School district · Los Angeles County

Santa Monica-Malibu Unified schools

Santa Monica-Malibu Unified’s 9 public elementary schools run from the 60th to the 99th percentile among the 5,726 California elementary schools we score (spring 2026 tests).

Elementary · 9 schools

from 60th to 99th · among 5,726 California elementary schools we score · spring 2026 tests

  • Franklin Elementary: 99th percentile, Strong
  • Edison Elementary: 93rd percentile, Strong
  • Grant Elementary: 89th percentile, Strong
  • Roosevelt Elementary: 89th percentile, Strong
  • Santa Monica Alternative (K-8): 86th percentile, Strong
  • McKinley Elementary: 83rd percentile, Strong
  • Webster Elementary: 74th percentile, Solid
  • Malibu Elementary: 71st percentile, Solid
  • Will Rogers Elementary: 60th percentile, Solid
0Needs Support
0Developing
3Solid
6Strong

One dot per school.

Middle and high school pictures

Middle · 4 schools

from 78th to 91st · among 2,529 California middle schools we score · spring 2026 tests

  • Santa Monica Alternative (K-8): 91st percentile, Strong
  • Lincoln Middle: 91st percentile, Strong
  • John Adams Middle: 81st percentile, Strong
  • Malibu Middle: 78th percentile, Strong
0Needs Support
0Developing
0Solid
4Strong

High · 2 schools

from 71st to 93rd · among 1,498 California high schools we score · spring 2025 tests

  • Santa Monica High: 93rd percentile, Strong
  • Malibu High: 71st percentile, Solid
0Needs Support
0Developing
1Solid
1Strong

One dot per school. Each stage is placed only among California schools at its own level. 1 of the 14 ranked schools teaches two levels, so it appears in more than one picture.

  • 14 ranked schools
  • 1 school not ranked statewide

Schools around Santa Monica-Malibu Unified

15 listed public schools with mapped locations.

Open full map →

Loading school locations…

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 Santa Monica-Malibu Unified score highest?

Franklin Elementary is highest, at the 99th percentile.

That’s higher than 99 in 100 of the 5,726 California elementary schools we score (spring 2026 tests).

Highest in Santa Monica-Malibu Unified

Each percentile compares a school with California schools at its own level. What patterns mean

Show the other 6 elementary schools
Context

The average elementary school in Santa Monica-Malibu Unified had 13 in 100 students chronically absent (missed 10% or more of school days) in 2025–26; the average California elementary school we score had 17 in 100. Both are averages of school rates, each school counted once.

Middle schools

Which middle schools in Santa Monica-Malibu Unified score highest?

Santa Monica Alternative (K-8) and Lincoln Middle are highest, both at the 91st percentile.

That’s higher than 91 in 100 of the 2,529 California middle schools we score (spring 2026 tests).

Highest in Santa Monica-Malibu Unified

Each percentile compares a school with California schools at its own level. What patterns mean

Show the other 1 middle school
Context

The average middle school in Santa Monica-Malibu Unified had 11 in 100 students chronically absent in 2025–26; the average California middle school we score had 18 in 100.

High schools

Which high schools in Santa Monica-Malibu Unified score highest?

Santa Monica High is highest, at the 93rd percentile.

That’s higher than 93 in 100 of the 1,498 California high schools we score (spring 2025 tests).

Highest in Santa Monica-Malibu Unified

Each percentile compares a school with California schools at its own level. What patterns mean

1 high school not ranked statewide

The district

Where does Santa Monica-Malibu Unified’s money go, and what does it plan?

Santa Monica-Malibu Unified spent $25,939 per student in the 2024–25 school year.

The typical California district spent $20,491. About 58 cents of every Santa Monica-Malibu 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

  • Instruction58%
  • Instruction support11%
  • Student services9%
  • Administration8%
  • Buildings & maintenance13%
  • Other1%

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

$318.9 million

planned in its 2026–27 plan for 42 funded actions in 4 goals. That’s more than its $237.9 million general fund budget. Its largest action, Future Facilities, is $211.1 million. 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, 175 pages), as posted to the California School Dashboard.

Where the money goes

Three actions take 83% of the money. The plan itself puts 23% of it toward staff.

