Palms Elementary, Lakewood CA - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Palms Elementary

Palms Elementary serves kindergarten through sixth grade in Lakewood, a car-dependent, single-family residential suburb that was built as a planned postwar community and retains that tree-lined, neighborhood-oriented character. The school sits within the ABC Unified district and enrolls a diverse student population in a small school setting. Housing in the area values homes above state and national benchmarks, and the community is anchored by retail, healthcare, and education employment.

The school's academic profile shows achievement gaps that warrant attention. In the most recent state testing, proficiency rates ranged across grades three through six in mathematics and English language arts, with proficiency generally in the low-to-mid range. In mathematics, sixth grade performed most strongly, while fifth grade was the lowest across the grades tested. English language arts results were more consistent across grade levels but similarly fell in the low-to-mid proficiency range. Science testing is available for fifth grade only, showing notably lower proficiency. When averaged across subjects and grades, the school's overall proficiency index falls below the midpoint among other districts in Los Angeles County. A parent seeking to understand whether this matches their child's learning needs and the support available for students below proficiency benchmarks may want to look into this further with the school.

The enrollment is small, with a combined population spread fairly evenly across the seven grades served. A substantial majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting economic need in the community. The student body is predominantly Hispanic and multiracial, with sizable populations of Asian and Black students and a much smaller number of white students. Demographic data on students with individualized education plans and English learners was not available; the school's website or direct conversation with the school would clarify support for these student populations.

Lakewood itself is experiencing development interest. The Lakewood Center regional mall, a longtime retail anchor, was sold in 2025 and is planned for transformation into a walkable mixed-use district combining housing, retail, dining, and green space. The city has been assigned growth targets for new housing and is seeing infill development through accessory dwelling units and reuse of underused commercial sites. Schools here serve neighborhoods within a broader dispersed layout rather than a central civic district; this is typical of the suburb's 1950s planned design, which prioritized the automobile and separated residential, retail, and civic zones.

One note on available data: the district has not published recent strategic priorities or parent-facing change initiatives that would help situate the school's direction; ABC Unified's public materials on this were not located. A call to the school or district office can provide clarity on initiatives, staffing, or instructional programs underway.

See more original research from School Decision →

Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 350%

School 50% · District 63% · ▼ 12 pts below district

▲ 7 pts above state median · ▲ 4 pts above county median

Grade 442%

School 42% · District 56% · ▼ 15 pts below district

▲ 4 pts above state median · ▲ 1 pts above county median

Grade 536%

School 36% · District 52% · ▼ 17 pts below district

▲ 5 pts above state median · ▲ 2 pts above county median

Grade 643%

School 43% · District 55% · ▼ 12 pts below district

▲ 13 pts above state median · ▲ 12 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 340%

School 40% · District 58% · ▼ 18 pts below district

even with state median · ▼ 2 pts below county median

Grade 445%

School 45% · District 59% · ▼ 14 pts below district

▲ 3 pts above state median · ▲ 1 pts above county median

Grade 544%

School 44% · District 65% · ▼ 21 pts below district

▼ 1 pts below state median · ▼ 3 pts below county median

Grade 643%

School 43% · District 69% · ▼ 25 pts below district

▼ 1 pts below state median · ▼ 1 pts below county median

Science

Grade 529%

School 29% · District 48% · ▼ 19 pts below district

▲ 1 pts above state median · ▲ 2 pts above county median

This schoolABC Unified, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 3Lower-income43%Higher-income27%16 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income41%Higher-income59%18 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income40%Higher-income62%22 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income47%Higher-income64%17 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income40%Higher-income47%7 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income41%Higher-income54%13 pp gap