Best Schools in Los Angeles County, California
1940 ranked schools in Los Angeles County
Introduction
Los Angeles County is one of the most educationally diverse places in the country — and that's not just a polite way of saying it's complicated. With more than 80 school districts, over a million enrolled students, and communities ranging from beachside suburbs to dense urban neighborhoods to quiet mountain towns, the county's schools reflect just about every kind of educational experience imaginable. Some schools here are among the best in California. Others are working hard to get there. And plenty fall somewhere in between.
What the data consistently shows is that exceptional public schools exist in Los Angeles County at every level — elementary, middle, and high school — and they're not all concentrated in the same zip codes people might expect. Families willing to look beyond the usual names will find strong performers scattered across the county, from Cerritos to San Marino to Santa Clarita, each with its own character and approach.
The Districts That Stand Out
Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified
Serving the hillside communities of Rancho Palos Verdes and surrounding areas, Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified consistently produces some of the strongest elementary scores in the county. Cornerstone at Pedregal Elementary and Soleado Elementary both landed at the 100th overall percentile, each scoring 100th in English and 99th in both Math and Science. These aren't flukes — they reflect a district culture that prioritizes academic depth from the earliest grades. The Peninsula draws families who are deeply invested in education, and the schools reflect that community commitment. At the middle school level, Ridgecrest Intermediate continues the trend with a 98th overall percentile ranking.
San Marino Unified
San Marino is a small city with a big academic reputation, and the numbers back it up. Valentine Elementary sits at the 99th overall percentile, scoring 99th in English and Math and a remarkable 100th in Science. Move up to middle school, and Huntington Middle holds a 99th overall percentile across all three tested subjects. For a district this size — serving a compact, residential community just northeast of Pasadena — those results are consistently impressive. San Marino Unified doesn't have the name recognition of some larger suburban districts, but for families prioritizing academics, it belongs in any serious conversation about the county's best.
Walnut Valley Unified
Diamond Bar and Walnut aren't always the first communities people mention when talking about top-performing schools, but Walnut Valley Unified has quietly built one of the stronger middle school programs in the region. Chaparral Middle in Diamond Bar scored 98th overall, with a 99th in English and 98th in Math. South Pointe Middle in Walnut earned a 97th overall percentile, driven by a 98th percentile Math score. Both schools serve communities that place a high value on academic achievement, and the district has done a solid job meeting that expectation.
ABC Unified and Long Beach Unified
At the high school level, two schools from different districts stand out so dramatically they deserve to anchor any conversation about secondary education in the county. Whitney (Gretchen) High in Cerritos, part of ABC Unified, and the California Academy of Mathematics and Science in Carson, part of Long Beach Unified, both scored 100th percentile across every subject — English, Math, and Science. These are genuinely elite academic programs producing outcomes that compete with the best high schools in the state. Neither school operates like a traditional comprehensive high school; both draw motivated students specifically for rigorous, focused academic programs.
Schools Worth Knowing About
California Academy of Mathematics and Science (Carson)
This school deserves its own moment. Located in Carson and operating under Long Beach Unified, CAMS is a specialized academy that lives up to its name — 100th percentile in every subject across the board. What makes it particularly interesting is its location. Carson isn't a community typically associated with elite academic institutions, which makes this school something of a hidden gem for families across the southern part of the county. It's the kind of school that rewards families who dig into the data rather than just following conventional wisdom.
Dr. Richard A. Vladovic Harbor Teacher Preparation Academy (Wilmington)
Within Los Angeles Unified — the country's second-largest school district, where strong performers can get lost in the noise — Harbor Teacher Preparation Academy in Wilmington stands out. It earned a 99th overall percentile, scoring 100th in English, 99th in Math, and 98th in Science. What's notable here is the mission: this school is designed to cultivate future educators while delivering exceptional outcomes for current students. That dual focus doesn't dilute results — it seems to sharpen them.
Academy of the Canyons (Santa Clarita)
Tucked into the northern end of the county in Santa Clarita, Academy of the Canyons operates under William S. Hart Union High School District and earned a 98th overall percentile — 99th in English, 97th in Math, and 98th in Science. For families in the Santa Clarita Valley, this school represents a genuinely outstanding local option. It's also a reminder that strong high schools exist well outside the county's urban and coastal centers.
South Pasadena Middle (South Pasadena)
South Pasadena is a small, walkable city with a strong sense of community identity, and South Pasadena Middle reflects that. With a 99th overall percentile — including a 99th in Math and 98th in both English and Science — it ranks among the top middle schools in Los Angeles County. For families in the area, it's a standout public option that often gets overshadowed by the high school's reputation.
