Is J. H. McGaugh Elementary a good school?

J. H. McGaugh Elementary ranks 855 th of 5862 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

How many students attend J. H. McGaugh Elementary?

In the 2023-24 school year, 727 students attended J. H. McGaugh Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of J. H. McGaugh Elementary?

Students at J. H. McGaugh Elementary are 50% White, 26% Hispanic, 13% Two or more races, 8% Asian, 2% African American.

What schools do graduates of J. H. McGaugh Elementary attend?

Students who attend J. H. McGaugh Elementary usually go on to attend: Middle : Sharon Christa McAuliffe Middle High : Los Alamitos High

J. H. McGaugh Elementary

Summary:

J. H. McGaugh Elementary is a public elementary school located in Seal Beach, California, serving 751 students in grades K-5 and part of the Los Alamitos Unified School District, which is ranked 63 out of 1,568 districts in the state.

J. H. McGaugh Elementary consistently performs above the state average in Smarter Balanced Assessments for English Language Arts/Literacy and Mathematics, with proficiency rates ranging from 58.78% to 72.92% in ELA and 63.92% to 72.88% in Math, compared to the state averages of 42.8% to 47.37% in ELA and 35.02% to 45.64% in Math. The school's performance in Science (CAST) is also strong, with 54.08% proficiency in 5th grade, compared to the state average of 32.68%. While the school's performance for Hispanic and Special Education students is particularly noteworthy, ranking in the top 2% and top 8% of California elementary schools, respectively, the relatively lower performance for Multi-racial and Military Connected students suggests an area for potential improvement.

Compared to other nearby schools in the Los Alamitos Unified School District, such as Rossmoor Elementary and Francis Hopkinson Elementary, J. H. McGaugh Elementary performs similarly or slightly lower in academic achievement, but still maintains a strong overall performance. However, the school has seen a significant increase in chronic absenteeism, from 3.9% in 2017-2018 to 18.0% in 2022-2023, which is higher than the state average of 14.3% and warrants further investigation and targeted interventions.

Detail:

Public K-5

1698 Bolsa Ave.
Seal Beach, CA 90740-6212

(562) 799-4560

District: Los Alamitos Unified

SchoolDigger Rank:
855^th of 5,862 California Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $6,014

Students who attend J. H. McGaugh Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Sharon Christa McAuliffe Middle
High:	Los Alamitos High

Student/teacher ratio: 22.7

Number of students: 727

Racial breakdown:

White:

50.3%

Hispanic:

25.7%

Two or more races:

13.3%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 15.7%

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Compare J. H. McGaugh Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details J. H. McGaugh Elementary ranks better than 85.4% of elementary schools in California. It also ranks last among 6 ranked elementary schools in the Los Alamitos Unified School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 87.16. (See more...)

Chronic absenteeism in a school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.

Student Body

Compare Details J. H. McGaugh Elementary has the largest elementary school student body size in the Los Alamitos Unified School District. Student population at J. H. McGaugh Elementary is diverse. Racial makeup is: White (50.3%), Hispanic (25.7%), two or more races (13.3%). (See more...)

Compare Details 15.7% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at J. H. McGaugh Elementary is 22.7, which is the lowest among 6 elementary schools in the Los Alamitos Unified School District! (See more...)

Compare J. H. McGaugh Elementary employs 32 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at J. H. McGaugh Elementary is $6,014, which is the highest among 6 elementary schools in the Los Alamitos Unified School District!

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

J. H. McGaugh Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks J. H. McGaugh Elementary 855^th of 5862 California public elementary schools. (See J. H. McGaugh Elementary in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Multi-racial students:

Special Education students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Military Connected students:

Male students:

Hispanic students:

White students:

Los Alamitos Unified:

SchoolDigger ranks Los Alamitos Unified 63^rd of 1568 California school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for J. H. McGaugh Elementary

