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Moving or Choosing Schools? A Family Guide to 80 Los Angeles County School Districts!

2 hours ago
11 min read

Just moved to LA, or staring at a map wondering which school your kid will actually attend? Welcome to the club. Los Angeles County has a whopping 80 school districts, and figuring out which one you live in (and what your options are) can feel like solving a puzzle with half the pieces missing. Good news: we've pulled it all together in one place, straight from official sources.


In this guide to the school districts in Los Angeles County, we'll break down how the 80 districts are organized, give you the LAUSD basics, show you how to find your assigned school by address, and walk you through the big one on every parent's radar right now: the LAUSD Choices application for 2027–28, which closes Nov 6, 2026. We'll also cover magnet points, permits and transfers, transitional kindergarten and how to size up a school, then finish with a full district directory by region.


Family walking to school, illustrating our guide to public school districts in Los Angeles County and LAUSD

Key Takeaways


  • How Many: LA County has 80 school districts: 48 unified, 26 elementary, 5 high school, plus the LA County Office of Education.


  • Deadline Alert: The on-time LAUSD Choices window for 2027–28 runs Oct 1 – Nov 6, 2026, and applications are online only.


  • Magnet Points: Waiting-list, matriculation, sibling and resident-school points can boost your child's odds at LAUSD magnets.


  • Find Your School: LAUSD's Resident School Identifier shows your assigned school when you enter your address.


  • Permits: Outgoing LAUSD inter-district permits for next year are accepted Feb 2 – Apr 30.


  • TK: Transitional kindergarten is free and open to every child who turns 4 by Sept 1.


  • Evaluate Schools: The California School Dashboard shows color-coded results, but it doesn't rank schools.


How Many School Districts Are in Los Angeles County?


The official count is 80. According to the LA County Office of Education (LACOE), the county's districts serve nearly 2 million students from early education to early adulthood, including about 1.3 million in elementary through high school. Per the California Department of Education's school directory, those 80 break down like this:


  • Unified Districts (48): Cover transitional kindergarten or kindergarten all the way through 12th grade.

  • Elementary Districts (26): Cover the younger grades, either TK/K–8 or K–6.

  • High School Districts (5): Cover grades 9–12 only.

  • LA County Office of Education (1): Rounds out the 80.


Here's why that matters. If you live in, say, Lawndale or Hawthorne, your child attends an elementary district for the younger grades and then moves to a separate high school district (Centinela Valley Union High). In a unified district like Burbank or Long Beach, one district has you covered from TK to graduation.


For a sense of scale, CDE DataQuest counted 1,242,816 TK–12 public school students in LA County in 2025–26, with 1,039,872 in district-run schools and 202,944 in charter schools.


LAUSD Basics: What Every Family Should Know


Los Angeles Unified is the giant of the group. It covers central Los Angeles plus much of the San Fernando Valley, South LA, the Harbor area and the Westside. In 2025–26, CDE data counted 497,105 students in public schools within LAUSD's boundaries: 353,065 in district-run schools and 144,040 in charter schools.


Enrollment is shifting, though. EdSource reported in September 2026 that preliminary data show LAUSD enrollment fell 4% this school year, and the superintendent told families the district "serves fewer than 400,000 students today." Put simply, think of LAUSD as roughly 350,000 to 400,000 students in district-run schools, plus about 144,000 more in charter schools inside its boundaries. The state directory lists roughly 740 district-run schools and programs, plus about 249 active charters authorized by LAUSD.


LAUSD is organized into four regions. Knowing yours helps with permits and appeals:


  • Region East: 2151 N. Soto St., (323) 224-3100

  • Region North: 6621 Balboa Blvd., Lake Balboa, (818) 654-3600

  • Region South: 1208 Magnolia Ave., Gardena, (310) 354-3400

  • Region West: 11380 W. Graham Pl., (310) 914-2100

  • Main Office: 333 S. Beaudry Ave., (213) 241-1000


How to Find Your School District and School by Address


Here's the first thing to do after you sign that lease. If you might be inside LAUSD, use the LAUSD Resident School Identifier. Type in your full street address (number, direction, street name, suffix, city, and ZIP, but no apartment number), and it shows your resident or assigned school plus the schools you're eligible to apply to from that address. It also links to a county district map, which is handy if you're not sure whether you're in LAUSD at all. Questions go to mpd@lausd.net.


Insider tip: check the exact street address rather than guessing from your city name or ZIP code, especially before you sign a lease for a specific school.


Outside LAUSD, head to your district's own website (see our directory below) and look for a boundary map or school locator. LACOE's districts page also points to boundary maps for unified, high school and elementary districts.



LAUSD Choices 2027–28: Apply by Nov 6, 2026


If you remember only one date from this guide, make it this one. The on-time application window for LAUSD Choices for the 2027–28 school year is open now and runs Oct 1 – Nov 6, 2026. Choices is how families apply to LAUSD's specialty programs beyond their neighborhood school, and your resident-school enrollment is a separate process.


