The top reported proficiency rate is 39% in English language arts. The lowest is 9% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Tracy Elementary
Tracy Elementary serves kindergarten through fifth grade in Baldwin Park, a densely populated working-class city in the San Gabriel Valley with a mix of residential neighborhoods, commercial corridors, and industrial land. The school sits within the Baldwin Park Unified School District, which has undergone significant restructuring over the past few years. In addition to multiple elementary school closures, the district consolidated its middle schools and is navigating ongoing enrollment decline across grade levels. Families weighing this school should understand that context.
The school's enrollment is small, drawn almost entirely from Baldwin Park's resident families. The vast majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the economic profile of the community. The student body is overwhelmingly Hispanic, with a much smaller share of Asian students and very few students of other backgrounds. Data on the share of English learners was not available, nor was the rate of students receiving special education services.
State assessment results for the most recent school year show meaningful challenges. In English language arts, proficiency ranges widely by grade: fourth graders performed substantially better than third graders, while fifth graders fell between the two. In mathematics, proficiency rates dropped sharply at the fifth-grade level, falling to a much lower rate than third and fourth grade. Science proficiency in fifth grade was very low. Across all tested subjects and grades, Tracy's overall proficiency sits in the bottom quartile relative to schools within Los Angeles County. A parent may want to explore with the school what supports exist for mathematics and science learning, particularly in the upper elementary grades, and what strategies the school is using to address proficiency gaps.
The school occupies a neighborhood where housing costs are substantial relative to median income. Though home values in the Baldwin Park ZIP code have modestly appreciated in recent years, rents consume a large share of household income, and monthly mortgage payments remain well above typical rent. This context underscores why the high concentration of students from economically stretched families is so pronounced.
Baldwin Park itself is in a phase of deliberate infill and downtown revitalization. The historic downtown along Ramona Boulevard, once dismantled when the Pacific Electric rail line closed in the early 1950s, is being rebuilt as a pedestrian and transit-oriented center. Recent housing developments have brought affordable multifamily units near the Metrolink station, and a new greenway walk and bike path has opened. Civic anchors including Morgan Park, the community center, and the Metrolink station with connections to Los Angeles and San Bernardino are all within a compact downtown core. The city's population has remained relatively stable to slightly declining in recent years, and development is driven by the Downtown TOD Specific Plan rather than large-scale growth.
Within the district, Tracy Elementary has the option of a Dual Language Immersion program running from elementary through high school, allowing students to earn the California State Seal of Biliteracy, a distinctive pathway families should ask about. The district has also been delivering facility improvements through a voter-approved bond, including a new high school gymnasium completed in fall 2024 and districtwide air conditioning and safety upgrades. Whether those investments extend to the elementary level and how they affect student learning conditions is worth asking directly.
The school is open and operating, and serves as one of the remaining elementary anchors in its immediate neighborhood. Given the district's wave of closures and consolidations over the past three years, families should clarify with the school what their long-term enrollment stability looks like and what options exist if circumstances change.
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