Workman Avenue Elementary, West Covina CA

Original Research by School Decision on Workman Avenue Elementary

Workman Avenue Elementary is a regular public elementary school serving kindergarten through fifth grade in West Covina, a built-out, family-oriented suburb in the San Gabriel Valley about nineteen miles east of downtown Los Angeles. The school is part of Covina-Valley Unified, a district that spans both West Covina and the city of Covina and operates some distinctive long-term programs, including K-12 Spanish and Mandarin dual immersion pathways and a newer Early College Pathway at the high school level that allows students to earn transferable college credits as freshmen.

The student population at Workman Avenue is predominantly Hispanic, with a large majority of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting a lower-income enrollment. The school serves a small enrollment for its grade band, with substantial representation of Asian students alongside the Hispanic majority. Demographic breakdowns for English learners and students with IEPs were not available in the data.

In academic performance, Workman Avenue shows proficiency rates below the midpoint when compared to schools across Los Angeles County districts. In English language arts, the school reports proficiency rates ranging from the high-thirties to mid-forties across grades three through five, with fifth grade performing slightly above third and fourth grades. Math proficiency is lower, with rates in the low-forties for third grade, dropping to the mid-thirties for fourth grade and the low-thirties for fifth grade. Science proficiency, measured at fifth grade only, sits in the low-thirties. These results indicate that a meaningful portion of students are meeting state proficiency standards, though a majority are working toward or below those benchmarks across all tested subjects.

West Covina itself is a car-dependent suburban environment where most daily needs are met within the city through shopping centers and services, but extensive travel typically requires a vehicle. The housing market in the area sits above the national benchmark and reflects Southern California pricing; the median mortgage payment is substantially higher than the median rent. The city continues to add infill housing through new townhome communities and accessory dwelling units, and a large redevelopment project on a former school site is in planning stages. Employment is anchored by healthcare, retail, education, and manufacturing, with the regional bus system Foothill Transit headquartered in West Covina.

A parent weighing Workman Avenue might look into the district's dual immersion offerings and early college pathways as longer-term educational pathways if biliteracy or accelerated college entry align with family goals, though these programs are housed at other schools. At Workman Avenue itself, the low-income enrollment and moderate proficiency results suggest a school supporting a community with significant economic pressures and academic needs, with outcomes that would merit conversation with the school about instructional approaches and supports for student progress.

See more original research from School Decision →

Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 345%

School 45% · District 57% · ▼ 12 pts below district

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

Grade 434%

School 34% · District 46% · ▼ 13 pts below district

▼ 4 pts below state median · ▼ 7 pts below county median

Grade 529%

School 29% · District 42% · ▼ 13 pts below district

▼ 1 pts below state median · ▼ 4 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 349%

School 49% · District 53% · ▼ 4 pts below district

▲ 8 pts above state median · ▲ 7 pts above county median

Grade 439%

School 39% · District 49% · ▼ 9 pts below district

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

Grade 546%

School 46% · District 59% · ▼ 13 pts below district

even with state median · ▼ 1 pts below county median

Science

Grade 530%

School 30% · District 39% · ▼ 8 pts below district

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

This schoolCovina-Valley 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.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 3Lower-income45%Higher-income67%22 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income43%Higher-income64%21 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income44%Higher-income53%10 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income27%Higher-income46%19 pp gap