W. R. Powell Elementary, Azusa CA

Original Research by School Decision on W. R. Powell Elementary

W. R. Powell Elementary has been closed and is no longer operational. The school, located in Azusa, served students in the middle elementary grades and was part of Azusa Unified School District. This closure is part of a substantial district-wide consolidation that took place between 2022 and 2024.

The district carried out this reorganization in response to a sharp, sustained decline in enrollment over two decades. By the 2021-22 school year, student population had contracted significantly, leaving the district's facilities operating well below capacity. The board voted to close Powell Elementary following the 2022-23 school year, alongside closures of other schools including Alice Ellington K-8 School, Gladstone High School, and three middle schools. Students from the affected schools were reassigned to remaining district campuses.

The data available reflects the school's final year of operation, the 2022-23 school year, when state testing was administered to students in grades three through six. The results show proficiency rates that were modest across subjects. In English language arts, performance was stronger in the upper grades, with students in grade six reaching about two in five at proficiency, compared to about one in three or fewer in grades three through five. Mathematics proficiency was lower across all grades, ranging from low to mid-level percentages, with grade six somewhat higher than lower grades. Science proficiency in grade five was particularly low. Participation in testing was very high.

No enrollment data, demographic information, socioeconomic characteristics, staff levels, or discipline records were available in the data.

Because Powell Elementary has closed, families currently seeking school options in Azusa would need to look to other district schools. The closure reflects the larger challenge facing Azusa Unified: the district continues to navigate the structural effects of enrollment loss and the consolidation this has required.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 323%

School 23% · District 32% · ▼ 9 pts below district

▼ 20 pts below state median

Grade 416%

School 16% · District 27% · ▼ 10 pts below district

▼ 21 pts below state median

Grade 515%

School 15% · District 25% · ▼ 11 pts below district

▼ 16 pts below state median

Grade 626%

School 26% · District 16% · ▲ 10 pts above district

▼ 5 pts below state median

English language arts

Grade 339%

School 39% · District 31% · ▲ 7 pts above district

▼ 2 pts below state median

Grade 437%

School 37% · District 30% · ▲ 7 pts above district

▼ 5 pts below state median

Grade 529%

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

▼ 16 pts below state median

Grade 642%

School 42% · District 30% · ▲ 12 pts above district

▼ 2 pts below state median

Science

Grade 53%

School 3% · District 20% · ▼ 17 pts below district

▼ 25 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.