Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Palos Verdes Estates

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
Malaga Cove by Abby LanesPhoto: Abby Lanes · CC BY-SA 3.0
A+
Schools in Palos Verdes Estates · Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District

Palos Verdes Estates’s public schools outscore 95% of California districts

Math proficiency in Palos Verdes Estates’s districts is 72%, above the California average (33%). The grade covers the public school district serving Palos Verdes Estates, from kindergarten through graduation, on state tests and graduation. Each state writes its own tests, so this is the one TownRatings grade compared within California, not nationally.

#29of 847 California townsK–12Where will my kid go?

From California state tests taken in spring 2022, when 94% of students in the tested grades sat them, and the class of 2023’s four-year graduation rate, as reported to the U.S. Department of Education.

Reading proficiency
80%
▲ 33 pts vs CA 47%
2021–22
Math proficiency
72%
▲ 39 pts vs CA 33%
2021–22
Graduate on time
97%
▲ 11 pts vs CA 86%
class of 2023
Spent per student
$16.8K
▼ 21% vs CA $21.2K
FY2024
Students per teacher
21.9
CA 21.6
Schools in town
4
2,964 students on the public path
In brief

Palos Verdes Estates’s schools, in brief

Against towns with similar incomes

Among the 111 California towns with household incomes within a quarter of Palos Verdes Estates’s, its schools beat 68%, lower than their 95% against all the state’s districts. The grade ↓

Above the state on both counts

Reading proficiency is 80% and math 72% in spring 2022, against 47% and 33% statewide; 97% of the class of 2023 graduated in four years, against 86%. Test scores ↓

Spending and class size

The district spends $16,812 per student, against $21,206 across California (FY2024). Spending doesn’t count toward the grade. Districts ↓

Two elementary schools, then one middle and one high school

Which elementary school depends on the address; from grade 6 the district’s path is Palos Verdes Intermediate, then Palos Verdes High. See the path ↓

Written from the figures on this page. Tests are from 2021–22, graduation from the class of 2023; each school’s own letter uses 2020–21 results.

The School Grade

What’s behind Palos Verdes Estates’s grade

A+ Test scoresA− Graduation

A+: better than 95% of California school districts, #29 of 847 California towns. Test scores and graduation are both above the California average; test scores are the stronger of the two.

California school districts we grade (1,872)Better than 95%
Lower resultsHigher results
California towns with similar household incomes (111)Better than 68%
AA+A fairly firm grade. Ordinary sampling error in 5,166 test results and a graduating class of 963 could put Palos Verdes Estates anywhere from A to A+. The tests are from spring 2022, when 94% of Palos Verdes Estates’s students in the tested grades sat them (5,157 in math, 5,176 in reading).

How TownRatings grades schools →

Where will my kid go?

Pick a grade. These are the public schools that serve Palos Verdes Estates, with each school’s own grade.

The path, start to finish
K–52 elementary schoolsDepends on your addressNo scores
6–8Palos Verdes IntermediatePalos Verdes Peninsula Unified School DistrictNo scores
9–12Palos Verdes HighPalos Verdes Peninsula Unified School DistrictNo scores

Palos Verdes Estates’s public schools are run by Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District, which also serves Rancho Palos Verdes, Rolling Hills and Rolling Hills Estates. To confirm the school for a specific address, ask the district.

The district

Spending and class size are shown but don’t count toward the grade. Each district’s own page has every school.

Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School DistrictGrades K–12 · 17 schools · 10,131 students, down 3% since 2020–21 · 21.9 per teacher (CA 21.6)
$16,812CA $21,206 · FY2024
A+
Test scores · 2021–22

Well above the state in reading

Reading80%
State average 46.7% · 5176 students tested
Math72%
State average 33.1% · 5157 students tested

Palos Verdes Estates vs. its neighbors

Schools grades for the California towns that share Palos Verdes Estates’s borders.

Schools next door
TownSchoolsMain districts
Palos Verdes EstatesA+Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified
Rancho Palos VerdesA+Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified
Rolling Hills EstatesA+Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified
TorranceATorrance Unified

2 of the 3 neighbors share Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified with Palos Verdes Estates, so their letters differ mainly through other districts.

Every school in Palos Verdes Estates

4 schools. Each public school’s letter compares its own 2020–21 reading and math results with California’s other public schools (the newest school-level results we have).

District schools in Palos Verdes Estatesby address
Montemalaga Elementary
Elementary · Grades K–5
416 students21:1Rate it →
Lunada Bay Elementary
Elementary · Grades K–5
329 students21:1Rate it →
Palos Verdes Intermediate
Middle · Grades 6–8
735 students23:1Rate it →
Palos Verdes High
High · Grades 9–12
1,484 students23:1Rate it →

Left off: 1 public program with fewer than 25 students (Sunrise Pre-School).

Questions about Palos Verdes Estates’s schools

Are Palos Verdes Estates’s schools good?

By California’s own tests, yes: the public schools Palos Verdes Estates children attend outscore 95% of California’s school districts on tests and graduation, an A+ Schools grade, #29 of 847 California towns. Among towns with similar incomes they beat 68%. Tests are from 2021–22, graduation from the class of 2023.

What school district is Palos Verdes Estates in?

Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District, which runs grades K–12 and enrolls 10,131 students in 17 schools (2024–25).

Where do Palos Verdes Estates kids go to high school?

Palos Verdes High, with 1,484 students.

What is Palos Verdes Estates’s graduation rate?

97% of the class of 2023 in Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District graduated in four years, against 86% across California.

How much does Palos Verdes Estates spend per student?

$16,812 in Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District (FY2024), against $21,206 across California. Spending doesn’t count toward the grade.

Parents talk

What Palos Verdes Estates families are saying about school.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Looking for colleges? Colleges near Palos Verdes Estates → They have their own page.

School data: state test results (2021–22, with participation) and four-year graduation rates (class of 2023) reported to the U.S. Department of Education (EDFacts via ED Data Express); each school’s own letter uses its 2020–21 results (EDFacts via the Urban Institute); schools and enrollment from NCES (2024–25; private schools 2023–24); spending from the Census Bureau’s school finance survey (FY2024). The School Grade is our own summary, graded within California. Stars are from neighbors.