Here's what you can apply for through Choices:


  • Magnet Programs: 333 magnets, including 57 Gifted/Highly Gifted magnets

  • Permits With Transportation (PWT): Seats at designated schools, with set bus routes

  • Dual Language Education / Multilingual Multicultural Programs

  • International Newcomer Academies

  • Early/Middle Colleges and Schools for Advanced Studies

  • Affiliated Charter Schools


Key Choices Dates and Tips


  • On-Time Window: Oct 1 – Nov 6, 2026

  • Late Window Opens: Dec 1, 2026

  • Affiliated Charter Lotteries: January 2027

  • Selection Letters: On-time letters go out in February 2027

  • Accept or Decline Deadline: Mar 5, 2027 (including Dual Language offers)

  • How to Apply: Online only at apply.lausd.net, by computer or smartphone, or with help at your school's parent center. Paper applications are no longer accepted.

  • Help Line: (213) 241-4177


Good to know: selection is random, not first-come, first-served, so there's no prize for applying at 12:01 a.m. on day one. Still, don't wait until Nov 6, because magnet priority points only count on on-time applications. Choices brochures are available in English, Spanish, Armenian, Russian, Chinese, Filipino, Farsi, Vietnamese and Korean. For Dual Language and Early/Middle College programs, siblings get priority first, then LAUSD residents. Transportation varies: PWT has set routes, Dual Language and Newcomer programs "may" offer it, and Early/Middle College transportation is not guaranteed.


How LAUSD Magnet Points Work


Magnet seats are assigned using priority points, racial-balance goals and available space. Per the Choices magnet page, here are the 2027–28 points, which apply to on-time applications only:


  • Matriculation (12 points): For moving up to the next level of a magnet program. One year only, and it can't be combined with waiting-list points.


  • Waiting List (4 points per year): For up to 3 consecutive years, max 12. Declining a placement wipes these out, and they can't be combined with matriculation points.


  • PHBAO Resident School (4 points): If your 2027–28 resident school is designated Predominantly Hispanic, Black, Asian and Other Non-Anglo.


  • Overcrowded Resident School (4 points): Based on the 2026–27 designation.


  • Sibling (3 points): For a sibling continuing at your first-choice magnet. Your addresses must match in the district system.


You can list up to three magnet choices. If your child isn't selected at any of them, they go on the waiting list for your first choice only.


Insider tip: that's why your first choice matters so much. Waiting-list points can build for up to three consecutive years, but declining a placement resets them to zero, so only list schools you'd truly accept.


Permits and Transfers: Attending a School Outside Your Zone


Love a school that isn't your assigned one? A permit might be your ticket. LAUSD has two kinds.


Intra-District Permits (One LAUSD School to Another)


Intra-district permits let TK–12 students attend a different LAUSD school. Accepted reasons include parent employment, a specialized program, a sibling, childcare (with an affidavit), safety and protection, continuing enrollment, exceptions and special circumstances.


  • How: Get the permit packet (Attachments A-1 to A-4). Submit it to your school of residence first, then to the school you want. Both must approve.


  • When: Applications for the following school year open the second Monday of March, and permits can also be issued during the year.


  • Odds: First-come, first-served, based on space and staffing. No transportation is provided.


  • Appeals: Go to your Region Office Operations Administrator.


Inter-District Permits (Between LAUSD and Another District)


Inter-district permits cover families crossing district lines. Accepted reasons include childcare, a child of an active-duty military parent, continuing enrollment, exceptions, parent employment, a sibling, a specialized program and being the victim of an act of bullying.


  • Leaving LAUSD (Outgoing): Apply Feb 2 – Apr 30 for the following year, online only at apply.lausd.net. Outside that window, requests other than parent employment require an appeal to LACOE.


  • Coming Into LAUSD (Incoming): Accepted year-round, with the following-year window opening Feb 2. You'll need a release from your home district.


  • Decision Timing: Within 30 calendar days for a current-year request; for a future-year request, no later than 14 calendar days after instruction starts.


  • Appeals: Appeal to LAUSD within 14 calendar days of a denial, then to LACOE within 30 calendar days of an appeal denial.


  • Renewal: A valid permit carries over each year at the same school, but you need a new one when your child moves up to middle or high school.


  • Contact: Office of Permits and Student Transfers, 333 S. Beaudry Ave., (213) 241-3844.


The Parent-Employment Rule (Ed Code 48204(b))


Work in a different district than where you live? Under California Education Code section 48204(b), a district "may" treat your child as a resident if a parent or legal guardian works within its boundaries for "a minimum of 10 hours during the school week." The key word is "may," since it's optional for the district.


