Summary:
ZIP code 90274 has four K–5 elementary schools, all in Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified, with 1,713 students combined. In 2025–26, every school scored above the state in all three tested subjects; the four-school averages were 78% in ELA, 76% in math, and 66% in science, compared with state results of 49%, 38%, and 36%. The most important difference among the schools is in science, where results spanned 23 points, far wider than the 5-point ELA and 9-point math spreads.
Montemalaga Elementary is the broadest all-grades standout, leading ELA at 80% and science at 80%; it was also nearly tied for the math lead at 80.0%. Rancho Vista Elementary narrowly led math at 80.1%, an edge of 0.1 point over Montemalaga, and placed second in ELA and science. At the lower end, Dapplegray Elementary had the lowest ELA result (75%) and math result (71%), while Lunada Bay Elementary had the lowest science result (57%). Grade-level results add important detail: fourth-grade math ranged from 67% at Dapplegray to 89% at Rancho Vista, and fifth-grade math from 57% at Lunada Bay to 80% at Montemalaga.
Average school results fell from 2024–25 to 2025–26 by 2 points in ELA, 1 in math, and 5 in science, while state results rose; the average school–state gaps narrowed by 2, 2, and 8 points, respectively. SchoolDigger statewide rankings also declined for all four schools between 2023–24 and 2025–26: Dapplegray moved from 375 to 518, Montemalaga from 67 to 174, Lunada Bay from 453 to 544, and Rancho Vista from 50 to 272. Ratios varied from 18.3 students per teacher at Rancho Vista to 23.6 at Dapplegray. The schools’ reported free/reduced lunch eligible shares for 2024–25 ranged from 6% at Montemalaga to 14% at Rancho Vista, with Dapplegray at 10% and Lunada Bay at 11%; these figures are context, not an explanation for test results.
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