  • Future Facilities $211.1 million
  • Maintenance $33.4 million
  • Administrator Professional Development $20.5 million
  • 39 other actions
Reading, math and catch-up help

5 of the plan’s 42 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 $4.0 million
  • English learners $1.4 million

An action naming two of these appears under both.

Largest of these

  • Summer School$1.6 million
  • English Learner and Longterm English Learner Intervention and Support$1.3 million
  • Assessments and Response to Intervention$1.1 million
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 $6.2 million in extra services for English learners, low-income students and foster youth.

What changed

The total is $208,996 higher than in the 2025–26 plan.

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
Measure2024–252025–26Change
English, every tested grade: Proficient or Advanced in 2025–26, met or exceeded in 2024–25Goals 1 and 272%74%up 2 pts
Math, every tested grade: Proficient or Advanced in 2025–26, met or exceeded in 2024–25Goals 1 and 260%61%up 1 pt
Chronically absentCounted across all the district’s students, not averaged by schoolGoal 317 in 10015 in 1002 fewer in 100
Suspended at least onceGoal 31.5%1.4%down 0.1 pts

Goal 4 isn’t shown because it tracks named schools.

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
  • Future Facilities · $211,137,170
  • Maintenance · $33,431,199
  • Administrator Professional Development · $20,500,038
The full plan4 goals, 55 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 ($318.9 million).

Where does the money go?

82% to Goal 3. 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.

G1
G3

Change since the 2025–26 plan, same title

  • fell 25% or more
  • fell 10–25%
  • fell 2–10%
  • within 2%
  • grew 2–10%
  • grew 10–25%
  • grew 25% or more
  • new or renamed title
  • not compared: unconfirmed, or repeated across goals

Every goal, in the plan’s order

Goal 1All students will be college and career ready through socially just pathways rooted in curiosity, belonging…$55.8 million18% of action budgets

“All students will be college and career ready through socially just pathways rooted in curiosity, belonging, and empowerment” p. 27 ↗

24 funded actions · 2025–26 plan: $55.7 million (+⁠$100,496)

Largest funded actions

  1. Administrator Professional Development$20.5 millionaction 1.4 · p. 130 ↗
  2. Diverse Highly Qualified Staff$6.8 millionaction 1.2 · p. 130 ↗
  3. Fiscal Services$6.7 millionaction 1.1 · p. 130 ↗
  4. Visual and Performing Arts$4.2 millionaction 1.23 · p. 131 ↗
  5. Professional Development$2.2 millionaction 1.6 · p. 130 ↗

19 more funded actions in this goal

  • Libraries and Literature · action 1.26 · p. 131 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services · of which $120,000 is state funding counted toward those services$2.1 million
  • Expanded Learning Opportunities Program · action 1.15 · p. 131 ↗$2.0 million
  • Summer School · action 1.14 · p. 131 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services · of which $856,533 is state funding counted toward those services$1.6 million
  • New Teacher and Administrator Induction · action 1.3 · p. 130 ↗$1.4 million
  • Compliance Training · action 1.5 · p. 130 ↗$1.4 million
  • Instructional Coaches · action 1.7 · p. 130 ↗$1.2 million
  • Guaranteed Viable Curriculum · action 1.9 · p. 130 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services · of which $502,658 is state funding counted toward those services$1.2 million
  • Assessments and Response to Intervention · action 1.13 · p. 130 ↗$1.1 million
  • Physical Education · action 1.24 · p. 131 ↗$1.0 million
  • Career Technical Education Pathways · action 1.18 · p. 131 ↗$0.8 million
  • Early Learning · action 1.25 · p. 131 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services$0.3 million
  • Site Leadership Teams · action 1.8 · p. 130 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services$0.3 million
  • Inclusive Practices for Neurodiverse Learners · action 1.11 · p. 130 ↗$0.2 million
  • College and Career Readiness · action 1.16 · p. 131 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services$0.2 million
  • Social-Emotional Learning · action 1.21 · p. 131 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services · of which $24,740 is state funding counted toward those services$0.2 million
  • Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging, Curiosity, Empowerment · action 1.10 · p. 130 ↗$0.2 million
  • Environmental Education · action 1.22 · p. 131 ↗$0.1 million
  • Project-Based Learning · action 1.19 · p. 131 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services$0.1 million
  • Multi-Tiered Systems of Support · action 1.12 · p. 130 ↗$0.1 million

