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Malibu High · Malibu

Malibu High: High scores, healthy climate, strong attendance. We looked for a catch — we didn't find one.

Malibu posts 29.4% exceeding the standard — versus 15.8% statewide — with climate numbers better than most. That doesn't make it perfect. It makes it worth a visit to find what numbers can't measure.

30237 Morning View Drive, 90265 (opens in new tab)·Santa Monica-Malibu Unified·Malibu·Grades 9-12·387 students·21% low-income·2024–25 CAASPP·(310) 457-6801·Website
2019–2025 trend · CDE CAASPP
This schoolCA avg
Scope6444
% Exceeded29%16%
% Met+56%36%
Grad rate93.8%87.6%
College readiness91.7%35.4%
Absence27.3%30.2%
Suspension4.4%3.6%
Scope Score
64
🌱 Building Momentum · Solid
ranked #227 statewide · #2 of 3 in Santa Monica-Malibu Unified

Malibu High scores 64 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 89th percentile of 2,160 California high schools (CDE CAASPP 2025).

Measures test performance, attendance, and climate — not arts, community, or your kid. How we score →

🌱 Building Momentum — This label means the data doesn't clearly sort the school one way or the other — ask what the school is proud of, and what it's working on.

CDE CAASPP 2025

Most rating sites would stop at “56% proficient” and call it done. Malibu deserves a closer read. It sits at the 89th percentile of 2,160 California high schools — but the ranking is the least interesting thing on this page.

Malibu's low-income kids hit 70.6% proficiency in ELA — a number the same group reaches at 38.2% statewide. If you're trying to read past zip-code-driven test scores, that's the signal worth weighing.

The seven-year arc

Percentile among 2,160 high schools statewide

Has held the 89th-percentile line every tested year since 2019.

CA Dashboard
ELAOrange(Declined Significantly)MathOrange(Declined Significantly)

This school hasn't fully recovered from the pandemic: 56% meet the standard today, versus 68% in 2019 — a gap worth asking about on a visit.

ELA — % met or exceeded, by grade
Grade20192022202320242025
Grade 1180%83%69%76%68%
Math — % met or exceeded, by grade
Grade20192022202320242025
Grade 1155%58%33%47%45%

The story this school is actually telling

Proficient by 11th grade
56%
State 36%
Graduate
94%
State 88%
Pass an AP exam
92%
State 35%

Of 100 students here: 56 are proficient by 11th grade → 94 graduate → 92 pass an AP exam. The gaps between those bars are the questions to ask.

The 7 things our score weighs

Graduation rate
93.8%
State 87.6%
6.2pp above state avg
Exceeded standard
29.4%
State 15.8%
13.6pp above state avg
College readiness
91.7%
State 35.4%
AP exam pass rate above state avg
Met or exceeded
56.4%
State 35.7%
20.7pp above state avg
Chronic absenteeism
27.3%
State 30.2%
2.9pp below state avg
Suspension rate
4.4%
State 3.6%
0.8pp above state avg
EL proficiency (ELPAC)
33.3%
State 18.0%
15.4pp above state avg
Worth a school visit

Ask what the school is working on next. Strong numbers tell you where a school is, not where it's going.

  • Ask whether the tour can step into a working classroom — watch how the teacher handles a student who's stuck.
  • Ask to tour while school's in session, and notice how hallways and transitions feel — culture shows up between classes, not just in them.
  • Ask how the school communicates with families when a child starts to struggle.
  • Ask what a typical day looks like for a new student in the first few weeks.

How every group of students does here

At Malibu High in Malibu, 70.6% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 53.4% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Malibu High outperforms its district average for low-income students by 17.2 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (44.4% Math proficient); White students (78.3% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 24.2 percentage points for hispanic students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 17 students tested.

All students at this school: 56% met or exceeded
All StudentsAll Students: this school 56%, district —, state 36%56%
WhiteWhite: this school 64%, district 76%, state 56%64% · +8 vs school
MaleMale: this school 58%, district 65%, state 42%58% · +2 vs school
FemaleFemale: this school 53%, district 68%, state 44%53% · −4 vs school
Hispanic/LatinoHispanic/Latino: this school 35%, district 49%, state 32%35% · −22 vs school
Socioeconomically DisadvantagedSocioeconomically Disadvantaged: this school 57%, district 45%, state 32%57% · +1 vs school
Students with DisabilitiesStudents with Disabilities: this school 15%, district 33%, state 15%15% · −42 vs school

6 of 13 student groups here are too small to report — a privacy protection, not a gap.

this school district, same group California, same group

Showing up, and staying in class

Chronic absenteeismChronic absenteeism: this school 27.3%, district 18.4%, state 30.2%27.3% · −2.9pp vs state
Suspension rateSuspension rate: this school 4.4%, district —, state 3.6%4.4% · +0.8pp vs state
Chronic absenteeism by grade band
Grades 9–1226.7%

Where the path goes

The path below follows attendance boundaries — scores shown for each next step.

