High Schools in Monterey Peninsula Unified

The four high schools in Monterey Peninsula Unified serve grades 9–12 across the Monterey Peninsula area. Their academic results vary widely, and all four graduate more students than the state rate, but test proficiency—especially in math—is a major challenge across the group. The schools’ average math proficiency is 15%, compared with 38% statewide, a 23-point gap.

Monterey High stands out at the top, leading in English at 63%, math at 25%, and reported science at 26%; its English result is 13 points above the state, though its math and science remain below state levels. Marina High is second in English and math, while Seaside High has lower results in those subjects. Central Coast High is the clearest outlier at the bottom: English proficiency is 6% and math is 3%, and its science result is suppressed. Its chronic absenteeism is 79%, versus 16% districtwide and 18% statewide. Graduation is a counterpoint: all four rates are 96% or higher, compared with 88% statewide.

Recent results show no consistent improvement across subjects. Marina’s English proficiency fell 8 percentage points in one year, while its math and science rose by 4 points each; Monterey’s English edged up by 1 point, but its math fell by 2 points and science by 11. SchoolDigger’s statewide ranking percentiles were lower in 2025–2026 than in 2023–2024 for all four schools: Monterey moved from 69 to 63, Seaside from 31 to 27, Marina from 61 to 42, and Central Coast from 7 to 6. As context, the schools’ 2024–2025 free/reduced lunch eligible shares ranged from 58% at Monterey to 91% at Central Coast; these figures describe the schools’ students but do not explain their results. Marina and Seaside also have similar student–teacher ratios—20.8 and 20.3—yet Marina’s current proficiency is higher in each reported subject.