Manhattan Beach schools on the California School Dashboard
California gives schools colors, not letter grades. The California School Dashboard rates each indicator Red, Orange, Yellow, Green or Blue, from lowest to highest, combining this year's result with the change from last year. English and math results are shown as "distance from standard": the average number of scale-score points that students in tested grades scored above or below the grade-level standard. Chronic absenteeism is the share of K-8 students who missed at least 10% of school days, so lower is better.
The table below uses the California Department of Education's 2025 Dashboard data files, which cover the 2024-25 school year, read in October 2026. Addresses come from the CDE public schools directory. The 2026 Dashboard normally comes out in December; check the live site for newer figures.
| School | Address (CDE directory) | English (points from standard) | Math (points from standard) | Chronic absence or graduation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand View Elementary | 455 24th Street | +76.6 (Green) | +60.3 (Green) | 4.2% (Green) |
| Meadows Avenue Elementary | 1200 Meadows Avenue | +88.5 (Blue) | +87.2 (Blue) | 3.3% (Green) |
| Opal Robinson Elementary | 80 Morningside Drive | +106.3 (Blue) | +81.0 (Blue) | 3.5% (Blue) |
| Pacific Elementary | 1200 Pacific Avenue | +84.2 (Green) | +80.1 (Blue) | 1.9% (Blue) |
| Aurelia Pennekamp Elementary | 110 South Rowell Avenue | +99.2 (Blue) | +99.8 (Blue) | 2.5% (Blue) |
| Manhattan Beach Middle | 1501 North Redondo Avenue | +78.0 (Blue) | +65.9 (Blue) | 7.8% (Yellow) |
| Mira Costa High | 1401 Artesia Boulevard | +90.9 (Blue) | +32.8 (Blue) | Graduation 98.7% (Blue) |
| Manhattan Beach Unified (district) | 325 South Peck Avenue (office) | +86.3 (Blue) | +65.9 (Blue) | 4.5% (Green); graduation 98.4% (Blue) |
| California (all public schools) | -8.1 (Yellow) | -42.4 (Yellow) | 17.1% (Yellow); graduation 87.8% (Green) |
Manhattan Beach elementary schools
All five MBUSD elementary schools were above the state standard in both subjects in 2025. Differences between them are real but small next to the gap with the state average, and each school tests only a few hundred students, so one year can move a result several points.
Grand View Elementary, 24th Street
Grand View tested 236 students in English and scored 76.6 points above standard, down 11.7 points from 2024, which made its color Green rather than Blue. Math was 60.3 above standard, down 14.4. Chronic absenteeism fell 2.1 points to 4.2%. Ask the school what it changed after the 2025 results.
Meadows Avenue Elementary
Meadows scored 88.5 points above standard in English and 87.2 in math, both Blue, with 194 students tested. Chronic absenteeism was 3.3%.
Opal Robinson Elementary, Morningside Drive
Robinson had the district's highest English result in 2025, 106.3 points above standard, up 20.2 points from 2024, with 134 students tested. Math was 81.0 above standard. Chronic absenteeism dropped 4.3 points to 3.5%, rated Blue.
Pacific Elementary, Pacific Avenue
Pacific scored 84.2 points above standard in English (Green, down 6.5) and 80.1 in math (Blue). It had the lowest chronic absenteeism of any MBUSD school, 1.9%.
Aurelia Pennekamp Elementary, South Rowell Avenue
Pennekamp scored 99.2 points above standard in English and 99.8 in math, both up more than 12 points from 2024 and both Blue, with 225 students tested. Chronic absenteeism was 2.5%.
Manhattan Beach Middle School and Mira Costa High School
Manhattan Beach Middle School
The city's single middle school tested 1,102 students in English in 2025. It scored 78.0 points above standard in English and 65.9 in math, both Blue. Chronic absenteeism was 7.8%, rated Yellow, the highest in the district and the one indicator where an MBUSD school was not Green or Blue. Ask the school how it is working on attendance.
Mira Costa High School
Mira Costa, on Artesia Boulevard, is the district's only comprehensive high school. Its 2025 four-year graduation rate was 98.7% across a cohort of 635 students. Grade 11 students scored 90.9 points above standard in English, up 26.5 points, and 32.8 points above in math, up 38.1 points; both were Blue. The district publishes a school profile for 2026-27 on its website; ask for it if you want course and college data, which the Dashboard does not show.
Manhattan Beach Unified district results
Across all schools, the district was 86.3 points above standard in English, 65.9 above in math, with 4.5% chronic absenteeism and a 98.4% graduation rate. The state averages were 8.1 points below standard in English and 42.4 below in math.
School choice, transfers and preschool in Manhattan Beach
Interdistrict and intradistrict attendance permits
MBUSD posts an attendance permits page on its website. Rules on transfers between Manhattan Beach elementary schools, and on students living outside the district, can change each year and may depend on space. Read the current page and ask the district office before you assume a permit is available.
Charter and private schools near Manhattan Beach
The CDE directory lists no charter school run by MBUSD in the city. Private schools are not on the Dashboard; the CDE publishes a separate private school directory, and you should ask any private school directly for its admissions dates and fees.
Preschool and transitional kindergarten
The CDE directory lists Manhattan Beach Preschool, run by the district, on 15th Street. MBUSD posts separate pages for transitional kindergarten and kindergarten registration. Check the district's enrollment pages for age cutoffs and the registration window, which usually opens months before the school year.
How to check which Manhattan Beach school serves an address
Never rely on a listing that says a home is "in" a school's area. Boundaries can change, and some grades may be assigned by space. To check an address:
- Open the School Boundaries page on the MBUSD website and find the address.
- Call or email the district office at 325 South Peck Avenue to confirm, and ask whether the assigned school has space in the grade you need.
- Ask what proof of residence the district accepts and when enrollment for the next school year opens.
- Look up the assigned school on the California School Dashboard for the latest results, and read its School Accountability Report Card (SARC), linked from the district's SARC page.
Schools are one factor in what you pay for a home here. For prices, see our Manhattan Beach homes guide; for other local costs, see Manhattan Beach cost of living. Nearby districts are covered on our Hermosa Beach, El Segundo and Redondo Beach school pages.
What Manhattan Beach homeowners pay toward schools
Homeowners help fund MBUSD in two ways that show up on the property tax bill. In tax rate area 6174, which covers most of the city, the 2026-27 bill includes 0.081808% of assessed value for the district's voter-approved bonds (County Auditor-Controller). On Zillow's typical value of $3,353,430, that line would be about $2,743 a year. MBUSD's website lists bond Measures C, EE and RLS. On top of that is Measure MB, a $225-a-year parcel tax that voters renewed in March 2024. Check the seller's tax bill for the current amounts, and see our Los Angeles County property tax guide for how bonds and parcel taxes are added.