Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District

1651 16th St.
Santa Monica, CA 90404-3891
(District boundaries shown in map)
10/
10
Top 10%

Top Rankings

Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District ranks among the top 20% of public school district in California for:

Category
Attribute
Overall Rank
Highest overall rank (Top 10%)
Math Proficiency
Highest math proficiency (Top 10%)
Reading/Language Arts Proficiency
Highest reading/language arts proficiency (Top 5%)
Science Proficiency
Highest science proficiency (Top 10%)
Graduation Rate
Highest graduation rate (Top 1%)
Diversity
Most diverse schools (Top 1%)
Community Size
Largest student body (number of students) (Top 1%)
For the 2025 school year, there are 13 public elementary schools serving 5,635 students in Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District. This district's average elementary testing ranking is 10/10, which is in the top 10% of public elementary schools in California.
Public Elementary Schools in Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District have an average math proficiency score of 59% (versus the California public elementary school average of 35%), and reading proficiency score of 73% (versus the 45% statewide average).
Minority enrollment is 51% of the student body (majority Hispanic), which is less than the California public elementary school average of 79% (majority Hispanic).

Overview

This School District
This State (CA)
# Schools
17 Schools
7,700 Schools
# Students
8,630 Students
3,822,920 Students
# Teachers
452 Teachers
174,000 Teachers
Student : Teacher Ratio
19:1
19:1

District Rank

Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District, which is ranked #106 of all 1,925 school districts in California (based off of combined math and reading proficiency testing data) for the 2021-2022 school year.
The school district's graduation rate of 98% has increased from 92% over five school years.
This School District
State Average (CA)
#104 out of 1941 school districts
(Top 10%)
This chart displays the overall district rank of Santa Monica-Malibu Unified  School District, with the latest 2021-22 school year data.
58%
33%
This chart displays the percentage of public school students that scored at or above 'proficient' levels in Math of Santa Monica-Malibu Unified  School District and the percentage of public school students that scored at or above 'proficient' levels in Math of California by year, with the latest 2021-22 school year data.
75%
47%
This chart displays the percentage of public school students that scored at or above 'proficient' levels in Reading/Language Arts of Santa Monica-Malibu Unified  School District and the percentage of public school students that scored at or above 'proficient' levels in Reading/Language Arts of California by year, with the latest 2021-22 school year data.
55%
29%
This chart displays the percentage of public school students that scored at or above 'proficient' levels in Science of Santa Monica-Malibu Unified  School District and the percentage of public school students that scored at or above 'proficient' levels in Science of California by year, with the latest 2021-22 school year data.
98%
87%
This chart displays public school graduation rate of Santa Monica-Malibu Unified  School District and public school graduation rate of California by year, with the latest 2021-22 school year data.

Students by Ethnicity:

0.67
0.64
# American Indian Students
17 Students
16,785 Students
% American Indian Students
n/a
1%
# Asian Students
684 Students
454,357 Students
% Asian Students
8%
12%
# Hispanic Students
2,594 Students
2,114,366 Students
% Hispanic Students
30%
55%
# Black Students
565 Students
189,461 Students
% Black Students
7%
5%
# White Students
4,118 Students
787,389 Students
% White Students
48%
21%
# Hawaiian Students
9 Students
15,077 Students
% Hawaiian Students
n/a
n/a
# Two or more races Students
623 Students
240,557 Students
% of Two or more races Students
7%
6%

Students by Grade:

# Students in PK Grade:
-
83
# Students in K Grade:
702
519,574
# Students in 1st Grade:
558
396,601
# Students in 2nd Grade:
528
414,466
# Students in 3rd Grade:
556
416,628
# Students in 4th Grade:
610
426,360
# Students in 5th Grade:
670
430,582
# Students in 6th Grade:
618
432,936
# Students in 7th Grade:
695
312,207
# Students in 8th Grade:
697
312,649
# Students in 9th Grade:
676
44,929
# Students in 10th Grade:
732
37,487
# Students in 11th Grade:
791
37,249
# Students in 12th Grade:
797
41,169
# Ungraded Students:
-
-

District Revenue and Spending

The revenue/student of $30,981 is higher than the state median of $19,974. The school district revenue/student has grown by 14% over four school years.
The school district's spending/student of $43,289 is higher than the state median of $18,396. The school district spending/student has grown by 14% over four school years.
This School District
This State (CA)
Total Revenue
$267 MM
$116,387 MM
This chart displays total revenue of Santa Monica-Malibu Unified  School District and median value from total revenues of all school districts in California by year, with the latest 2020-21 school year data.
Spending
$374 MM
$107,188 MM
This chart displays total spending of Santa Monica-Malibu Unified  School District and median value from total spendings of all school districts in California by year, with the latest 2020-21 school year data.
Revenue / Student
$30,981
$19,974
This chart displays average revenue per public school student in Santa Monica-Malibu Unified  School District and average revenue per public school student of all school districts in California by year, with the latest 2020-21 school year data.
Spending / Student
$43,289
$18,396
This chart displays average spending per public school student in Santa Monica-Malibu Unified  School District and average spending per public school student of all school districts in California by year, with the latest 2020-21 school year data.

