Central Elementary, Baldwin Park CA

Original Research by School Decision on Central Elementary

Central Elementary serves kindergarten through fifth grade in Baldwin Park, a densely populated working-class San Gabriel Valley city that mixes residential neighborhoods with commercial corridors and industrial zones. The school is small, with an enrollment of roughly two hundred and sixty students. The student body is predominantly Hispanic, with a substantial share of Asian students and a very small number of students of other backgrounds. Nearly nine in ten students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the economic circumstances of the families the school serves.

The school's 2023-24 state test results show proficiency rates that are below the midpoint for elementary schools across Los Angeles County districts. In English language arts, roughly one-third of third graders tested at proficiency, about half of fourth graders, and slightly less than half of fifth graders. Math results are similar or somewhat lower: roughly one-third of third graders, two in five of fourth graders, and less than one in three of fifth graders met state proficiency standards. Science data is available only for fifth grade, where proficiency ran at about one in three. These results are consistent across all grade levels tested, with no single subject or grade standing notably above the others. The school maintains high participation in state assessments.

A parent should be aware of significant district context affecting Central Elementary. The Baldwin Park Unified School District has been closing elementary schools due to declining enrollment, and the district's Board voted in October 2023 to close Central Elementary at the end of the 2023-24 school year. For families who had children at Central, the district offered enrollment at neighboring schools and open enrollment options across Baldwin Park Unified campuses for the 2024-25 school year. This closure is part of a broader reshaping of elementary attendance zones in the district.

The district has initiated other changes relevant to families. It established a Dual Language Immersion program in Spanish and English with articulation from elementary through high school, allowing students to earn the California State Seal of Biliteracy. Measure AE, a bond approved by voters, is delivering facility improvements districtwide, including air conditioning upgrades and safety enhancements. The district also restructured its middle schools and has made further consolidation decisions as enrollment has shifted.

Baldwin Park itself is a built-out, infill-oriented city where recent development has concentrated in the downtown transit corridor along Ramona Boulevard. The city's Metrolink station, City Hall, parks, and civic services sit in a compact downtown cluster designed around walkability and transit access. Housing in the area reflects working-class residential patterns, with recent affordable multifamily developments anchoring the transit zone. The city's population declined slightly between the mid-2000s and 2020. Given the school's closure and the enrollment pressures throughout the district, a parent considering this area would want to contact Baldwin Park Unified directly about current enrollment assignments and available schools for their grade level and neighborhood.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 334%

School 34% · District 38% · ▼ 4 pts below district

▼ 9 pts below state median · ▼ 12 pts below county median

Grade 440%

School 40% · District 30% · ▲ 10 pts above district

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

Grade 528%

School 28% · District 21% · ▲ 7 pts above district

▼ 2 pts below state median · ▼ 5 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 335%

School 35% · District 39% · ▼ 4 pts below district

▼ 6 pts below state median · ▼ 8 pts below county median

Grade 450%

School 50% · District 35% · ▲ 15 pts above district

▲ 8 pts above state median · ▲ 6 pts above county median

Grade 548%

School 48% · District 41% · ▲ 7 pts above district

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

Science

Grade 530%

School 30% · District 23% · ▲ 7 pts above district

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

This schoolBaldwin Park 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.