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Nichols Elementary School

Oceanside, CA 92057

Phone: (760) 435-7400
Fax: (760) 722-0472
District: Oceanside Unified School District

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GreatSchools Rating

public • Grades KG,1,2,3,4,5 • 522 students

Nichols Elementary School, a public school located in Oceanside, CA, serves grades K-5 in the Oceanside Unified School District.It has received a GreatSchools Rating of 3 out of 10, based on a variety of school quality measures.

Nichols Elementary School is a public school located in Oceanside, CA. 522 students attend Nichols Elementary School.

School Ratings

Category	Rating	Details
Test Scores	4/10	The Test Score Rating examines how students at this school performed on standardized tests compared with other schools in the state. The Test Rating was created using 2025 California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) data from California Department of Education, and using 2025 California Science Test data from California Department of Education.
Student Growth	1/10	The Student Progress Rating measures whether students at this school are making academic progress over time based on student growth data provided by the Department of Education. Specifically, this rating looks at how much progress individual students have made on state assessments during the past year or more, how this performance aligns with expected progress based on a student growth model established by the state Department of Education, and how this school's growth data compares to other schools in the state. The Growth Rating was created using 2025 Student growth data from California Department of Education.

Posted: August 11, 2025

I may be biased, but NIchols Leadership Academy is one of the best schools around. I was one of the lucky teachers who got to open this school brand new back in 2002. It gets better every year. The staff is awesome and the families make it even better. Nichols feels like home!

Posted: August 11, 2025

Posted: May 28, 2025

How this school is rated a 3I cannot fathom! Its an absolute 10 out of 10!!!!! my family, and I moved here when our twins started TK and went into kinder as well, and now we have to move again to Las Vegas and I am devastated to leave this school. They helped me with my autistic /adhd child and nurtured him so well. He is thriving!! His twin sister has also thrived in a separate classroom. All teachers weve had are INCREDIBLY SUPPORTIVE & excellent educators (my six-year-old son is reading in a third grade level). Theyre very communicative. The principal is honestly the best principal ever. The school loves him the teachers love him and the kids love him. Theres so many transfers to the school because people dont wanna leave. Us being one of them.

I cannot speak highly enough about this school. If youre a nervous parent like me and want to feel like you are going to a safe and positive energy School- this is the one. Its an absolute gem.

Posted: May 28, 2025

Posted: May 6, 2024

I am delighted to share my experience with Mrs. Rappold, who has been an exceptional teacher in any grade she teaches . Her dedication and passion for teaching are truly commendable. Mrs. Rappold's teaching style is incredibly engaging and effective. One of Ms. Rappold's greatest strengths is her approachability. She fosters an inclusive and supportive classroom environment where students feel comfortable asking questions. She goes out of her way to ensure that every student feels valued and heard. Ms. Rappold's passion for teaching is infectious. Her enthusiasm for the subject matter inspires students to want to learn. In conclusion, I cannot speak highly enough of Ms. Rappold as a teacher. Her dedication, passion, and expertise have made a significant impact on my academic journey. I am grateful for the knowledge, inspiration, and guidance she has provided. She truly embodies the qualities of an exceptional educator.

Posted: May 6, 2024

Posted: December 1, 2022

Nichols has been amazing for my three daughters. The teachers are caring and do an excellent job teaching. We love the leadership focus and the way they have included enrichment opportunities.

Posted: December 1, 2022

This school has some exciting new initiatives to embrace all students. The leadership is amazing.

Posted: December 1, 2022

Posted: September 19, 2022

Excellent staff and teachers. Teachers are hard working and care about the students.

Posted: September 19, 2022

Posted: September 14, 2022

My two students started 1st and 3rd grade this year. My husband and I went to back to school night tonight and we were so impressed with both of their teachers and with the school as a whole. They both seem to be very happy here and of course that makes me a happy mom! I'm glad they're going to a school with such caring teachers with my children's best interests and education in mind.

Posted: September 14, 2022

Wow! I just went to my student's back to school night tonight and it was excellent. I was very impressed with the campus and with her teacher. I appreciate the time and effort that is going into my child's education!

Posted: September 14, 2022

Posted: August 12, 2022

This school has an amazing staff who truly cares about the kids. They are experienced and they want the best for the community. The teachers are knowledgeable, committed and dedicated. The principal and administrative staff are super qualified and skilled at running a high quality school. They love all the kids, and I mean all!

Posted: August 12, 2022

Posted: August 11, 2022

This school is teaming with staff who truly care about students. The Special Education department goes above and beyond and responds to both parent and student needs. There are multiple ways for students to shine and thrive, from leadership activities, to STEM and Art for K-5. Office staff is exceptional.

