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J. H. McGaugh Elementary

Q: Is J. H. McGaugh Elementary a good school?

J. H. McGaugh Elementary ranks 1052 nd of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-5

1052^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,857 California Elementary Schools

Better than 82% of California elementary schools

Summary

J. H. McGaugh Elementary is a public K-5 school serving 721 students in the coastal community of Seal Beach, operating within the highly-regarded Los Alamitos Unified School District.

While McGaugh is a solid school, its academic performance consistently trails other top schools in its own district, such as Jack L. Weaver Elementary and Rossmoor Elementary. A notable area of difference is chronic absenteeism, where McGaugh's rate is more than double that of these district peers. This has coincided with a gradual decline in the school's statewide ranking over the past few years, even as it maintains higher per-student spending and a slightly better student-teacher ratio than some comparable schools.

When compared to schools in neighboring districts like Long Beach Unified and Ocean View, McGaugh remains competitive, often outperforming schools like Harbour View Elementary. The school shows notable strength in serving some student groups, but its performance varies across different subgroups, suggesting a focus on ensuring consistent support for all learners could be beneficial for future improvement.

721

Students ?

22.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$17,223

Per pupil spending ?

18%

Free/discounted lunch ?

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%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare J. H. McGaugh Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 96th percentile in 2013 → 82nd in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the California average (61% vs 41% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 18% of California elementary schools

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 14 percentile points since 2013

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

!Near the bottom of Los Alamitos Unified's ranking

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school61%

District avg68%

California avg41%

1,052^nd of 5,857

California public elementary schools ?

Top 18%▼ down 9 pts since 2015

From top 9% (2015) to top 18% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

6^th of 6Elementary Schools in the Los Alamitos Unified

91^st of 1,543Los 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

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	82.4	1052 of 5857	82.0%	★★★★☆
2024	87.2	856 of 5869	85.4%	★★★★☆
2023	92.5	538 of 5859	90.8%	★★★★★
2022	89.0	747 of 5883	87.3%	★★★★☆
2019	92.0	520 of 5789	91.0%	★★★★★
2018	92.4	489 of 5662	91.4%	★★★★★
2017	92.7	468 of 5692	91.8%	★★★★★
2016	93.9	390 of 5614	93.1%	★★★★★
2015	91.8	518 of 5611	90.8%	★★★★★
2013	93.1	245 of 5530	95.6%	★★★★★
2012	88.0	555 of 5390	89.7%	★★★★☆
2011	90.9	387 of 5377	92.8%	★★★★★
2010	86.1	675 of 5314	87.3%	★★★★☆
2009	84.5	781 of 5193	85.0%	★★★★☆
2008	89.9	483 of 5113	90.6%	★★★★★
2007	83.5	822 of 5113	83.9%	★★★★☆
2006	86.8	648 of 4818	86.6%	★★★★☆
2005	91.1	427 of 4822	91.1%	★★★★★
2004	88.1	584 of 4809	87.9%	★★★★☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2023	84.4	52 of 1190	95.6%	★★★★★

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	80.4	299 of 2227	86.6%	★★★★☆
2019	71.3	485 of 2585	81.2%	★★★★☆
2018	90.2	151 of 2128	92.9%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	81.3	1023 of 5597	81.7%	★★★★☆
2024	88.5	691 of 5612	87.7%	★★★★☆
2023	90.9	573 of 5609	89.8%	★★★★☆
2022	89.2	678 of 5635	88.0%	★★★★☆
2019	89.4	594 of 5492	89.2%	★★★★☆
2018	90.3	557 of 5413	89.7%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	78.8	794 of 5107	84.5%	★★★★☆
2024	87.9	437 of 5107	91.4%	★★★★★
2023	97.3	96 of 5087	98.1%	★★★★★
2022	91.4	305 of 5084	94.0%	★★★★★
2019	96.9	86 of 4963	98.3%	★★★★★
2018	96.3	98 of 4830	98.0%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	72.6	1130 of 5460	79.3%	★★★★☆
2024	76.8	982 of 5517	82.2%	★★★★☆
2023	93.1	263 of 5363	95.1%	★★★★★
2022	97.4	97 of 5264	98.2%	★★★★★
2019	96.7	84 of 5173	98.4%	★★★★★
2018	94.7	136 of 5084	97.3%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	80.8	1034 of 5628	81.6%	★★★★☆
2024	83.1	960 of 5643	83.0%	★★★★☆
2023	91.8	511 of 5638	90.9%	★★★★★
2022	87.4	759 of 5663	86.6%	★★★★☆
2019	92.1	442 of 5510	92.0%	★★★★★
2018	91.7	464 of 5431	91.5%	★★★★★

