Franklin Elementary earned the highest ranking among Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District elementary schools in the 2027 U.S. News & World Report Best Elementary Schools list, placing No. 171 out of 5,920 ranked schools in California.

The K-5 school on Montana Avenue scored 97.13 out of 100. At Franklin, 85% of students scored at or above the proficient level in reading and 83% in math, according to U.S. News. Both figures topped the SMMUSD district averages of 72% in reading and 68% in math.

Franklin's scores also far exceeded statewide numbers. Across California, 44% of elementary students tested at or above proficiency in reading and 38% in math.

The rankings, released in October 2026, are based on 2023-2024 school year state assessment data. U.S. News weighed math and reading proficiency at 50% and a performance index that accounts for socioeconomic factors at the other 50%, according to the publication's methodology. Student-teacher ratios served as a tiebreaker.

Franklin enrolls 597 students and has 30 full-time certified teachers with a 20-to-1 student-teacher ratio. Two full-time counselors serve the campus.

SMMUSD had nine elementary schools appear in the statewide rankings. The district has not issued a public statement about the elementary results. In a separate October 2026 press release about U.S. News high school rankings, Superintendent Dr. Antonio Shelton said the district was "proud to see both of our comprehensive high schools recognized among the top schools in the state and nation."

Franklin enters the rankings cycle under new leadership. The SMMUSD Board of Education approved the appointment of Natalie Rollhaus Burton as principal at its June 24, 2025, meeting, according to a district press release. Burton previously led Roosevelt Elementary from 2007 to 2016, where the school earned California Distinguished School honors twice.

U.S. News ranked 46,713 elementary schools nationwide. No Santa Monica school cracked the state's top 10.

California's top 10 elementary schools, per U.S. News:

  1. Buckeye Union Mandarin Immersion Charter, El Dorado Hills
  2. Cold Spring Elementary, Santa Barbara
  3. Murdock-Portal Elementary, San Jose
  4. William Faria Elementary, Cupertino
  5. North Star Academy, Redwood City
  6. Herbert Hoover Elementary, Palo Alto
  7. Covington Elementary, Los Altos
  8. Bullis Charter, Los Altos
  9. Elkhorn, Stockton
  10. Jack L. Weaver Elementary, Los Alamitos