How We Rank Schools
The rankings on The School Advocate are built on state standardized test data, weighted across three subjects: English accounts for 40% of the overall score, Math accounts for another 40%, and Science makes up the remaining 20%. Rather than treating all years equally, the methodology gives more weight to recent performance — so a school that has been improving will rank higher than one resting on older results. Schools are compared against others at the same grade level statewide, which means a 99th percentile score reflects genuine statewide performance, not just local comparison.
Compare Schools Yourself
Rankings tell part of the story, but every family has different priorities. The School Advocate's comparison tool at /compare lets you put specific schools side by side — useful when you're deciding between neighborhoods, evaluating a school transfer, or just trying to understand how your local school stacks up against others in the county.
Top Elementary Schools
| Rank | School | District | City | English | Math | Overall |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wonderland Avenue Elementary | Los Angeles Unified | Los Angeles | 100 | 99 | 100 |
| 2 | Third Street Elementary | Los Angeles Unified | Los Angeles | 100 | 99 | 100 |
| 3 | Cornerstone at Pedregal Elementary | Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified | Rancho Palos Verdes | 100 | 99 | 100 |
| 4 | Soleado Elementary | Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified | Rancho Palos Verdes | 100 | 99 | 100 |
| 5 | Valentine Elementary | San Marino Unified | San Marino | 99 | 99 | 99 |
| 6 | Aurelia Pennekamp Elementary | Manhattan Beach Unified | Manhattan Beach | 99 | 99 | 99 |
| 7 | Carver Elementary | San Marino Unified | San Marino | 100 | 99 | 99 |
| 8 | Palm Crest Elementary | La Canada Unified | La Canada | 100 | 99 | 99 |
| 9 | Overland Avenue Elementary | Los Angeles Unified | Los Angeles | 100 | 99 | 99 |
| 10 | Marengo Elementary | South Pasadena Unified | South Pasadena | 99 | 99 | 99 |
Top Middle Schools
| Rank | School | District | City | English | Math | Overall |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Huntington Middle | San Marino Unified | San Marino | 99 | 99 | 99 |
| 2 | South Pasadena Middle | South Pasadena Unified | South Pasadena | 98 | 99 | 99 |
| 3 | Ridgecrest Intermediate | Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified | Rancho Palos Verdes | 99 | 98 | 98 |
| 4 | Chaparral Middle | Walnut Valley Unified | Diamond Bar | 99 | 98 | 98 |
| 5 | South Pointe Middle | Walnut Valley Unified | Walnut | 96 | 98 | 97 |
| 6 | Manhattan Beach Middle | Manhattan Beach Unified | Manhattan Beach | 96 | 95 | 96 |
| 7 | Palos Verdes Intermediate | Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified | Palos Verdes Estates | 94 | 96 | 95 |
| 8 | Edward J. Richardson Middle | Torrance Unified | Torrance | 95 | 93 | 95 |
| 9 | Rancho Pico Junior High | William S. Hart Union High | Stevenson Ranch | 95 | 92 | 94 |
| 10 | Rosemont Middle | Glendale Unified | La Crescenta | 93 | 94 | 94 |
Top High Schools
| Rank | School | District | City | English | Math | Overall |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Whitney (Gretchen) High | ABC Unified | Cerritos | 100 | 100 | 100 |
| 2 | California Academy of Mathematics and Science | Long Beach Unified | Carson | 100 | 100 | 100 |
| 3 | Dr. Richard A. Vladovic Harbor Teacher Preparation Academy | Los Angeles Unified | Wilmington | 100 | 99 | 99 |
| 4 | La Canada High | La Canada Unified | La Canada | 98 | 99 | 99 |
| 5 | Academy of the Canyons | William S. Hart Union High | Santa Clarita | 99 | 97 | 98 |
| 6 | South Pasadena Senior High | South Pasadena Unified | South Pasadena | 99 | 97 | 98 |
| 7 | Eunice Sato Academy of Math & Science | Long Beach Unified | Long Beach | 99 | 99 | 98 |
| 8 | San Marino High | San Marino Unified | San Marino | 96 | 99 | 98 |
| 9 | Palos Verdes Peninsula High | Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified | Rolling Hills Estates | 96 | 97 | 97 |
| 10 | Anderson W. Clark Magnet High | Glendale Unified | La Crescenta | 96 | 97 | 97 |