Palos Verdes Unified School District has been on a steady academic decline since 2012, with its largest drop in 2018-2019 before the COVID pandemic shutdowns. The latest available test data is from 2018-2019, and PVPUSD is ranked 121st.
*Schooldigger calculates school rankings based on test scores released by the Ca. Department of Education.
These rankings were last updated on January 8, 2022, and are based on the most recent test scores available. The data is from the National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education and the California Department of Education. For more information about the ranking process, please see the Ranking FAQ. Details about the methodology are here.
Palos Verdes Peninsula High School
What are we seeing at PVPUSD High School level?
Palos Verdes Peninsula High School has seen a decline in test rankings since 2017. According to the chart, Peninsula High School ranked the highest in 2014. Currently, the once highly-ranked High School is ranked 698 out of the 9,659 schools in CA.
Another source has Peninsula High School ranked 62nd in 2016-17, but as of 2018-2019 they were ranked 97th.
US News places Peninsula High School at 42nd in California, when in 2014 they were ranked 26th in the state.
This data requires parents to face the hard truth that PVPUSD is not performing at the level it should be. Parents should be concerned with the decline in the academic standards and demand answers from the School Board.
Palos Verdes High School
Palos Verdes High School has the most significant decline in academic rankings. According to the chart above, PV High School is ranked 4,847 out of 9,659 schools.
Another source has Palos Verdes High ranked 169th in 2012-2013, but has recently dropped to 496th in 2018-2019. If we compare 2018 to 2019 academic school years, PVHS dropped more than 200 spots from 283 to 496!
US News recently ranked Palos Verdes High School 246 in California falling from 30 in 2014.
The time to look at this data seriously is now, and ask ourselves the tough questions:
Why have our high schools’ rankings drastically dropped each year?
Why is there such a huge discrepancy between our two high schools?
What is our district and school board doing to reverse the decline in the schools?
Are we focusing on reading, writing and math or is the district focusing its efforts elsewhere?
2022 School Board Candidate, Jenny Handjian, shares these same concerns with the School Board: