The top reported proficiency rate is 82% in Social studies. The lowest is 56% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Richard Henry Dana Middle
Richard Henry Dana Middle sits on South First Avenue in Arcadia, a San Gabriel Valley suburb roughly a dozen miles northeast of downtown Los Angeles at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains. The school serves sixth through eighth grade as a regular public middle school within Arcadia Unified, and its enrollment lands in a range that is moderate-sized for a standalone middle school.
The demographic character of the school is strongly shaped by the surrounding community. Arcadia is one of the more demographically distinctive cities in Los Angeles County, with a large Asian population, and Dana's enrollment reflects that directly: Asian students make up a strong majority of those enrolled. Hispanic students represent the next largest group, with white and multiracial students each present in smaller shares. A roughly third of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which is a meaningful share and places the school in a mixed economic context. IEP and English learner counts were not available in the data.
Academic performance on California's CAASPP Smarter Balanced assessments is genuinely strong. In English language arts, proficiency rates are consistent and high across all three grade levels, with eighth graders performing at least as well as the younger cohorts. Math proficiency runs somewhat lower than ELA but is still well above the statewide norm across all three grades, with sixth and eighth graders performing at similar levels and seventh grade tracking slightly behind. On the eighth-grade California Science Test, proficiency is solid, sitting above the majority mark, though it trails ELA and math. The social studies data in the file comes from a STAR test administered more than a decade ago and is not a reliable picture of current conditions; a parent interested in that subject area would want to ask the school directly.
Placed against other districts in Los Angeles County, Dana's overall proficiency index lands in the top quartile of that comparison set. That is a clear strength and worth naming plainly.
Trend data covers only the most recent year, so there is no multi-year trajectory to describe. Chronic absenteeism and graduation rate figures do not apply here: Dana serves only middle grades, so no graduation measure exists for it.
The school sits within a few blocks of downtown Arcadia's walkable commercial core along Huntington Drive, and the Metro A Line station at First Avenue and Santa Clara Street is close by. The public library and Arcadia High School are a short distance up Duarte Road. Arcadia County Park, with its sports fields, aquatic center, and community spaces, is nearby as well. Families considering a move to the area should be aware that home values in this zip code are far above both the California state median and the national figure, and recent rents are also well above national norms. The rent-to-income ratio implied by local rents against national median household income is steep. Arcadia voters approved Measure AS in November 2024, a substantial facilities bond funded through an increase in property taxes, directed at repairing and modernizing district campuses, many of which were built in the 1950s. The bond will raise property tax bills for homeowners in the district for the duration of its repayment, and the district has published a Facilities Master Plan outlining the intended scope of work on safety, security, technology, and physical plant.
Program offerings beyond what is described in the state testing data were not available for Dana specifically, so a parent interested in electives, intervention supports, or enrichment pathways would do well to contact the school directly. Discipline data and staffing ratios were also absent from the available records.
What the data does show is a school posting high academic proficiency in a high-cost community with a demographically concentrated student body. Families drawn to strong tested outcomes and the specific character of Arcadia will find a school that performs well by the measures available. Those who want a fuller picture of programs, student support, or the school's day-to-day environment will need to go beyond what the public record provides.
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