Best Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District Public Elementary Schools (2025)

School
(Math and Reading Proficiency)
Location
Grades
Students
Rank: #11.
Franklin Elementary School
(Math: 84% | Reading: 84%)
Rank:
10/
10
Top 5%
2400 Montana Ave.
Santa Monica, CA 90403
(310) 828-2814
Grades: K-5
| 612 students
Rank: #22.
Webster Elementary School
(Math: 75-79% | Reading: 80-84%)
Rank:
10/
10
Top 5%
3602 Winter Canyon
Malibu, CA 90265
(310) 456-6494
Grades: K-5
| 205 students
Rank: #33.
Roosevelt Elementary School
(Math: 72% | Reading: 78%)
Rank:
10/
10
Top 10%
801 Montana Ave.
Santa Monica, CA 90403
(310) 395-0941
Grades: K-5
| 588 students
Rank: #44.
Grant Elementary School
(Math: 70% | Reading: 78%)
Rank:
10/
10
Top 10%
2368 Pearl St.
Santa Monica, CA 90405
(310) 450-7651
Grades: K-5
| 570 students
Rank: #55.
Lincoln Middle School
(Math: 64% | Reading: 80%)
Rank:
10/
10
Top 10%
1501 California Ave.
Santa Monica, CA 90403
(310) 393-9227
Grades: 6-8
| 884 students
Rank: #66.
Edison Elementary School
(Math: 70-74% | Reading: 70-74%)
Rank:
10/
10
Top 10%
2402 Virginia Ave.
Santa Monica, CA 90404
(310) 828-0335
Grades: K-5
| 395 students
Rank: #7 - 87. - 8.
Mckinley Elementary School
(Math: 55-59% | Reading: 70-74%)
Rank:
9/
10
Top 20%
2401 Santa Monica Blvd.
Santa Monica, CA 90404
(310) 828-5011
Grades: K-5
| 393 students
Rank: #7 - 87. - 8.
Santa Monica Alternative (K-8)
Alternative School
(Math: 55-59% | Reading: 70-74%)
Rank:
9/
10
Top 20%
2525 Fifth St.
Santa Monica, CA 90405
(310) 396-2640
Grades: K-8
| 219 students
Rank: #99.
Malibu Middle School
(Math: 51% | Reading: 78%)
Rank:
9/
10
Top 20%
30237 Morning View Dr.
Malibu, CA 90265
(310) 457-6801
Grades: 6-8
| 247 students
Rank: #1010.
Malibu Elementary School
(Math: 50-54% | Reading: 60-64%)
Rank:
9/
10
Top 20%
6955 Fernhill Dr.
Malibu, CA 90265
(310) 457-9370
Grades: K-5
| 191 students
Rank: #1111.
Will Rogers Elementary School
(Math: 45-49% | Reading: 60-64%)
Rank:
8/
10
Top 30%
2401 14th St.
Santa Monica, CA 90405
(310) 452-2364
Grades: K-5
| 523 students
Rank: #1212.
John Adams Middle School
(Math: 42% | Reading: 65%)
Rank:
8/
10
Top 30%
2425 16th St.
Santa Monica, CA 90405
(310) 452-2326
Grades: 6-8
| 808 students
Rank: #1313.
John Muir Elementary School
(Math: 40-44% | Reading: 50-54%)
Rank:
7/
10
Top 50%
2526 Sixth St.
Santa Monica, CA 90405
(310) 399-7721
Grades: K-5
| n/a students

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Quick Stats (2025)

  • District size: 17 schools
  • Grades: KG-12
  • Enrollment: 8,630 students
  • Student:Teacher Ratio: 19:1
  • Minority Enrollment: 52%
  • : 98% (Top 1% in CA)
  • : Top 10%
  • : 58% (Top 10%)
  • : 75% (Top 5%)
  • : 55% (Top 10%)
  • Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), CA Dept. of Education

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