K-12 Feeder Path
▼
High School
Malibu High
64/100
This school

Estimated path based on proximity within the same district. Contact your school district for official feeder information.

The people teaching here

Context — never part of the Scope Score
Student : teacherStudent to teacher ratio: this school 15:1, district 19:115:1
Teaching staff38 teachers
Avg. experience12.7 years
Fully credentialed84%
First-year teachers8%
Intern / emergency permit1.1%
Salary Schedule
Teacher salary schedule$62,469 – $125,576
Principal salary$157,428 – $180,392
Superintendent salary$297,412

Pay is set by the district, not the school.

Course Breadth
AP courses offered28
AP exam qualifiers55 students
CTE pathway completers6 students

What gets spent here

Per-pupil spendingPer-pupil spending: $17,123, CA average $14,815$17,123 · district average
District current expense · FY 2024–25$25,939 per student

The district's current expense of education per student, from CDE's annual SACS filing — the freshest district spending figure the state publishes.

Where the district's dollars go · FY 2024–25 · CDE SACS
Instruction58%
Instruction support11%
Student services9%
Administration8%
Buildings & maintenance13%
Other1%

District-level, from the district's own SACS general-ledger filing — school-by-school breakdowns aren't published by the state.

district detail, 2016–2020 — the newest published
2020$17,123 per pupil
2019$15,913 per pupil
2018$16,566 per pupil
2017$15,621 per pupil
2016$15,269 per pupil

Source: NCES F-33 · Full district breakdown →

The neighborhood it serves

White72.1%
District 47.9% · CA 19.9%
Hispanic16.3%
District 29.8% · CA 56.1%
Other7.8%
District 8.4% · CA 9.0%
Asian2.1%
District 7.4% · CA 10.2%
Black1.8%
District 6.5% · CA 4.8%
Low IncomeFree/reduced lunch eligible 20.9% (43pp below CA avg)
Neighborhood — American Community Survey
Median income$197K · CA $85K
Median home value$2.00M · CA $659K
Bachelor's degree+69% · CA 35%
ZIP population15,918
Median age52 years

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2024) · ZIP-level

Worth Knowing

At 387 students, this school is much smaller than the typical California high school (≈1450).

On the state's science test (CAST), 49% met or exceeded the standard — science is tested in grades 5 and 8 but never enters the Scope Score.

Frequently asked questions

Is Malibu High a good high school?

Malibu High has a Scope Score of 64 out of 100, placing it in the 89th percentile of California high schools and ranked #227 statewide. 29.4% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is 13.6 percentage points above the California average of 15.8%. The Scope Score weights 7 dimensions for high schools: graduation rate (25%), exceeded standard (22%), college/career readiness (20%), met or exceeded (proficient) (18%), chronic absenteeism (5%), suspension rate (5%), and ELPAC English Learner proficiency (5%). Data source: California Department of Education CAASPP 2025, analyzed by SchoolScope.

What are Malibu High's CAASPP test scores?

On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 56.4% of students at Malibu High met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 29.4% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 27.0% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 29.4% pushed past it. Most rating sites report only the combined "proficient" number. SchoolScope surfaces the exceeded-vs-met split because it reveals whether a school's curriculum challenges students beyond minimum proficiency or paces toward it. 204 student-subject combinations were assessed.

How does Malibu High rank in California?

Malibu High ranks #227 among California high schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 89th percentile. This ranking is based on a weighted composite of 2025 CAASPP test performance (exceeded and met rates), chronic absenteeism, and suspension rate. Unlike single-number ratings, the Scope Score shows what drives the ranking so parents can decide what matters most to their family. See full methodology.

What is the attendance and school culture like at Malibu High?

27.3% of students at Malibu High are chronically absent (missing 10% or more of school days), which is better than the California average of 30.2%. The suspension rate is 4.4%. SchoolScope includes these culture metrics in the Scope Score because they reflect day-to-day school experience in ways test scores alone cannot.

