What the California School Dashboard measures
The state does not grade schools A to F. Instead the California School Dashboard, published by the California Department of Education (CDE), gives each indicator one of five colors. Red is lowest, then Orange, Yellow, Green and Blue. Each color blends the latest result with the change from the prior year, so a school with a high score that slipped can show Green rather than Blue. Figures below come from the CDE's 2025 Dashboard data files, which cover the 2024-25 school year and were downloaded in October 2026. A 2026 release is usually published in December.
English and math scores for Laguna Beach schools
Test results appear as distance from standard: the average number of points by which students in grades 3 to 8 and 11 scored above (+) or below (-) the grade-level standard on the state tests. Zero means students met the standard on average.
Graduation rate at Laguna Beach High
This is the share of a four-year group of students who graduated with a regular diploma. Only high schools have it.
Chronic absenteeism in Laguna Beach's K-8 schools
This is the share of kindergarten to 8th grade students who missed at least 10% of the days they were enrolled. A lower number is better.
Laguna Beach Unified compared with nearby districts
Laguna Beach Unified's results sit among the highest in Orange County. The table compares it with the three large districts around it and with the state, all from the 2025 Dashboard.
| District | English (points vs standard) | Math (points vs standard) | Graduation rate | Chronic absenteeism (K-8) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laguna Beach Unified | +62.3 (Blue) | +47.5 (Blue) | 97.5% (Blue) | 8.8% (Yellow) |
| Irvine Unified | +61.8 (Blue) | +53.1 (Blue) | 95.2% (Blue) | 8.6% (Green) |
| Capistrano Unified | +52.9 (Blue) | +26.4 (Green) | 95.4% (Blue) | 11.7% (Yellow) |
| Newport-Mesa Unified | +23.4 (Green) | -5.9 (Green) | 94.8% (Green) | 12.3% (Yellow) |
| State of California | -8.1 (Yellow) | -42.4 (Yellow) | 87.8% (Green) | 17.1% (Yellow) |
Laguna Beach Unified's English score fell 2.0 points from 2024, while math rose 1.4 points. Its graduation rate dipped from 99.2% to 97.5%. With about 200 students in a graduating class, one or two students change the rate noticeably, so look at several years together on the Dashboard rather than one.
Laguna Beach high school
Laguna Beach High School (grades 9 to 12)
Laguna Beach High, at 625 Park Avenue, is the city's only public high school. On the 2025 Dashboard, 11th graders scored 86.1 points above standard in English and 30.0 points above in math, both rated Green. Both were lower than in 2024, when English was 100.1 and math 47.6 above standard; that decline is why the colors are Green rather than Blue. The four-year graduation rate was 98.0% for a group of 198 students, rated Blue. The district also runs adult education from the same campus.
Laguna Beach middle school
Thurston Middle School (grades 6 to 8)
Thurston Middle, at 2100 Park Avenue, serves all of the district's middle grades. Its 2025 results were Blue in both subjects: 55.9 points above standard in English, close to the year before, and 52.2 points above in math, up 11.9 points. Chronic absenteeism fell from 8.0% to 6.3%, rated Green, the best attendance result among the district's schools.
Laguna Beach elementary schools
The district has two elementary schools, both running through grade 5. Each has its own attendance area, which the district sets.
Top of the World Elementary
Top of the World Elementary, at 21601 Tree Top Lane in the hills above the Village, had the strongest elementary test results in 2025: 67.0 points above standard in English and 63.3 above in math, both Blue and both up on the year. Chronic absenteeism rose from 6.2% to 8.1%, rated Orange because of the increase.
El Morro Elementary
El Morro Elementary, at 8681 North Coast Highway near the city's northern edge, scored 52.8 points above standard in English and 36.5 above in math, both Green after small declines from 2024. Chronic absenteeism was 12.6%, rated Orange, the highest among the district's schools.
School choice in Laguna Beach: transfers, charters and private schools
With one district and one school at each upper level, choice in Laguna Beach mostly means transfers between the two elementary schools, or between Laguna Beach Unified and another district.
Transfers between Laguna Beach schools
An intradistrict transfer lets a student attend the district school outside the home attendance area, usually the other elementary school. The district sets its own guidelines and application windows, which are posted on its transfers page.
Transfers into or out of Laguna Beach Unified
Under Board Policy 5117, the district accepts interdistrict transfer agreements for the following school year from March 1 to May 15. It may deny new requests because of limited resources or crowding at a grade level. A transfer can also run the other way, if a student who lives in Laguna Beach wants to attend a school in Capistrano, Newport-Mesa or another district; that district must agree as well.
Charter and private schools near Laguna Beach
The CDE's school directory lists no active charter school run by Laguna Beach Unified. Private schools are listed in the CDE's private school directory, which shows each school's address and grades but no test results, because private schools do not take the state tests. Ask each private school directly for its accreditation and outcomes.
How to check which schools serve a Laguna Beach address
A home's city name is not proof of its school district, and a listing that names a school is not a guarantee. Confirm it yourself before you rely on it.
Use the district's boundary documents
Laguna Beach Unified's school boundaries page links a District Boundaries map and a District Streets list. Find the street and house number on the list, then check the elementary attendance area for that address. Homes in unincorporated Emerald Bay and near the city edges are the ones most worth checking.
Call the district office
For a definite answer, call Laguna Beach Unified at (949) 497-7700 or visit 550 Blumont Street with the address. Ask which elementary school serves it this year, because attendance areas can change. Then read the latest Dashboard page for that school. For the wider picture of the city, see our Laguna Beach guide, is Laguna Beach a good place to live and the Laguna Beach cost of living guide.