La Cañada vs South Pasadena vs Arcadia: SGV Schools Compared

These five districts are near neighbors, so a family house-hunting in one may well be looking at the others. A district’s name travels as one reputation. Your child attends particular schools, though, and in two of these districts the address also changes the middle or high school.

Where does each address lead, from kindergarten to 12th grade?

An attendance boundary is the line that sets which public school an address is assigned to. We drew each district’s routes from the federal survey of those boundaries: which middle school and high school each elementary school’s area is zoned for.

5 districts · 34 elementary schools · 2015–16 boundaries

Which middle and high school follow your elementary school?

3of 5

In 3 of these 5 districts, every elementary school leads to the same path. In Arcadia Unified and Glendale Unified, the middle or high school depends on the address.

• La Cañada Unified
• South Pasadena Unified
• San Marino Unified

Pick a district, then your elementary school

All 5 districtsLa CañadaSouth PasadenaArcadiaSan MarinoGlendaleEvery schoolLa CañadaPalm CrestParadise CanyonArroyo VistaMarengoMonterey HillsBaldwin StockerCamino GroveHighland OaksHolly AvenueHugo ReidLongley WayCarverValentineAbraham LincolnBalboaBenjamin FranklinCerritosColumbusDunsmoreGlenoaksHorace MannJohn C. FremontJohn MarshallJohn MuirLa CrescentaMark KeppelMonte VistaMountain AvenueR. D. WhiteThomas EdisonThomas JeffersonValley ViewVerdugo Woodlands

Showing all 5 districts. Pick a district to see each elementary school’s score, then a school to follow its path.

One path for the whole district The path depends on the address Your elementary school

La Cañada Unified

1 path for every address

1. 3 schools · Grades Pre-K–6 Elementary

   • La Cañada Elementary97Strong · 99th percentile
   • Palm Crest Elementary95Strong · 98th percentile
   • Paradise Canyon Elementary93Strong · 97th percentile

2. Middle

   Grades 7–8 at La Cañada High No middle-school score in our data.

3. Grades 7–12 High school

   • La Cañada High98Strong · 99th percentile

South Pasadena Unified

1 path for every address

1. 3 schools · Grades K–5 Elementary

   • Arroyo Vista Elementary92Strong · 96th percentile
   • Marengo Elementary95Strong · 98th percentile
   • Monterey Hills Elementary94Strong · 97th percentile

2. Grades 6–8 Middle

   • South Pasadena Middle97Strong · 99th percentile

3. Grades 9–12 High school

   • South Pasadena Senior High93Strong · 97th percentile

Arcadia Unified

3 middle schools, then 1 high school

1. 2 schools · Grades K–5 or Pre-K–5 Elementary

   • Baldwin Stocker Elementary88Strong · 91st percentile
   • Holly Avenue Elementary84Strong · 83rd percentile

2. Grades 6–8 Middle

   • First Avenue Middle85Strong · 87th percentile

3. Grades 9–12 High school

   • Arcadia High87Strong · 89th percentile

1. 2 schools · Grades K–5 Elementary

   • Highland Oaks Elementary90Strong · 94th percentile
   • Hugo Reid Elementary84Strong · 83rd percentile

2. Grades 6–8 Middle

   • Foothills Middle87Strong · 91st percentile

3. Grades 9–12 High school

   • Arcadia High87Strong · 89th percentile

1. 2 schools · Grades K–5 Elementary

   • Camino Grove Elementary92Strong · 96th percentile
   • Longley Way Elementary82Strong · 78th percentile

2. Grades 6–8 Middle

   • Richard Henry Dana Middle89Strong · 93rd percentile

3. Grades 9–12 High school

   • Arcadia High87Strong · 89th percentile

San Marino Unified

1 path for every address

1. 2 schools · Grades K–5 Elementary

   • Carver Elementary95Strong · 98th percentile
   • Valentine Elementary94Strong · 98th percentile