Changes from last year’s plan, same title

  1. Guaranteed Viable Curriculum+⁠$0.1 million$1.1 million → $1.2 million · p. 130 ↗

Every other line in this goal, against last year’s plan

  • Administrator Professional Development · $20.5 million → $20.5 million · p. 130 ↗unchanged
  • Diverse Highly Qualified Staff · $6.8 million → $6.8 million · p. 130 ↗unchanged
  • Fiscal Services · $6.7 million → $6.7 million · p. 130 ↗unchanged
  • Visual and Performing Arts · $4.2 million → $4.2 million · p. 131 ↗unchanged
  • Professional Development · $2.2 million → $2.2 million · p. 130 ↗unchanged
  • Libraries and Literature · $2.1 million → $2.1 million · p. 131 ↗unchanged
  • Expanded Learning Opportunities Program · $2.0 million → $2.0 million · p. 131 ↗unchanged
  • Summer School · $1.6 million → $1.6 million · p. 131 ↗unchanged
  • New Teacher and Administrator Induction · $1.4 million → $1.4 million · p. 130 ↗unchanged
  • Compliance Training · $1.4 million → $1.4 million · p. 130 ↗unchanged
  • Instructional Coaches · $1.2 million → $1.2 million · p. 130 ↗unchanged
  • Assessments and Response to Intervention · $1.1 million → $1.1 million · p. 130 ↗unchanged
  • Physical Education · $973,328 → $973,328 · p. 131 ↗unchanged
  • Career Technical Education Pathways · $821,689 → $821,689 · p. 131 ↗unchanged
  • Early Learning · $277,966 → $277,966 · p. 131 ↗unchanged
  • Site Leadership Teams · $257,629 → $257,629 · p. 130 ↗unchanged
  • Inclusive Practices for Neurodiverse Learners · $191,986 → $191,986 · p. 130 ↗unchanged
  • College and Career Readiness · $179,538 → $179,538 · p. 131 ↗unchanged
  • Social-Emotional Learning · $173,559 → $173,559 · p. 131 ↗unchanged
  • Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging, Curiosity, Empowerment · $150,000 → $150,000 · p. 130 ↗unchanged
  • Environmental Education · $143,120 → $143,120 · p. 131 ↗unchanged
  • Project-Based Learning · $134,543 → $134,543 · p. 131 ↗unchanged
  • Multi-Tiered Systems of Support · $115,687 → $115,687 · p. 130 ↗unchanged

How the plan measures it · 22 measures

None of these has an all-students line we can quote; the plan’s table lists them from p. 27 ↗.

Goal 2Multilingual Learners will become proficient in English while engaging in a rigorous, culturally and…$1.4 millionunder 1% of action budgets

“Multilingual Learners will become proficient in English while engaging in a rigorous, culturally and linguistically responsive, standards-aligned core curriculum” p. 60 ↗

4 funded actions · 2025–26 plan: $1.4 million (unchanged)

Largest funded actions

  1. English Learner and Longterm English Learner Intervention and Support$1.3 millionaction 2.3 · p. 132 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services · of which $1.3 million is state funding counted toward those services
  2. English Language Proficiency Assessment for California Support$0.1 millionaction 2.4 · p. 132 ↗
  3. English Language Developmentunder $0.1 millionaction 2.1 · p. 131 ↗
  4. English Learner and Reclassified Fluent English Proficient Student Progress Monitoringunder $0.1 millionaction 2.6 · p. 132 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services

Every other line in this goal, against last year’s plan

  • English Learner and Longterm English Learner Intervention and Support · $1.3 million → $1.3 million · p. 132 ↗unchanged
  • English Language Proficiency Assessment for California Support · $58,370 → $58,370 · p. 132 ↗unchanged
  • English Language Development · $15,693 → $15,693 · p. 131 ↗unchanged
  • English Learner and Reclassified Fluent English Proficient Student Progress Monitoring · $8,250 → $8,250 · p. 132 ↗unchanged

How the plan measures it · 14 measures

None of these has an all-students line we can quote; the plan’s table lists them from p. 60 ↗.

