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J. H. McGaugh Elementary

Public Grades K-5
744th
SchoolDigger Rank ?
of 5,804 California Elementary Schools
Better than 87% of California elementary schools
Summary

J. H. McGaugh Elementary serves 721 students in kindergarten through fifth grade in Seal Beach, within Los Alamitos Unified. Its 2025–2026 results are well above California averages in English language arts, math, and science. The main takeaway for families is that despite those strong statewide results, McGaugh scores below its district and the nearby-school averages in all three subjects, with the largest shortfall in science.

Math is McGaugh’s strongest subject relative to nearby schools and the district; science is its weakest. In 2025–2026, proficiency was 70% in English language arts, 68% in math, and 51% in science. Those results were 21, 29, and 15 percentage points above state averages, respectively, but 7, 1, and 12 points below district results. Compared with averages for 10 nearby schools, McGaugh was behind by 6 points in English language arts, 4 in math, and 13 in science. It ranked last among the 11 schools in English language arts, eighth in math, and ninth in science.

Scores have rebounded from 2024–2025, rising by 4 points in English language arts, 6 in math, and 9 in science, but remain below 2022–2023 results by 1, 6, and 11 points. The school’s SchoolDigger ranking improved from the 82nd percentile last year to the 87th percentile in 2025–2026, earning 4 stars, though it was at the 91st percentile in 2022–2023 and ranks ninth among nearby schools. Its student–teacher ratio is 22.5, below the nearby-school average of 24.9. In 2024–2025, 18% of students were free/reduced lunch eligible. Chronic absenteeism was 5.6% in 2025–2026, below the state’s 18.3% and district’s 7.4%. SchoolDigger’s statewide rankings show lower standing for two student groups than for the school overall: it places the school at the 52nd percentile for Multi-racial Students and the 54th for Military Connected Students, compared with the overall 87th percentile.

721
Students ?
22.5
Student/teacher ratio ?
$24,595
Per pupil spending ?
18.0%
Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?
All students in California receive free school meals.
 1698 Bolsa Ave.
       Seal Beach, CA  90740-6212

(562) 799-4560

District: Los Alamitos Unified


Students who attend J. H. McGaugh Elementary usually attend:

Middle:    Sharon Christa McAuliffe Middle
High:    Los Alamitos High
Racial breakdown:

White:
48.8%
Hispanic:
26.9%
Two or more races:
14.0%
more
 See top rated California elementary schools

 Compare J. H. McGaugh Elementary to nearby elementary schools!
At a glance
▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 91st percentile in 2015 → 87th in 2026
Strengths
✓Test scores above the California average (66% vs 42% meeting standards)
✓Ranks in the top 13% of California elementary schools
Worth a look
!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing
!Near the bottom of Los Alamitos Unified's ranking
!Large classes — about 22 students per teacher
Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?
This school66%
District avg71%
California avg42%
744th of 5,804
California public elementary schools ?
Top 13%▼ down 6 pts since 2016
From top 7% (2016) to top 13% (2026)
See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →
★★★★★
SchoolDigger rating ?
5th of 6Elementary Schools in the Los Alamitos Unified
48th of 968Los Alamitos 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

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202688.0744 of 580487.2%★★★★☆
202582.41052 of 585782.0%★★★★☆
202487.2856 of 586985.4%★★★★☆
202392.5538 of 585990.8%★★★★★
202289.0747 of 588387.3%★★★★☆
201992.0520 of 578991.0%★★★★★
201892.4489 of 566291.4%★★★★★
201792.7468 of 569291.8%★★★★★
201693.9390 of 561493.1%★★★★★
201591.8518 of 561190.8%★★★★★
201393.1245 of 553095.6%★★★★★
201288.0555 of 539089.7%★★★★☆
201190.9387 of 537792.8%★★★★★
201086.1675 of 531487.3%★★★★☆
200984.5781 of 519385.0%★★★★☆
200889.9483 of 511390.6%★★★★★
200783.5822 of 511383.9%★★★★☆
200686.8648 of 481886.6%★★★★☆
200591.1427 of 482291.1%★★★★★
200488.1584 of 480987.9%★★★★☆

