2024 Best School Districts in the Los Angeles Area

• Arcadia, CA•

• School District

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  Rating 4.3 out of 5  122 reviews

Junior: I love the people I meet on campus, and the wide array of activities and extracurriculars provided for students. I also think it’s really cold how easy it is for students to get involved in clubs, organizations, and teams. The worse part of the experience is the teachers. I feel that not all the teachers have the same level of commitment to their job and I believe teachers shouldn’t be employed based on how long they’ve been at the job, but rather by their performance. I had an amazing math teacher freshman year who was let go because she was new and the school needed to budget cut. However her entire class loved her and I always understood everything in that class. Sophomore year I had a horrible math teacher who had been at the school for a long time, but was hard to understand and didn’t seem committed to helping students along the way.... Read 122 reviews

• grade A+

• Total schools 11

• Students 8,669

• Redondo Beach, CA•

• School District

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  Rating 4.55 out of 5  29 reviews

Senior: RBUSD has amazing education and compassionate support. Administration, staff, students and parents create an inviting and supportive community. Even throughout the Covid-19 situation, we had tremendous direction from the district representatives (phone calls, texts, emails providing consistent and encouraging communications). Best district in the South Bay, by far!... Read 29 reviews

• grade A+

• Total schools 13

• Students 9,607

• Palos Verdes Estates, CA•

• School District

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  Rating 4.14 out of 5  76 reviews

Junior: The worst part is the stress involved. The competition mixed with the overall expectations of this school make life here stress-inducing. Having this loom over your head can get to me sometimes. However, the good part is that the reputation gives you respect from others and pushes you to become a student you thought you couldn't ever achieve. The community is always nice and you have so many support options and opportunities. I would like to see a change in the funding for certain areas. For example, the band does not get nearly enough money to get instruments that are of proper quality and that need to get replaced. Another change I want to see is in maintenance. For example, the fire alarms go off randomly and at this point, no one cares if they go off. This could pose a problem if a real emergency is happening. Overall, this school is lovely with a huge reputation and a paw full of pride.... Read 76 reviews

• grade A+

• Total schools 18

• Students 10,432

• San Marino, CA•

• School District

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  Rating 4.45 out of 5  29 reviews

Parent: San Marino Unified School District provided my children with a private school experience in a public school environment. In addition to a highly rigorous academic program, the District provides excellence in athletics, arts, and activities that distinguish the District as a premier provider of K-12 education. My children had a wonderful experience and as a parent, I enjoyed being a part of such a caring and engaged community of volunteers who continuously come together in support of the schools!... Read 29 reviews

• grade A+

• Total schools 4

• Students 2,703

• La Canada, CA•

• School District

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  Rating 3.8 out of 5  20 reviews

Parent: My kids both went through the La Canada school system and I think it’s the best public school system I’ve ever seen. Great teachers, lots of parental involvement, and highly motivated students. Most importantly, La Canada High is big enough to offer many extracurricular and sports but not so huge that a kid has to be a future Broadway star to get a part in the school play. A really great experience for our family.... Read 20 reviews

• grade A+

• Total schools 4

• Students 3,921

• Santa Monica, CA•

• School District

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  Rating 4.32 out of 5  68 reviews

Senior: Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District is a community in which people from all diverse backgrounds enjoy community events. Whether this be the annual Cinco De Mayo festival at Will Rogers Learning Community or the Jog-A-Thon school fundraiser. This community is great but not perfect. As of recently, safety within this school district has been questionable. Such as the violent attack on a student on the first day of school at Santa Monica High School. Additionally, the countless threats this school faces.... Read 68 reviews

• grade A+

• Total schools 17

• Students 9,129

• Irvine, CA•

• School District

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  Rating 4.22 out of 5  206 reviews

Senior: My time spent in the Irvine Unified School District was enjoyable. Each year I learned something valuable and educational. I'm glad to have met the people and friends who are still with me today from meeting them through my classes from Elementary to Highschool. The safety I felt while attending the district was excellent, and the teachers who helped me throughout the years were helpful and caring. Though there were times when I felt that a few teachers did not seem to have the same connections as others, I still managed to get the support I needed through other resources. Something I may like to see changed would probably be the school lunches and the school itself having more funding. I noticed the schools wouldn't be able to do an event or an activity because of the lack of funding, and there were times when we were supposed to hold a fun trip but were canceled with insufficient money. I do hope future classes would be able to do what my class wasn't able to get done.... Read 206 reviews

• grade A+

• Total schools 44

• Students 36,083

• Laguna Beach, CA•

• School District

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  Rating 4.2 out of 5  20 reviews

Senior: Wonderful school with wonderful teachers and administrative support. Really cares about and supports students. Great opportunities to take many advanced and AP classes. Beautiful campus and facilities.... Read 20 reviews

• grade A+

• Total schools 4

• Students 2,578

• El Segundo, CA•

• School District

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  Rating 4.47 out of 5  36 reviews

Parent: Wonderful programs, excellent teachers and administrators. Truly thankful for the educational experience my children have had in ESUSD!... Read 36 reviews

