Alice M. Ellington Elementary, Covina CA

Original Research by School Decision on Alice M. Ellington Elementary

Alice M. Ellington Elementary is no longer operational. The school closed after the 2022-23 school year, part of a district-wide reorganization by Azusa Unified in response to sustained enrollment decline over two decades. This closure affects families who may have attended or considered the school.

At the time it operated, Ellington served grades three through eight in Covina, a mid-sized residential city in the East San Gabriel Valley. The last available academic data comes from spring 2023, the school's final year.

Academic performance in that final year showed persistent struggle across subjects and grade levels. In mathematics, proficiency rates ranged from low single digits in sixth grade up to the low-to-mid forties in third and fourth grade, with a general decline as students advanced. English language arts showed a similar pattern, with third grade proficiency around the low thirties and sixth grade around a quarter. Science proficiency was particularly low: eighth-grade science proficiency stood at around one in five students, and fifth-grade science at around one in twelve. These results fell well below California's overall performance levels across all tested subjects.

The school participated fully in state assessments, with student participation rates at or near complete across subjects. Testing groups included the typical grade-level cohorts tested under California's Smarter Balanced system for English and mathematics and the CAST assessment for science.

Covina itself is a small, primarily residential city with roots in the citrus industry and housing stock dominated by midcentury ranch-style homes. The city has been pursuing housing growth, including new townhome and multifamily developments, and has invested in downtown revitalization centered on its Metrolink station, which connects residents to Los Angeles on the San Bernardino Line. The local economy is anchored by public school districts, healthcare employers including Emanate Health, and retail and commercial activity.

Azusa Unified's closure of Ellington and consolidation of other campuses reflected a broader enrollment contraction that had reduced the district's student population by roughly half over two decades. The district's reorganization reshaped school assignments and facility use across its remaining sites, decisions that reflected both fiscal constraints and enrollment realities in the district and region.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 342%

School 42% · District 32% · ▲ 10 pts above district

▼ 1 pts below state median

Grade 444%

School 44% · District 27% · ▲ 18 pts above district

▲ 7 pts above state median

Grade 529%

School 29% · District 25% · ▲ 4 pts above district

▼ 1 pts below state median

Grade 66%

School 6% · District 16% · ▼ 10 pts below district

▼ 25 pts below state median

Grade 718%

School 18% · District 20% · ▼ 2 pts below district

▼ 12 pts below state median

Grade 833%

School 33% · District 18% · ▲ 15 pts above district

▲ 5 pts above state median

English language arts

Grade 331%

School 31% · District 31%

▼ 10 pts below state median

Grade 444%

School 44% · District 30% · ▲ 14 pts above district

▲ 2 pts above state median

Grade 529%

School 29% · District 34% · ▼ 5 pts below district

▼ 16 pts below state median

Grade 625%

School 25% · District 30% · ▼ 5 pts below district

▼ 19 pts below state median

Grade 750%

School 50% · District 34% · ▲ 16 pts above district

▲ 5 pts above state median

Grade 843%

School 43% · District 38% · ▲ 5 pts above district

▼ 1 pts below state median

Science

Grade 58%

School 8% · District 20% · ▼ 11 pts below district

▼ 20 pts below state median

Grade 818%

School 18% · District 17% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▼ 7 pts below state median

This schoolAzusa 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.