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El Morro Elementary

Q: Is El Morro Elementary a good school?

El Morro Elementary ranks 697 th of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-5

697^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,857 California Elementary Schools

Better than 88% of California elementary schools

Summary

El Morro Elementary is a well-regarded K-5 public school serving 404 students in the highly-ranked Laguna Beach Unified school district, consistently performing in the top 15% of California elementary schools.

The school's greatest strength is its exceptional support for students with diverse learning needs, achieving some of the state's highest rankings for students in special education and those from lower-income households. This demonstrates a strong, effective commitment to helping every child succeed. However, when compared to other top-tier schools in the area, such as Canyon Vista Elementary or its district partner Top of the World Elementary, El Morro's overall academic results, particularly in 5th-grade math and science, are solid but not leading. This is notable because El Morro spends significantly more per student than these neighboring schools.

Another area for potential growth is student attendance; while improving, the chronic absenteeism rate is higher than at many peer schools like Harbor View Elementary. In a region with many outstanding schools, including several in the Irvine Unified and Capistrano Unified districts, El Morro stands out for its inclusive environment and remains a strong choice for families, especially those who value a school that excels in supporting a wide range of learners.

404

Students ?

21.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$36,193

Per pupil spending ?

24.5%

Free/discounted lunch ?

8681 North Coast Hwy.
Laguna Beach, CA 92651-1032

(949) 497-7780

District: Laguna Beach Unified

Students who attend El Morro Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Thurston Middle
High:	Laguna Beach High

Racial breakdown:

White:

69.8%

Hispanic:

12.9%

Two or more races:

9.7%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare El Morro Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 94th percentile in 2013 → 88th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the California average (69% vs 41% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 12% of California elementary schools

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 6 percentile points since 2013

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school69%

District avg73%

California avg41%

697^th of 5,857

California public elementary schools ?

Top 12%▼ down 5 pts since 2015

From top 7% (2015) to top 12% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 2Elementary Schools in the Laguna Beach Unified

70^th of 1,543Laguna Beach Unified among California districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	89.4	697 of 5857	88.1%	★★★★☆
2024	94.3	405 of 5869	93.1%	★★★★★
2023	95.0	354 of 5859	94.0%	★★★★★
2022	94.7	391 of 5883	93.4%	★★★★★
2019	96.6	178 of 5789	96.9%	★★★★★
2018	96.1	210 of 5662	96.3%	★★★★★
2017	94.4	370 of 5692	93.5%	★★★★★
2016	92.3	480 of 5614	91.4%	★★★★★
2015	93.9	389 of 5611	93.1%	★★★★★
2013	91.6	358 of 5530	93.5%	★★★★★
2012	89.2	479 of 5390	91.1%	★★★★★
2011	82.3	875 of 5377	83.7%	★★★★☆
2010	85.9	680 of 5314	87.2%	★★★★☆
2009	86.5	678 of 5193	86.9%	★★★★☆
2008	87.8	613 of 5113	88.0%	★★★★☆
2007	84.2	787 of 5113	84.6%	★★★★☆
2006	89.6	506 of 4818	89.5%	★★★★☆
2005	87.0	641 of 4822	86.7%	★★★★☆
2004	84.8	714 of 4809	85.2%	★★★★☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	92.3	141 of 2227	93.7%	★★★★★
2019	99.8	9 of 2585	99.7%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	86.0	808 of 5597	85.6%	★★★★☆
2024	91.2	555 of 5612	90.1%	★★★★★
2023	94.3	341 of 5609	93.9%	★★★★★
2022	90.1	634 of 5635	88.7%	★★★★☆
2019	96.6	112 of 5492	98.0%	★★★★★
2018	94.9	226 of 5413	95.8%	★★★★★