Posted: August 11, 2022

Posted: April 29, 2022

If you have ever met the principal flaherty, its easy to understand why this school has such low ratings. He does not follow procedures or seem to advance the children. He fails miserably Keeping parents informed and promoting family engagement and social and emotional support for the children.

Posted: June 10, 2017

From private to public schools. 2016/2017
No stability! My childs 5th grade year was anything but stable. His classroom had at least 4 to 5 different substitute teachers after his teacher went out for surgery, and thats not including the school based resource teacher and principal. On his second trimester progress report, there was not a teacher who could really evaluate what his progress has been, and what areas he may need improvement in, because the different teachers were not there long enough to get a since of what each child could do/or not do. During his promotion ceremony, the students in other 5th grade classes had an award given to each student for meeting all standards. Each student who met the standards had their names called, and they stood up. Not one of my childs classmates, nor my child, names were called. It was clear to see from the audiences perspective that the students who received awards were sitting on the right side all had consistency in their classrooms. So, if the students on the left did not receive awards, did they not meet the standards, and if that is the case, are they ready to be promoted? All I can say is where ever these students go to school for their 6th grade year, I hope their 4th grade year of learning will hold up in 6th grade because they lost a whole year, and now its time to catch up.
Shame on you Principal

Posted: May 16, 2017

The education and staff here has been of high value and my kindergartener has learned many good things and advanced greatly this year. With that said, the approved reading needs to be looked at. My child has brought home books used as social conditioning tools that are meant to desensitize towards homosexuality. I prefer to teach my 6 year old about such things at a later date and it is not right that the school would purposely allow this. I will be complaining to the district tomorrow.

Posted: March 3, 2017

Trying to. Don't know how effective the outcomes are, as my child does not have a learning difference or disability.

Posted: March 3, 2017

Assemblies happen every month to bring forth awareness to each "key of success". And students are recongnized for their effort and/or character building.

Posted: March 3, 2017

Our experience with Nichols Elementary has been pretty good! I think you get out of it, what you put in! There are many families that may not have the time to put in the extra time needed to bring their little one up to state standards, or whatever it may be. I have volunteered as much as possible and this dramatically helped the students move along. Last year one of the first-grade classes had gotten further than they ever had with their sight words (only 2 out of 24) did not complete the very last list of words (which were now 2nd-grade words); but with another week of school, they likely ALL would have done it! It makes a difference the amount of time and energy put into the children. There are many more demands and requirements expected of today's children than when I was in school, which now requires more work. Nichols Elementary is a school that may have more non-English speaking (as their first language) and lower-incomed families which will skew the scores. But I don't think this should be a measure to redirect your child if you live within this school district. Ms. Galloway (the principal) is very conscious of the scores and levels that all the children are at. She is striving to raise them every trimester. Communications are improving between parent and teacher, and school staff and parents. The environment at the school is very goal oriented, forward thinking, character building, respectful, a place of great learning and opportunity to enrich different aspects of every child's life. Take a walk-through of the school, talk with parents that have children attending, then decide. Numbers are just that numbers. What makes a person successful in life, isn't always the number.

Posted: March 3, 2017

There needs to be more consistency among how the teachers are doing homework. Some classes aren't having structured (required) homework, others are. So for the ones without "required" homework, maybe some families are seeing this as a "pass" and do not have to sit down with their student!

Posted: January 19, 2017

My son absolutely loves going here. His teachers have been engaged and caring. My son and I work after school on homework, and we do extra, but his teachers have definitely helped him along, and he has been doing great.

Posted: June 8, 2014

I really wanted my child to start kindergarten at a charter school because of the overcrowding in the public school system, but we were not able to get her in. When my daughter entered Kindergartner she was a distracted, non-listener, not motivated and her favorite phrase was "I don't know". She graduated from kindergarten last week, and she is an active reader, she is listening what people are telling her what to do. School is only about 6 months long, and within that short period of time the teacher (Mrs. Jones) molded her into the great student she should be. The only downside of the school in the parking, there is very little parking spaces and people often park on the street 1/4 mile away, and drivers with no patience end up passing on the other side right into traffic.

Posted: May 8, 2014

New principal, Mr.Moran shows great leadership and involves any event. Teachers are so supportive and provide appropriate assignment for the students. PTO is organized well and very friendly! The school rating is not so good just because there are some bilingual students. But they are lovely nice kids and it doesn't mean theachers don't teach well. There are lots of advanced competitive kids, too! Highy recommended!

