Cole Canyon tops Murrieta schools in U.S. News rankings

Cole Canyon Elementary earned the top spot among Murrieta Valley Unified schools in the 2027 U.S. News Best Elementary Schools rankings, placing No. 523 out of 5,920 ranked California elementary schools.

The school scored 91.18 out of 100, putting it in the top 9% statewide.

Seventy percent of Cole Canyon students scored at or above the proficient level in both math and reading, according to U.S. News. Those numbers outpace the Murrieta Valley Unified district averages of 49% in math and 53% in reading. They also exceed California's statewide averages of 38% in math and 44% in reading.

U.S. News rated Cole Canyon's performance as "well above expectations" in both subjects. The school serves 1,038 students in grades K-5 at 23750 Via Alisol. It has 40 full-time teachers, all certified, and a student-teacher ratio of 26-to-1.

Recent recognition

Cole Canyon has drawn attention beyond the rankings. The school earned a Gold-level California PBIS Award in 2026 for its work on Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports, according to a Murrieta Valley Unified announcement. Fifteen MVUSD schools received PBIS recognition that year.

School counselor Felipe Zanartu, who has worked at Cole Canyon for six years, was named the 2025 Riverside County School Counselor of the Year. Riverside County Superintendent of Schools Dr. Edwin Gomez surprised Zanartu at an outdoor assembly with more than 1,000 students and staff on the Cole Canyon campus in January 2025, according to the Riverside County Office of Education.

Zanartu created the school's House Challenge Program, which uses intramural sports competitions to build social skills and confidence among students. One parent described the program as "saving my child's 5th grade year," according to the county education office.

How the rankings work

The U.S. News methodology weighs math and reading proficiency at 50% and performance relative to socioeconomic expectations at 50%. Rankings are calculated at the state level only. The assessment data comes from the 2023-2024 school year.

Murrieta Valley Unified has 12 elementary schools among its 21 campuses and enrolls 21,712 students district-wide, according to U.S. News. The district spends $15,464 per student each year.