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6.8avg / 10

Montebello Unified School District

School District · Montebello, California

Students: 19,967
Teachers (FTE): 1,083

Avg Rating

6.8

out of 10

Schools

29

17 elem, 6 mid, 6 high

Enrollment

19,967

Student-Teacher Ratio

18.4:1

How this district compares

California rank

#177 of 713

districts by avg. composite

Vs. state average

+0.5

above California avg

Per-pupil spending

$22,912

+$5,265 vs California median

District size

19,967 students

Much larger than California median

The short answer

Montebello Unified ranks #177 of 713 California districts by overall school rating. Montebello Unified's schools with real test data average 6.8/10 across 28 schools. Its top-rated schools are Potrero Heights Elementary (9.3/10), La Merced Academy (8.3/10), and Eastmont Intermediate (8.2/10). Schools with estimated (proxy) scores are excluded from this ranking.

Best value · beats the odds
Eastmont Intermediate

Rates 8.2/10 despite 89% of students being economically disadvantaged. That's about 2.1 points higher than its student-poverty level predicts. Roughly as clean a case of strong results without an affluent-ZIP price tag as you'll find among Montebello Unified schools.

Most improved · 2022 → 2024
Bell Gardens Elementary

STAAR proficiency rose +10.6 points from 2022 to 2024. That's the biggest jump among Montebello Unified schools across the two most recent comparable testing years.

Top-Rated Schools in Montebello Unified

Ranked by MySchoolScout composite rating using only schools with real test data (28 of 29). "Value" = points above what student poverty predicts. Estimated (proxy) scores are excluded.

#SchoolRating
1Potrero Heights Elementary9.3 / 10
2La Merced Academy8.3 / 10
3Eastmont Intermediate8.2 / 10
4Macy Intermediate8.2 / 10
5Bella Vista Elementary8.1 / 10
6Schurr High8.0 / 10
7Washington Elementary7.9 / 10
8Joseph A. Gascon Elementary7.8 / 10
9Montebello Park Elementary7.7 / 10
10Garfield Elementary7.4 / 10

See all 29 schools — including those with estimated data — in the full directory below. How we rate schools.

About Montebello Unified

Montebello Unified serves 19,967 students across 29 schools in Los Angeles County. The district spans the full K–12 range, giving families a continuous path from kindergarten through graduation without leaving the system. That scale — nearly 20,000 students — means enough campus variety that parents aren't locked into a single option at any grade level.

Across 28 ranked schools, Montebello averages a 7.0 out of 10. That average is pulled upward by a cluster of high-performing campuses, which signals real consistency rather than one outlier carrying the number. Families new to the area can treat the 7.0 as a floor expectation, then target individual schools that clear it by a meaningful margin.

The district's top performer is Potrero Heights Elementary, scoring 9.1 out of 10 — nearly two full points above the district average. Macy Intermediate follows at 8.8, making it one of the stronger middle school options in the area and a natural continuation for families moving up from a high-scoring elementary. La Merced Academy (8.4) and Bell Gardens Elementary (8.1) round out the elementary tier, giving parents multiple high-rated campuses at the youngest grade levels. At the secondary level, Schurr High earns an 8.0, standing well above the district mean and offering a strong destination for students graduating from the district's top feeder elementaries.

What stands out in Montebello Unified is the density of quality concentrated at the elementary level. Four elementary schools score 8.1 or higher, which means families across most of the district can access a high-rated campus without depending on a single marquee school. The district's 29 total campuses provide enough geographic spread that most neighborhoods draw from multiple options. Parents comparing districts should note that all five of Montebello's top-ranked schools clear the 8.0 mark — a threshold that points to consistently strong academic programming across grade levels, not isolated pockets of performance.

District Map

Schools in Montebello Unified, colored by MySchoolScout rank. Click a pin for details.

District Average Test Scores

Math Proficiency29.2%
School
State
Not reported
ELA Proficiency36.1%
School
State
Not reported

Average proficiency across all schools in Montebello Unified with test data.

District Details

City
Montebello
Total Enrollment
19,967
Teachers (FTE)
1,083
District spending per student
$22,912NCES F-33 · FY 2023 · This annual source is three years behind the current year.
Child poverty rate
17.9%Census SAIPE · 2024
District directory year
2023

Frequently Asked Questions

How many schools are in Montebello Unified?

Montebello Unified has 29 schools in total — 17 elementary, 6 middle, and 6 high schools. You can explore each school's ratings and details on this page.

What is the average rating for Montebello Unified?

The average composite rating for Montebello Unified is 6.8/10. This score is calculated from the individual ratings of all schools with academic data in the district.

What is the district spending per student in Montebello Unified?

Montebello Unified's district-level spending was $22,912 per student in fiscal year 2023, according to NCES F-33. This is district context, not an individual-school expense.

What is the student-teacher ratio in Montebello Unified?

The average student-teacher ratio in Montebello Unified is 18.4:1.

What is the top-rated school in Montebello Unified?

Potrero Heights Elementary is the highest-rated school in Montebello Unified with a composite score of 9.3/10.

What are the test scores in Montebello Unified?

Across schools in Montebello Unified with test data, the average math proficiency is 29.2% and the average ELA (reading/writing) proficiency is 36.1%. These figures represent the percentage of students meeting or exceeding grade-level standards.

How does Montebello Unified compare to other districts in California?

Montebello Unified has an average school rating of 6.8/10 across 29 schools. Families can compare this to other districts in California by visiting individual district pages. Factors like school size, available programs, and community demographics also play a role in choosing the right fit.

How does MySchoolScout rate schools?

MySchoolScout ratings blend student growth, poverty-adjusted academic performance, and learning environment — plus college readiness for high schools. Weights vary by school level, and equity data is shown for context without being factored into the score. Learn more about our rating system on our methodology page.

District Averages

Overall Rating
6.8/10
Math Proficiency
29.2%
ELA Proficiency
36.1%

How we rate schools

A clear 1–10 score built from public data — growth, academics, and learning environment. No hidden criteria, no pay-to-play.

See how we rate

Data from NCES Common Core of Data, California Dept. of Education, and U.S. Census ACS for the 2023–24 school year. Rankings computed by MySchoolScout. See all data sources.

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