LA Westside School Districts by Neighborhood: Which District Comes With Which Address (2026)
The LA Westside is split among several school districts. LAUSD covers Westchester, Playa del Rey, Playa Vista, Brentwood, Pacific Palisades, and Marina del Rey. Santa Monica and Malibu currently share one district, while Culver City, Manhattan Beach, Redondo Beach, and Hermosa Beach each run their own.
Why this matters before you fall in love with a house
School district is one of the few things about a home you cannot renovate. You can change the kitchen. You cannot change which district the address sits in. On the Westside the district lines do not follow the neighborhood names people use, and that catches buyers out constantly.
LAUSD covers more of the Westside than people expect
Los Angeles Unified is the district for most Westside neighborhoods inside city limits: Westchester, Playa del Rey, Playa Vista, Del Rey, Brentwood, and Pacific Palisades. Marina del Rey is unincorporated county land and is served by LAUSD as well.
Families often assume LAUSD means one uniform experience. It does not. Westchester draws families specifically for Kentwood Elementary, the Wright STEAM Magnet, and the Westchester Enriched Sciences Magnets. Playa del Rey has Paseo del Rey Elementary, with a dual language program and a natural science magnet, plus Playa del Rey Elementary, a California Distinguished School. Within one district you can find very different schools a mile apart, plus magnet and charter options on their own application timelines.
The cities that run their own districts
Several places I work are separate incorporated cities with their own school systems, and this is where the map gets interesting:
Santa Monica and Malibu: Santa Monica-Malibu Unified serves both, for now. More on that below.
Culver City: Culver City Unified, a small district that is a real part of why families choose it.
Manhattan Beach: Manhattan Beach Unified, kindergarten through Mira Costa High School.
Redondo Beach: Redondo Beach Unified, kindergarten through Redondo Union High School.
Hermosa Beach: Hermosa Beach City School District is the unusual one. It runs kindergarten through eighth grade only, and Hermosa eighth graders continue to high school in either Manhattan Beach or Redondo Beach.
That traces back to a 1992 vote in which the three cities dissolved the old South Bay Union High School District. If you are comparing them, Hermosa having no high school of its own is a real planning question for a family with young children.
The Malibu split is coming, but it is not done
Santa Monica-Malibu Unified is separating into two districts. The board approved the separation agreements in December 2025, and the Malibu City Council approved the package days later. It still needs state-level approval, which is expected to require special legislation, and local reporting pointed to separation no earlier than the 2028-29 school year. If you are buying in Malibu or Santa Monica with school-age children, treat this as in progress, not settled.
What district does to price
Buyers pay for schools, and it shows up in single-family prices far more than in condo prices, because that is where families concentrate. In Westchester, single-family homes generally run about $1.4M to $2.2M and higher, with a single-family median around $1.7M as of mid-2026, and the Kentwood pocket carries a premium, with schools one contributing factor among several. In Playa del Rey, single-family homes typically start around $1.5M, while condos and townhomes generally run about $550K to $900K. The blended overall median there sits around $1.0M, which tells you how far apart those two property types are.
Verify the address, not the neighborhood
Attendance boundaries move, magnet and permit rules change, and two houses across the street from each other can feed different schools. Never take a listing description's word for it. Confirm the exact address with the district before you write an offer. I am glad to pull the neighborhood picture together, but the district is the authority.
Frequently asked questions
What school district is Westchester in?
Westchester is served by Los Angeles Unified. Kentwood Elementary, the Wright STEAM Magnet, and the Westchester Enriched Sciences Magnets are the options families most often ask me about. Confirm your specific address with LAUSD.
Is Playa del Rey in the same school district as Santa Monica?
No. Playa del Rey is in Los Angeles Unified. Santa Monica has its own district, Santa Monica-Malibu Unified, which is currently in the process of separating from Malibu.
Does Hermosa Beach have its own high school?
No. Hermosa Beach City School District runs kindergarten through eighth grade only. Students continue to high school in Manhattan Beach or Redondo Beach.
What school district is Marina del Rey in?
Marina del Rey is unincorporated Los Angeles County and is served by Los Angeles Unified, not a city district of its own.
Trying to match a district to a budget? Start with the guides for Westchester and Playa del Rey, then get in touch and I will line up the neighborhoods that fit both.
South Bay district structure and the 1992 Proposition V history per Hermosa Beach City School District. Malibu separation status per the SMMUSD board action of December 1, 2025 and local reporting; state approval is still pending. Market figures reflect mid-2026 data from my community guides. Always confirm attendance boundaries with the district. General information, not legal or financial advice.
Megan Majd, Compass · DRE #02089919 · (310) 845-6209