Goal 3All students and families feel connected and informed, engaging in safe, well-maintained, and culturally…$261.6 million82% of action budgets

“All students and families feel connected and informed, engaging in safe, well-maintained, and culturally responsive schools that support future-ready learning” p. 76 ↗

13 funded actions · 2025–26 plan: $261.5 million (+⁠$108,500)

Largest funded actions

  1. Future Facilities$211.1 millionaction 3.2 · p. 133 ↗
  2. Maintenance$33.4 millionaction 3.1 · p. 132 ↗
  3. Digital Technology$9.0 millionaction 3.3 · p. 133 ↗
  4. Physical Health and Wellness$3.3 millionaction 3.5 · p. 133 ↗
  5. Campus Security$2.2 millionaction 3.9 · p. 133 ↗

8 more funded actions in this goal

  • Wrap Around Services and Interpretation/ Translation · action 3.14 · p. 134 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services$1.1 million
  • Mental Health and Wellness · action 3.6 · p. 133 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services · of which $383,603 is state funding counted toward those services$0.5 million
  • Attendance Support · action 3.4 · p. 133 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services$0.5 million
  • Restorative Justice · action 3.8 · p. 133 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services$0.3 million
  • Parent Community Engagement · action 3.12 · p. 133 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services$0.2 million
  • Parent Education · action 3.15 · p. 134 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services$0.1 million
  • Communication Systems · action 3.11 · p. 133 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need servicesunder $0.1 million
  • Positive Behavior Intervention Support · action 3.7 · p. 133 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need servicesunder $0.1 million

Changes from last year’s plan, same title

  1. Mental Health and Wellness+⁠$108,500$383,603 → $492,103 · p. 133 ↗

Every other line in this goal, against last year’s plan

  • Future Facilities · $211.1 million → $211.1 million · p. 133 ↗unchanged
  • Maintenance · $33.4 million → $33.4 million · p. 132 ↗unchanged
  • Digital Technology · $9.0 million → $9.0 million · p. 133 ↗unchanged
  • Physical Health and Wellness · $3.3 million → $3.3 million · p. 133 ↗unchanged
  • Campus Security · $2.2 million → $2.2 million · p. 133 ↗unchanged
  • Wrap Around Services and Interpretation/ Translation · $1.1 million → $1.1 million · p. 134 ↗unchanged
  • Attendance Support · $452,752 → $452,752 · p. 133 ↗unchanged
  • Restorative Justice · $265,582 → $265,582 · p. 133 ↗unchanged
  • Parent Community Engagement · $180,367 → $180,367 · p. 133 ↗unchanged
  • Parent Education · $97,094 → $97,094 · p. 134 ↗unchanged
  • Communication Systems · $19,000 → $19,000 · p. 133 ↗unchanged
  • Positive Behavior Intervention Support · $10,600 → $10,600 · p. 133 ↗unchanged

How the plan measures it · 16 measures

None of these has an all-students line we can quote; the plan’s table lists them from p. 76 ↗.

Goal 4 · Equity Multiplier Focus GoalStudents attending Olympic High School will increase student achievement, readiness, well-being, and…$102,484under 1% of action budgets

“Students attending Olympic High School will increase student achievement, readiness, well-being, and engagement for at-promise students through targeted counseling, support services, partnerships, and family engagement Olympic High School is a continuation high school and as such offers a high school diploma program designed to meet the needs of students who have not graduated from high school, are not exempt from compulsory school attendance, and are deemed at risk of not completing their education. Per the 2024 Dashboard, Olympic High School had 32 students enrolled with 62.5% identified as socioeconomically disadvantaged 12.5% as English Learners, and 0% as foster youth. Given the small school nature, many of the subgroups have fewer than 11 students on the various indicators and therefore no color indicator is assigned. The only student group at Olympic for any indicator, as reflected on the 2024 Dashboard was Socioeconomically Disadvantaged for Suspension Rate, but they were at the Blue level with 0%% suspended, a decline of 2.9%. The overall suspension rate for Olympic was 1.9%” p. 103 ↗

1 funded action · 2025–26 plan: $102,484 (unchanged)

Largest funded actions

  1. School Counselor$102,484action 4.1 · p. 134 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services · of which $50,535 is state funding counted toward those services

Every other line in this goal, against last year’s plan

  • School Counselor · $102,484 → $102,484 · p. 134 ↗unchanged

How the plan measures it · 3 measures

None of these has an all-students line we can quote; the plan’s table lists them from p. 103 ↗.

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, 8,623 students
1. White: 48%2. Hispanic or Latino: 30%3. Two or more races: 7%4. Asian: 7%5. Black or African American: 6%6. Filipino: <1%7. American Indian or Alaska Native: <1%8. Pacific Islander: <1%Student mix2024–25
  1. White48%
  2. Hispanic or Latino30%
  3. Two or more races7%
  4. Asian7%
  5. Black or African American6%
  6. Filipino<1%
  7. American Indian or Alaska Native<1%
  8. Pacific Islander<1%
  9. Not reported0%
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

31%

Across California, 63% of students qualify.

2024–25 · 2,668 of 8,616 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?

Santa Monica-Malibu 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, 54% of the district’s English learners moved up at least one level on the state’s English test (ELPAC), or stayed at the top (163 of 301 students). California: 47%. It counts students moving up the test’s levels, so a student can count here before becoming fluent.

2 schools getting state support, 2025–26

Malibu Elementary (Extra targeted support) · Will Rogers Elementary (Targeted support)

This list covers the district’s own schools; each charter school’s page shows its record. Federal designation under the Every Student Succeeds Act, 2025–26.

Sources: District help (CDE) ↗ · English learner progress (CDE) ↗ · School support (CDE) ↗. State results from the 2026 California School Dashboard.

Which places nearby can you look at next?

Cities in the district

More places (2)

Districts nearby

Common questions

Which public schools in Santa Monica-Malibu Unified rank highest?

Elementary: Franklin Elementary, 99th percentile (Strong). Middle: 2 schools at the 91st percentile (Strong): Santa Monica Alternative (K-8) and Lincoln Middle. High: Santa Monica High, 93rd 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 Santa Monica-Malibu 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 (5)

Are the public schools in Santa Monica-Malibu Unified good?

Santa Monica-Malibu Unified’s 9 public elementary schools run from the 60th to the 99th percentile among the 5,726 California elementary schools we score (spring 2026 tests). By band: 6 Strong and 3 Solid. Santa Monica-Malibu Unified’s 4 public middle schools run from the 78th to the 91st percentile among the 2,529 California middle schools we score (spring 2026 tests). By band: 4 Strong. Santa Monica-Malibu Unified’s 2 public high schools run from the 71st to the 93rd percentile among the 1,498 California high schools we score (spring 2025 tests). By band: 1 Strong and 1 Solid. A percentile compares a school with California public schools at the same level that we score. How we score schools.

How does chronic absence in Santa Monica-Malibu Unified compare with California?

The average elementary school in Santa Monica-Malibu Unified had 13 in 100 students chronically absent (missed 10% or more of school days) in 2025–26; the average California elementary school we score had 17 in 100. Both are averages of school rates, each school counted once. The average middle school in Santa Monica-Malibu Unified had 11 in 100 students chronically absent in 2025–26; the average California middle school we score had 18 in 100. These are averages of school rates: each school counts once, whatever its size.

How much does Santa Monica-Malibu Unified spend per student?

Santa Monica-Malibu Unified spent $25,939 per student in the 2024–25 school year. The typical California district spent $20,491. About 58 cents of every Santa Monica-Malibu 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 Santa Monica-Malibu Unified’s 2026–27 spending plan?

The district’s 2026–27 spending plan puts $318.9 million into 42 funded actions in 4 goals, more than its $237.9 million general fund budget. Its largest goal holds $261.6 million, 82% 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 Santa Monica-Malibu 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.

View CDE data ↗ (opens in a new tab)How Scope Scores work →

Download these schools (CSV)Free to use under CC BY 4.0 with attribution.