Best Public Schools in Half Moon Bay, CA

Summary:

The Cabrillo Unified school district serves the coastal community of Half Moon Bay with five public schools: two elementary schools (El Granada Elementary and Alvin S. Hatch Elementary), one middle school (Manuel F. Cunha Intermediate), the comprehensive Half Moon Bay High, and the alternative Pilarcitos Alternative High (Continuation).

Parents will find notable differences in academic performance between schools. El Granada Elementary stands out with the highest test scores in the district, particularly in English, while Manuel F. Cunha Intermediate shows relative strength in science. Half Moon Bay High excels in a different area, boasting an exceptional graduation rate well above state averages, though its standardized test scores are the lowest in the district. The district-wide trend shows test scores generally below state averages, but student attendance is better than the state norm.

Key considerations include the significant performance gap between the two elementary schools and the unique role of Pilarcitos Alternative High (Continuation), which serves at-risk students with very different goals and metrics. Overall, the district presents a profile of strong student support leading to high graduation rates, alongside ongoing challenges in elevating standardized test scores across all grade levels.

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores 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)										CSA Spanish Speaking (2025)			CAST Science (2025)				Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy (2025)								Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2025)								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 6th Grade	CSA Spanish Overall 7th Grade	CSA Spanish Overall 8th Grade	CSA Spanish Overall 9th Grade	CSA Spanish Overall 10th Grade	CSA Spanish Overall 11th Grade	CSA Spanish Overall All Grades	CSA Spanish Listening 3rd Grade	CSA Spanish Listening 4th Grade	CSA Spanish Listening 5th Grade	CSA Spanish Listening 6th Grade	CSA Spanish Listening 7th Grade	CSA Spanish Listening 8th Grade	CSA Spanish Listening 9th Grade	CSA Spanish Listening 10th Grade	CSA Spanish Listening 11th Grade	CSA Spanish Listening All Grades	CSA Spanish Writing 3rd Grade	CSA Spanish Writing 4th Grade	CSA Spanish Writing 5th Grade	CSA Spanish Writing 6th Grade	CSA Spanish Writing 7th Grade	CSA Spanish Writing 8th Grade	CSA Spanish Writing 9th Grade	CSA Spanish Writing 10th Grade	CSA Spanish Writing 11th Grade	CSA Spanish Writing All Grades	CSA Spanish Reading 3rd Grade	CSA Spanish Reading 4th Grade	CSA Spanish Reading 5th Grade	CSA Spanish Reading 6th Grade	CSA Spanish Reading 7th Grade	CSA Spanish Reading 8th Grade	CSA Spanish Reading 9th Grade	CSA Spanish Reading 10th Grade	CSA Spanish Reading 11th Grade	CSA Spanish Reading All Grades	CSA Spanish Speaking 9th Grade	CSA Spanish Speaking 10th Grade	CSA Spanish Speaking 11th Grade	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	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Alvin S. Hatch Elementary	Public	K-5	490 Miramontes Ave.	Half Moon Bay	94019	San Mateo County	Cabrillo Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(650) 712-7160	544	21	26.2	36.2%	161 (29.6%)	2 (0.4%)	349 (64.2%)	12 (2.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (3.7%)	25.6	4345^th of 5857 public elementary schools	25.8%		28.8	4039^th of 5869 public elementary schools	31.2%	306	14.6	11.7	4.6							10.5	35.4	10.0	25.0							22.4	12.5	35.0	9.1							20.4	10.4	11.7	4.6							9.2				22.1			22.1	25.0	29.1	29.9					27.9	22.6	38.4	23.4					28.3	$14,121	$1,175	$12,946
El Granada Elementary	Public	K-5	400 Santiago St.	Half Moon Bay	94019	San Mateo County	Cabrillo Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(650) 712-7150	324	14	23.1	25.3%	132 (40.7%)	0 (0.0%)	155 (47.8%)	10 (3.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	27 (8.3%)	56.9	2216^th of 5857 public elementary schools	62.2%		45.7	2820^th of 5869 public elementary schools	52.0%	604																																												23.9			23.9	55.0	72.6	43.5					57.7	47.5	51.0	26.1					41.6	$17,852	$1,986	$15,866
Half Moon Bay High	Public	9-12	1 Lewis Foster Dr.	Half Moon Bay	94019	San Mateo County	Cabrillo Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(650) 712-7200	911	50	18.3	25.7%	378 (41.5%)	2 (0.2%)	463 (50.8%)	24 (2.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	43 (4.7%)	33	1426^th of 2162 public high schools	34.0%		61.6	724^th of 2159 public high schools	66.5%	702							0.0	2.8	10.0	3.5							8.0	5.6	26.0	11.3							1.3	4.3	16.3	6.0							0.0	1.4	6.1	2.0	17.3	8.5	38.0			14.4	14.0							35.5	35.5							21.0	21.0	$15,992	$1,441	$14,551
Manuel F. Cunha Intermediate	Public	6-8	600 Church St.	Half Moon Bay	94019	San Mateo County	Cabrillo Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(650) 712-7190	521	24	21.6	27.4%	208 (39.9%)	0 (0.0%)	270 (51.8%)	10 (1.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	30 (5.8%)	46.3	1287^th of 2761 public middle schools	53.4%		43.1	1368^th of 2783 public middle schools	50.8%	81				4.2	4.2	7.7				5.4				12.5	29.2	7.7				16.2				4.2	8.3	7.7				6.8				4.2	0.0	7.7				4.1					31.0		31.0				43.1	39.6	41.0		41.3				40.5	32.9	27.2		33.3	$16,809	$1,654	$15,155
Pilarcitos Alternative High (Continuation)	Public	9-12	498 Kelly Ave.	Half Moon Bay	94019	San Mateo County	Cabrillo Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(650) 712-7224	25	1	23.5	48.0%	4 (16.0%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (80.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (4.0%)								(n/a)																																																																$15,967	$3,608	$12,359

Cities Near Half Moon Bay

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
San Mateo	2.09 mi	23	296^th
Belmont	2.1 mi	6	54^th
Redwood City	2.49 mi	29	426^th
San Carlos	3.11 mi	11	21^st
Woodside	4.14 mi	3	52^nd

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.