• grade A+

• Total schools 5

• Students 3,458

• Los Alamitos, CA•

• School District

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  Rating 4.38 out of 5  102 reviews

Senior: I have been in the Los Alamitos district since 1st grade as an out of district student, and I've noticed the district is mostly made of out of district kids. Without us, there would only be a fraction of students currently attending. People come from various counties and drives all to this college prep school and I agree that it is worth it. The schools encourage students to take courses from many many choices to cultivate an education the student could enjoy. The staff and educators are all supportive, kind, helpful, and experienced. The only complaint I have is the slight ignorance in the surrounding community, the best example is from the recent addition of ethnic studies into our curriculum of the high school. There was many protests from parents who assumed the class would be "anti-white" and mirrored the behavior onto some students. In this first year, there were posters for ethnic studies vandalized and torn down overnight with little to no investigation or consequence.... Read 102 reviews

• grade A+

• Total schools 9

• Students 9,133

• Oak Park, CA•

• School District

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  Rating 4.02 out of 5  58 reviews

Alum: As an alum from OPUSD elementary, middle, and high schools I can personally attest to the excellence of the OPUSD educational experience. Stemming from a heart of strong parent involvement, OPUSD offers a wealth of educational opportunities, a superb nurturing environment, and produces very well prepared and well educated graduates. This district is hard to beat!... Read 58 reviews

• grade A+

• Total schools 8

• Students 4,310

• Huntington Beach, CA•

• School District

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  Rating 4.09 out of 5  171 reviews

Senior: We have open enrollment at the high schools in Huntington Beach. Because of the open enrollment, I was able to pick Ocean View High School to attend. Most schools in the district offer AP classes but I was looking for a school that would be impressive to the Academies & Colleges. I believed that the IB program offered at Ocean View was more impressive than that of just taking some AP classes at high schools. In my experience it seemed that IB classes were more in depth learning and the essays we had to write helped me explore the lessons more in than that of my friends just taking AP classes. So in my overall experience with being a student of Ocean View High, I believe I had a higher learning education and so far it has proven me well. I have received acceptance letters to all the colleges I have applied to at this time.... Read 171 reviews

• grade A+

• Total schools 8

• Students 15,098

• Manhattan Beach, CA•

• School District

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  Rating 4.2 out of 5  35 reviews

Junior: Since attending Mira Costa High School in Manhattan Beach, I have been able to meet some of my closest friends. The school has also provided me with various opportunities for growth through programs like Model United Nations, American Sign Language, and various Advanced Placement (AP) programs like Environmental Science, Human Geography, etc. On the other hand, as a Jewish student, recent anti-Semitic graffiti has caused some uneasiness among the Jewish community. The school has done a fine job at expressing concern but the administration could definitely do more to make sure that the Jewish community is respected as this event has occurred multiple times in my past two years at the school.... Read 35 reviews

• grade A+

• Total schools 8

• Students 5,852

• Fullerton, CA•

• School District

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  Rating 4.1 out of 5  219 reviews

Senior: I've attended Troy High School since my Freshman year during the Covid-19 pandemic. Attending school via Zoom 3 days per week and in person the other 2 days. My high school was very well prepared to transition to remote learning and I felt the level of education I received was still top notch even under such a stressful and odd time. The educators were always positive and supportive whether online or in person. Going into my senior year this fall, I feel prepared to academically challenge myself even more than I already have. The opportunities I've received via the Troy Tech program at Troy High School, via my summer internship at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library will be a great asset to my future. I realize how fortunate I am to be a student in this district. FJUHSD provides the type of rigorous education a student should expect from a private institution.... Read 219 reviews

• grade A+

• Total schools 8

• Students 13,431

• Beverly Hills, CA•

• School District

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  Rating 4.09 out of 5  22 reviews

Senior: I really liked that it functions just as a private high school, even though it is a public high school. There are a lot of academic opportunities. There are so many AP and honors classes that I wanted to take but did not have the time. There are also many student-led clubs, which allows the students to discover new interests outside of class. All of the teachers are well educated and are very qualified to teach their classes. However, I feel like I have to criticize the administration because of its decision to change grading platforms in the middle of the school-year. The process was very inconvenient, unreasonable, and costly for the school district and students. Furthermore, the food is terrible and is full of unhealthy fat. It really needs a change in my opinion. My overall high school experience was positive, considering that I got to meet great teachers and to take very challenging courses during my pathway towards college.... Read 22 reviews

• grade A+

• Total schools 6

• Students 3,160

• Walnut, CA•

• School District

• •
  Rating 4.24 out of 5  93 reviews

Middle School Student: I liked Walnut Unified School District. I was here since first grade to sixth grade and I loved my elementary school. We had great teachers and in Middle school the middle school also had great teachers. The facilities are great they are clean and pretty new. Also have good materials being taught but I am not sure after 7th grade if they are good. Also good club activities, middle school had many variety of clubs. Arts are pretty good.... Read 93 reviews

• grade A+

• Total schools 15

• Students 13,311

• Santa Clarita, CA•

• School District

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  Rating 4.29 out of 5  184 reviews