Military Connected

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	47.3	76 of 153	50.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	46.4	61 of 118	48.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	64.2	49 of 140	65.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	60.0	44 of 130	66.2%	★★★☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	56.0	353 of 670	47.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	62.8	270 of 669	59.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	53.6	330 of 610	45.9%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	78.8	398 of 2847	86.0%	★★★★☆
2024	69.9	499 of 2635	81.1%	★★★★☆
2023	88.2	193 of 2420	92.0%	★★★★★

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	66.9	883 of 2598	66.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	71.4	772 of 2651	70.9%	★★★★☆
2023	77.2	535 of 2661	79.9%	★★★★☆
2022	75.4	610 of 2726	77.6%	★★★★☆
2019	78.2	524 of 2834	81.5%	★★★★☆
2018	79.7	459 of 2737	83.2%	★★★★☆

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

Disabled (2022)87th percentile~ school

Special Education (2025)86th percentile+4 vs school

Hispanic (2025)84th percentile~ school

Female (2025)82nd percentile~ school

Male (2025)82nd percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)79th percentile-3 vs school

White (2025)66th percentile-16 vs school

Military Connected (2025)50th percentile-32 vs school

Multi-racial (2024)47th percentile-38 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy66%+17 vs state

Mathematics62%+25 vs state

Science42%+10 vs state

★

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Schools Near J. H. McGaugh 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)	% Hepatitis B (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	% Hepatitis B KG	% Varicella KG	% DTP KG	% MMR KG	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
J. H. McGaugh Elementary	Public	K-5	1698 Bolsa Ave.	Seal Beach	90740	Orange County	Los Alamitos Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(562) 799-4560	721	32	22.5	18.0%	352 (48.8%)	12 (1.7%)	194 (26.9%)	59 (8.2%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.4%)	101 (14.0%)	82.4	1052^nd of 5857 public elementary schools	82.0%		87.2	856^th of 5869 public elementary schools	85.4%	196	42.5		42.5	60.9	67.5	70.3				66.2	61.7	67.2	57.5				62.3							$17,223	$541	$16,682
Naples Elementary	Public	K-5	5537 The Toledo	Long Beach	90803	Los Angeles County	Long Beach Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(562) 433-0489	338	13	25.7	25.7%	162 (47.9%)	6 (1.8%)	107 (31.7%)	23 (6.8%)	2 (0.6%)	1 (0.3%)	37 (10.9%)	95.2	314^th of 5857 public elementary schools	94.6%		96.3	238^th of 5869 public elementary schools	95.9%	76	70.0		70.0	86.7	68.2	92.0				82.7	86.7	68.2	74.0				76.3							$18,145	$3,773	$14,372
Kettering Elementary	Public	K-5	550 Silvera Ave.	Long Beach	90803	Los Angeles County	Long Beach Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(562) 598-9486	348	17	21.0	32.2%	115 (33.0%)	35 (10.1%)	109 (31.3%)	47 (13.5%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.6%)	40 (11.5%)	90.5	628^th of 5857 public elementary schools	89.3%		89.8	711^th of 5869 public elementary schools	87.9%	83	53.3		53.3	73.9	75.0	68.9				72.6	76.1	84.1	57.8				72.6	90.4	92.3		92.3	90.4	92.3	$24,134	$5,413	$18,721
Francis Hopkinson Elementary	Public	K-5	12582 Kensington Rd.	Los Alamitos	90720	Orange County	Los Alamitos Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(562) 799-4500	642	25	25.6	11.7%	292 (45.5%)	6 (0.9%)	176 (27.4%)	75 (11.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	92 (14.3%)	93.5	442^nd of 5857 public elementary schools	92.5%		96.5	216^th of 5869 public elementary schools	96.3%	226	57.3		57.3	80.4	69.1	83.5				77.8	81.4	72.2	70.9				74.8							$16,756	$522	$16,234
