Short answer: As of October 29, 2026, GreatSchools rates Alta Vista Elementary 8/10, Tulita Elementary 9/10 and Beryl Heights Elementary 8/10, all in Redondo Beach Unified, and Towers Elementary 9/10 in Torrance Unified. Parras Middle is 7/10 and Redondo Union High is 10/10. A rating is a starting point. The school assigned to a specific address is confirmed through the district, in writing, before you remove contingencies.
I taught elementary school before I sold homes, and I have a daughter in school now, so the school question comes up at every open house I host. I answer it the same way every time: here are the facts and the ratings, here is how to confirm the assignment for the exact address, and here is what I would look for on a visit.
What are the current GreatSchools ratings for South Redondo elementary schools?
I checked each school's page on greatschools.org on October 29, 2026. Towers is in the table because buyers ask me about it, and because it makes the point of this post: Towers Elementary is a Torrance Unified school, not a Redondo Beach Unified school, however close it looks on a map.
| School | District | Address | GreatSchools rating, Oct. 29, 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alta Vista Elementary (K to 5) | Redondo Beach Unified | 815 Knob Hill Avenue, Redondo Beach 90277 | 8/10 |
| Tulita Elementary (K to 5) | Redondo Beach Unified | 1520 South Prospect Avenue, Redondo Beach 90277 | 9/10 |
| Beryl Heights Elementary (K to 5) | Redondo Beach Unified | 920 Beryl Street, Redondo Beach 90277 | 8/10 |
| Towers Elementary (K to 5) | Torrance Unified | 5600 Towers Street, Torrance 90503 | 9/10 |
| Parras Middle | Redondo Beach Unified | Redondo Beach | 7/10 |
| Redondo Union High | Redondo Beach Unified | Redondo Beach | 10/10 |
Ratings change when new state data is released, so check the page again the week you write an offer.
What does a GreatSchools number actually measure?
GreatSchools describes its rating as a 1 to 10 score comparing a school with other schools in the same state, with 1 to 4 below average, 5 to 6 average and 7 to 10 above average (greatschools.org, ratings overview, read October 29, 2026). For an elementary school it is built from a Test Score Rating from state assessments and a Student Progress Rating, or an Academic Progress Rating where growth data is missing, that measures how much students improve year to year. College Readiness applies only to high schools. Community reviews do not affect the number.
The number does not measure the teacher your child will get, the class size that year, the arts and music schedule, the aftercare program, or how the school handles a kid who is ahead or behind. GreatSchools itself calls the rating a starting point and tells parents to visit. I agree.
Why is next door not the same as assigned?
Brookside Village, where I have a condo listed at 902 Camino Real #204, sits next door to Alta Vista Elementary. Attendance areas are drawn by the district, and the line can run down the middle of a street.
Redondo Beach Unified publishes a school boundary map and asks families to type the home address into its School Locator to find the neighborhood school (rbusd.org, read October 2026). The district office is at 1401 Inglewood Avenue, Redondo Beach 90278, phone (310) 379-5449. A Torrance address goes through Torrance Unified instead.
How do I confirm the assignment before I remove contingencies?
This is the part I am strict about, because an assumption here is expensive to unwind. My order of operations:
- Type the exact address, including the unit number, into the district's School Locator.
- Call the school office and the district office and ask them to confirm the assignment for that address for the coming school year.
- Ask for the confirmation by email so it is in writing and dated.
- Do all of this before your inspection contingency expires, not after.
Know what the district will ask for later. RBUSD's enrollment page lists two categories of residency proof: for homeowners, the most recent property tax bill or escrow paperwork; for renters, a lease; plus a current utility bill, income tax document or payroll stub showing the address (rbusd.org, read October 2026). Enrollment for 2026-27 opened February 2, 2026, and the district notes its dates are tentative.
What if I want a different RBUSD school than the one assigned?
Redondo Beach Unified has a School of Choice process. Per the district's page, read October 2026, a family living within RBUSD boundaries may request one other district school per year on a space-available basis. Families register at the neighborhood school first, requests are not first come first served, and lotteries are run by school and grade when needed, with a waiting list after that.
For 2026-27 the window ran February 2 to February 27, 2026, with the lottery on March 18, 2026. Placement is not guaranteed. Call Educational Services at (310) 937-1223 for the current rules before you count on it.
What do I ask on a school tour?
Shortlist with the ratings, then go look. On a tour I ask about class sizes by grade, how reading and math intervention work, what the arts, music and PE schedule looks like, how aftercare runs and what it costs, and how teachers handle a student who finishes early.
On prices by boundary, I will not publish a table, because the samples are small and the lines move. Tell me the schools you are considering and I will pull the last 90 days of CRMLS sales inside each boundary.
Questions I get asked
Is a 9/10 school better than an 8/10 school?
On GreatSchools' own scale, both sit in the 7 to 10 above average band, and the difference is one point on a measure built mostly from state test results. I would not choose a home over one point. Visit both, ask the same questions at each, and compare what you saw.
If I buy next to Alta Vista, is my child guaranteed a spot there?
No. The district assigns schools by address and attendance area, and the district, not the seller or the agent, confirms that assignment. Type the exact address into RBUSD's School Locator, call the district office at (310) 379-5449 and get the answer in writing before you remove contingencies.
Why is Towers in a post about South Redondo?
Because buyers ask about it, and because it is a clean example. Towers Elementary is at 5600 Towers Street in Torrance, rated 9/10 on GreatSchools on October 29, 2026, and it belongs to Torrance Unified. A Redondo Beach address is checked through Redondo Beach Unified's locator, and a Torrance address through Torrance Unified. The district line, not the distance to a campus, decides.
If you are weighing two addresses and want the CRMLS sales inside each boundary, start at beckyhomes.com/buyers and send me the schools you have in mind.
This post is general information, not legal, tax or lending advice. Talk with a California real estate attorney, CPA or lender about your situation.
Becky Davidson is a REALTOR® with Estate Properties in Riviera Village, Redondo Beach (DRE# 01894087). She has lived in the South Bay since 1993, taught elementary school before earning her license in 2011, and has sold 240+ homes and $205M+ across the South Bay and Los Angeles. She lives in Seaside with her husband and daughter and often co-lists homes with her mother, Jenna Christensen of Compass (DRE# 01341901). Call or text 310.920.9287.
