Laguna Beach's Best Middle School Ranked In New Analysis

U.S. News researchers based the 2025 ranking of the nation's best public middle schools on publicly available data from the U.S. Department of Education. The researchers analyzed 59,128 middle schools for the report.

In Laguna Beach, Thurston Middle school ranked #134 in the state of California. The school is operated under the Laguna Beach Unified School District and located at 2100 Park Ave.

Go here to see the full list of best California middle schools.

The methodology for the rankings focused on state assessments of students who were proficient or above proficient in math and reading/language arts, while also accounting for students' background and their achievements in core subjects. Student-teacher ratios were applied to break ties.

The rankings are intended as an evaluation tool to give parents a snapshot of how well schools provide a high-quality education and prepare students for a successful future, LaMont Jones, managing editor for Education at U.S. News, said in a news release.