Posted: July 13, 2013

Nichols Elementary at 4250 Old Grove Rd, Oceanside, CA earns it's 4 of 10 educational rating. I have two young boys; one in 1st and one in 4th grade. The 4th grade teacher is exemplary, exactly what I expect from a respectable school. But the first grade teacher Ms. Kennington is disappointing. Typically I side with the teacher against my kids but after a few of these incidents clearly leading back to Ms. Kennington, I discovered how detrimental this lady is to the education and safety of the children exposed to her (testament of numerous families who have students in her purview). I filed complaints with the Principal Mr. Moran and other teachers only to be informed at the end of the school year that she had "been made aware of the situation." It is disheartening to know that regardless of how dangerous a teacher is to the health and education of students, there will be nothing done when it is brought to the attention of the proper authorities. This was a series of serious situations we wish we could have avoided. We are remediating our 1st grader over the summer to hopefully prepare him for second and transferring both our students to another school elsewhere in the district.

Posted: February 18, 2013

My son is in kinder this year and has an amazing teacher. She works so hard. The class sizes stink but there is nothing to be done about that. The teacher provides excellent academics as well as art, music, computer lab, and tons of positive encouragement. I feel completely satisfied with his education this year. I'm looking forward to having him continue is education at Nichols.

Posted: October 18, 2012

I LOVE THIS SCHOOL and so did my daughter. I wish more people would not their experiences-- the teachers care about the students!! Every elementary experience was GREAT for my daughter who has since moved onto middle school. THANK YOU NICHOLS

Posted: April 1, 2012

We have a child at this school and look forward to our two younger children attending the school when they're of age. The principal and teachers we have worked with are excellent. Be very critical of average state test scores. The low state average had me worried until I looked at them in more detail. Go on the actual state website and look at scoring distinctions made by ESL and other demographics. Teachers and staff are everything at a school. I have friends with kids at some very sought-after elementary schools (different district) that are very unsatisfied with their school and/or teachers. But on paper, everything is supposed to be great. Parent involvement is also key. One only has to spend a day or two in the classroom to be able to tell which kids are getting additional guidance at home.

Reviews provided by GreatSchools^™

#	Name	Type	City	State	Distance
1	Montecito village apartments	Apartment Complex	Oceanside	CA	1.5 mi
2	St. Cloud	Condominium/Townhouse	Oceanside	CA	1.7 mi
3	Mira Costa Estates	Neighborhood/Subdivision	Oceanside	CA	3 mi
4	Palisades Pointe	Neighborhood/Subdivision	Carlsbad	CA	5.7 mi
5	Shadowridge	Neighborhood/Subdivision	Vista	CA	6.2 mi
6	Windsor at Aviara	Apartment Complex	Carlsbad	CA	9 mi
7	Rancho Carrillo	Neighborhood/Subdivision	Carlsbad	CA	9.4 mi
8	La Costa	Neighborhood/Subdivision	Carlsbad	CA	9.9 mi
9	Redhawk	Neighborhood/Subdivision	Temecula	CA	20.3 mi
10	Torrey Highlands	Neighborhood/Subdivision	San Diego	CA	20.7 mi
11	Whispering Winds Apartments	Apartment Complex	San Clemente	CA	21.6 mi
12	Amberwalk Townhomes	Neighborhood/Subdivision	Murrieta	CA	22.8 mi
13	The Ranchos	Neighborhood/Subdivision	Murrieta	CA	23.4 mi
14	Copper Canyon	Neighborhood/Subdivision	Murrieta	CA	23.6 mi

#	Name	City	State	Distance
1	Downtown Oceanside	Oceanside	CA	4.5 mi
2	Carlsbad	Carlsbad	CA	5.9 mi
3	Lake Rancho Viejo	Fallbrook	CA	11.4 mi
4	Encinitas	Encinitas	CA	13.9 mi
5	Torrey Highlands	San Diego	CA	20.7 mi
6	Temecula, California	Temecula	CA	21.6 mi
7	Downtown	San Clemente	CA	21.6 mi
8	West Side	murrieta	CA	23 mi
9	Mira Mesa	San Diego	CA	24.4 mi
10	Murrieta, California	Murrieta	CA	24.7 mi
11	Murrieta	Murrieta	CA	25.1 mi

Base	Distance
Camp Pendleton	9.4 mi.
Miramar MCAS	27.3 mi.
MCRD San Diego	35.1 mi.
San Diego Naval Medical Center	36.5 mi.
North Island NAS	37.8 mi.
Naval Base Point Loma	38.4 mi.
Coronado Naval Amphibious Base	39.9 mi.
San Diego Naval Base	40 mi.
March Air Reserve Base	45.2 mi.

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Nichols Elementary School

Oceanside, CA 92057

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