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Rank History for all students at J. H. McGaugh Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2004	88.13	584^th	4809	87.9%
2005	91.13	427^th	4822	91.1%
2006	86.80	648^th	4818	86.6%
2007	83.51	822^nd	5113	83.9%
2008	89.93	483^rd	5113	90.6%
2009	84.49	781^st	5193	85.0%
2010	86.08	675^th	5314	87.3%
2011	90.86	387^th	5377	92.8%
2012	87.97	555^th	5390	89.7%
2013	93.10	245^th	5530	95.6%
2015	91.78	518^th	5611	90.8%
2016	93.93	390^th	5614	93.1%
2017	92.73	468^th	5692	91.8%
2018	92.38	489^th	5662	91.4%
2019	92.02	520^th	5789	91.0%
2022	88.99	747^th	5883	87.3%
2023	92.47	539^th	5874	90.8%
2024	87.16	855^th	5862	85.4%

See the entire list of California Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for Multi-racial students at J. H. McGaugh Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2022	53.56	330^th	610	45.9%
2023	62.75	270^th	669	59.6%
2024	55.98	352^nd	669	47.4%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Multi-racial Students!

Rank History for Special Education students at J. H. McGaugh Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	88.22	193^rd	2420	92.0%
2024	69.91	498^th	2634	81.1%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at J. H. McGaugh Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	94.71	136^th	5084	97.3%
2019	96.69	84^th	5173	98.4%
2022	97.43	97^th	5264	98.2%
2023	93.05	264^th	5374	95.1%
2024	76.80	980^th	5511	82.2%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at J. H. McGaugh Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	90.29	557^th	5413	89.7%
2019	89.44	594^th	5492	89.2%
2022	89.25	678^th	5635	88.0%
2023	90.88	574^th	5617	89.8%
2024	88.45	691^st	5605	87.7%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Disabled students at J. H. McGaugh Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	90.19	151^st	2128	92.9%
2019	71.33	485^th	2585	81.2%
2022	80.42	299^th	2227	86.6%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Disabled Students!

Rank History for Military Connected students at J. H. McGaugh Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2022	59.96	44^th	130	66.2%
2023	64.20	49^th	140	65.0%
2024	46.40	61^st	118	48.3%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Military Connected Students!

Rank History for Male students at J. H. McGaugh Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	91.69	464^th	5431	91.5%
2019	92.10	442^nd	5510	92.0%
2022	87.39	759^th	5663	86.6%
2023	91.82	512^th	5650	90.9%
2024	83.08	957^th	5636	83.0%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for Asian students at J. H. McGaugh Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	84.42	52^nd	1190	95.6%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Asian Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at J. H. McGaugh Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	96.27	98^th	4830	98.0%
2019	96.95	86^th	4963	98.3%
2022	91.38	305^th	5084	94.0%
2023	97.27	97^th	5098	98.1%
2024	87.86	436^th	5102	91.5%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for White students at J. H. McGaugh Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	79.70	459^th	2737	83.2%
2019	78.24	524^th	2834	81.5%
2022	75.44	610^th	2726	77.6%
2023	77.17	535^th	2662	79.9%
2024	71.35	772^nd	2647	70.8%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: California Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Data source: California Department of Education

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Enrollment information for J. H. McGaugh Elementary

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	581	25	64	50	0	n/a	n/a	0	720
1989	632	26	53	50	0	n/a	n/a	0	761
1990	611	21	61	62	0	n/a	n/a	0	755
1991	624	34	63	56	0	n/a	n/a	0	777
1992	700	38	69	61	0	n/a	n/a	0	868
1993	715	38	66	50	1	n/a	n/a	0	870
1994	625	38	82	102	3	n/a	n/a	0	850
1995	664	34	104	121	3	n/a	n/a	0	926
1996	664	34	104	121	3	n/a	n/a	0	926
1997	605	29	99	113	5	n/a	n/a	0	851
1998	583	35	97	123	8	n/a	n/a	0	846
1999	584	51	92	111	8	n/a	n/a	0	846
2000	564	45	90	108	7	n/a	n/a	2	816
2001	552	36	87	98	5	n/a	n/a	19	797
2002	548	30	70	89	3	n/a	n/a	30	770
2003	548	30	70	89	3	n/a	n/a	30	770
2004	529	31	71	79	3	n/a	n/a	44	757
2005	510	33	65	77	2	n/a	n/a	56	743
2006	511	30	55	65	2	n/a	n/a	82	745
2007	495	39	59	62	0	n/a	n/a	80	735
2008	464	30	45	55	3	n/a	n/a	0	597
2009	466	27	51	64	2	5	118	0	733
2010	484	19	57	108	0	5	49	0	722
2011	495	22	59	112	1	7	49	0	745
2012	513	21	61	123	1	6	61	0	786
2013	509	16	64	134	3	7	65	0	798
2014	529	15	71	159	1	7	63	0	845
2015	525	15	77	155	1	2	68	0	843
2016	527	14	67	172	1	2	57	0	840
2017	521	16	59	182	2	7	65	0	852
2018	481	19	58	169	2	3	60	0	792
2019	472	21	66	190	2	7	61	0	819
2020	452	19	69	198	0	8	64	0	810
2021	396	22	68	178	0	9	73	0	746
2022	381	13	65	175	0	6	90	0	730
2023	376	12	72	184	0	3	104	0	751
2024	366	15	59	187	0	3	97	0	727

