Best Public Schools in Gonzales, CA

Summary:

The city of Gonzales, California, is served by the Gonzales Unified school district, which includes three public schools—La Gloria Elementary, Fairview Middle, and Gonzales High—educating nearly 2,000 students from kindergarten through 12th grade in a high-need community.

Among these schools, Gonzales High stands out for its exceptionally strong 94.3% graduation rate and the district's best English proficiency scores, while Fairview Middle has the lowest chronic absenteeism and most favorable student-teacher ratio. La Gloria Elementary shows a particular strength in Spanish listening skills and has third-grade math proficiency matching the state average, though this drops sharply by fifth grade.

Overall, the district faces significant academic challenges, with proficiency rates in English, math, and science below state averages, and high chronic absenteeism at the high school. A notable finding is the middle school's very low math proficiency, which is a key area for improvement. Despite per-student spending being above the state average, translating resources into higher test scores remains a challenge for the district.

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Immunizations Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				CSA Spanish Overall (2025)				CSA Spanish Listening (2025)				CSA Spanish Writing (2025)				CSA Spanish Reading (2025)				CAST Science (2025)				Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy (2025)								Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2025)								% Completely Immunized (2022)	% Polio (2022)	% DTP (2022)	% MMR (2022)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	CSA Spanish Overall 3rd Grade	CSA Spanish Overall 4th Grade	CSA Spanish Overall 5th Grade	CSA Spanish Overall All Grades	CSA Spanish Listening 3rd Grade	CSA Spanish Listening 4th Grade	CSA Spanish Listening 5th Grade	CSA Spanish Listening All Grades	CSA Spanish Writing 3rd Grade	CSA Spanish Writing 4th Grade	CSA Spanish Writing 5th Grade	CSA Spanish Writing All Grades	CSA Spanish Reading 3rd Grade	CSA Spanish Reading 4th Grade	CSA Spanish Reading 5th Grade	CSA Spanish Reading All Grades	CAST Science 5th Grade	CAST Science 8th Grade	CAST Science 11th Grade	CAST Science All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 3rd Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 4th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 5th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 6th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 7th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 8th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 11th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 3rd Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 4th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 5th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 6th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 7th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 8th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 11th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics All Grades	% Completely Immunized KG	% Polio KG	% DTP KG	% MMR KG	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Gonzales High	Public	9-12	501 Fifth St.	Gonzales	93926	Monterey County	Gonzales Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 675-2495	751	38	19.7	83.9%	8 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	725 (96.5%)	3 (0.4%)	10 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (0.7%)	38.8	1295^th of 2162 public high schools	40.1%		32	1449^th of 2159 public high schools	32.9%	154																			20.2	19.7							43.4	43.4							18.2	18.2					$22,546	$2,146	$20,400
Fairview Middle	Public	6-8	401 Fourth St.	Gonzales	93926	Monterey County	Gonzales Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 675-3704	426	24	17.8	83.8%	4 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	417 (97.9%)	3 (0.7%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	21.7	2163^rd of 2761 public middle schools	21.7%		21.6	2195^th of 2783 public middle schools	21.1%	32																		16.3		16.3				29.9	35.2	36.6		33.9				13.6	12.1	11.8		12.5					$23,416	$1,944	$21,472
La Gloria Elementary	Public	K-5	220 Elko St.	Gonzales	93926	Monterey County	Gonzales Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 675-3663	784	34	23.0	77.9%	5 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	773 (98.6%)	4 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.3%)	22.9	4601^st of 5857 public elementary schools	21.4%		27.8	4133^rd of 5869 public elementary schools	29.6%	468	17.8	6.3	0.0	10.6	62.2	6.3	33.3	43.5	20.0	6.3	4.2	12.9	13.3	6.3	0.0	8.2	8.6			8.6	32.6	23.0	23.7					26.6	46.2	27.7	12.2					28.5	97.4	98.0	98.0	98.0	$19,050	$930	$18,120

Cities Near Gonzales

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Chualar	6.1 mi	1	417^th
Soledad	7.76 mi	11	625^th
Salinas	13.56 mi	69	738^th
Spreckels	14.07 mi	1	250^th
Hollister	15.22 mi	22	535^th

See the top CA California cities

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the California Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.