November 18, 2024
Washington, D.C. – The 2025 Edition of the U.S. News & World Report Best Elementary and Best Middle School rankings were released and eight total Norwalk-La Mirada schools earned mention.
The rankings include more than 79,000 public elementary and middle schools across the country. Schools are ranked at the state and district level, with Best Charter Schools ranked as a stand-alone category.
Hutchinson earned a place in the middle school ranks, while D.D. Johnston, Dolland, Morrison, Eastwood, Escalona, Foster Road, and Gardenhill all appeared in the elementary school list.
“Congratulations to our eight schools who received mention in the U.S. News Best Middle and Elementary School rankings,” said Interim Superintendent Estuardo Santillan. “These rankings are a testament to the commitment of our amazing teachers, staff, and administrators in creating positive learning environments for our students to meet their full potential.”
The methodology focuses on state assessments of students who were proficient or above proficient in mathematics and reading/language arts while accounting for student backgrounds, achievement in core subjects, and how well schools are educating their students. Student- teacher ratios are applied to break ties in the overall score.
The 2025 Best Elementary and Best Middle Schools rankings are based on publicly available data from the U.S. Department of Education. For district-level rankings, at least two of the top performing schools must rank in the top 75% of the overall elementary or middle school rankings to qualify for district-level recognition.
“Schools play a vital role in our communities. Parents want to ensure that the schools their child attends provide a high-quality learning environment,” LaMont Jones, managing editor for education at U.S. News. “The 2025 Best Elementary and Middle Schools rankings not only offer accessible data but it also provides a valuable insight into how well elementary and middle schools are supporting and preparing students for high school.”
Parents, educators and students can see how NLMUSD compares to other institutions and how the rankings are calculated on USNews.com.
