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Monterey Hills Elementary

Public Grades K-5

408^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,857 California Elementary Schools

Better than 93% of California elementary schools

Summary

Monterey Hills Elementary is a top-performing K-5 public school serving about 570 students within the highly-regarded South Pasadena Unified district, consistently ranking among the best elementary schools in California.

While it is the third-ranked school within its own exceptional district—behind Marengo Elementary and Arroyo Vista Elementary—Monterey Hills still outperforms 93% of schools statewide, with particularly strong results in English and Math. The school excels at supporting all students, maintains exceptionally low chronic absenteeism, and achieves these outstanding results with efficient per-student spending compared to many neighboring districts. A notable finding is a sharp performance difference at the district boundary; schools just blocks away in Los Angeles Unified or Alhambra Unified, like Cesar Chavez Elementary, often spend significantly more per student but have far lower proficiency rates.

For parents, Monterey Hills represents an elite educational option. Its strengths include remarkable consistency, even during pandemic disruptions, and effective teaching that leads to high student engagement. One area for potential growth is science proficiency, which, while above the state average, is lower than its district peers. Overall, the school is a testament to the strength of the South Pasadena district, offering a world-class education that stands in stark contrast to the outcomes of many nearby schools in different districts.

570

Students ?

21.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$16,849

Per pupil spending ?

14.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1624 Via del Rey
South Pasadena, CA 91030-4126

(626) 441-5860

District: South Pasadena Unified

Students who attend Monterey Hills Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	South Pasadena Middle
High:	South Pasadena Senior High

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

34.6%

Asian:

30.0%

White:

16.8%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Monterey Hills Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 92nd percentile in 2013 → 93rd in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the California average (75% vs 41% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 7% of California elementary schools

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school75%

District avg80%

California avg41%

408^th of 5,857

California public elementary schools ?

Top 7%▼ down 3 pts since 2015

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd of 3Elementary Schools in the South Pasadena Unified

29^th of 1,543South Pasadena 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	93.9	408 of 5857	93.0%	★★★★★
2024	95.8	281 of 5869	95.2%	★★★★★
2023	94.5	392 of 5859	93.3%	★★★★★
2022	96.0	288 of 5883	95.1%	★★★★★
2019	93.7	390 of 5789	93.3%	★★★★★
2018	96.9	154 of 5662	97.3%	★★★★★
2017	94.2	382 of 5692	93.3%	★★★★★
2016	96.3	210 of 5614	96.3%	★★★★★
2015	96.4	240 of 5611	95.7%	★★★★★
2013	90.3	449 of 5530	91.9%	★★★★★
2012	91.5	334 of 5390	93.8%	★★★★★
2011	92.8	263 of 5377	95.1%	★★★★★
2010	91.9	330 of 5314	93.8%	★★★★★
2009	89.3	512 of 5193	90.1%	★★★★★
2008	94.7	206 of 5113	96.0%	★★★★★
2007	94.9	227 of 5113	95.6%	★★★★★
2006	91.0	433 of 4818	91.0%	★★★★★
2005	94.8	237 of 4822	95.1%	★★★★★
2004	92.9	341 of 4809	92.9%	★★★★★

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	71.0	372 of 1203	69.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	76.4	257 of 1205	78.7%	★★★★☆
2023	74.3	288 of 1190	75.8%	★★★★☆
2022	70.1	384 of 1154	66.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	71.0	352 of 1149	69.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	77.6	195 of 1071	81.8%	★★★★☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2019	55.2	838 of 2585	67.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	85.1	210 of 2128	90.1%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	92.1	434 of 5597	92.2%	★★★★★
2024	94.2	343 of 5612	93.9%	★★★★★
2023	91.2	550 of 5609	90.2%	★★★★★
2022	94.7	320 of 5635	94.3%	★★★★★
2019	93.4	326 of 5492	94.1%	★★★★★
2018	96.4	129 of 5413	97.6%	★★★★★

