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.
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