Sophomore: The William S. Hart Union High School District has created a highly educational and competitive program and atmosphere that challenges students with college-level courses offered. Although I would say there needs to be more quick actions to changes and requests upon staff members such as fixing the air conditioning or educating students about various drills, the district performs very well in staying connected with student leaders and their opinions on school grounds.... Read 184 reviews

• grade A+

• Total schools 16

• Students 21,485

• El Segundo, CA•

• School District

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  Rating 4.5 out of 5  46 reviews

Senior: The staff is fairly helpful, however the facilities and diversity are exceptional! There is an ample amount of clubs an activities to choose from, there is definitely something for everyone. The academics are held to a high standard, I have not found another school yet that teaches and applies knowledge like this yet.... Read 46 reviews

• grade A+

• Total schools 5

• Students 2,478

• San Juan Capistrano, CA•

• School District

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  Rating 4.13 out of 5  159 reviews

Alum: For the most part, the teachers and faculty there are very helpful. They go above and beyond with their students and help them succeed. However, I have encountered a few teachers who are either not very knowledgeable of their subjects or communicate in a confusing manner. There have been a few occasions during all of my years in high school when the air conditioner stopped working during the hottest part of the school year. Overall, the bathrooms are mostly clean and accessible.... Read 159 reviews

• grade A+

• Total schools 59

• Students 42,754

• Thousand Oaks, CA•

• School District

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  Rating 4.26 out of 5  50 reviews

Senior: Conejo Valley Unified School District focuses on its students and community. It is well known for it's diversity and acceptance of any race, religion, gender orientation. CVUSD keeps all parents informed weather it's by email, phone calls, mailings, and holds open counsel meetings. We approve of the surveys they send out to all students and parents and trust that our voices are being heard and taken into consideration, especially for COVID and most recently the time schedule changes for High School. The last couple of years, it's been great that our schools, with the government's help, provide free breakfast and lunches to all students. I know many friends who benefit from this because their parents couldn't afford to buy lunch for them. Some would bring to school but in lower grades you saw they were teased so that stopped bringing their lunches. I am grateful for this started because nobody should be hungry, especially if they haven't eaten all day.... Read 50 reviews

• grade A+

• Total schools 27

• Students 16,703

• Placentia, CA•

• School District

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  Rating 4.29 out of 5  140 reviews

Junior: I've been in this district since I was in kindergarten, and most of the teachers and staff have been very helpful in finding a way to support my academic career. Some of my teachers have kept in touch throughout the years and have greatly impacted my life for the better. As for the curriculum, most teachers covered their subjects very well and prepared us for APs and finals. The only experience in this district that I did not find nurturing to the students were the political disputes. There were many times where district members would advocate for limiting certain education such as Critical Race Theory. Because of such bans on education and limitations of expression, countless students like myself would consider this part to be the most negative factor of attending a PYLUSD school.... Read 140 reviews

• grade A+

• Total schools 34

• Students 23,657

• Murrieta, CA•

• School District

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  Rating 4.33 out of 5  116 reviews

Alum: I had a good experience with MVUSD. The staff were supportive, there were many ways to get involved, and it was a great High School experience. I recommend Vista Murrieta High School to those who want to be involved on campus, are looking for high level academic classes (AP or Dual Enrollment), and people who want to be connected to their high school. You definitely take away what you put in to this school, so the more you are involved, the more you will benefit!... Read 116 reviews

• grade A+

• Total schools 21

• Students 22,669

• Cerritos, CA•

• School District

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  Rating 4.38 out of 5  197 reviews

Alum: My experience was great! I first enrolled in the district in sixth grade before I became an alum of Gahr High. My experience over the eight years was pleasant and engaging. The amount of opportunities this district brought me is unmatched. The teachers deeply care about their student’s education. I left the district with skills in decision-making, collaboration, listening, critical thinking, and commitment.... Read 197 reviews

• grade A+

• Total schools 30

• Students 20,535

• Temple City, CA•

• School District

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  Rating 4.13 out of 5  52 reviews

Senior: The Temple City Unified School District has been my home ever since I was 6 years old. It is one that I am proud to be a part of, primarily because of the community, peers, and staff. The community in Temple City Unified School District puts a great emphasis on the importance of academics. My peers and I are always pushing each other to strive for the best, which seriously motivates me to do better. However, I wish that the heavy focus on studying and schoolwork could be complemented by more high school activities. Compared to other school districts, our spirits for a typical high school experience are diminished. For example, Friday night football games could definitely use some work, or our dirt track and field could be turned to rubber and turf.... Read 52 reviews

• grade A+

• Total schools 8

• Students 5,282

• South Pasadena, CA•

• School District

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  Rating 4.12 out of 5  25 reviews

Junior: The teachers at SPHS (the only high school in the district) from grades 9-10 are not very good, and there are some mediocre teachers sprinkled throughout the district. However, the other teachers are all excellent, and campuses are always pristine in terms of cleanliness. Many AP classes are offered and most sports teams are in Division 3 or higher.... Read 25 reviews

• grade A

• Total schools 5

• Students 4,649