2. Grades 6–8 Middle

   • Huntington Middle93Strong · 97th percentile

3. Grades 9–12 High school

   • San Marino High92Strong · 96th percentile

Glendale Unified

4 middle schools, then 3 high schools

1. 7 schools · Grades K–6 Elementary

   • Abraham Lincoln Elementary91Strong · 95th percentile
   • Dunsmore Elementary86Strong · 87th percentile
   • John C. Fremont Elementary87Strong · 89th percentile
   • La Crescenta Elementary85Strong · 85th percentile
   • Monte Vista Elementary91Strong · 95th percentile
   • Mountain Avenue Elementary88Strong · 92nd percentile
   • Valley View Elementary94Strong · 98th percentile

2. Grades 7–8 Middle

   • Rosemont Middle91Strong · 96th percentile

3. Grades 9–12 High school

   • Crescenta Valley High88Strong · 92nd percentile

1. 4 schools · Grades K–5 or K–6 Elementary

   • Glenoaks Elementary83Strong · 82nd percentile
   • John Marshall Elementary72Developing · 31st percentile
   • R. D. White Elementary77Solid · 57th percentile
   • Verdugo Woodlands Elementary83Strong · 82nd percentile

   Some streets in John Muir Elementary’s area come here.

2. Grades 6–8 Middle

   • Woodrow Wilson Middle81Strong · 77th percentile

3. Grades 9–12 High school

   • Glendale High70Developing · 25th percentile

1. 4 schools · Grades K–5 or K–6 Elementary

   • John Muir Elementary80Solid · 71st percentileSome streets in this area go to Woodrow Wilson Middle.
   • Cerritos Elementary71Developing · 25th percentile
   • Horace Mann Elementary80Solid · 72nd percentile
   • Thomas Edison Elementary77Solid · 58th percentile

2. Grades 6–8 Middle

   • Theodore Roosevelt Middle77Solid · 62nd percentile

3. Grades 9–12 High school

   • Glendale High70Developing · 25th percentile
   • Herbert Hoover High75Developing · 49th percentileFor some streets in Theodore Roosevelt Middle’s area.

1. 5 schools · Grades K–5 or K–6 Elementary

   • Balboa Elementary81Strong · 76th percentile
   • Benjamin Franklin Elementary90Strong · 94th percentile
   • Columbus Elementary71Developing · 26th percentile
   • Mark Keppel Elementary83Strong · 81st percentile
   • Thomas Jefferson Elementary80Solid · 71st percentile

2. Grades 6–8 Middle

   • Eleanor J. Toll Middle78Solid · 67th percentile

3. Grades 9–12 High school

   • Herbert Hoover High75Developing · 49th percentile

By application · no address leads here

• Anderson W. Clark Magnet High94Strong · 97th percentileOpen to Glendale Unified residents, or families in escrow on a home there · seats go by lottery among eligible applicants.

Read Glendale Unified’s magnet FAQ

These routes are from a federal survey of attendance boundaries in 2015–16, and districts redraw lines. Ask the district which schools serve your exact address.

Open every path as a table

Every route in the figure: 5 districts, 34 elementary schools, Scope Scores for 2025–26 elementary/middle; 2024–25 high school

