Best Schools in Covina, California

Covina's public school landscape spans 25 ranked schools across elementary, middle, and high levels, with an average rating of 5.8 out of 10. That mid-range average masks a meaningful split: 20% of schools — five in total — score 7.0 or higher, while the remaining majority cluster below that threshold. Parents willing to be selective have real options here, but school choice matters more in Covina than in higher-performing cities where a strong average means most schools deliver.

The standout is Manzanita Elementary, which earns a 9.0 out of 10 — a score that would be competitive in any California city and sits well above Covina's own average. Families with elementary-age children who can access Manzanita are in strong shape. At the middle school level, Las Palmas Middle (7.7) and Royal Oak Middle (7.1) both clear the 7-plus threshold, giving parents two credible options for the transition years rather than just one. The high school picture is tighter: Charter Oak High and Opportunities for Learning – Capistrano both score 7.4, offering comparable performance at the top of the city's secondary tier.

Below those five schools, the drop-off is steep enough to matter. The gap between a 9.0 elementary and a school near the city average of 5.8 is significant in practice — different test score profiles, different enrichment offerings, different peer cohorts. For parents who can't access the top-rated schools through their address or charter enrollment, it's worth understanding exactly where each neighborhood school falls relative to that 5.8 average before committing.

Practically speaking, Covina rewards research. Pull the ratings for every school in your attendance zone across each grade level, compare them against the city average, and identify which transitions — elementary to middle, middle to high — might require a change in strategy. The 20% of schools scoring 7 or above are genuinely competitive, but they're not uniformly distributed across grade levels, so a strong elementary path doesn't automatically carry through to an equally strong secondary one. Mapping the full K–12 route early gives families the clearest picture.