12 public K-12 schools in Santa Monica from NCES Common Core of Data: enrollment, grade span, demographics, and Civil Rights Data Collection statistics for every active campus.
12 public schools ranked by quality score. NCES CCD 2024-25 data.
The highest-ranked of Santa Monica's 12 public schools is Santa Monica High, scoring 33/100, against a city average of 36/100. Computed live across every Santa Monica campus reporting to NCES.
How the Santa Monica Public-School Landscape Breaks Down
Santa Monica, CA enrolls 7,944 students across 12 public schools reporting to the National Center for Education Statistics. Of those, 1 are charter schools, giving families genuine alternatives to the traditional neighbourhood assignment model. The average student-teacher ratio across the city is 18.8:1, and the composite quality score, derived from student-teacher ratio, counselor access, gifted-program availability, and CRDC attendance data, averages 36/100. Schools must report at least five campuses in a city to appear in this listing, which is why very small towns may redirect to the broader county or state view.
The most-resourced campus in Santa Monica on this index is Santa Monica High, at 33/100 on the Resource Investment Index with 2,588 enrolled students. What the index does and doesn't measure; click any school below for its full component breakdown.
Santa Monica spans 2 districts, each filing its own NCES F-33 return, per-pupil spending can vary between neighbouring campuses. Sort the table below by enrollment, level, or district; click any school for its full profile.
Santa Monica High accounts for 32.6% of all Santa Monica public-school enrollment
That dominant concentration means Santa Monica-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the dominant entity. Grade level: High. A dominant campus often anchors a city's program landscape and absorbs a disproportionate share of district capital and staffing decisions. When one entity dominates a region's footprint, its programmatic and budget decisions effectively set policy for a majority of the affected population.
Santa Monica school enrollment varies 86× across entities
Santa Monica school enrollment ranges from 30 students (lowest) to 2,588 students (highest), a spread of 2,558 students. That ratio is an extreme outlier spread — among the widest gaps observed anywhere in this dataset. Per-school staffing, programme depth, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same city based on enrollment shape, a 200-student magnet runs a different operational model than a 2,000-student comprehensive high school.
Santa Monica student-teacher ratio is 18.8:1 — high (typically associated with larger urban scale or staffing constraints that have widened the headcount gap)
student-teacher ratio is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: the ratio counts FTE classroom teachers against total enrollment, push-in specialists, English-language aides, special-education co-teachers, and counselors are not included in most reporting Higher values may reflect larger urban scale or recent resource constraints that have widened the gap.
Most racially and ethnically mixed schools in Santa Monica
Ranked by the Simpson student-body diversity index (0-100) from NCES race and ethnicity data, where higher means a more evenly mixed student body. It measures mix, not quality.
The highest-ranked school in Santa Monica is Santa Monica High with a quality score of 33/100. There are 12 public schools in Santa Monica with 7,944 total students.
How many schools are in Santa Monica, CA? ▼
Santa Monica has 12 public schools with a total enrollment of 7,944 students. 1 are charter schools. Average student-teacher ratio: 18.8:1.
Data from NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 and Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) 2021-22. Quality scores based on student-teacher ratio,
counselor access, gifted programs, and attendance. Schools must have 5+ in the city to be listed.
Disclaimer: This information is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Data is sourced from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD). Consult a qualified professional before making decisions based on this data.
Read our methodology, which explains how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
