Laguna Beach Unified has two ranked public elementary schools, one middle school and one high school. Top of the World Elementary is at the 94th percentile, El Morro Elementary the 94th, Thurston Middle the 94th and Laguna Beach High the 92nd, each among the California schools we score at its level (spring 2026 tests; high schools, spring 2025).
Percentile among California schools at the same level
Strong75th+
Solid50–74th
Developing25–49th
Needs Supportbelow 25th
Not scored
The school lists on this page are also available without the map.
Elementary schools
Which elementary schools in Laguna Beach Unified score highest?
Top of the World Elementary’s 94th percentile means it scored higher than 94 in 100 of the 5,726 California elementary schools we score (spring 2026 tests).
Highest in Laguna Beach Unified
Each percentile compares a school with California schools at its own level. What patterns mean
Where does Laguna Beach Unified’s money go, and what does it plan?
Laguna Beach Unified spent $37,631 per student in the 2024–25 school year.
The typical California district spent $20,491. About 60 cents of every Laguna Beach Unified dollar went to classroom instruction.
Spending by function
Day-to-day spending per student in average daily attendance, from the district’s annual financial report (SACS) to the California Department of Education. District-wide: it includes central administration and costs never assigned to one campus.
Share by function, 2024–25
Instruction60%
Instruction support10%
Student services11%
Administration9%
Buildings & maintenance7%
Other3%
Shares of the same spending total, by the report’s spending categories, rounded so they add up to 100. Names are simplified from the report’s own categories.
What the district plans
$84.6 million
planned in its 2026–27 plan for 26 funded actions in 3 goals. That’s 94% of its $90.2 million general fund budget. These are planned amounts; the district reports what it spent in a later plan.
The plan in short
Source: the district’s yearly spending plan (Local Control and Accountability Plan, or LCAP, 161 pages), as posted to the California School Dashboard.
Where the money goes
Three actions take 71% of the money. The plan itself puts 79% of it toward staff.
Teaching and Learning $40.7 million
Special Education and 504 Plan Services $12.5 million
Facilities Improvements $6.9 million
23 other actions
Reading, math and catch-up help
2 of the plan’s 26 funded actions name reading, math, catch-up help or English learners in their titles.
Actions whose titles name catch-up help or English learners
Catch-up help $0.6 million
English learners $1.6 million
Largest of these
English Language Development Program$1.6 million
Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS): Academic Interventions$557,051
For high-need students (English learners, low-income students and foster youth), what changed and what its goals measure
For high-need students
It plans $1.8 million in extra services for English learners, low-income students and foster youth. For 2025–26, it planned $1.6 million and estimates it spent $1.6 million, within 1% of the plan.
$1.6 million spent (estimated)$1.6 million planned
What changed
The total is $2.9 million (3%) higher than in the 2025–26 plan. The biggest change in dollars is Teaching and Learning, which went from $38.3 million to $40.7 million.
Largest cuts
Comprehensive Assessment/Learning Management Systems and Student Information Technology Program−$989,811
Facilities Improvements−$601,693
Learning Programs and Systems−$256,965
Largest increases
Teaching and Learning+$2.3 million
Special Education and 504 Plan Services+$1.4 million
Transportation Services+$225,879
What its goals measure
Read these state results for the district’s own schools as context for the goals they measure; results alone can’t show what the plan caused.
What its goals measure: state results, 2024–25 and 2025–26
Measure
2024–25
2025–26
Change
English, every tested grade: Proficient or Advanced in 2025–26, met or exceeded in 2024–25Goals 1 and 3
78%
78%
no change
Math, every tested grade: Proficient or Advanced in 2025–26, met or exceeded in 2024–25Goals 1 and 3
72%
73%
up 1 pt
Chronically absentCounted across all the district’s students, not averaged by schoolGoal 2
11 in 100
11 in 100
no change
Suspended at least onceGoal 2
1.9%
1.3%
down 0.6 pts
Figures from CDE’s state test, chronic absence and suspension files. Test figures cover every grade the district tests (California tests grades 3–8 and 11), so they differ from a profile’s rated grades. We combined the district’s schools ourselves, weighted by students and leaving out charter schools. Chronically absent means a student missed 10% or more of school days.