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	95.2	154 of 5107	97.0%	★★★★★
2024	95.9	133 of 5107	97.4%	★★★★★
2023	93.6	213 of 5087	95.8%	★★★★★
2022	97.3	100 of 5084	98.0%	★★★★★
2019	84.7	520 of 4963	89.5%	★★★★☆
2018	97.8	56 of 4830	98.8%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	86.8	498 of 5460	90.9%	★★★★★
2024	93.6	295 of 5517	94.7%	★★★★★
2023	93.4	253 of 5363	95.3%	★★★★★
2022	98.8	61 of 5264	98.8%	★★★★★
2019	94.9	147 of 5173	97.2%	★★★★★
2018	99.1	17 of 5084	99.7%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	93.5	363 of 5628	93.6%	★★★★★
2024	95.9	202 of 5643	96.4%	★★★★★
2023	95.5	260 of 5638	95.4%	★★★★★
2022	95.6	261 of 5663	95.4%	★★★★★
2019	91.8	457 of 5510	91.7%	★★★★★
2018	96.2	174 of 5431	96.8%	★★★★★

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	69.9	218 of 718	69.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	79.6	118 of 670	82.4%	★★★★☆
2023	74.1	170 of 669	74.6%	★★★★☆
2022	82.2	73 of 610	88.0%	★★★★☆
2019	74.9	99 of 445	77.8%	★★★★☆
2018	80.4	45 of 339	86.7%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2023	69.3	486 of 2420	79.9%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	83.7	280 of 2598	89.2%	★★★★☆
2024	87.3	166 of 2651	93.7%	★★★★★
2023	78.3	499 of 2661	81.2%	★★★★☆
2022	83.2	337 of 2726	87.6%	★★★★☆
2019	86.9	189 of 2834	93.3%	★★★★★
2018	89.0	124 of 2737	95.5%	★★★★★

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)

Hispanic (2025)97th percentile+4 vs school

Male (2025)94th percentile~ school

Female (2025)92nd percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)91st percentile~ school

White (2025)89th percentile-4 vs school

Special Education (2023)80th percentile-13 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)70th percentile-23 vs school

Asian (2025)69th percentile-24 vs school

Disabled (2019)68th percentile-26 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy80%+31 vs state

