Palos Verdes Middle Schools Among Best In U.S.: New Ranking

PALOS VERDES, CA — Three middle schools in the Palos Verdes Peninsula School District were ranked in the top middle schools in the country, according to a new ranking from U.S. News & World Report.

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.

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.

Ridgecrest Intermediate school in Rancho Palos Verdes ranked 41st on the list, with a math proficiency level of 77 percent and reading proficiency of 83 percent.

Palos Verdes Intermediate ranked 118th on the list and Miraleste Intermediate ranked 326th.

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.