Los Angeles

Best Los Angeles suburbs for schools

Ranked almost entirely on the Schools category — within-state proficiency, student–teacher ratio, graduation rate and schools nearby — with the two poll questions about children and teenagers at 20% once a place has enough responses.

Updated Sep 2026·60 suburbs considered, 10 listed
1
Arcadia Peacock_Peahen
Arcadia$1.44M median · 29.3 min commute
Schools BCost of living CResidents inactive
77
Schools score
overall 64 C+
2
Casa Del Mar Hotel — on the beach in Santa Monica, Southern California. Built in a Renaissance Revival-Mediterranean Revival style in 1926 as an elite beach clu
Santa Monica$1.76M median · 24.8 min commute
Schools BCost of living B−Residents inactive
76
Schools score
overall 71 B−
3
Founders Hall, Soka University of America in Aliso Viejo, California.
Aliso Viejo$918k median · 25.1 min commute
Schools BCost of living C+Residents inactive
73
Schools score
overall 68 B−
4
Rows of look alike tract homes in Laguna Niguel with the Santa Anas behind them
Laguna Niguel$1.19M median · 25.9 min commute
Schools B−Cost of living B−Residents inactive
72
Schools score
overall 66 C+
5
Saddleback Mountain unusually covered in snow over Lake Mission Viejo.
Mission Viejo$1.01M median · 26.6 min commute
Schools B−Cost of living B−Residents inactive
72
Schools score
overall 67 C+
6
Irvine City Hall building displays American flag.
Irvine$1.19M median · 24.7 min commute
Schools B−Cost of living CResidents inactive
72
Schools score
overall 67 C+
7
I took this photo on March 21, 2007, from the southwest end of the island formed by the intersection of PCH with 190th/Anita/Herondo & Catalina in Redondo B
Redondo Beach$1.28M median · 27.0 min commute
Schools B−Cost of living CResidents inactive
72
Schools score
overall 69 B−
8
Outdoor dining seating in Placita Santa Fe in Old Town Placentia, California. View from West Santa Fe Street at South Bradford Street, lookin northwest. The pho
Placentia$921k median · 26.6 min commute
Schools B−Cost of living B−Residents inactive
71
Schools score
overall 63 C+
9
Torrance City Hall in the civic center complex on Torrance Boulevard, Torrance, California.
Torrance$1.07M median · 26.9 min commute
Schools B−Cost of living B−Residents inactive
71
Schools score
overall 66 C+
10
San Clemente CA 10-09-2011 Photo Don Ramey Logan
San Clemente$1.40M median · 28.6 min commute
Schools B−Cost of living B−Residents inactive
70
Schools score
overall 66 C+
This list's weighting
Schools 80%Resident poll (Q5, Q6) 20%

Poll components only count for places with eight or more resident responses; for the others the remaining weights re-normalise to 100%.

Other Los Angeles lists
Best Los Angeles suburbs for familiesMost affordable Los Angeles suburbsShortest commutes to Downtown Los AngelesMost walkable Los Angeles suburbsBest Los Angeles suburbs for young professionalsHow we score Los Angeles suburbs →

Photos from Wikimedia Commons: Arcadia (Esun · CC BY 2.5); Santa Monica (User:User2004 · Public domain); Aliso Viejo (Bobak Ha'Eri · CC BY 3.0); Laguna Niguel (Biff.Martin · CC BY-SA 4.0); Mission Viejo (User:Wikpe44 · Public domain); Irvine (Azusa Tarn · CC BY-SA 4.0); Redondo Beach (Funhistory · Public domain); Placentia (Amin Eshaiker · CC BY-SA 4.0); Torrance (Thurifer · CC BY-SA 4.0); San Clemente (Don Ramey Logan · CC BY-SA 3.0).