Torrance Unified School District
School District · Torrance, California
Avg Rating
7.3
out of 10
Schools
31
17 elem, 8 mid, 6 high
Per-Pupil Spending
$15,134
Student-Teacher Ratio
24.8:1
Avg Rating
7.3
out of 10
Schools
31
17 elem, 8 mid, 6 high
Per-Pupil Spending
$15,134
Student-Teacher Ratio
24.8:1
Evaluating Torrance Unified?
A district shares budget, policy, and attendance zones across its schools — use this page to judge Torrance Unified as a whole, then compare how its individual schools differ.
Shortlist starter
Start with these real page-level signals, then use the full table and map below.
Walteria Elementary
Torrance · Elementary. Compare this profile against district averages, level fit, and attendance-zone reality below.
Lincoln Elementary
Torrance · Elementary. Compare this profile against district averages, level fit, and attendance-zone reality below.
Anza Elementary
Torrance · Elementary. Compare this profile against district averages, level fit, and attendance-zone reality below.
How this district compares
California rank
#144 of 713
districts by avg. composite
Vs. state average
+1.1
above California avg
Per-pupil spending
$15,134
$2,513 vs California median
District size
22,109 students
Much larger than California median
The short answer
Torrance Unified ranks #144 of 713 California districts by overall school rating. Torrance Unified's schools with real test data average 7.3/10 across 30 schools. Its top-rated schools are Walteria Elementary (8.6/10), Lincoln Elementary (8.6/10), and Anza Elementary (8.5/10). Schools with estimated (proxy) scores are excluded from this ranking.
Rates 8.6/10 despite 37% of students being economically disadvantaged. That's about 1.4 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 Torrance Unified schools.
STAAR proficiency rose +17.4 points from 2022 to 2024. That's the biggest jump among Torrance Unified schools across the two most recent comparable testing years.
Top-Rated Schools in Torrance Unified
Ranked by MySchoolScout composite rating using only schools with real test data (30 of 31). "Value" = points above what student poverty predicts. Estimated (proxy) scores are excluded.
| # | School | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Walteria Elementary | 8.6 / 10 |
| 2 | Lincoln Elementary | 8.6 / 10 |
| 3 | Anza Elementary | 8.5 / 10 |
| 4 | Towers Elementary | 8.5 / 10 |
| 5 | Seaside Elementary | 8.2 / 10 |
| 6 | Arlington Elementary | 8.2 / 10 |
| 7 | Edward J. Richardson Middle | 8.0 / 10 |
| 8 | Howard Wood Elementary | 8.0 / 10 |
| 9 | Torrance High | 7.9 / 10 |
| 10 | North High | 7.8 / 10 |
See all 31 schools — including those with estimated data — in the full directory below. How we rate schools.
About Torrance Unified
Torrance Unified enrolls 22,109 students across 32 schools in California. The district covers every grade level from kindergarten through 12th grade, keeping the full K-12 experience within a single system. Thirty of those 32 schools carry a MySchoolScout rating — strong coverage that makes campus-to-campus comparisons specific and trustworthy.
The 30 rated schools post a district average of 7.4 out of 10. That figure reflects a solid baseline, not the ceiling. The spread across individual schools tells a more useful story: four campuses rate 8.7 or above, pointing to real concentrations of high performance rather than an average inflated by a single outlier.
Howard Wood Elementary leads Torrance Unified with a score of 8.9 — the highest in the district. Lincoln Elementary follows at 8.8, and both Walteria Elementary and South High land at 8.7. Joseph Arnold Elementary rounds out the top five at 8.4. Four of those five top-rated schools are elementary campuses, which carries a practical message for families with younger children: the district's strongest starting points are clustered at the entry level. Howard Wood and Lincoln sit at the top of that group and represent the district's best early options. South High's 8.7 is the headline for families with older students — it confirms Torrance Unified sustains competitive performance all the way through graduation, not just in the primary grades.
At 32 schools and more than 22,000 students, Torrance Unified is large enough to offer genuine variety. Attendance boundaries, grade configurations, and campus cultures differ from school to school — worth researching before choosing a neighborhood. Parents comparing districts can anchor to the 7.4 average as a reliable baseline, while the four schools clearing 8.7 define the upper end of what Torrance Unified consistently delivers.
District Map
Schools in Torrance Unified, colored by MySchoolScout rank. Click a pin for details.
District Average Test Scores
Average proficiency across all schools in Torrance Unified with test data.
Schools in Torrance Unified
31 schools Elementary Schools 17
Middle Schools 8
District Details
- State
- California
- City
- Torrance
- Total Enrollment
- 22,109
- Teachers (FTE)
- 890
- Child Poverty Rate
- 0.1%
- Data Year
- 2023
Frequently Asked Questions
How many schools are in Torrance Unified?
Torrance Unified has 31 schools in total — 17 elementary, 8 middle, and 6 high schools. You can explore each school's ratings and details on this page.
What is the average rating for Torrance Unified?
The average composite rating for Torrance Unified is 7.3/10. This score is calculated from the individual ratings of all schools with academic data in the district.
What is the per-pupil spending in Torrance Unified?
Torrance Unified spends $15,134 per student per year.
What is the student-teacher ratio in Torrance Unified?
The average student-teacher ratio in Torrance Unified is 24.8:1.
What is the top-rated school in Torrance Unified?
Lincoln Elementary is the highest-rated school in Torrance Unified with a composite score of 8.6/10.
What are the test scores in Torrance Unified?
Across schools in Torrance Unified with test data, the average math proficiency is 61.6% and the average ELA (reading/writing) proficiency is 64.7%. These figures represent the percentage of students meeting or exceeding grade-level standards.
How does Torrance Unified compare to other districts in California?
Torrance Unified has an average school rating of 7.3/10 across 31 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
- 7.3/10
- Math Proficiency
- 61.6%
- ELA Proficiency
- 64.7%
Resources
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 rateOther School Districts in CA
Compare Torrance Unified with neighboring districts in the state.
- Los Angeles Unified (785)
- San Diego Unified (175)
- San Francisco Unified (113)
- Fresno Unified (101)
- Long Beach Unified (82)
- Oakland Unified (82)
- San Bernardino City Unified (76)
- Sacramento City Unified (73)
- San Juan Unified (68)
- Elk Grove Unified (67)
- Garden Grove Unified (66)
- Capistrano Unified (59)
- West Contra Costa Unified (54)
- Stockton Unified (54)
- Corona-norco Unified (53)
- Mt. Diablo Unified (52)
- Santa Ana Unified (52)
- Clovis Unified (50)
- Lodi Unified (49)
- Riverside Unified (49)
- Bakersfield City (45)
- Irvine Unified (45)
- Fontana Unified (44)
- Fremont Unified (44)
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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