's Rowe Elementary ranks 78th in California

R. Roger Rowe Elementary in Rancho Santa Fe ranked 78th out of 5,920 California public elementary schools in U.S. News & World Report's 2027 rankings. That makes it the highest-rated school in the Del Mar, Solana Beach and Rancho Santa Fe area.

U.S. News released the rankings on Oct. 20. The report covers about 46,000 public elementary schools nationwide, according to a press release from the publication.

The K-5 school on La Granada scored 98.7 out of 100. Eighty-nine percent of its 316 students scored at or above the proficient level in math, and 86% reached that mark in reading, according to U.S. News. Both subjects rated "well above expectations." Rowe tied for 26th statewide in math proficiency and ranked 80th in reading.

All 22 of the school's full-time teachers are certified. The student-teacher ratio is 14-to-1.

Two other local schools also landed in the top 10% statewide.

Del Mar Heights Elementary, a K-6 school on Boquita Drive in Del Mar, ranked 327th with an overall score of 94.49. Eighty-one percent of its 293 students scored proficient or above in reading, and 77% did so in math.

Skyline Elementary in Solana Beach ranked 459th with a score of 92.26. The K-6 school on Lomas Santa Fe Drive enrolls 410 students. Eighty-two percent scored proficient or above in reading, and 71% reached that level in math.

All three schools earned "well above expectations" ratings in both reading and math from U.S. News.

Eric Brooks, U.S. News director of education data analysis, said in the press release that the 2027 rankings incorporate data collected directly from state education agencies by RTI International. The updated methodology assesses student performance across all proficiency levels while accounting for student background.

The assessment data comes from the 2023-2024 school year, according to U.S. News.