J. H. McGaugh Elementary

Located at 1698 Bolsa Ave., in Seal Beach, California, J. H. McGaugh Elementary is a sizable K-5 school that educates 721 students (grades K through 5), part of Los Alamitos Unified. Compared to the state average of about 465 students per school, that is 55% bigger than typical.

J. H. McGaugh Elementary is one of 9 schools operated by Los Alamitos Unified, a district that serves 8,702 students overall.

On the student-mix side, J. H. McGaugh Elementary shows that the most-represented group is White (49%), with the rest of the student body spread across multiple groups; the rest breaks down as 27% Hispanic, 14% multiracial, 8% Asian.

On the resource side, Staff filings list 32 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to roughly 22.5:1 students per teacher. That tracks the state average closely. About 18% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, often used as a Title I proxy. By comparison, Orange County runs at roughly 55%, so the school's eligibility rate is meaningfully below the surrounding baseline.

With demographic context factored in, J. H. McGaugh Elementary tracks the demographic baseline. The model predicts 68.8% given the school's FRL share; actual proficiency is 66.6%.

In the broader community, census data for Orange County shows the typical household earns roughly $116,289 per year, about 44% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 7%. Across Orange County's 649 public schools (combined enrollment of about 430,458 students), J. H. McGaugh Elementary is one campus in the mix.

The closest other public school is Naples Elementary, roughly 2.0 miles away. 8 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius. On composite proficiency, J. H. McGaugh Elementary comes 7th of 9 in the immediate cluster, behind the nearby-schools average of 72.5%.

Geographically, the school is in a residential area.

Looking at the recent track record. J. H. McGaugh Elementary's enrollment has ticked down 9% since 2018, when it stood at 792 (now 721). White enrollment moved from 61% to 49% across the same window.

On the community side, posts here usually surface around pickup logistics, teacher feedback, and after-school programs. The community welcomes input from current and former families.