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Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District

One district, sixteen campuses, and the map every Hill family needs

Every address on the Peninsula — all four cities and the unincorporated pockets — feeds a single district that ranks year after year among California's best. Here is how it fits together, which school serves which neighborhood, and where the boundary lines actually run.

How the ladder works

PVPUSD runs a classic three-step ladder: neighborhood elementary schools (K–5), three intermediate schools (6–8), and two comprehensive high schools (9–12) — Palos Verdes High on the west bluff and Palos Verdes Peninsula High at the center of the Hill — plus Rancho del Mar continuation high school on Crest Road.

Choice inside the district

Cornerstone at Pedregal is a district-wide choice elementary (structured, back-to-basics model) with no attendance boundary — families apply. Lunada Bay Elementary hosts the district's Spanish dual-immersion program, which adds a second kindergarten class for 2026–27. The district has also historically allowed open enrollment between the two high schools as space permits, so the PVHS/Peninsula line is softer than most boundary lines. Confirm current policy each year.

The Eastview exception

Families in RPV's Eastview area hold a right unique in California: under a special state law they may enroll in either PVPUSD or Los Angeles Unified (the San Pedro schools). It's a genuine factor in Eastview home values — and a detail out-of-area agents routinely miss.

The map

Attendance areas, layer by layer

High school Intermediate Elementary Continuation / private
Read this before you rely on the lines: the shaded zones are Palos Verdes Life's simplified approximations, drawn to show the general pattern — they are not survey data and boundaries do change. Before any enrollment or purchase decision, verify the exact address assignment with PVPUSD directly: pvpusd.net · (310) 378-9966, and remember Cornerstone has no boundary and Eastview has district choice.
The campuses

Every PVPUSD school, in one table

SchoolLevelLocationGenerally serves
Palos Verdes High Sea Kings9–12600 Cloyden Rd, PVEWest of the Hill: PVE and coastal/western RPV (open enrollment applies)
PV Peninsula High Panthers9–1227118 Silver Spur Rd, RHECentral and eastern Hill: RHE, Rolling Hills, central/east RPV (open enrollment applies)
Rancho del Mar HighContinuation38 Crest Rd W, Rolling HillsDistrict-wide alternative program
Palos Verdes Intermediate6–82161 Via Olivera, PVEPVE and the Hill's northwest
Ridgecrest Intermediate6–828915 Northbay Rd, RPVThe central and southern Hill
Miraleste Intermediate6–829323 PV Drive East, RPVThe east side, Miraleste to Eastview
Cornerstone at PedregalK–5 choice6069 Groveoak Pl, RPVDistrict-wide by application — no boundary
Dapplegray ElementaryK–53011 PV Drive North, RHEEastern RHE, Rolling Hills, Westfield
Lunada Bay ElementaryK–5520 Paseo Lunado, PVESouthern PVE and nearby coastal RPV · home of the Spanish dual-immersion program
Mira Catalina ElementaryK–530511 Lucania Dr, RPVEastern RPV slopes and, by choice, Eastview
Montemalaga ElementaryK–51121 Via Nogales, PVEUpper PVE and the northwest saddle
Point Vicente SchoolK–530540 Rue de la Pierre, RPVWest-central RPV above the lighthouse coast
Rancho Vista ElementaryK–54323 PV Drive North, RHENorthern RHE
Silver Spur ElementaryK–55500 Ironwood St, RPVNorth-central RPV and western RHE edges
Soleado ElementaryK–527800 Longhill Dr, RPVCentral RPV
Vista Grande ElementaryK–57032 Purpleridge Dr, RPVNorthwestern RPV

"Generally serves" is a plain-language summary, not the legal attendance description. District office: 375 Via Almar, Palos Verdes Estates · pvpusd.net.

Beyond the district

Private schools on and around the Hill

Chadwick School

K–12 independent school on unincorporated Academy Hill, founded by Margaret Chadwick in 1935 — one of the West Coast's most respected day schools, with alumni from Hollywood to orbit. chadwickschool.org →

Rolling Hills Country Day

Independent K–8 with a long Peninsula history and a family-scale campus culture.

Peninsula Heritage

Small independent elementary in Rolling Hills Estates emphasizing character and individualized academics.

St. John Fisher

The Hill's Catholic parish school (TK–8) on Crenshaw in RPV, paired with the parish's landmark church.

Many Hill families also consider Vistamar, Bishop Montgomery, Mary Star of the Sea, and other South Bay independents within commuting distance.

Why it matters

Schools are the quiet engine of Hill real estate

Ask any longtime Peninsula agent: attendance areas move markets here. Identical houses on opposite sides of a boundary line can price differently, Eastview's district choice is a genuine amenity, and enrollment trends shape which campuses thrive. If a school factors into your move, verify the boundary before you write the offer — and let your representation double-check it.

Talk to Properkey about school-boundary strategy

District vitals

  • Enrollment≈ 9,848 projected for 2026–27 — declining, like most CA districts
  • StandingConsistently among California's top unified districts
  • BoardFive trustees, elected Hill-wide
  • Support orgsPeninsula Education Foundation + campus PTAs/booster clubs
  • WatchDeclining enrollment & facilities planning — see News & Issues