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Garden Grove Unified: Garden Grove Unified schools score 7.7 points above the state average. The trajectory from grade 3 to 5 falls 2.3 points.

Above Average2024–25 data52 schools · avg 52.5/100

Garden Grove Unified has 52 ranked schools across elementary and high levels with an average Scope Score of 52.5/100 — 7.7 points above the state average of 44.8. The highest-scoring school is Ethan B. Allen Elementary at 80/100, where 66.4% of students exceed the state standard. The district spends $14,737 per student (below the state average of $14,815). 5 schools show positive growth trajectories. Chronic absenteeism averages 14.5%, below the state average. Data source: CDE CAASPP 2025 and NCES fiscal data, analyzed by SchoolScope.

Avg Scope Score
52.5
State avg: 44.8
SchoolScope composite
Score Range
53.4
27.0 – 80.4
Avg Exceeded %
28.3%
State avg: 21.3%
Chronic Absenteeism
14.5%
State avg: 17.9%
Schools Ranked
52
With Scope Scores
LevelAvg ScoreSchoolsExceededAbsent
ElementarySolid
52.0/100
4428.5%13.6%
HighSolid
55.8/100
827.3%19.3%

Garden Grove Unified's high schools average 55.8/100 — 12.1 points above the state average.

K–12 pipeline

The typical school path in Garden Grove Unified, top-scoring shown first.

Elementary
52.0
avg score · 44 schools
Patton Elementary
Strong
79/100
+41 more elementary schools
High
55.8
avg score · 8 schools
La Quinta High
Strong
72/100
Pacifica High
Solid
64/100
+5 more high schools

District Analysis

Garden Grove Unified has 52 ranked schools with an average Scope Score of 52.5/100 — 7.7 points above the state average of 44.8 (CDE CAASPP 2025).

Strongest level: Garden Grove Unified's high schools lead the district with an average Scope Score of 55.8.

District-wide elementary growth averages -2.3pp (state avg: -2.9pp) — a declining trend worth examining school by school.

Score range of 53.4 points — showing significant variation between schools.

District chronic absenteeism averages 14.5%, 3.4pp below the state average of 17.9%.

District suspension rate averages 1.6%, near the state average of 1.6%.

Ethan B. Allen Elementary leads the district at 80 with 66.4% exceeding standard.

How we score · Scope Score methodology

School archetypes in Garden Grove Unified

6 Culture First5 Strong All-Around5 Growth Engine5 On the Rise26 Building Momentum

Hidden gems: 10 schools in Garden Grove Unified are classified as Growth Engine (5) or On the Rise (5) — showing positive growth trajectories that raw proficiency scores alone don't capture. These are schools where students leave with more than they arrived with.

Archetypes are data-driven labels based on Scope Score dimensions. Learn more

Student demographics

Hispanic
55.4%
White
5.7%
Asian
33.4%
Black
0.5%
Other
5.0%
Free/Reduced Lunch
79%
Economic need indicator · district avg

District averages · California Department of Education enrollment data

District Funding

Garden Grove Unified spends $14,737 per student in current expenditures — $78 below the state average of $14,815.

Per-Pupil Spending
$14,737
State avg: $14,815
District Enrollment
40,124
Students for funding calc
2016–2020 Trend
↑ 28.3%
$11,487 → $14,737
Spending Efficiency
3.57
Scope Score per $1K spent
Spending Breakdown
Instruction 63%Support 34%Other 3%
NCES F-33 Finance · District-level data — not school-specific

Data source: NCES Common Core of Data, Fiscal Survey (F-33) · 2019–2020

Teacher compensation

Salary Range
$72,504–$141,634
District schedule · CA median ~$98K
Teaching Staff
1,910
Full-time equivalent teachers

CDE Form J-90 salary schedule · 2024–25

For the data nerds

Every school in Garden Grove Unified

ranked by Scope Score · 2024–25 CAASPP

Elementary Schools (44)

Garden Grove Unified has 44 ranked elementary schools averaging a Scope Score of 52.0 — 7.1 points above the state average of 44.8. 4 of 44 elementary schools score above 70.

Growth averages -2.3pp district-wide — a declining trend worth examining.

The highest-scoring elementary school is Ethan B. Allen Elementary with a Scope Score of 80 and 66.4% exceeding standard.