How does Malibu High compare to other schools in Malibu?

Malibu High scores 64/100 (89th percentile) among California high schools. To compare with nearby schools, SchoolScope shows the same metrics side by side: exceeded rate, proficiency, growth trajectory, and school culture indicators. The school serves 387 students. Use the schools in Malibu page or the map view to compare all high schools nearby.

How does Malibu High serve low-income and underrepresented students?

At Malibu High in Malibu, 70.6% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 53.4% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Malibu High outperforms its district average for low-income students by 17.2 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (44.4% Math proficient); White students (78.3% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 24.2 percentage points for hispanic students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 17 students tested. SchoolScope shows disaggregated test scores by demographic subgroup so you can see how a school performs for your child's specific group — not just the school-wide average. Subgroup data is context, not part of the Scope Score: we don't penalize schools for who they serve. See our equity approach.

Your other options

All schools in Malibu →

Private alternatives nearby

Private schools within ~10 miles. These schools do not participate in state testing and cannot be scored or ranked.

For the data nerds

Every number on this page

Score factors, grade-level breakdowns, subgroup proficiency, and peer comparisons.

01Score factorsWeighted composite · 2024–25
Graduation rate · 25%
93.8%
↑ vs CA 87.6% · 57th pctile
Exceeded standard · 22%
29.4%
↑ vs CA 15.8% · 64th pctile
College readiness · 20%
91.7%
↑ vs CA 35.4% · 83th pctile
Met or exceeded · 18%
56.4%
↑ vs CA 35.7% · 65th pctile
Chronic absenteeism · 5%
27.3%
↑ vs CA 30.2% · 52th pctile
Suspension rate · 5%
4.4%
↓ vs CA 3.6% · 47th pctile
EL proficiency (ELPAC) · 5%
33.3%
↑ vs CA 18.0% · 75th pctile
02By grade & subgroupCAASPP 2024–25 · % of tested students
ELATestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 1110240%27%18%15%68%+20
MathTestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 1110219%26%24%31%45%+22
Science (CAST)TestedEXCMETNEARNOT
Grade 5/8/1110712%36%46%6%

CAST is tested in grades 5, 8, and once in high school — not annually. Not part of the Scope Score.

Subgroup · ELATestedMET+vs districtvs CA
Socioeconomically Disadvantaged1770.6%+17+32
White6978.3%−3+16
Hispanic/Latino2343.5%−14+5
03Peer comparison · nearest high schoolssorted by Scope Score
SchoolDistScopeEXCMET+GrowthSusp
Malibu High ←—6429.4%56.4%—4.4%
California average—4415.8%35.7%—3.6%
04More measurescontext · not all part of the Scope Score
Graduation Rate
93.8%
AP Exam Prepared
91.7%
A-G Completion
48.4%
A-G are the 15 courses (across 7 subjects) required for UC/CSU eligibility
College-Going Rate
78.8%
YearScopePctileRankExcMet+AbsentSuspGrowth
20197395#10441.2%67.8%19.0%1.3%—
20227094#11937.5%70.0%31.9%2.8%—
20236187#27525.2%50.9%27.6%4.1%—
20246793#15335.5%61.0%28.0%2.6%—
20256489#22729.4%56.4%27.3%4.4%—
NO STATEWIDE TESTING 2020–21 (COVID) · SCORE AND PERCENTILE ARE RELATIVE TO EACH YEAR'S FIELD
05Climate by student groupchronic absenteeism · 2019 vs 2025 — the two years CDE publishes at subgroup level
Group20192025Δ
Female18.4%27.7%+9.3pp
Male19.1%26.0%+6.9pp
Asian0.0%——
Black/African American36.8%——
Hispanic/Latino18.0%25.4%+7.4pp
Two or More Races11.5%22.2%+10.7pp
Students with Disabilities33.0%38.6%+5.6pp
English Learners6.5%41.2%+34.7pp
Socioeconomically Disadvantaged30.6%33.7%+3.1pp
All Students18.8%26.7%+7.9pp
EXC = exceeded standard · MET+ = met or exceeded ("proficient") · Source: CA Dept. of Education · CAASPP 2024–25 · n=2,160 high schools · Vintages: climate subgroups 2019+2025 · district finance per its label · ACS 2022 · Data updated 2026-07-03methodology · data updates · CSV · report issue

SchoolScope scores and verdicts are our interpretation of public California Department of Education data — independent analysis, not an official rating. How we analyze · Request a correction

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