Summary:
South Pasadena Unified has three elementary schools—Marengo Elementary, Arroyo Vista Elementary and Monterey Hills Elementary—all serving K–5, with enrollments from 570 to 783. In 2025–26, all three schools were well above state proficiency results in ELA, math and science: their averages were 84%, 84% and 81%, compared with 49%, 38% and 36% statewide. The clearest overall distinction is Marengo, which led its nearest local school by 5 points in ELA, 8 in math and 3 in science.
Marengo led all three all-grades subjects, with 87% proficient in ELA, 89% in math and 83% in science. Arroyo Vista had the lowest overall results—82% in ELA, 81% in math and 79% in science—while Monterey Hills was close, at 82%, 81% and 80%. Grade-level results show exceptions to the overall ordering: Monterey Hills led fifth-grade ELA at 88%, ahead of Marengo at 86% and Arroyo Vista at 84%. Marengo stood out in fourth-grade ELA (90%) and third-grade math (91%).
Recent results show the biggest gain at Monterey Hills: from 2024–25 to 2025–26, its science proficiency rose 23 points and math rose 5; across the three schools, average science rose 9 points and math 1, while ELA fell by 1. SchoolDigger ranked Marengo 33rd in California and Arroyo Vista and Monterey Hills 148th and 147th; all three received five stars. For context, in 2024–25, the free/reduced lunch eligible measure was 13% at Marengo, 17% at Arroyo Vista and 14% at Monterey Hills; student–teacher ratios were 25.2, 25.2 and 21.9, respectively. These figures describe differences among schools, not reasons for their results.
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