District	Elementary	Middle	High school	Notes
La Cañada Unified	La Cañada Elementary (Pre-K–6) · 97 · Strong · 99th percentile	Grades 7–8 at La Cañada High	La Cañada High (7–12) · 98 · Strong · 99th percentile	Grades 7–8 at La Cañada High. No middle-school score in our data.
La Cañada Unified	Palm Crest Elementary (Pre-K–6) · 95 · Strong · 98th percentile	Grades 7–8 at La Cañada High	La Cañada High (7–12) · 98 · Strong · 99th percentile	Grades 7–8 at La Cañada High. No middle-school score in our data.
La Cañada Unified	Paradise Canyon Elementary (Pre-K–6) · 93 · Strong · 97th percentile	Grades 7–8 at La Cañada High	La Cañada High (7–12) · 98 · Strong · 99th percentile	Grades 7–8 at La Cañada High. No middle-school score in our data.
South Pasadena Unified	Arroyo Vista Elementary (K–5) · 92 · Strong · 96th percentile	South Pasadena Middle (6–8) · 97 · Strong · 99th percentile	South Pasadena Senior High (9–12) · 93 · Strong · 97th percentile
South Pasadena Unified	Marengo Elementary (K–5) · 95 · Strong · 98th percentile	South Pasadena Middle (6–8) · 97 · Strong · 99th percentile	South Pasadena Senior High (9–12) · 93 · Strong · 97th percentile
South Pasadena Unified	Monterey Hills Elementary (K–5) · 94 · Strong · 97th percentile	South Pasadena Middle (6–8) · 97 · Strong · 99th percentile	South Pasadena Senior High (9–12) · 93 · Strong · 97th percentile
Arcadia Unified	Baldwin Stocker Elementary (Pre-K–5) · 88 · Strong · 91st percentile	First Avenue Middle (6–8) · 85 · Strong · 87th percentile	Arcadia High (9–12) · 87 · Strong · 89th percentile
Arcadia Unified	Camino Grove Elementary (K–5) · 92 · Strong · 96th percentile	Richard Henry Dana Middle (6–8) · 89 · Strong · 93rd percentile	Arcadia High (9–12) · 87 · Strong · 89th percentile
Arcadia Unified	Highland Oaks Elementary (K–5) · 90 · Strong · 94th percentile	Foothills Middle (6–8) · 87 · Strong · 91st percentile	Arcadia High (9–12) · 87 · Strong · 89th percentile
Arcadia Unified	Holly Avenue Elementary (K–5) · 84 · Strong · 83rd percentile	First Avenue Middle (6–8) · 85 · Strong · 87th percentile	Arcadia High (9–12) · 87 · Strong · 89th percentile
Arcadia Unified	Hugo Reid Elementary (K–5) · 84 · Strong · 83rd percentile	Foothills Middle (6–8) · 87 · Strong · 91st percentile	Arcadia High (9–12) · 87 · Strong · 89th percentile
Arcadia Unified	Longley Way Elementary (K–5) · 82 · Strong · 78th percentile	Richard Henry Dana Middle (6–8) · 89 · Strong · 93rd percentile	Arcadia High (9–12) · 87 · Strong · 89th percentile
San Marino Unified	Carver Elementary (K–5) · 95 · Strong · 98th percentile	Huntington Middle (6–8) · 93 · Strong · 97th percentile	San Marino High (9–12) · 92 · Strong · 96th percentile
San Marino Unified	Valentine Elementary (K–5) · 94 · Strong · 98th percentile	Huntington Middle (6–8) · 93 · Strong · 97th percentile	San Marino High (9–12) · 92 · Strong · 96th percentile
Glendale Unified	Abraham Lincoln Elementary (K–6) · 91 · Strong · 95th percentile	Rosemont Middle (7–8) · 91 · Strong · 96th percentile	Crescenta Valley High (9–12) · 88 · Strong · 92nd percentile
Glendale Unified	Balboa Elementary (K–6) · 81 · Strong · 76th percentile	Eleanor J. Toll Middle (6–8) · 78 · Solid · 67th percentile	Herbert Hoover High (9–12) · 75 · Developing · 49th percentile
Glendale Unified	Benjamin Franklin Elementary (K–6) · 90 · Strong · 94th percentile	Eleanor J. Toll Middle (6–8) · 78 · Solid · 67th percentile	Herbert Hoover High (9–12) · 75 · Developing · 49th percentile
Glendale Unified	Cerritos Elementary (K–6) · 71 · Developing · 25th percentile	Theodore Roosevelt Middle (6–8) · 77 · Solid · 62nd percentile	Glendale High (9–12) · 70 · Developing · 25th percentile	Split: some streets in Theodore Roosevelt Middle’s area go to Herbert Hoover High.