A district can say no if the transfer would hurt a desegregation plan or cost more than the added state funding, but it can't refuse based on race, ethnicity, sex, parental income, scholastic achievement or other arbitrary reasons. There's also a cap on how many students can transfer out of a district this way without the home district's approval. For working parents with a long commute, this can be a game changer, so ask the district near your job about it.



Transitional Kindergarten (TK) in Los Angeles


Have a little one turning 4? Since the 2025–26 school year, every California district that offers kindergarten must make TK available to all children who turn 4 by September 1 of that school year, per the CDE's Universal PreKindergarten FAQs. TK is free, and it isn't mandatory. You can choose TK, state preschool, Head Start, private preschool or keeping your child home, since compulsory school in California starts at age 6.


Insider tip: under the current rule, a child who turns 4 by Sept 1, 2027 is eligible for TK in 2027–28, so ask your resident school about TK enrollment timelines early.


How to Evaluate Schools in LA County


Every parent wants to know, "Is this a good school?" The best free, official tool is the California School Dashboard, which covers districts, schools, charters and student groups. Results show as color-coded gauges from Blue (highest) through Green, Yellow and Orange to Red (lowest), combining a school's current status with how much it changed from the year before. The state goal is Green on every indicator.


What the Dashboard measures:


  • Academics: English language arts and math, based on state CAASPP tests

  • English Learner Progress

  • Chronic Absenteeism and Suspension Rate

  • Graduation Rate and College/Career Readiness

  • Local Indicators: Family engagement, school climate and facilities

  • Science: Added for informational purposes on the 2025 Dashboard, released Nov 13, 2025


A few things to keep in mind, according to the CDE's Dashboard overview: the Dashboard does not rank schools, colors only appear for student groups with 30 or more students, and charter results are reported separately from the district that authorized them. So if you've seen "best school districts in LA County" lists, know that they aren't coming from the state.


Insider tip: numbers only tell part of the story. Pair the Dashboard with a school tour, a chat with the parent center or PTA, and a look at the programs your child loves, whether that's arts, dual language or robotics.


LA County School District Directory by Region


Here's every one of LA County's 79 K–12 districts, plus LACOE, grouped by area. The regions are our own, since LACOE and the state don't publish official ones, and a few districts straddle borders. Each name links to the district's official website.


Central LA / Citywide



Westside and Coastal



South Bay



Gateway Cities and Southeast LA County



San Fernando Valley and Verdugo Area


Most of the San Fernando Valley is part of LAUSD.



San Gabriel Valley



Pomona Valley and East County



Santa Clarita Valley



Antelope Valley and North County



Planning your year too? Our guide to 2026–27 LA County school calendars has breaks and last days for LAUSD and dozens of other districts. Always confirm details with the official source before you plan.


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The Takeaway


The school districts in Los Angeles County can look overwhelming at first, but it gets simpler once you know the basics: 80 districts, one address-based assigned school, and a handful of ways to choose something different. For LAUSD families, the most urgent step right now is the Choices application for 2027–28, which closes Nov 6, 2026, with magnet points rewarding families who apply on time year after year.


Start with your address, check the Dashboard, tour a few schools, and keep the permit windows (Feb 2 – Apr 30 for outgoing inter-district permits, the second Monday of March for intra-district) on your calendar. Policies and dates can change, so double-check with your district before every deadline. You've got this, and your kiddo is lucky to have a parent doing the homework.


Frequently Asked Questions


How many school districts are in Los Angeles County?

Los Angeles County has 80 school districts. That includes 48 unified districts, 26 elementary districts and 5 high school districts, plus the LA County Office of Education. LAUSD is by far the largest.


How do I find out which LAUSD school my child is assigned to?

Use the LAUSD Resident School Identifier at rsi.lausd.net and enter your full street address without an apartment number. It shows your resident (assigned) school and the schools you're eligible to apply to. It also links to a county map if you're not sure you're in LAUSD.


When is the LAUSD Choices deadline for 2027–28?

The on-time LAUSD Choices window for the 2027–28 school year is Oct 1 – Nov 6, 2026. A late window opens Dec 1, 2026, but magnet priority points only apply to on-time applications. Apply online at apply.lausd.net, since paper applications are no longer accepted.


How do LAUSD magnet points work?

LAUSD magnet points boost your child's priority in the magnet selection process. Families can earn 12 points for matriculation, 4 points per year on a waiting list (up to 12), 4 points each for a PHBAO or overcrowded resident school, and 3 sibling points. Points apply only to on-time Choices applications.


Who is eligible for transitional kindergarten in California?

Any child who turns 4 by September 1 of the school year is eligible for TK in California. Every district that offers kindergarten must make TK available, and it's free. TK isn't mandatory, since compulsory school starts at age 6.


Pinterest graphic for our family guide to the 80 Los Angeles County school districts, with a family walking to school


Angela M. Cantoni, Editor and Founder of Fun With Kids in LA, LA mom and contributor

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