Summary:
ZIP code 93420 has eight schools—three elementary, two middle, two high schools and two high schools plus one K–12 alternative—serving students from elementary through high school. In 2025–26, the schools’ unweighted average proficiency was 57% in English language arts (ELA), 39% in math and 39% in science, compared with California’s 49%, 38% and 36%. Those averages mask a striking divide, so school-level differences matter more than a single ZIP-code picture.
Branch Elementary led in all three subjects, with 84% proficient in ELA, 72% in math and 76% in science; Ocean View Elementary was second in each, at 70%, 60% and 59%. At the other end, Lopez Continuation High had 13% proficiency in ELA, 2% in math and 5% in science. Branch’s results were 72, 71 and 70 percentage points higher than Lopez’s, respectively. SchoolDigger ranks Branch at the 95th percentile with five stars and Lopez at the 8th percentile with zero stars.
Recent results are mixed: the eight-school average was essentially unchanged in ELA, moving from 57% to 57%, while math rose from 38% to 39% and science stayed at 39%. Paulding Middle improved by 4 points in ELA, 5 in math and 1 in science, and leads Mesa Middle in both tested grades; for example, 7th-grade ELA proficiency was 68% versus 49%. SchoolDigger ranks Paulding at the 81st percentile, compared with Mesa at the 49th. Income figures offer context, not an explanation: in school year 2024–25, free/reduced lunch eligible shares were 46% at Paulding and 74% at Mesa. A small size or low ratio is no guarantee of stronger scores: Lopez Continuation High enrolls 96 students and has a 10.9 student-teacher ratio, yet has the lowest proficiency in all three subjects.
Thank you for your feedback!