The plan’s own titles and amounts
Teaching and Learning · $40,665,585
Special Education and 504 Plan Services · $12,474,809
Facilities Improvements · $6,929,613
The full plan3 goals, 65 measures and where the money goes
We calculate each action’s share of the plan by dividing its planned amount by the total of the plan’s funded actions ($84.6 million).
Where does the money go?
61% to Goal 1. Each box is one action, sized by its planned dollars and coloured by its change since last year’s plan. Tap a box to open its goal.
not compared: unconfirmed, or repeated across goals
Every goal, in the plan’s order
Goal 1Develop COLLEGE and CAREER-READINESS SKILLS through meaningful collaboration, creativity, communication…$51.9 million61% of action budgets
“Develop COLLEGE and CAREER-READINESS SKILLS through meaningful collaboration, creativity, communication, critical thinking, problem-solving, and stewardship” p. 37 ↗
10 funded actions · 2025–26 plan: $50.5 million (+$1.4 million)
Largest funded actions
Teaching and Learning$40.7 millionaction 1.1 · p. 123 ↗
Comprehensive Assessment/Learning Management Systems and Student Information Technology Program$4.1 millionaction 1.3 · p. 123 ↗
Learning Programs and Systems$1.9 millionaction 1.2 · p. 123 ↗
Early Learning Program$1.5 millionaction 1.8 · p. 123 ↗
Career Readiness Programs$1.3 millionaction 1.5 · p. 123 ↗
5 more funded actions in this goal
Extended Learning Opportunities · action 1.9 · p. 123 ↗$1.0 million
Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS): Academic Interventions · action 1.7 · p. 123 ↗$0.6 million
Professional Learning · action 1.6 · p. 123 ↗$0.4 million
College-Based Programs, Services, and Counseling · action 1.4 · p. 123 ↗$0.3 million
Environmental and Sustainability Education · action 1.10 · p. 123 ↗$0.3 million
Changes from last year’s plan, same title
Teaching and Learning+$2.3 million$38.3 million → $40.7 million · p. 123 ↗
Comprehensive Assessment/Learning Management Systems and Student Information Technology Program−$1.0 million$5.1 million → $4.1 million · p. 123 ↗
Learning Programs and Systems−$0.3 million$2.2 million → $1.9 million · p. 123 ↗
Every other line in this goal, against last year’s plan
Early Learning Program · $1.3 million → $1.5 million · p. 123 ↗+$0.1 million
Career Readiness Programs · $1.1 million → $1.3 million · p. 123 ↗+$0.1 million
Goal 3Ensure SAFE, EQUITABLE, and INCLUSIVE SCHOOLS through caring learning environments, targeted support…$28.6 million34% of action budgets
“Ensure SAFE, EQUITABLE, and INCLUSIVE SCHOOLS through caring learning environments, targeted support, strategic planning, and community partner engagement” p. 88 ↗
10 funded actions · 2025–26 plan: $27.4 million (+$1.3 million)
Largest funded actions
Special Education and 504 Plan Services$12.5 millionaction 3.8 · p. 124 ↗
Facilities Improvements$6.9 millionaction 3.4 · p. 124 ↗
Transportation Services$3.1 millionaction 3.6 · p. 124 ↗
Leadership and Strategic Planning$2.8 millionaction 3.5 · p. 124 ↗
English Language Development Program$1.6 millionaction 3.9 · p. 124 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services
5 more funded actions in this goal
Family and Community Outreach · action 3.2 · p. 124 ↗$0.7 million
Nutrition Services · action 3.7 · p. 124 ↗$0.4 million
Comprehensive Safety Programs · action 3.1 · p. 124 ↗$0.2 million
School Climate Programs · action 3.3 · p. 124 ↗$0.2 million
Services for Students who are Homeless, Students who are Foster Youth, and Students from Economically Disadvantaged Homes · action 3.10 · p. 124 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services$0.1 million
Changes from last year’s plan, same title
Special Education and 504 Plan Services+$1.4 million$11.1 million → $12.5 million · p. 124 ↗
Facilities Improvements−$0.6 million$7.5 million → $6.9 million · p. 124 ↗
Transportation Services+$0.2 million$2.9 million → $3.1 million · p. 124 ↗
Every other line in this goal, against last year’s plan
Leadership and Strategic Planning · $2.7 million → $2.8 million · p. 124 ↗+$0.1 million
English Language Development Program · $1.5 million → $1.6 million · p. 124 ↗+$0.2 million
Family and Community Outreach · $535,559 → $669,628 · p. 124 ↗+$134,069
Nutrition Services · $200,000 → $400,000 · p. 124 ↗+$200,000
School Climate Programs · $431,641 → $212,631 · p. 124 ↗−$219,010
Services for Students who are Homeless, Students who are Foster Youth, and Students from Economically Disadvantaged Homes · $128,630 → $147,995 · p. 124 ↗+$19,365
How the plan measures it · 21 measures
None of these has an all-students line we can quote; the plan’s table lists them from p. 88 ↗.