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	96.1	123 of 5107	97.6%	★★★★★
2022	79.9	735 of 5084	85.5%	★★★★☆
2019	99.5	13 of 4963	99.7%	★★★★★
2018	92.1	225 of 4830	95.3%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	89.9	371 of 5460	93.2%	★★★★★
2024	93.4	305 of 5517	94.5%	★★★★★
2023	98.4	65 of 5363	98.8%	★★★★★
2022	97.0	111 of 5264	97.9%	★★★★★
2019	97.8	48 of 5173	99.1%	★★★★★
2018	93.3	174 of 5084	96.6%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	90.4	553 of 5628	90.2%	★★★★★
2024	95.0	282 of 5643	95.0%	★★★★★
2023	93.8	373 of 5638	93.4%	★★★★★
2022	94.9	306 of 5663	94.6%	★★★★★
2019	94.8	263 of 5510	95.2%	★★★★★
2018	94.8	263 of 5431	95.2%	★★★★★

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	99.6	14 of 2635	99.5%	★★★★★

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	70.1	782 of 2598	69.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	80.4	407 of 2651	84.6%	★★★★☆
2023	81.9	358 of 2661	86.5%	★★★★☆
2022	85.9	236 of 2726	91.3%	★★★★★
2019	87.2	181 of 2834	93.6%	★★★★★
2018	87.1	178 of 2737	93.5%	★★★★★

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Special Education (2024)99th percentile+6 vs school

Hispanic (2024)98th percentile+4 vs school

Disabled (2022)94th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)93rd percentile+5 vs school

Male (2025)90th percentile~ school

Female (2025)86th percentile-3 vs school

White (2025)70th percentile-18 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy76%+27 vs state

Mathematics68%+30 vs state

Science51%+19 vs state

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Schools Near El Morro Elementary