Glendale Unified	Columbus Elementary (K–5) · 71 · Developing · 26th percentile	Eleanor J. Toll Middle (6–8) · 78 · Solid · 67th percentile	Herbert Hoover High (9–12) · 75 · Developing · 49th percentile
Glendale Unified	Dunsmore Elementary (K–6) · 86 · Strong · 87th percentile	Rosemont Middle (7–8) · 91 · Strong · 96th percentile	Crescenta Valley High (9–12) · 88 · Strong · 92nd percentile
Glendale Unified	Glenoaks Elementary (K–6) · 83 · Strong · 82nd percentile	Woodrow Wilson Middle (6–8) · 81 · Strong · 77th percentile	Glendale High (9–12) · 70 · Developing · 25th percentile
Glendale Unified	Horace Mann Elementary (K–5) · 80 · Solid · 72nd percentile	Theodore Roosevelt Middle (6–8) · 77 · Solid · 62nd percentile	Glendale High (9–12) · 70 · Developing · 25th percentile	Split: some streets in Theodore Roosevelt Middle’s area go to Herbert Hoover High.
Glendale Unified	John C. Fremont Elementary (K–6) · 87 · Strong · 89th percentile	Rosemont Middle (7–8) · 91 · Strong · 96th percentile	Crescenta Valley High (9–12) · 88 · Strong · 92nd percentile
Glendale Unified	John Marshall Elementary (K–5) · 72 · Developing · 31st percentile	Woodrow Wilson Middle (6–8) · 81 · Strong · 77th percentile	Glendale High (9–12) · 70 · Developing · 25th percentile
Glendale Unified	John Muir Elementary (K–6) · 80 · Solid · 71st percentile	Theodore Roosevelt Middle (6–8) · 77 · Solid · 62nd percentile	Glendale High (9–12) · 70 · Developing · 25th percentile	Split: some streets in this area go to Woodrow Wilson Middle. Split: some streets in Theodore Roosevelt Middle’s area go to Herbert Hoover High.
Glendale Unified	La Crescenta Elementary (K–6) · 85 · Strong · 85th percentile	Rosemont Middle (7–8) · 91 · Strong · 96th percentile	Crescenta Valley High (9–12) · 88 · Strong · 92nd percentile
Glendale Unified	Mark Keppel Elementary (K–5) · 83 · Strong · 81st percentile	Eleanor J. Toll Middle (6–8) · 78 · Solid · 67th percentile	Herbert Hoover High (9–12) · 75 · Developing · 49th percentile
Glendale Unified	Monte Vista Elementary (K–6) · 91 · Strong · 95th percentile	Rosemont Middle (7–8) · 91 · Strong · 96th percentile	Crescenta Valley High (9–12) · 88 · Strong · 92nd percentile
Glendale Unified	Mountain Avenue Elementary (K–6) · 88 · Strong · 92nd percentile	Rosemont Middle (7–8) · 91 · Strong · 96th percentile	Crescenta Valley High (9–12) · 88 · Strong · 92nd percentile
Glendale Unified	R. D. White Elementary (K–5) · 77 · Solid · 57th percentile	Woodrow Wilson Middle (6–8) · 81 · Strong · 77th percentile	Glendale High (9–12) · 70 · Developing · 25th percentile
Glendale Unified	Thomas Edison Elementary (K–6) · 77 · Solid · 58th percentile	Theodore Roosevelt Middle (6–8) · 77 · Solid · 62nd percentile	Glendale High (9–12) · 70 · Developing · 25th percentile	Split: some streets in Theodore Roosevelt Middle’s area go to Herbert Hoover High.
Glendale Unified	Thomas Jefferson Elementary (K–6) · 80 · Solid · 71st percentile	Eleanor J. Toll Middle (6–8) · 78 · Solid · 67th percentile	Herbert Hoover High (9–12) · 75 · Developing · 49th percentile
Glendale Unified	Valley View Elementary (K–6) · 94 · Strong · 98th percentile	Rosemont Middle (7–8) · 91 · Strong · 96th percentile	Crescenta Valley High (9–12) · 88 · Strong · 92nd percentile
Glendale Unified	Verdugo Woodlands Elementary (K–6) · 83 · Strong · 82nd percentile	Woodrow Wilson Middle (6–8) · 81 · Strong · 77th percentile	Glendale High (9–12) · 70 · Developing · 25th percentile
Glendale Unified	—	—	Anderson W. Clark Magnet High (9–12) · 94 · Strong · 97th percentile	By application: Open to Glendale Unified residents, or families in escrow on a home there · seats go by lottery among eligible applicants