#SchoolExceededScore
1Ethan B. Allen Elementary
Garden Grove Unified High Ceiling
66.4%Strong
80/100
2Patton Elementary
Garden Grove Unified High Ceiling
56.9%Strong
79/100
3A. G. Cook Elementary
Garden Grove Unified High Ceiling
57.0%Strong
75/100
4Loyal Barker Elementary
Garden Grove Unified High Ceiling
54.8%Strong
73/100
5John Murdy Elementary
Garden Grove Unified Growth Engine
40.6%Solid
69/100
6Susan B. Anthony Elementary
Garden Grove Unified Building Momentum
43.3%Solid
68/100
7Enders Elementary
Garden Grove Unified Growth Engine
42.7%Solid
68/100
8Thomas Paine Elementary
Garden Grove Unified Building Momentum
48.9%Solid
65/100
9Merton E. Hill Elementary
Garden Grove Unified Strong All-Around
37.5%Solid
64/100
10Garden Park Elementary
Garden Grove Unified Growth Engine
32.5%Solid
63/100
11Morningside Elementary
Garden Grove Unified Strong All-Around
34.0%Solid
60/100
12Excelsior Elementary
Garden Grove Unified Solid Base
46.2%Solid
60/100
13Ocia A. Peters Elementary
Garden Grove Unified Building Momentum
38.8%Solid
58/100
14Agnes Ware Stanley Elementary
Garden Grove Unified Growth Engine
30.8%Solid
58/100
15Gilbert Elementary
Garden Grove Unified Building Momentum
34.8%Solid
57/100
16Louis G. Zeyen Elementary
Garden Grove Unified Growth Engine
28.6%Solid
56/100
17Stanford Elementary
Garden Grove Unified Building Momentum
26.6%Solid
55/100
18Faylane Elementary
Garden Grove Unified Building Momentum
35.5%Solid
54/100
19R. F. Hazard Elementary
Garden Grove Unified Culture First
27.8%Solid
54/100
20Sunnyside Elementary
Garden Grove Unified Building Momentum
28.9%Solid
52/100
21Mamie L. Northcutt Elementary
Garden Grove Unified Building Momentum
18.4%Solid
51/100
22Ethel M. Evans Elementary
Garden Grove Unified Culture First
27.4%Solid
50/100
23Parkview Elementary
Garden Grove Unified Building Momentum
28.8%Solid
50/100
24James Monroe Elementary
Garden Grove Unified Culture First
20.6%Developing
49/100
25Post Elementary
Garden Grove Unified Culture First
38.1%Developing
48/100
26Ernest O. Lawrence Elementary
Garden Grove Unified Building Momentum
22.2%Developing
48/100
27Earl Warren Elementary
Garden Grove Unified Building Momentum
19.1%Developing
46/100
28Heritage Elementary
Garden Grove Unified Building Momentum
14.6%Developing
43/100
29Riverdale Elementary
Garden Grove Unified Building Momentum
15.4%Developing
43/100
30Newhope Elementary
Garden Grove Unified On the Rise
12.8%Developing
43/100

High Schools (8)

Garden Grove Unified has 8 ranked high schools averaging a Scope Score of 55.8 — 12.1 points above the state average of 43.7. 1 of 8 high schools score above 70.

The highest-scoring high school is La Quinta High with a Scope Score of 72 and 49.6% exceeding standard.

#SchoolExceededScore
1La Quinta High
Garden Grove Unified Strong All-Around
49.6%Strong
72/100
2Pacifica High
Garden Grove Unified Strong All-Around
37.4%Solid
64/100
3Garden Grove High
Garden Grove Unified Building Momentum
33.4%Solid
63/100
4Bolsa Grande High
Garden Grove Unified Strong All-Around
32.3%Solid
61/100
5Rancho Alamitos High
Garden Grove Unified Building Momentum
23.1%Solid
55/100
6Santiago High
Garden Grove Unified Building Momentum
19.9%Solid
52/100
7Los Amigos High
Garden Grove Unified Building Momentum
21.6%Solid
52/100
8Marie L. Hare High
Garden Grove Unified Building Momentum
1.6%Needs Support
27/100
Source: CDE CAASPP 2025 · 52 schoolsMethodology · Explore all schools

Data source: California Department of Education · CAASPP 2024-25 · Methodology

Scores are SchoolScope's analysis of public data, not official CDE ratings. They represent one way of interpreting test results and should not be the sole basis for school decisions.

What Scope Scores can't tell you about Garden Grove Unified

Numbers tell you whether students are clearing the bar. A school visit tells you whether they're happy doing it. These metrics are intentionally missing from the Scope Score: class sizes and student-teacher interaction quality; arts, music, athletics, and enrichment programs; teacher experience and turnover; campus safety and social-emotional support; parent and community engagement; quality of special education and gifted programs; how resources are distributed across schools within the district. Full methodology

Frequently asked questions

Is Garden Grove Unified a good school district?
Garden Grove Unified has 52 ranked schools averaging a Scope Score of 52.5/100, which is 7.7 points above the state average. 28.3% of students exceed the state standard on average. The Scope Score measures academic performance and school climate across seven dimensions. Data source: CDE CAASPP 2025, analyzed by SchoolScope.
What is the best school in Garden Grove Unified?
The highest-scoring school in Garden Grove Unified is Ethan B. Allen Elementary with a Scope Score of 80/100 and 66.4% exceeding standard. See methodology.
How much does Garden Grove Unified spend per student?
Garden Grove Unified spends $14,737 per student in current expenditures. The state average is $14,815. Spending data comes from the NCES Common Core of Data Fiscal Survey (F-33). Higher spending does not automatically mean better outcomes — the Scope Score measures what happens in the classroom regardless of budget.
What is the teacher salary range in Garden Grove Unified?
Teacher salaries in Garden Grove Unified range from $72,504–$141,634 based on the district's salary schedule (CDE Form J-90). The California statewide median teacher salary is approximately $98,000.
What does the Scope Score measure?
The Scope Score is SchoolScope's proprietary composite rating (0–100) based on seven dimensions of publicly available California school data: the exceeded-vs-met standard split, overall proficiency, grade-level growth, chronic absenteeism, suspension rate, ELPAC English Learner proficiency, and baseline proficiency. Full methodology and weights.