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				CAST Science (2025)			Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy (2025)							Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2025)							% Completely Immunized (2022)	% Polio (2022)	% Varicella (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	CAST Science 5th Grade	CAST Science 8th 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 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 All Grades	% Completely Immunized KG	% Polio KG	% Varicella KG	% DTP KG	% MMR KG	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
El Morro Elementary	Public	K-5	8681 North Coast Hwy.	Laguna Beach	92651	Orange County	Laguna Beach Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 497-7780	404	19	21.2	24.5%	282 (69.8%)	2 (0.5%)	52 (12.9%)	26 (6.4%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	39 (9.7%)	89.4	697^th of 5857 public elementary schools	88.1%		94.3	405^th of 5869 public elementary schools	93.1%	292	51.3		51.3	75.4	81.1	71.3				75.8	83.3	71.6	52.5				67.8						$36,193	$1,064	$35,129
Newport Coast Elementary	Public	K-6	6655 Ridge Park Rd.	Newport Beach	92657	Orange County	Newport-Mesa Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 515-6975	429	22	19.4	19.1%	237 (55.2%)	0 (0.0%)	31 (7.2%)	101 (23.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	59 (13.8%)	96.2	224^th of 5857 public elementary schools	96.2%		96.6	202^nd of 5869 public elementary schools	96.6%	22	65.4		65.4	83.0	80.8	84.6	83.3			82.8	72.2	79.7	80.8	79.0			78.1						$23,813	$1,518	$22,295
Harbor View Elementary	Public	K-6	900 Goldenrod Ave.	Corona Del Mar	92625	Orange County	Newport-Mesa Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 515-6940	344	18	19.5	12.2%	235 (68.3%)	1 (0.3%)	38 (11.0%)	27 (7.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	43 (12.5%)	94.9	342^nd of 5857 public elementary schools	94.2%		94	432^nd of 5869 public elementary schools	92.6%	90	56.5		56.5	73.9	85.4	76.1	91.3			81.6	73.9	87.8	71.7	80.0			78.1	93.2		93.2			$27,387	$1,677	$25,710
Abraham Lincoln Elementary	Public	K-6	3101 Pacific View Dr.	Corona Del Mar	92625	Orange County	Newport-Mesa Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 515-6955	336	24	14.2	35.1%	178 (53.0%)	6 (1.8%)	55 (16.4%)	60 (17.9%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.6%)	35 (10.4%)	86.2	869^th of 5857 public elementary schools	85.2%		90.1	695^th of 5869 public elementary schools	88.2%	174	43.8		43.8	55.6	75.0	77.1	80.9			72.3	55.6	70.5	63.3	75.0			66.1	94.1			94.1		$30,464	$1,636	$28,828
Roy O. Andersen Elementary	Public	K-6	1900 Port Seabourne Way	Newport Beach	92660	Orange County	Newport-Mesa Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 515-6935	353	16	21.7	9.3%	232 (65.7%)	1 (0.3%)	29 (8.2%)	35 (9.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	56 (15.9%)	96.5	194^th of 5857 public elementary schools	96.7%		96.5	208^th of 5869 public elementary schools	96.5%	14	73.9		73.9	74.0	68.2	88.9	92.3			80.3	86.0	81.8	82.6	87.2			84.4						$25,311	$1,287	$24,024
Top of the World Elementary	Public	K-5	21601 Tree Top Ln.	Laguna Beach	92651	Orange County	Laguna Beach Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 497-7790	536	27	19.8	16.4%	373 (69.6%)	3 (0.6%)	67 (12.5%)	33 (6.2%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	58 (10.8%)	96.4	200^th of 5857 public elementary schools	96.6%		96.8	185^th of 5869 public elementary schools	96.8%	15	72.0		72.0	78.3	80.0	81.7				79.9	82.1	80.0	79.6				80.6	96.3					$31,906	$961	$30,945
Vista Verde	Public	K-8	6 Federation Way	Irvine	92603	Orange County	Irvine Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 936-6350	837	30	27.6	10.3%	351 (41.9%)	2 (0.2%)	73 (8.7%)	306 (36.6%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	103 (12.3%)	96.2	228^th of 5857 public elementary schools	96.1%		96.7	192^nd of 5869 public elementary schools	96.7%	36	82.0	79.5	80.9	73.3	79.0	88.0	77.2	81.4	85.9	80.7	81.1	73.2	80.0	79.2	85.3	91.0	81.3						$13,926	$350	$13,576
Bonita Canyon Elementary	Public	K-6	1 Sundance	Irvine	92603	Orange County	Irvine Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 936-5450	395	15	26.3	14.2%	170 (43.0%)	0 (0.0%)	38 (9.6%)	132 (33.4%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	53 (13.4%)	96.9	159^th of 5857 public elementary schools	97.3%		97.1	157^th of 5869 public elementary schools	97.3%	2	77.4		77.4	73.5	82.7	88.5	87.7			83.5	76.0	78.9	86.8	79.1			80.2	88.4	90.7		90.7	93.0	$16,570	$554	$16,016
Canyon Vista Elementary	Public	K-5	27800 Oak View Dr.	Aliso Viejo	92656	Orange County	Capistrano Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 234-5941	533	22	24.2	19.7%	291 (54.6%)	0 (0.0%)	65 (12.2%)	87 (16.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	90 (16.9%)	98.1	66^th of 5857 public elementary schools	98.9%		94.4	392^nd of 5869 public elementary schools	93.3%	326	77.8		77.8	87.2	88.1	90.3				88.5	85.9	89.3	73.6				83.3	96.1		97.4		97.4	$18,394	$1,346	$17,048
Oak Grove Elementary	Public	K-5	22705 Sanborn	Aliso Viejo	92656	Orange County	Capistrano Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 360-9001	569	24	23.7	32.2%	281 (49.4%)	1 (0.2%)	102 (17.9%)	83 (14.6%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	99 (17.4%)	89	714^th of 5857 public elementary schools	87.8%		89.4	727^th of 5869 public elementary schools	87.6%	13	51.2		51.2	72.8	72.6	63.4				69.0	79.0	75.5	66.7				72.9						$17,949	$1,264	$16,685

Frequently Asked Questions about El Morro Elementary

What is the racial makeup of El Morro Elementary?

Students at El Morro Elementary are 70% White, 13% Hispanic, 10% Two or more races, 6% Asian.

Is El Morro Elementary a good school?

El Morro Elementary ranks 697^th of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

How many students attend El Morro Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 404 students attended El Morro Elementary.

What district is El Morro Elementary in?

Laguna Beach Unified

What schools do graduates of El Morro Elementary attend?

Students who attend El Morro Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Thurston Middle
High : Laguna Beach High

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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.