6446 Terraza Portico
Carlsbad, CA 92009

San Marcos High School is overall a pretty good school, the academics and community are strong, and my son has had mostly positive experiences there. However, I’ve been disappointed with his coach, Alex Turner, who has come across as unprofessional and arrogant in several interactions. His attitude has made it difficult for my son to feel supported and motivated on the team. It’s unfortunate, because with a more respectful and encouraging approach from the coaching staff, the athletic program could be just as impressive as the rest of the school.

We enrolled our son here for kindergarten since we are local in the community living in San Elijo Hills. On day one we lost trust in the school since the first day of school, our teacher was not present. There was miscommunication and discourse, and our son got left behind at lunch. The teachers failed to do a headcount.We escalated to the principal who now has transitioned over to San Elijo Elementary and there was no general feeling of care, just excuses.The class sizes are atrocious and the number of classes per grade is off the charts for what you would hope for a solid local elementary school.We have transitioned over to private and could not be happier.Avoid Carrillo at all costs, the San Marcos Unified School District needs to elevate their game across all their school and the drawn boundaries where your child attends school is an absolute joke.

This school is overall really good; they have amazing teachers, an administration team, and other faculty members. Their music program is amazing; their highest ensemble plays high school-level music and is so good. They have Honor English and an Accelerated Program in math, where you do 3 years of math in 2, but they're only available in 7th and 8th grade. However, in 6th grade, the work is VERY easy, so you might get bored, but I honestly think that is a good thing because when you go into the harder classes in 7th and 8th, you'll receive a bit of a higher workload. In addition, the teachers are so good; I have so many good teachers. The principal, Tricia Storey, is really good, and the assistant principals are very proactive and are always trying to help other students and do NOT tolerate bullying. I assure you, if you go to this school, you'll make so many friends, and you will enjoy your time here for all 3 years.