These Are The Top Elementary Schools In San Diego County, U.S. News Says In New Ranking

Ocean Air in San Diego is the best public elementary school in San Diego County, according to a new ranking Tuesday from U.S. News & World Report. The school in Del Mar Union School District ranked ninth in California.

U.S. News researchers based the 2026 ranking of the nation's best public elementary schools on publicly available data from the U.S. Department of Education. Elementary schools are considered either pre-K-5 or pre-K-6 in the analysis. For schools that have a wider grade span, only tests through fifth grade were considered.

The top 20 public elementary schools in the San Diego region are:

1. Ocean Air, San Diego (No. 9 in CA)
2. Solana Ranch Elementary, San Diego (No. 10 in CA)
3. Sage Canyon, San Diego (No. 17 in CA)
4. La Jolla Elementary, La Jolla (No. 18 in CA)
5. Scripps Elementary, San Diego (No. 24 in CA)
6. R. Roger Rowe Elementary, Rancho Santa Fe (No. 35 in CA)
7. Carmel Del Mar Elementary, San Diego (No. 55 in CA)
8. Torrey Pines Elementary, La Jolla (No. 57 in CA)
9. Dingeman Elementary, San Diego (No. 68 in CA)
10. Pacific Rim Elementary, Carlsbad (No. 70 in CA)
11. Holmes Elementary, San Diego (No. 71 in CA)
12. Jerabek Elementary, San Diego (No. 88 in CA)
13. Silver Gate Elementary, San Diego (No. 91 in CA)
14. Aviara Oaks Elementary, Carlsbad (No. 98 in CA)
15. Elevate, San Diego (No. 105 in CA)
16. Solana Pacific Elementary, San Diego (No. 108 in CA)
17. Del Mar Heights Elementary, Del Mar (No. 114 in CA)
18. Magnolia Elementary, Carlsbad (No. 128 in CA)
19. Deer Canyon Elementary, San Diego (No. 137 in CA)
20. Poinsettia Elementary Carlsbad (No. 163 in CA)

The report includes about 47,000 public elementary schools ranked at the state and district levels based on publicly available data from the U.S. Department of Education.

For district-level rankings, at least two of the top-performing schools must rank in the top 75% of the overall elementary or middle school rankings to qualify for recognition.

"The 2026 Best Elementary and Middle Schools rankings highlight institutions that excel in fostering student achievement and providing exceptional learning environments for all," U.S. News said of the report.

The rankings methodology focuses on state assessments of students who were proficient or above proficient in mathematics and reading/language arts, while accounting for student background and achievement in core subjects. Student-teacher ratios are applied to break ties in the overall score.