Summary:
South Pasadena Unified includes five schools serving kindergarten through 12th grade: three elementary schools, one middle school and one high school, with reported enrollment of 4,652. In 2025–26, every school’s all-grades proficiency results were above the state figures in English language arts (ELA), math and science. The main takeaway is broad strength compared with the state, alongside a 23-point spread between the highest and lowest school results in math.
Marengo Elementary leads the elementary schools in all three subjects, with 87% in ELA, 89% in math and 83% in science; its results are 5, 12 and 6 points above the other four schools’ averages, respectively. South Pasadena Middle is strong across subjects too, at 84% in ELA, 81% in math and 80% in science, each above the district result. South Pasadena Senior High has the lowest all-grades results in the group: 81% in ELA, 67% in math and 69% in science. The gap between Marengo and Senior High is 7 points in ELA, 23 in math and 14 in science. Since the schools cover different grade spans, grade-specific results are more useful for direct comparisons where available.
Year-to-year movement is mixed: the five-school average fell 1 point in ELA, rose 1 point in math and rose 7 points in science from 2024–25 to 2025–26. Monterey Hills Elementary had the clearest individual science gain, rising 23 points, from 58% to 80%; in fifth-grade ELA, it also scored 2 points above Marengo, 88% to 86%. SchoolDigger gives all five schools five stars; its rankings improved for Marengo, from 63rd to 33rd, and Monterey Hills, from 281st to 147th, while Senior High moved from 53rd to 88th. The schools’ free/reduced lunch eligible shares for 2024–25 ranged from 13% at Marengo to 17% at Arroyo Vista Elementary—useful context, but not an explanation for results.
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