The top reported proficiency rate is 74% in English language arts. The lowest is 58% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Webster Elementary
Webster Elementary is a small public school serving kindergarten through fifth grade in Malibu, an affluent oceanside community where residential homes spread along roughly twenty miles of the Pacific Coast Highway, anchored by upscale shopping and dining clusters and the oceanfront campus of Pepperdine University. The school sits in a setting shaped by strict zoning that preserves low density and rural character, with most families driving to reach destinations on the car-dependent coastal highway. The school's enrollment is small, with strong representation from white families and a very low free-or-reduced-price lunch rate, characteristics that reflect Malibu's demography and income profile.
Academic performance shows a mixed picture. Testing data from the most recent school year shows that fourth graders post strong proficiency in both English language arts and mathematics, with particularly high achievement in ELA. Third and fifth graders' results are more variable: third-grade proficiency in both subjects sits below the midpoint, while fifth-grade ELA proficiency is among the school's strongest results, though fifth-grade math trails, and science proficiency in that grade also sits in the mid-range. Overall, the school's proficiency index places it in the top quartile of schools across Los Angeles County districts, a notable position. Trend data is not available for comparison across prior years, so a parent may want to ask the school directly how performance has moved and what instructional shifts are underway, especially in grade three.
Webster Elementary sits within the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District, which is currently undergoing a multi-year separation to form an independent Malibu Unified School District, a process publicly reported to be expected to complete by around fall 2026. This structural change affects how schools are governed, which district families technically belong to, and how local property tax revenue is allocated between the cities. For families considering a longer-term plan, this transition is worth understanding through direct conversation with the school or district office.
The broader economic and housing context is striking. Malibu's housing costs rank among the highest in the nation, with median home values substantially above state and national benchmarks and rent similarly elevated. The affordability picture is tight: estimated monthly mortgage costs far exceed typical household income, meaning most families in this community own their homes and have been here for years or are among the highest earners nationally. This context explains the school's small size, its low-poverty enrollment, and the likelihood that peer groups are relatively homogeneous by income and educational background. For families relocating to Malibu for work or lifestyle reasons, housing decisions typically precede school choice; Webster serves the attendance zone it occupies.
The school is one of two public elementary schools in Malibu. It feeds into Malibu Middle and Malibu High, which share a thirty-five-acre campus in the northwestern Malibu Park district near Zuma Beach. The district has recently passed major school facilities bonds funded by property tax increases, modernizing buildings and infrastructure across both Santa Monica and Malibu. The district has also adopted American Cultures and Ethnic Studies as a high school requirement, a curricular commitment families should know reflects the district's educational values.
Data on special education identification rates and English learner enrollment were not available, limiting a full picture of how the school serves students with learning differences or language backgrounds. A parent with specific questions about supports for these populations should ask the school directly. Overall, Webster Elementary offers a small-school environment in a high-income, highly constrained housing market, with solid recent proficiency results, particularly in upper grades, though the grade-level variation suggests uneven performance that deserves closer conversation with staff.
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