Best Public Schools in Zip Code 93922

ZIP code 93922 has four schools serving elementary through high school: one elementary, one middle school, and two high schools, with 1,658 students total. In 2025–2026, the three schools with reported results were above California’s all-grades proficiency levels in English language arts (ELA), math, and science; for example, even the lowest-scoring of them, Carmel Middle, was ahead of the state by 18 points in ELA, 20 in math, and 19 in science. The most important finding is that all three schools with reported scores exceeded the state in all three subjects.

Carmel High led reported ELA and science results, with 87% and 68% proficient; Carmel River Elementary led math at 75%. These leads were substantial: Carmel High’s ELA score was 14 points above the other scored schools’ average, and Carmel River’s math score was 15 points above theirs. Carmel Middle had the lowest reported result in each subject—67% in ELA, 59% in math, and 55% in science—though each remained above the state. Carmel Valley High is an important exception: its proficiency scores were suppressed, so it cannot be ranked against the others. All-grades comparisons are descriptive because schools serve different grade spans.

Recent changes were mixed: Carmel High gained 5 points in ELA and 6 in science but fell 4 points in math from 2024–2025; Carmel River’s largest decline was an 9-point drop in science, while Carmel Middle declined 5 points in ELA. SchoolDigger’s statewide percentile ranking rose 6 points for Carmel High, from the 91st to the 97th percentile, while Carmel Middle fell 3 points; Carmel River was at the 92nd percentile at both endpoints. Other differences may matter to families: 2024–2025 free/reduced lunch eligible figures ranged from 15% at Carmel River to 40% at Carmel Valley High, and student-teacher ratios ranged from 3.5 at Carmel Valley High to 21 at Carmel River. In 2025–2026, chronic absenteeism was 73% at Carmel Valley High versus 16% at Carmel High; graduation rates were 94% and 100%, respectively.