All amounts are planned. We read them from the PDF and added up each goal’s actions ourselves. Page links open the plan at that page.
Who goes to the district’s schools
Who attends
Student mix
2024–25 · October enrollment count, 2,291 students
1White71%
2Hispanic or Latino12%
3Two or more races9%
4Asian5%
5Filipino<1%
6Black or African American<1%
7American Indian or Alaska Native<1%
8Not reported<1%
9Pacific Islander<1%
Shares use the district's own October enrollment counts from the CDE, including its charter schools. Rounded labels may not total 100%; segments use the original shares.
Free or reduced-price meals
18%
Across California, 63% of students qualify.
2024–25 · 419 of 2,279 students qualify, summed from the CDE’s meal counts for every school it lists under the district, charters included. It comes from a different CDE file than the student mix, so the two totals differ.
The district’s state records
Is the state giving the district extra help?
Laguna Beach Unified isn’t getting extra state help in 2026, only the standard support every district gets.
How English learners moved up on the state’s English test
From spring 2025 to spring 2026, 76% of the district’s English learners moved up at least one level on the state’s English test (ELPAC), or stayed at the top (25 of 33 students). California: 47%. It counts students moving up the test’s levels, so a student can count here before becoming fluent.
Which public schools in Laguna Beach Unified rank highest?
Elementary: 2 schools at the 94th percentile (Strong): Top of the World Elementary and El Morro Elementary. Middle: Thurston Middle, 94th percentile (Strong). High: Laguna Beach High, 92nd percentile (Strong). Each percentile is among the California schools at the same level we score. A rank doesn’t decide fit or whether a child can enroll.
Does living in the Laguna Beach Unified district decide which school my child attends?
Not by itself. Attendance boundaries, programs, transfers and space all matter. Confirm the school for your address, grade and program with the district.
More questions (4)
Are the public schools in Laguna Beach Unified good?
Laguna Beach Unified’s 2 public elementary schools are all at the 94th percentile among the 5,726 California elementary schools we score (spring 2026 tests). By band: 2 Strong. Laguna Beach Unified has one public middle school we score, Thurston Middle, at the 94th percentile among the 2,529 California middle schools we score (spring 2026 tests). By band: 1 Strong. Laguna Beach Unified has one public high school we score, Laguna Beach High, at the 92nd percentile among the 1,498 California high schools we score (spring 2025 tests). By band: 1 Strong. A percentile compares a school with California public schools at the same level that we score. How we score schools.
How much does Laguna Beach Unified spend per student?
Laguna Beach Unified spent $37,631 per student in the 2024–25 school year. The typical California district spent $20,491. About 60 cents of every Laguna Beach Unified dollar went to classroom instruction. Day-to-day spending per student in average daily attendance, from its annual financial report to the California Department of Education. The district’s spending, by function.
What is in Laguna Beach Unified’s 2026–27 spending plan?
The district’s 2026–27 spending plan puts $84.6 million into 26 funded actions in 3 goals, 94% of its $90.2 million general fund budget. Its largest goal holds $51.9 million, 61% of the action budgets. The 2026–27 plan, goal by goal.
Where do these results come from?
California’s state tests (CAASPP): spring 2026 for elementary and middle schools, spring 2025 for high schools, and chronic-absence rates for 2025–26, published by the California Department of Education. Percentiles, bands and Scope Scores are SchoolScope’s calculations. How we score schools.
Sources and methodology
This page lists the public schools governed and funded by Laguna Beach Unified, with the district’s spending and state accountability records.
Data source: California Department of Education · CAASPP 2025–26 elementary and middle school; 2024–25 high school
Percentiles, bands and Scope Scores are SchoolScope’s own calculations from these state files.