Three districts have a single path. In La Cañada, all three elementary schools teach through 6th grade and send every child to La Cañada High, which teaches grades 7 through 12. The district calls those middle years “La Cañada 7/8” (LCUSD). San Marino’s two elementary schools lead to Huntington Middle, then San Marino High. South Pasadena’s three lead to South Pasadena Middle, then South Pasadena Senior High.

In the La Cañada, San Marino and South Pasadena districts, the address picks only the elementary school, and every scored stop on those paths places at the 95th percentile or higher in the score years above. The rest of the path is the same for every family in the district.

Arcadia splits once. Its six elementary schools feed three middle schools, two each, and all three middle schools feed Arcadia High, in the 89th percentile.

Glendale splits twice. Its 20 elementary schools feed four middle schools, which feed three high schools. Of those three, Crescenta Valley High places highest, in the 92nd percentile. A few attendance areas divide: John Muir Elementary’s area splits between two middle schools, and Theodore Roosevelt Middle’s splits between Glendale High and Herbert Hoover High. Glendale also runs Clark Magnet High, which no address leads to; families apply.

The boundary survey dates from 2015–16, and districts redraw lines. While each single-path district keeps one middle and one high school, a redrawn line there can change only the elementary school. A city mailing address doesn’t always match the school district, either. Before you rely on any route, and especially one in Arcadia or Glendale, confirm the assigned schools for the exact address with the district.

How do the five districts compare, and why does the order change by school level?

A district average mixes all of those stops together. On the combined district score, using the score years above, La Cañada places highest of the five, then South Pasadena, San Marino, Arcadia and Glendale. That number averages every scored school level in the district, with each one counting equally.

The combined score uses each school’s result before it is set on the 50 to 100 scale. That result runs higher at high school. The typical California high school’s is about 56 and the typical elementary school’s is about 35, as our county ranking explains. So a district with one high school and only a few other schools gets more lift from it than a district with many elementary schools. Percentiles don’t have that problem, because each school is compared only with schools at its own level.

At one level at a time, La Cañada’s three elementary schools and San Marino’s two each average a Scope Score of 95. South Pasadena has the highest-placed middle school of the five, and La Cañada has the highest-placed high school.

Compare these districts one school level at a time, by percentile, not by the combined score. Choose a stage below to see every school at that level side by side.

Data source: California Department of Education, 2025–26 state tests and school-climate measures; high-school Scope Scores and college/career inputs remain 2024–25. Scope Score methodology →

How the district averages work

The combined district score averages eligible comprehensive public-school level records, giving each equal weight. It is not weighted by student count. A campus scored at two levels contributes twice. The combined score requires at least three scored records; a single-level average does not.

That leaves the choice inside each district, which starts with the elementary school.

Which elementary school would we get, and how different are they?

Three terms come up below and on every school profile:

• Exceeded rate: the average of the reported shares of students reaching the top test level in English and math, with each tested grade and subject counted equally. It is not the share of individual children who exceeded.
• Grade gap: this year’s older students’ results minus this year’s younger students’ results at the same school. They are different children tested in the same year. “pp” means percentage points.
• Growth position: how a school’s grade group compares with the same school’s grade group two years earlier, against other California schools. For elementary schools, that’s 2026 fifth graders compared with 2024 third graders. Families move in and out, so it doesn’t follow each child. We show it only for groups of at least 40 tested students.

The two comparisons can point different ways, and neither proves what a school caused. They’re good sources of questions for a visit.

San Marino: two close schools

Carver Elementary scores 95 and Valentine Elementary scores 94, both in the 98th percentile in 2025–26. Carver ranks 84th of 5,726 scored California elementary schools and Valentine 97th. Their exceeded rates are 64.5% and 65.9%.

Chronic absence was 2.6% at Carver and 1.6% at Valentine. Chronic absence means missing at least 10% of the school days a student was expected to attend. Carver’s growth position is a little above typical, and Valentine’s is about typical. Their grade gaps are −5.4 and −12.3 points: this year’s younger classes scored higher than this year’s older classes.