Lowell Elementary	Public	K-5	5201 East Broadway	Long Beach	90803	Los Angeles County	Long Beach Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(562) 433-6757	609	24	25.5	23.2%	295 (48.4%)	33 (5.4%)	162 (26.6%)	42 (6.9%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	75 (12.3%)	91.3	593^rd of 5857 public elementary schools	89.9%		94.5	380^th of 5869 public elementary schools	93.5%	213	66.3		66.3	75.0	74.0	78.3				75.6	77.9	58.3	63.9				67.1							$19,651	$3,427	$16,224
Harbour View Elementary	Public	K-5	4343 Pickwick Cir.	Huntington Beach	92649	Orange County	Ocean View	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(714) 846-6602	677	28	23.7	41.2%	298 (44.0%)	11 (1.6%)	220 (32.5%)	64 (9.5%)	1 (0.1%)	2 (0.3%)	81 (12.0%)	73.7	1433^rd of 5857 public elementary schools	75.5%		83.7	1009^th of 5869 public elementary schools	82.8%	424	43.7		43.7	63.6	53.3	55.2				57.9	61.0	52.2	51.7				55.6	96.2	97.0	98.5	96.2	96.2	96.2	$15,949	$839	$15,110
Tincher Preparatory	Public	K-8	1701 Petaluma Ave.	Long Beach	90815	Los Angeles County	Long Beach Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(562) 493-2636	837	36	23.3	33.0%	233 (27.8%)	51 (6.1%)	324 (38.7%)	127 (15.2%)	1 (0.1%)	6 (0.7%)	94 (11.2%)	92.6	506^th of 5857 public elementary schools	91.4%		89.7	718^th of 5869 public elementary schools	87.8%	212	64.6	29.9	48.1	72.1	75.3	86.5	69.5	73.9	64.4	73.8	70.9	67.4	70.8	66.3	45.2	56.3	62.8							$18,779	$3,494	$15,285
Jack L. Weaver Elementary	Public	K-5	11872 Wembley Rd.	Los Alamitos	90720	Orange County	Los Alamitos Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(562) 799-4580	640	25	26.0	10.3%	136 (21.3%)	12 (1.9%)	130 (20.3%)	229 (35.8%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.5%)	130 (20.3%)	98.7	28^th of 5857 public elementary schools	99.5%		99.1	14^th of 5869 public elementary schools	99.8%	14	71.8		71.8	90.6	91.0	95.2				92.5	93.8	91.0	82.3				88.4							$15,390	$592	$14,798
Fremont Elementary	Public	K-5	4000 East Fourth St.	Long Beach	90814	Los Angeles County	Long Beach Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(562) 439-6873	451	16	28.9	39.2%	153 (33.9%)	24 (5.3%)	181 (40.1%)	30 (6.7%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.7%)	60 (13.3%)	89	711^th of 5857 public elementary schools	87.9%		95.3	321^st of 5869 public elementary schools	94.5%	390	67.5		67.5	68.6	67.5	81.9				72.6	68.2	56.6	66.3				63.8	74.2	79.6	83.9	80.7	81.7	81.7	$17,032	$3,019	$14,013
Gant Elementary	Public	K-5	1854 Britton Dr.	Long Beach	90815	Los Angeles County	Long Beach Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(562) 430-3384	657	28	23.4	26.0%	219 (33.3%)	39 (5.9%)	206 (31.4%)	89 (13.5%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.5%)	101 (15.4%)	95.3	302^nd of 5857 public elementary schools	94.8%		96	263^rd of 5869 public elementary schools	95.5%	39	57.8		57.8	84.7	76.6	86.3				82.5	84.7	76.6	71.6				77.8	97.0	97.0			97.8		$19,156	$3,585	$15,571

Frequently Asked Questions about J. H. McGaugh Elementary

How many students attend J. H. McGaugh Elementary?

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

What district is J. H. McGaugh Elementary in?

Los Alamitos Unified

What schools do graduates of J. H. McGaugh Elementary attend?

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

Middle : Sharon Christa McAuliffe Middle
High : Los Alamitos High

What is the racial makeup of J. H. McGaugh Elementary?

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

Is J. H. McGaugh Elementary a good school?

J. H. McGaugh Elementary ranks 1052^nd of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Rate J. H. McGaugh Elementary!

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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.