Yet another study has concluded that Arcadia Unified School District is the best in San Gabriel Valley and #2 in Los Angeles County and offers parents one of the best values in all of Southern California, ranking third of 153 school districts in ten counties.
Consumer finance web site NerdWallet, a resource for information, insight and consumer-driven advice about personal finance, including credit cards, insurance, loans or expenses like hospital costs, analyzed 153 school districts in the counties of Imperial, Kern, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Ventura. The new study ranks Arcadia third out of the 153 districts behind Walnut Valley and Irvine and ahead of local districts such as San Marino (6th), Temple City (9th), South Pasadena (10th), and La Canada (11th). The study results are based on U.S Census and state education data to identify high quality schools in affordable communities. The study weighted cost-of-living metrics against the following school quality indicators:
District’s affordability
Standardized test scores
College readiness
Student-to-teacher ratio (class size)
Arcadia Unified School District in Los Angeles County has 11 schools that offer studentteacher ratios of about 22:1. The average SAT score is 1789, and about 84% of students go on to post-secondary education. The high school offers several Advanced Placement and honors courses, and earlier this year, the school unveiled a $3.8 million library, media center and cafeteria. This summer Arcadia High School will also be unveiling a brand new pool and state-of-the-art sports medicine facility. During this year’s Super Bowl, a commercial featured a performance by the Arcadia High School band. The school’s Quiz Bowl team won the national championship, and four other academic teams competed at national championship tournaments. The district is also the host of the annual Arcadia Invitational Track and Field meet, which is the largest high school sporting event in the country, and also hosted the first-ever Arcadia Innovation Summit recently. An impressive 31 Arcadia High School students were named National Merit Scholarship semifinalists this past school year, and three juniors received perfect scores on their SAT exams. The district makes our top five due to its varied opportunities for its students and commitment to excellence.