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at J. H. McGaugh Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	720	33.7	21.3	n/a
1989	761	35.7	21.3	n/a
1990	755	33.0	22.8	n/a
1991	777	36.3	21.4	n/a
1992	868	36.9	23.5	12.6
1993	870	35.6	24.4	13.7
1994	850	34.8	24.4	15.9
1995	926	39.5	23.4	16.1
1996	926	39.5	23.4	16.1
1997	851	45.5	18.7	12.6
1998	846	45.6	18.6	11.6
1999	846	43.6	19.4	14.4
2000	816	44.6	18.3	15
2001	797	43.6	18.3	10.7
2002	770	41.6	18.5	12.2
2003	770	41.6	18.5	12.2
2004	757	39.6	19.1	14.3
2005	743	39.6	18.8	13
2006	745	39.6	18.8	16.3
2007	735	39.6	18.6	15.4
2008	597	45.6	13.1	16.6
2009	733	39.6	15.4	0
2010	722	35.5	20.3	4.7
2011	745	n/a	n/a	5.6
2012	786	35.0	22.4	n/a
2013	798	37.0	21.5	9.1
2014	845	37.0	22.8	9.6
2015	843	38.0	22.1	10
2016	840	39.0	21.5	10.2
2017	852	38.0	22.4	13.6
2018	792	36.5	21.6	14.4
2019	819	36.5	22.4	18.3
2020	810	n/a	n/a	17.9
2021	746	33.8	22.0	15.1
2022	730	31.5	23.1	14.4
2023	751	34.0	22.0	13.8
2024	727	32.0	22.7	15.7

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio J. H. McGaugh Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	720	33.7	21.3	n/a
1989	761	35.7	21.3	n/a
1990	755	33.0	22.8	n/a
1991	777	36.3	21.4	n/a
1992	868	36.9	23.5	12.6
1993	870	35.6	24.4	13.7
1994	850	34.8	24.4	15.9
1995	926	39.5	23.4	16.1
1996	926	39.5	23.4	16.1
1997	851	45.5	18.7	12.6
1998	846	45.6	18.6	11.6
1999	846	43.6	19.4	14.4
2000	816	44.6	18.3	15
2001	797	43.6	18.3	10.7
2002	770	41.6	18.5	12.2
2003	770	41.6	18.5	12.2
2004	757	39.6	19.1	14.3
2005	743	39.6	18.8	13
2006	745	39.6	18.8	16.3
2007	735	39.6	18.6	15.4
2008	597	45.6	13.1	16.6
2009	733	39.6	15.4	0
2010	722	35.5	20.3	4.7
2011	745	n/a	n/a	5.6
2012	786	35.0	22.4	n/a
2013	798	37.0	21.5	9.1
2014	845	37.0	22.8	9.6
2015	843	38.0	22.1	10
2016	840	39.0	21.5	10.2
2017	852	38.0	22.4	13.6
2018	792	36.5	21.6	14.4
2019	819	36.5	22.4	18.3
2020	810	n/a	n/a	17.9
2021	746	33.8	22.0	15.1
2022	730	31.5	23.1	14.4
2023	751	34.0	22.0	13.8
2024	727	32.0	22.7	15.7

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.

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