With just two elementary schools and close scores, San Marino is relatively straightforward to compare. Confirm the assigned school all the same; here the district average is a useful starting point.

La Cañada: three strong schools, spread wider

La Cañada’s elementary schools rank 23rd, 62nd and 133rd of the 5,726. Two are in the statewide top 100. La Cañada Elementary scores 97, with a 65.8% exceeded rate and a growth position well above typical. Paradise Canyon scores 93, with a −2.6-point grade gap and a growth position above typical.

Palm Crest has the highest exceeded rate of the three, 70.3%, and scores 95. Its grade gap is −2.8 points, meaning this year’s 3rd graders outscored this year’s 5th graders. Its growth position is a little below typical. That is a comparison with other California schools’ cohorts, so it doesn’t by itself mean scores fell.

For a child who already finds the work easy, we’d ask to see how 4th- and 5th-grade teachers build on it. Chronic absence across the three ran 2.3% to 3.2%, against 15.6% at the median California elementary school we score.

South Pasadena: one leader, three different schools

Marengo Elementary scores 95 and ranks 70th statewide, with a 68.4% exceeded rate. Its grade gap is −2.3 points, yet its growth position is a little above typical. The two numbers compare different groups, so a negative gap isn’t proof that children lost ground.

Monterey Hills scores 94, with a +8.1-point gap and a growth position well above typical. Arroyo Vista scores 92, with a +2.5-point gap and a growth position about typical. Their exceeded rates are nearly identical, 59.2% and 59.1%. Once you know your assigned campus, ask how teachers notice a child who needs more help, or more challenge.

Arcadia: six schools and three middle schools

Arcadia’s six elementary schools run from 92 down to 82. Camino Grove leads in the 96th percentile, followed by Highland Oaks in the 94th. Longley Way is at the lower end, in the 78th.

The two leaders lead to different middle schools. Camino Grove feeds Richard Henry Dana Middle, and Highland Oaks feeds Foothills Middle.

In Arcadia, the address picks the middle school as well as the elementary school. We’d look at both before choosing between two houses a mile apart.

Camino Grove has a +8.2-point grade gap and a growth position well above typical. Highland Oaks has a −0.8-point gap and a growth position above typical.

Glendale: twenty schools, and one path at the top

Glendale has 20 elementary schools in our data, against San Marino’s two. Their scores run from 94 down to 71, so one district average leaves out a lot.

Valley View scores 94 and ranks 113th statewide, with a 59.7% exceeded rate and 1.8% chronic absence. Its score is within the range of South Pasadena’s elementary schools. Monte Vista scores 91, Abraham Lincoln 91, Benjamin Franklin 90 and Mountain Avenue 88.

Four of Glendale’s five highest-placed elementary schools in 2025–26 lead to Rosemont Middle and then Crescenta Valley High. Benjamin Franklin leads instead to Eleanor J. Toll Middle and Herbert Hoover High. Seven elementary schools lead to Rosemont, and six of them are in La Crescenta. Start with the campus you could attend, then follow its path in the figure.

What are the middle schools like?

After elementary school the paths separate. South Pasadena Middle scores 97, ranks 13th of 2,529 scored California middle schools and sits in the 99th percentile. Its exceeded rate is 59.7%, and its growth position is well above typical.

Huntington Middle in San Marino scores 93 and ranks 47th, in the 97th percentile. Its exceeded rate is higher, at 62.3%, while its growth position is a little below typical. Ask how students who arrive ahead are challenged through 8th grade.

La Cañada’s middle years have no middle-school score in our data. Its 6th graders stay at their elementary schools, and grades 7 and 8 are at La Cañada High, so the school doesn’t fit our middle-school score. The test results are there, though. In spring 2026, about 89% of La Cañada’s 7th and 8th graders met or exceeded the state standard in English, and 85% in math. That combined rate includes Proficient (met) and Advanced (exceeded), the top two levels on the current English and math reports. That English rate was the highest in this group for those grades. In math it was below Huntington’s 88%, with South Pasadena Middle at 82%. (Our arithmetic: grades 7 and 8 together, weighted by the number of students tested.)

