Sunkist Elementary, La Puente CA

Original Research by School Decision on Sunkist Elementary

Sunkist Elementary is a small kindergarten-through-fifth-grade school in La Puente, a densely populated residential community in the San Gabriel Valley about fifteen to twenty miles east of downtown Los Angeles. The school serves roughly that size in enrollment, with a student body that is predominantly Hispanic and economically disadvantaged: a substantial majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.

The school's most recent state test results, from the 2024-25 school year, show proficiency rates well below the state median across tested subjects and grades. In English language arts, proficiency ranges from the low twenties to the upper twenties depending on grade. In mathematics, the picture is slightly weaker, ranging from the low teens to mid-twenties. Fifth-grade science proficiency sits in the high teens. Across all tested grades and subjects combined, proficiency averages in the low twenties, positioning the school in the bottom quartile relative to other schools tested in Los Angeles County. These are numbers a parent will want to examine closely alongside any school-level intervention plans or supports the district has underway, and to discuss directly with the school about what teaching strategies and resources are being deployed to improve outcomes.

La Puente itself is a mostly Latino working- and middle-class community that has seen growing numbers of Asian families in recent years. It is car-oriented and somewhat walkable, with employment centered on manufacturing, health care, and retail. Civic anchors include the La Puente Library, several parks, and the Thomas A. Beckman Community Center. The city is in the midst of a Mixed-Use Places Project to add housing (including affordable units) to underused commercial properties, reflecting its status as a built-out community where growth now comes through infill and redevelopment rather than expansion.

Housing values in the area are moderate to moderately high relative to national benchmarks, and monthly housing costs represent a significant share of household income. The region's unemployment rate is low.

Sunkist Elementary is part of Bassett Unified School District. In 2020 voters approved Measure BB, a general obligation bond for school facilities, funded through a property tax on district homeowners. The bond is funding roof replacement, technology upgrades, security and earthquake improvements, and modernized classrooms and career-technical education buildings across the district over an estimated several-year period.

Data on English learner enrollment, special education enrollment, chronic absenteeism, and attendance were not available for this school.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 323%

School 23% · District 30% · ▼ 7 pts below district

▼ 20 pts below state median · ▼ 23 pts below county median

Grade 414%

School 14% · District 32% · ▼ 17 pts below district

▼ 23 pts below state median · ▼ 26 pts below county median

Grade 526%

School 26% · District 28% · ▼ 3 pts below district

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

English language arts

Grade 326%

School 26% · District 36% · ▼ 10 pts below district

▼ 15 pts below state median · ▼ 17 pts below county median

Grade 422%

School 22% · District 40% · ▼ 18 pts below district

▼ 20 pts below state median · ▼ 22 pts below county median

Grade 528%

School 28% · District 48% · ▼ 20 pts below district

▼ 18 pts below state median · ▼ 19 pts below county median

Science

Grade 519%

School 19% · District 27% · ▼ 8 pts below district

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

This schoolBassett 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.