How Are Our Schools Doing? The Data, Benchmarked

Jason Glass, Ed.D., Superintendent

Laguna Beach families invest deeply in their schools through time, involvement — and yes, tax dollars. We hold high expectations, and with that comes an investment that deserves an honest return: a clear picture of where LBUSD stands in the broader educational landscape, how our kids are doing within it, and what we can learn from those who are doing it even better.

California requires every district to take a serious look at itself through the Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP), a process we are completing this year in preparation for our presentation to the Board of Education. It is a thorough, structured review of our outcomes, vetted through community surveys, student focus groups, and public convenings, and it tells us how we are doing by California's measure.

This is where benchmarking comes in. Comparing our results to other systems shows us where we stand. Without some kind of reference, numbers alone tell you very little. Say you get bloodwork done and the results show your LDL is 128 and your HDL is 38. Far be it from me to give medical advice, but if your numbers look anything like these, it might be worth a conversation with your doctor. The same logic applies to education data. Numbers need a reference to mean anything.

Three Goals, One Framework

LBUSD's work is organized around three goals our community has helped shape: preparing students for college and career, supporting their social-emotional development and sense of identity, and ensuring our schools are safe, equitable, and inclusive. These goals reflect what research says matters for students and what California holds districts accountable for. For each, what follows is where we stand, how that compares to state and national benchmarks, and where more work is needed.

Goal 1: College and Career Readiness

In spring 2025, LBUSD students scored 77.5% proficient or advanced in English Language Arts and 72.1% in math on the CAASPP, making LBUSD the highest-performing unified school district in Orange County in both subjects and placing us among the top 4% of all unified TK-12 districts in California. California's statewide rates are 48.8% in ELA and 37.3% in math. 

The CAASPP proficiency bar is set high by design — calibrated to college and career readiness, not minimum competency. The standard was benchmarked against NAEP, the federal "Nation's Report Card." On NAEP, only about one-third of fourth graders nationwide score proficient in reading, and fewer than 4 in 10 in math. Even Massachusetts, the top-performing state, rarely exceeds 50% proficiency in these subjects.

The Class of 2025 graduated at a 97.5% rate, compared to California's 87.5% and a national rate of 86.4%. Of those graduates, 69% passed at least one AP exam (against a national average of 22.6%), and 87% met UC/CSU A-G requirements (compared to a statewide rate of approximately 54%). Perhaps most striking, 85% of the Class of 2025 had already earned college credit before leaving our schools, through AP exams, career technical education courses, or dual enrollment at local colleges.

Goal 2: Social-Emotional Competencies and Student Identity

Social-emotional outcomes can be measured through indicators like attendance and suspension rates, which reflect whether students feel connected, supported, and safe enough to show up and stay engaged. LBUSD's suspension rate has fallen steadily: from 2.9% in 2023-24 to 1.7% in 2024-25, to 1.0% as of April 2026. California's statewide rate was 3.3% in 2023-24. The last published national figure, from the federal Civil Rights Data Collection in 2017-18, was 6.9%. LBUSD's current rate is a fraction of all three benchmarks.

Chronic absenteeism for 2024-25 was 8.8% in LBUSD, compared to California's 20.4% and a national rate near 26% in recent post-pandemic years. This school year, midyear data showed the rate climbing to 12%. We treated that as a signal requiring action, not a trend to wait out. Personalized family outreach, attendance support plans, and formal review meetings followed. As of April 2026, the rate has come back to 9.7%. Chronic absenteeism remains a focus because every student who misses too much school is a student at risk.

Goal 3: Safe, Equitable, and Inclusive Schools

The California Healthy Kids Survey, administered by the state in February 2026, found that 90% of 9th graders and 89% of 11th graders at LBHS report feeling safe at school. Statewide, the same survey shows 58% of 9th graders and 61% of 11th graders report feeling safe, roughly 30 percentage points below our results.

A persistent challenge and ongoing focus is the achievement gap for our highest-need students. Three groups illustrate the challenge. Students with disabilities scored 42% in ELA and 32% in math in 2024-25. English learner students scored 31.8% in ELA and 59% in math. Students from economically disadvantaged homes, approximately 20% of LBUSD's enrollment, scored 65% in ELA and 54% in math. These gaps are real and reflect the central problem this goal is designed to address.

Benchmarking helps put these numbers in context. California statewide results for students with disabilities in 2023-24 show roughly 16% proficient in ELA and 13% in math. English learners statewide scored about 10% in both subjects. LBUSD's students in these groups are performing well above their statewide peers, and we continue to invest in further closing these gaps.

The LCAP framework requires districts to design evidence-based services for these students. At LBUSD, that means extended learning programs, summer academies, small-group instruction from trained intervention specialists at the elementary level, and targeted supplemental programs at the secondary level. This school year, English learner students saw a 28% increase in top-tier math placement from fall to winter. Students with disabilities showed gains of 6% in reading and 5% in math over the same period. That work continues.

What Comes Next

The results here are strong, benchmarked against standards that matter. They reflect the hard work of our students, teachers, and families, and the community's deep commitment to public education. As promised, we are also studying the schools and districts that perform at even higher levels than LBUSD — to learn from them and, where it fits, adopt what works. More to come.

The draft LCAP is available on the District's website, with a feedback form open for community input ahead of the Board meeting on May 14, 2026.