Arcadia’s three middle schools sit between the 87th and 93rd percentiles. Richard Henry Dana scores 89 and ranks 132nd, Foothills scores 87 and First Avenue 85. If your child is still in preschool, middle school can feel too far away to weigh. Visit the assigned middle school anyway before choosing an address.

Glendale’s middle schools need the most care. Rosemont sits on the district’s strongest path, and it places higher than the three other middle schools that Glendale addresses lead to.

Rosemont Middle teaches only grades 7 and 8. It scores 91 and sits in the 96th percentile of California middle schools, in our Strong band. It tested about 1,200 students in each subject in 2026, about 600 in each grade. About 78% of its 7th and 8th graders met or exceeded the English standard and 71% the math standard, close to Arcadia’s middle schools (71–75% and 66–71%). Its chronic absence was 6.8%.

Glendale’s strongest path runs through Rosemont, the district’s highest-placed middle school. Its 2026 test results and attendance are on its profile.

Glendale’s other elementary schools lead to Eleanor J. Toll, Woodrow Wilson or Theodore Roosevelt, which score 78, 81 and 77. About 50% to 55% of their 7th and 8th graders met or exceeded the English standard, and 35% to 49% the math standard. Chronic absence ran from 14.0% to 16.6%. Wilson’s growth position is above typical. South Pasadena Middle has the highest growth position among the middle schools in this comparison.

Which high school, and how do we get into Clark?

The paths come back together at high school, except in Glendale. High-school scores, ranks, exceeded rates and college/career inputs below remain on the reviewed 2024–25 model; chronic absence is from 2025–26. La Cañada High scores 98 and ranks 10th of 1,498 scored California high schools, in the 99th percentile. Its graduation rate was 98.9%. On the state’s College/Career Indicator, which counts students who met college- or career-ready measures, CDE places 331 of 356 students, or 93.0%, at its top level, Prepared. They measure different things, so read them as two separate facts.

South Pasadena Senior High scores 93 and ranks 41st; San Marino High scores 92 and ranks 52nd. Their scores are close, and their attendance isn’t: chronic absence was 6.3% at South Pasadena and 0.5% at San Marino. Graduation rates were 96.3% and 97.1%.

Arcadia High scores 87 and ranks 158th, in the 89th percentile. Its exceeded rate is 37.9%, its graduation rate 99.1%, and CDE reports 602 of 797 students, or 75.5%, Prepared. High graduation and lower test results can sit side by side; ask about the courses and support behind both.

SchoolScope uses CDE’s overall College/Career Indicator Prepared rate. We withhold a high-school score when the published group has fewer than 30 students; that is our reliability rule, not CDE’s publication threshold.

Glendale: the high school for your address, or Clark

Crescenta Valley High scores 88 and ranks 119th, in the 92nd percentile. It’s the high school on the Rosemont path. Herbert Hoover High scores 75 and Glendale High 70, with chronic absence of 25.0% and 20.0%. Roosevelt Middle’s area divides between those two, so families in the four elementary areas that lead to Roosevelt should check the exact street.

Clark Magnet High scores 94 and ranks 34th, and no address leads there. Glendale Unified’s magnet FAQ says Clark “only accepts applications for residents of the Glendale Unified School District.” It asks for at least a 2.0 grade average in middle-school core subjects, readiness for Integrated Math I by the end of 8th grade, and limits on discipline marks and absences. Among eligible applicants, seats go by random selection, and the FAQ says all of them “have the same chance and equal opportunity.” It also describes an option for families in escrow on a home in the district.

A Glendale Unified address lets your child apply to Clark; it doesn’t hold a seat. The FAQ gives no dates for Clark, so confirm the next application window on Clark’s enrollment page.

What do growth and grade gaps tell us about these schools?

So far these numbers say where each school stands. Growth asks whether its students are moving. The grade gap compares two different classes in the same year. The growth position compares a school’s class with the same school’s class two years earlier, against other schools. Here’s where the two land, side by side, for the elementary schools with the ten highest growth positions.