Mathematics77%+39 vs state

Science58%+25 vs state

★

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Schools Near Monterey Hills 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
Monterey Hills Elementary	Public	K-5	1624 Via del Rey	South Pasadena	91030	Los Angeles County	South Pasadena Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(626) 441-5860	570	26	21.9	14.4%	96 (16.8%)	7 (1.2%)	197 (34.6%)	171 (30.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.5%)	95 (16.7%)	93.9	408^th of 5857 public elementary schools	93.0%		95.8	281^st of 5869 public elementary schools	95.2%	127	57.7		57.7	74.1	89.0	76.9				80.0	69.8	83.7	76.0				76.6	97.4	98.3		98.3			$16,849	$506	$16,343
Sierra Vista Elementary	Public	K-6	4342 Alpha St.	Los Angeles	90032	Los Angeles County	Los Angeles Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(323) 222-2530	164	8	20.5	84.1%	3 (1.8%)	6 (3.7%)	144 (87.8%)	6 (3.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (3.0%)	78.1	1240^th of 5857 public elementary schools	78.8%		83.8	1006^th of 5869 public elementary schools	82.9%	234	40.9		40.9	61.9	66.7	59.1	52.4			60.6	66.7	70.0	39.1	66.7			61.1							$31,507	$6,337	$25,170
Arroyo Vista Elementary	Public	K-5	335 El Centro St.	South Pasadena	91030	Los Angeles County	South Pasadena Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(626) 441-5840	667	26	25.2	17.4%	201 (30.1%)	5 (0.7%)	137 (20.5%)	204 (30.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	119 (17.8%)	97.5	111^th of 5857 public elementary schools	98.1%		96.8	180^th of 5869 public elementary schools	96.9%	69	77.4		77.4	89.9	83.3	83.1				85.4	90.8	81.6	74.2				82.1							$15,665	$507	$15,158
Cesar Chavez Elementary	Public	K-6	5243 Oakland St.	Los Angeles	90032	Los Angeles County	Los Angeles Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(323) 276-1440	169	11	15.3	92.9%	3 (1.8%)	2 (1.2%)	157 (92.9%)	2 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (3.0%)	27.4	4174^th of 5857 public elementary schools	28.7%		25.1	4355^th of 5869 public elementary schools	25.8%	181	12.5		12.5	20.0	32.3	34.8	29.6			30.2	33.3	35.5	33.3	17.9			29.6	85.2	85.2	92.6	88.9	85.2	88.9	$42,635	$9,079	$33,556
Marengo Elementary	Public	K-5	1400 Marengo Ave.	South Pasadena	91030	Los Angeles County	South Pasadena Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(626) 441-5850	783	31	25.2	12.6%	137 (17.5%)	3 (0.4%)	120 (15.3%)	356 (45.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	166 (21.2%)	98.6	33^rd of 5857 public elementary schools	99.4%		98.3	63^rd of 5869 public elementary schools	98.9%	30	79.3		79.3	89.4	87.4	86.2				87.5	93.9	89.8	86.2				89.7							$15,802	$508	$15,294
San Pascual Elementary Sci Technical Engr Arts And Math (STEAM) Magnet	Public	K-5	815 San Pascual Ave.	Los Angeles	90042	Los Angeles County	Los Angeles Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(323) 255-8354	249	11	22.6	76.3%	17 (6.8%)	7 (2.8%)	199 (79.9%)	13 (5.2%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (4.8%)	58.1	2163^rd of 5857 public elementary schools	63.1%		50	2557^th of 5869 public elementary schools	56.4%	394	40.0		40.0	36.7	41.9	57.1				45.4	63.3	41.9	42.9				48.2	96.9				96.9		$24,604	$4,842	$19,762
El Sereno Elementary	Public	K-6	3838 Rosemead Ave.	Los Angeles	90032	Los Angeles County	Los Angeles Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(323) 222-3389	222	10	22.2	94.6%	6 (2.7%)	4 (1.8%)	208 (93.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.5%)	1 (0.5%)	2 (0.9%)	39.8	3230^th of 5857 public elementary schools	44.9%		49.7	2575^th of 5869 public elementary schools	56.1%	655	10.3		10.3	37.9	46.3	34.5	50.0			42.5	34.5	41.5	24.1	32.1			33.9							$29,562	$5,475	$24,087
Emery Park Elementary	Public	K-8	2821 West Commonwealth Ave.	Alhambra	91803	Los Angeles County	Alhambra Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(626) 943-3340	383	19	19.7	50.7%	19 (5.0%)	1 (0.3%)	285 (74.4%)	61 (15.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (4.4%)	41.3	3134^th of 5857 public elementary schools	46.5%		48.6	2637^th of 5869 public elementary schools	55.1%	497	21.6	34.0	28.7	42.4	48.0	46.0	38.7	40.5	71.4	49.3	44.1	36.0	21.6	31.3	32.6	44.0	35.3	89.5	93.0		91.2	93.0	91.2	$14,939	$1,440	$13,499
Park Elementary	Public	K-8	301 North Marengo Ave.	Alhambra	91801	Los Angeles County	Alhambra Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(626) 943-3640	581	24	24.2	45.1%	17 (2.9%)	12 (2.1%)	350 (60.2%)	169 (29.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	33 (5.7%)	72.2	1512^th of 5857 public elementary schools	74.2%		73.9	1415^th of 5869 public elementary schools	75.9%	97	34.3	43.9	39.1	60.0	65.6	58.2	69.1	69.8	63.6	64.5	57.6	53.2	37.3	52.7	52.3	51.5	50.8	94.2	95.4	96.5	95.4	94.2	96.5	$11,823	$1,072	$10,751
Bushnell Way Elementary	Public	K-5	5507 Bushnell Way	Los Angeles	90042	Los Angeles County	Los Angeles Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(323) 255-6511	157	8	19.6	84.1%	3 (1.9%)	4 (2.5%)	143 (91.1%)	5 (3.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.3%)	50.9	2552^nd of 5857 public elementary schools	56.4%		49.4	2585^th of 5869 public elementary schools	56.0%	33	44.0		44.0	34.6	53.6	64.0				50.6	32.0	35.7	28.0				32.1							$45,649	$10,544	$35,105

Frequently Asked Questions about Monterey Hills Elementary

What schools do graduates of Monterey Hills Elementary attend?

Students who attend Monterey Hills Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : South Pasadena Middle
High : South Pasadena Senior High

How many students attend Monterey Hills Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 570 students attended Monterey Hills Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Monterey Hills Elementary?

Students at Monterey Hills Elementary are 35% Hispanic, 30% Asian, 17% White, 17% Two or more races, 1% African American.

What district is Monterey Hills Elementary in?

South Pasadena Unified

Is Monterey Hills Elementary a good school?

Yes. Monterey Hills Elementary ranks in the top 7.0% of California elementary schools.

Rate Monterey Hills 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.