Simi Valley Schools: A Complete Guide for Families

In This Article

• What Are the School Districts That Serve Simi Valley Families?
• Which Schools in Simi Valley Have the Highest Ratings and Best Test Scores?
• What Do Niche Ratings Say About Simi Valley Schools?
• What Are the Current Median Home Prices in School Zones Throughout Simi Valley?
• How Do Simi Valley Schools Compare to Neighboring Districts Like Conejo Valley?
• What Family Activities and Amenities Make Simi Valley Attractive to Parents?
• Frequently Asked Questions About Simi Valley Schools

Schools are usually the first question families ask about Simi Valley, and the honest answer is that quality varies a lot from one campus to the next. The district as a whole earns solid marks, a few schools rank near the top of the state, and others sit closer to average. With a median sale price of $840,000 as of March 2026, the school zone you choose is a real part of the purchase decision. This guide lays out the ratings, test scores and home prices so you can weigh them for yourself.

What Are the School Districts That Serve Simi Valley Families?

Simi Valley Unified School District is the public district serving Simi Valley. It runs 18 elementary schools, three middle schools and four high schools, plus preschool at Justin Early Learners Academy and a handful of alternative and specialty programs. Depending on how those programs are counted, the district describes itself as operating 28 or 29 school sites.

Enrollment is roughly 15,899 students from transitional kindergarten through 12th grade. According to the district, most of its schools have been recognized as California Gold Ribbon winners, California Distinguished Schools or National Blue Ribbon schools at some point.

Awards aside, performance varies a great deal within the district. Many of the schools in this district are rated average in school quality by GreatSchools. Santa Susana High posts proficiency rates 20 to 30 percentage points above the state average, while others, such as Apollo High, fall well below it.

Which Schools in Simi Valley Have the Highest Ratings and Best Test Scores?

The standout is Santa Susana High School, which holds a Niche grade of A and a GreatSchools rating of 10 out of 10. Its average GPA is 3.63, its graduation rate is 99%, and its average SAT and ACT scores are 1320 and 29. On overall test scores it lands in the top 20% of California schools.

Proficiency rates tell the same story: 49% of Santa Susana students test proficient in math against a 34% state average, and 79% test proficient in reading and language arts against a 47% state average.

Royal High School also performs well, with a Niche grade of A and a GreatSchools rating of 8 out of 10. Its average GPA is 3.64, its graduation rate is 93%, and its average SAT and ACT scores are 1240 and 26.

Simi Valley High School sits a step behind on test scores, with 25% of students proficient in math and 55% in reading. Even so, it carries a Niche grade of A- and a GreatSchools rating of 7 out of 10, a reminder that the two rating systems weigh different things.

At the middle school level, Hillside Middle is the district's top ranked campus, placing 982nd of 2,761 California middle schools on SchoolDigger, which gives it 3 stars out of 5.

What Do Niche Ratings Say About Simi Valley Schools?

Niche grades are a useful second opinion because they look at more than test scores. Niche ratings analyze data from the U.S. Department of Education along with college readiness, graduation rates, SAT and ACT results, teacher quality, student diversity, and parent and student reviews.

Niche gives the district a B+ overall, placing it 105th of more than 1,000 districts in California. Component grades include teacher quality (B+), college preparation (B+) and extracurricular activities (B).

At the school level, Santa Susana and Royal both earn an A and Simi Valley High an A-. Elementary schools generally fall between B+ and A-, with Katherine Elementary among those at the A- end.

Academics carry the most weight in the Niche formula, at 35% of the overall grade. Student-teacher ratios (about 22:1 districtwide) and per-pupil spending (roughly $12,850 a year) also factor in. Parent and student reviews tend to praise safety, teacher dedication and community involvement, with some noting concerns about class sizes and how resources are spread across campuses.

What Are the Current Median Home Prices in School Zones Throughout Simi Valley?

Citywide, the median sale price was $840,000 as of March 2026, but that single number hides real differences between neighborhoods and school zones.

With a 98.7% sale-to-list ratio, rising prices and growing sales volume, Simi Valley favored sellers as of March 2026, though 114 active listings gave buyers a reasonable set of choices and homes were averaging 57 days on market. Those figures are now several months old, so check current numbers before acting on them.

Homes near the top rated high schools tend to run above the citywide median. As of March 2026, the average home value was about $880,762 near Santa Susana High School and about $915,431 near Royal High School.

On a per square foot basis, Simi Valley is the value play in the area. Compared with Thousand Oaks, Westlake Village and the San Fernando Valley, it consistently delivers more square footage per dollar, with an average sold price of $507 per square foot as of March 2026.

How Do Simi Valley Schools Compare to Neighboring Districts Like Conejo Valley?

Simi Valley Unified ranks 105th among California school districts on Niche, where 51 user reviews average 4.2 stars. That is a respectable showing, but it trails some neighboring districts.

Most Simi Valley schools post graduation and dropout rates in line with state averages, but the spread in test results between the strongest and weakest campuses is wide. That gap is worth understanding before you assume a Simi Valley address means a top performing school; the specific attendance boundary matters.

One thing Simi Valley has going for it is staying power. An average residency of about 17 years and a roughly 2.5% annual turnover rate across the area's 31,061 homes point to a community where people move in and stay, which tends to make for stable neighborhoods.

Conejo Valley Unified (Thousand Oaks, Westlake Village and surrounding areas) generally posts higher test scores and college readiness numbers than Simi Valley, but you pay for it in home prices and overall cost of living.

What Family Activities and Amenities Make Simi Valley Attractive to Parents?

Beyond the classroom, Simi Valley has plenty for families to do. The best known stop is the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, with permanent exhibits that include a section of the Berlin Wall, the Gold Star Families Memorial Monument, a walk through Air Force One and a full scale replica of the Oval Office. Interactive exhibits let kids act in a movie with Reagan, set a table for a state dinner or ride a horse with the President.

The library's Discovery Center program is geared to students in fifth grade and up and is free for all students.

For a family dinner out, local favorites include Greek House Cafe, a casual spot known for generous pitas, kebabs and salads. For a nicer night, Larsen's Grill is the local steakhouse, with prime steaks and seafood in a classic setting.

Outside of restaurants, popular family activities include hiking, annual festivals, riding the paved Arroyo Simi Bike Path, catching a performance at the Simi Valley Cultural Arts Center, picking vegetables at a local farm and visiting the Skatelab indoor skate park and Hall of Fame.

If those two restaurants don't suit, the city has more than 300 restaurants to work through.

Frequently Asked Questions About Simi Valley Schools

How does the Simi Valley Unified School District compare to other school districts in terms of overall quality?

Simi Valley Unified ranks 105th of more than 1,000 California districts with a B+ Niche grade, which puts it in the upper tier statewide. Neighboring Conejo Valley Unified generally ranks higher on test scores and college readiness. The trade off is price: Simi Valley homes cost meaningfully less, and its strongest campuses rate at the top of the GreatSchools scale.