Summary:
Schools in ZIP code 90744 include 12 schools serving kindergarten through grade 12—eight elementary schools, one middle school and three high schools—with 8,560 students enrolled. Their equal-weight schoolwide averages are 45% in English language arts (ELA), 40% in math and 27% in science, compared with state averages of 49%, 38% and 36%. The clearest area-wide takeaway is that math is the only subject whose average is above the state, while science trails by 9 points.
Dr. Richard A. Vladovic Harbor Teacher Preparation Academy leads in all three subjects, with 100% in ELA, 93% in math and 92% in science; SchoolDigger ranks it 3rd among 2,137 California high schools. At the other end, Dan M. Issacs Avalon High has the lowest results: 9% in ELA and 0% in both math and science. Among larger schools, Phineas Banning Senior High stands out in ELA at 65%, second to Vladovic, but its math is 41% and science 35%. Grade-level results also reveal strengths that schoolwide figures may miss: at grade 8, Harry Bridges Span reaches 73% in ELA and 62% in math, above the grade-specific state results by 23 and 25 points.
Scores improved on average from 2024–2025 to 2025–2026: 4 points in ELA, 6 in math and 3 in science. The ELA gap with the state narrowed, and math moved from below the state to slightly above it, while the science gap remained about 9 points; 10 schools improved in ELA, 11 in math and nine in science. Fries Avenue Elementary was a notable exception, with science down 14 points. As context, 10 schools report free/reduced lunch eligible shares of 66%–97% for 2024–2025; George De La Torre Junior Elementary and Avalon instead report directly certified for free meals, at 60% and 69%, respectively, and are marked “CEP likely.” These measures are not directly comparable, and they do not by themselves explain differences in results.
Thank you for your feedback!