What the California School Dashboard measures
California does not grade schools A to F. The state's California School Dashboard rates schools on several indicators and gives each one of five colors, from Red (lowest) through Orange, Yellow and Green to Blue (highest). A color blends this year's result with the change from last year, so a school can be Green with a modest score that improved a lot.
- English and math are reported as distance from standard: how many points, on average, students scored above (+) or below (-) the grade-level standard on state tests in grades 3 to 8 and 11.
- Graduation rate is the share of a high school's four-year cohort that graduated.
- Chronic absenteeism is the share of K-8 students who missed 10% or more of school days. Lower is better.
All figures below are from the 2025 Dashboard data files published by the California Department of Education (CDE), all students.
Temecula Valley Unified compared with the state
Temecula Valley Unified School District (TVUSD) runs the public schools serving Temecula, with its district office at 31350 Rancho Vista Road. On every academic indicator it finished well ahead of the statewide average in 2025.
| Indicator (2025) | Temecula Valley Unified | State of California |
|---|---|---|
| English, distance from standard | +27.9 (Green) | -8.1 |
| Math, distance from standard | -7.7 (Green) | -42.4 |
| Graduation rate | 95.8% (Blue) | 87.8% |
| Chronic absenteeism | 15.5% (Orange) | 17.1% |
English rose 5.3 points and math 3.6 points from 2024. Chronic absenteeism was below the state rate but rated Orange because it barely moved (down 0.4 points). About 13,250 TVUSD students were tested in English.
Temecula high schools
Great Oak High School (TVUSD)
Great Oak High, at 32555 Deer Hollow Way in 92592, posted the district's strongest English result: 78.8 points above standard (Blue, up 5.2). Math was 5.3 below standard (Green, up 11.8), and the graduation rate was 97.5% (Blue). TVUSD lists Great Oak as the district high school that offers International Baccalaureate (IB) courses.
Chaparral High School (TVUSD)
Chaparral High, at 27215 Nicolas Road in 92591, scored 43.7 above standard in English (Green, though down 15.2 points) and 31.9 below in math (Yellow). Its graduation rate was 97.2% (Blue), with about 709 students in the cohort.
Temecula Valley High School (TVUSD)
Temecula Valley High, at 31555 Rancho Vista Road in 92592, scored 24.4 above standard in English and 59.9 below in math, both Yellow after drops of 14.1 and 18.1 points. Its graduation rate of 97.7% (Blue) was the highest of the three large comprehensive high schools.
Rancho Vista High and Susan H. Nelson (TVUSD alternative schools)
Both share a campus at 32225 Pio Pico Road. Rancho Vista is the district's continuation high school, with a 77.8% graduation rate (Yellow, up 9.2 points). Susan H. Nelson, an alternative school of choice for grades 6 to 12, graduated 92.4% (Green). Test scores at both sit well below standard, and both test small groups, so read them with care.
Temecula middle schools
Temecula Middle School (TVUSD)
Temecula Middle, at 42075 Meadows Parkway, had the district's best middle school math result: 25.1 above standard (Blue, up 23.5 points). English was 35.9 above standard (Green, up 13.0). About 950 students were tested.
James L. Day, Bella Vista and Erle Stanley Gardner middle schools (TVUSD)
James L. Day Middle, on Camino Campos Verdes in 92591, scored 28.6 above standard in English and 4.5 below in math, both Green and both improving. Bella Vista Middle, which has a Murrieta address on Browning Street, rose 18.7 points to 29.7 above standard in English (Blue). Erle Stanley Gardner Middle, on Via Del Coronado in 92592, scored 25.9 above in English (Green) but fell 13.4 points, and its chronic absenteeism of 13.9% was rated Red because it rose 3.6 points.
Vail Ranch and Margarita middle schools (TVUSD)
Vail Ranch Middle, on Camino Piedra Rojo, scored 20.9 above standard in English and 0.7 above in math (both Green). Margarita Middle, at 30600 Margarita Road, was the one district middle school below standard in both: 13.1 below in English and 57.8 below in math, both Orange. Its chronic absenteeism was 22.2% (Red).
Temecula elementary schools
Highest-scoring TVUSD elementary schools
Five TVUSD elementary schools scored more than 40 points above standard in English on the 2025 Dashboard: Abby Reinke Elementary on Sunny Meadows Drive (+51.0 English, Blue; +34.9 math, Green), Red Hawk Elementary on Camino San Jose (+47.0, Blue; +28.9 math), Rancho Elementary on La Serena Way (+45.8, Blue, up 26.8 points), Alamos Elementary, which has a Murrieta address (+43.9), and Helen Hunt Jackson Elementary on Camino San Dimas (+42.9 English and +20.4 math, both Blue after gains of 28.9 and 20.0 points).
Other TVUSD elementary schools above standard
Temecula Luiseno (+38.0 English, on Wolf Creek Drive North), Paloma (+33.4), Tony Tobin (+30.9), Ysabel Barnett on Harveston Drive (+25.1 English; +15.3 math, Blue), Crowne Hill (+23.3), Pauba Valley (+22.3) and French Valley (+21.4, which has a Winchester address) all scored above standard in English and above it in math. Vintage Hills (+14.9) and Nicolas Valley (+5.1) were also above standard.
TVUSD elementary schools below standard
Temecula Elementary, on Moraga Road, scored 14.4 below standard in English and 35.9 below in math. Vail Elementary, on Mira Loma Drive, scored 15.9 below in English (Yellow, up 14.7) and 46.1 below in math (Orange), with chronic absenteeism of 26.5% (Red). Both were below the state's English result of 8.1 below standard, though Vail improved sharply, so look at the trend and visit before you decide.
School choice in Temecula: charters, IB and transfers
Charter schools listed by TVUSD
TVUSD lists two independent charters. Temecula Preparatory (K-12, on Abelia Street with a Winchester address) scored 57.2 above standard in English (Blue, up 21.7) and 10.3 above in math, with a 97.3% graduation rate in a cohort of 74. Temecula Valley Charter (K-8, also on Abelia Street) scored 29.4 above standard in English (Blue, up 16.4) and 11.8 below in math (Green, up 20.1). Ask each charter for its application dates and whether it holds a lottery.
IB, AP and dual enrollment in TVUSD
TVUSD lists IB courses at Great Oak High, AP courses at each high school, and dual enrollment courses with Mt. San Jacinto College. Ask each campus for its current course list, since offerings change from year to year.
Open enrollment and transfers in TVUSD
Families living in TVUSD can ask for a school other than their school of residence. The open enrollment window for 2027-2028 runs from October 15, 2026 to January 31, 2027, with decisions emailed by the end of May. Requests depend on space, attendance, behavior and academic effort, and the district does not provide transportation. Transfers into TVUSD from another district need a release from the home district. Contact transfers@tvusd.us or 951-294-6212.
How to check which schools serve a Temecula address
We never say a home is zoned for a particular school. Attendance areas follow district lines, not ZIP codes, and several TVUSD schools carry Murrieta or Winchester mailing addresses, so a listing's school claims can be wrong. Before you buy:
- Enter the full street address in TVUSD's School Site Locator, linked from the district's attendance boundaries page. It lists the elementary, middle and high school of residence.
- Call the district at (951) 676-2661 to confirm, and ask whether any boundary changes are planned for new tracts.
- Look up each school on the California School Dashboard for the latest results by student group.
School quality is one input to price. Compare homes on our Temecula ZIP code guide and see the city overview on our Temecula homes guide.