Asian

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202384.452 of 119095.6%★★★★★

Disabled

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202280.4299 of 222786.6%★★★★☆
201971.3485 of 258581.2%★★★★☆
201890.2151 of 212892.9%★★★★★

Female

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202690.3555 of 556990.0%★★★★★
202581.31023 of 559781.7%★★★★☆
202488.5691 of 561287.7%★★★★☆
202390.9573 of 560989.8%★★★★☆
202289.2678 of 563588.0%★★★★☆
201989.4594 of 549289.2%★★★★☆
201890.3557 of 541389.7%★★★★☆

Hispanic

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202683.9543 of 508589.3%★★★★☆
202578.8794 of 510784.5%★★★★☆
202487.9437 of 510791.4%★★★★★
202397.396 of 508798.1%★★★★★
202291.4305 of 508494.0%★★★★★
201996.986 of 496398.3%★★★★★
201896.398 of 483098.0%★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202673.11097 of 541279.7%★★★★☆
202572.61130 of 546079.3%★★★★☆
202476.8982 of 551782.2%★★★★☆
202393.1263 of 536395.1%★★★★★
202297.497 of 526498.2%★★★★★
201996.784 of 517398.4%★★★★★
201894.7136 of 508497.3%★★★★★

Male

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202682.1962 of 559082.8%★★★★☆
202580.81034 of 562881.6%★★★★☆
202483.1960 of 564383.0%★★★★☆
202391.8511 of 563890.9%★★★★★
202287.4759 of 566386.6%★★★★☆
201992.1442 of 551092.0%★★★★★
201891.7464 of 543191.5%★★★★★

Military Connected

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202656.257 of 12353.7%★★★☆☆
202547.376 of 15350.3%★★★☆☆
202446.461 of 11848.3%★★☆☆☆
202364.249 of 14065.0%★★★☆☆
202260.044 of 13066.2%★★★☆☆

Multi-racial

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202658.2362 of 75251.9%★★★☆☆
202456.0353 of 67047.3%★★☆☆☆
202362.8270 of 66959.6%★★★☆☆
202253.6330 of 61045.9%★★☆☆☆

Special Education

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202676.3445 of 292084.8%★★★★☆
202578.8398 of 284786.0%★★★★☆
202469.9499 of 263581.1%★★★★☆
202388.2193 of 242092.0%★★★★★

White

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202674.0616 of 253275.7%★★★★☆
202566.9883 of 259866.0%★★★☆☆
202471.4772 of 265170.9%★★★★☆
202377.2535 of 266179.9%★★★★☆
202275.4610 of 272677.6%★★★★☆
201978.2524 of 283481.5%★★★★☆
201879.7459 of 273783.2%★★★★☆
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)
Asian (2023)96th percentile+5 vs school
Female (2026)90th percentile+3 vs school
Hispanic (2026)89th percentile~ school
Disabled (2022)87th percentile~ school
Special Education (2026)85th percentile~ school
Male (2026)83rd percentile-4 vs school
Low Socio Economic Status (2026)80th percentile-7 vs school
White (2026)76th percentile-12 vs school
Military Connected (2026)54th percentile-34 vs school
Multi-racial (2026)52nd percentile-35 vs school
By subject vs California (2025-2026) ?
English Language Arts/Literacy70%+21 vs state
Mathematics68%+29 vs state
Science51%+15 vs state

★
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Schools Near J. H. McGaugh Elementary

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Frequently Asked Questions about J. H. McGaugh Elementary

J. H. McGaugh Elementary ranks 744th of 5804 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Students at J. H. McGaugh Elementary are 49% White, 27% Hispanic, 14% Two or more races, 8% Asian, 2% African American.

In the 2024-25 school year, 721 students attended J. H. McGaugh Elementary.

Students who attend J. H. McGaugh Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Sharon Christa McAuliffe Middle
High : Los Alamitos High

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Latest California data All new data »
2025–26 attendance data, dropout rates & graduation ratesNewOct 15, 2026
2025–26 CAST, CSA Spanish & Smarter Balanced Assessments scoresNewOct 15, 2026
2024–25 school spending dataJul 1, 2026
2024–25 attendance dataMar 13, 2026


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.

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