Best Public Schools in Zip Code 90248

ZIP code 90248 has four listed schools: one elementary school serving grades K–5 and three high schools serving grades 9–12. The latest results show a wide spread between schools, with Moneta Continuation far below the state in all three reported subjects in 2025–2026—by 41 points in English language arts (ELA), 13 in math and 30 in science. The most important finding is that school-level results vary substantially across this ZIP code.

Gardena Senior High stands out in ELA: 53% proficient, 4 points above the state, compared with Moneta’s 8%. One Hundred Eighty-Sixth Street Elementary leads in math, at 50% and 11 points above the state; Gardena reached 29%, while Moneta reached 25%. In science, One Hundred Eighty-Sixth Street led at 30%, followed by Gardena at 29% and Moneta at 6%. New Millennium Secondary had the weakest latest all-grades results—37% ELA, 10% math and 4% science—but its results are from 2024–2025, unlike the other schools’ 2025–2026 results. These all-grades figures mix an elementary school with high schools, so they are not fully grade-matched comparisons.

Across the three schools with results in both years, average scores rose from 2024–2025 to 2025–2026 by 4 points in ELA, 5 in math and 6 in science, and their average gaps to the state narrowed by 3, 4 and 2 points, respectively. Progress differed by school: Moneta’s ELA stayed at 8%, while its math rose 13 points. SchoolDigger’s ranking percentile also rose from 2023–2024 to 2025–2026 for Gardena (30 to 55), One Hundred Eighty-Sixth Street (53 to 62) and Moneta (15 to 24). Attendance and completion add context: Gardena’s graduation rate was 96%, but chronic absenteeism was 33%; Moneta’s figures were 71% and 78%. For 2024–2025, free/reduced lunch eligible was 94% at Gardena, 86% at One Hundred Eighty-Sixth Street and 79% at New Millennium; Moneta reported 61% directly certified for free meals and was flagged as likely to serve free meals to all students. Ratios ranged from 11.7 students per teacher at New Millennium to 19.3 at One Hundred Eighty-Sixth Street.