Compare the ten highest growth positions

Compare the ten highest growth positions

School	Growth vs. typical	Grade 3–5 gap (same year)	Scope Score
Balboa ElementaryGlendale	Well above typical	-0.1pp	81Strong · 76th percentile
La Canada ElementaryLa Canada	Well above typical	+3.9pp	97Strong · 99th percentile
Camino Grove ElementaryArcadia	Well above typical	+8.2pp	92Strong · 96th percentile
Monterey Hills ElementarySouth Pasadena	Well above typical	+8.1pp	94Strong · 97th percentile
Glenoaks ElementaryGlendale	Well above typical	+10.0pp	83Strong · 82nd percentile
Valley View ElementaryGlendale	Above typical	-0.2pp	94Strong · 98th percentile
Benjamin Franklin ElementaryGlendale	Above typical	-14.7pp	90Strong · 94th percentile
Abraham Lincoln ElementaryGlendale	Above typical	+0.9pp	91Strong · 95th percentile
Mark Keppel ElementaryGlendale	Above typical	+6.0pp	83Strong · 81st percentile
Highland Oaks ElementaryArcadia	Above typical	-0.8pp	90Strong · 94th percentile

Reading these results The Scope Score and its percentile compare schools at the same level. 75 is the typical California school. 100 is the best result in the state. Grade gaps compare different students tested in the same year, not one class’s progress. A dash means no reported value.

Data source: California Department of Education · 2026 CAASPP and chronic absence records. Methodology & sources →

Balboa Elementary in Glendale leads at well above typical, on a −0.1-point grade gap. La Cañada Elementary follows with a +3.9-point gap. Glendale has six of the ten: Balboa, Glenoaks, Valley View, Benjamin Franklin, Abraham Lincoln and Mark Keppel. Their growth positions are above typical or well above typical even though the district trails on overall scores.

A wide grade gap and a strong growth position are different findings, and here they often disagree. Benjamin Franklin sits above typical with a −14.7-point grade gap. Camino Grove has Arcadia’s widest positive gap, +8.2 points, and a growth position well above typical. Two years is a short window, and a class can arrive stronger or weaker for reasons outside the school. We’d take either number into a visit as a question.

Money is the other explanation parents reach for.

Do the districts spend differently, and does it matter?

In 2024–25, Arcadia spent the most of the five per student, $18,100, and South Pasadena the least, $15,959. Glendale spent $17,464, La Cañada $17,349 and San Marino $16,729. These are the California Department of Education’s figures for day-to-day spending per student in average daily attendance (ADA), the total days students attended divided by the days of instruction.

South Pasadena spent the least of the five, and every school on its path places at the 95th percentile or higher in the score years above.

Arcadia spent the most, and its middle and high schools placed lower than South Pasadena’s.

Five districts are five observations, so this is an association, not an explanation. One year of operating spending leaves out past investment, buildings, what it costs to hire in each town, and how many students arrive needing more support.

What would we tell a friend?

We’d choose the path before the house. Here’s how the five read, path first.

In La Cañada, every address leads to the same place, and that place holds the highest-placed high school in the group. The middle years happen inside La Cañada High; they have no middle-school score in our data, and their 7th and 8th graders posted the group’s highest English rate in 2026.

San Marino is the easiest to read. Two elementary schools, one middle school and one high school all placed between the 96th and 98th percentiles in the score years above, with the lowest high-school chronic absence of the five.

South Pasadena has the highest-placed middle school of the group, and the rest of its path keeps up through graduation. It also spent the least of the five, which tells you something about this cluster but not about what money does.

In Arcadia, the elementary school picks the middle school, so check both for any address. Its stops placed from the 78th to the 96th percentile.

In Glendale, the address decides everything. The strong path runs from elementary schools mostly in La Crescenta through Rosemont to Crescenta Valley High. Rosemont is Glendale’s highest-placed middle school, in the 96th percentile. Clark takes applications only from Glendale Unified residents and fills its seats by lottery among eligible applicants.

Then put the commute and care arrangements beside these results. This comparison doesn’t account for home prices. A visit to the schools on your path is where you can ask how the day would work for your child, including the parts that never show up in a test score.

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