Royal Oaks Steam Academy (k-8), Bradbury CA

Original Research by School Decision on Royal Oaks Steam Academy (k-8)

Royal Oaks STEAM Academy, a K-8 school in Bradbury serving roughly eight-hundred-fifty students, sits within Duarte Unified, a small district that has reorganized its elementary and middle schools around distinctive academic themes. Royal Oaks itself is the district's science, technology, engineering, and mathematics academy.

The school serves a mix of students reflective of both Bradbury's affluent equestrian character and the broader San Gabriel Valley demographics. About sixty percent of the enrollment identifies as Hispanic; roughly one-fifth is Asian; the remainder are distributed among white, Black, and multiracial students. Close to half the students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a marker of economic need that cuts across the leafy estates image of Bradbury itself. The school draws from multiple cities within the Duarte district, and the grade configuration groups kindergarten through eighth grade on a single campus, so families follow a continuous K-8 pathway before transitioning to Duarte High School in Duarte proper.

Academic proficiency data from the most recent state assessments shows a pattern worth noting. In English language arts, the school's overall performance across grades three through eight is solid, hovering around the midpoint; eighth-grade results are notably stronger than third-grade results, suggesting that gains compound as students progress. Math proficiency, by contrast, is lower across all grade bands, ranging from about thirty percent in the elementary and middle grades and reaching the low-to-mid forties only in eighth grade. Science results, assessed at grades five and eight, fall in the low-to-mid forties. When viewed against other schools in Los Angeles County that serve similar tested grades, Royal Oaks's overall proficiency index sits below the median for the county, a positioning that reflects room for academic growth.

The school's STEAM focus is central to its identity within the district's academy structure. It is not a charter or magnet school but rather a regular public school operating with that thematic emphasis. Families drawn to Royal Oaks are choosing the STEAM pathway as an alternative to the district's other academy options: Beardslee's dual-language immersion, Maxwell's International Baccalaureate program, and Valley View's technology and creative learning focus. This academy model gives parents intentional choice within a single small district, which is uncommon outside larger urban systems.

Bradbury itself is an almost entirely residential, gated community with no commercial development and a strong equestrian character; most streets are narrow private roads maintained by homeowner associations. The median home value in the area is very high, though housing affordability, calculated against local income, remains tight. There is no public library, no downtown, no street life in the conventional sense. Civic anchors lean toward foothills trails and nearby recreation in the Monrovia and Duarte area. The city is built out with little appetite for growth, constrained by the lack of public sewers. For families choosing Bradbury or Royal Oaks, the draw is private, quiet, estate-living near the San Gabriel Mountains rather than community-oriented urban schooling.

Recent district changes will be relevant for parents. Duarte Unified underwent a grade-level reconfiguration and closed Andres Duarte school as part of this restructuring, which altered school assignments and resource allocation. Voters approved a substantial school facilities bond, Measure S, in 2020, funding classroom and lab modernization and technology upgrades across district schools through a local property-tax levy. Early in 2026, the district and teachers' union reached a tentative two-year agreement that includes class-size reductions and expanded preparation time for elementary teachers, conditions that take effect during the contract term. The district has also intentionally built themed academies to offer families instructional variety, a strategy most visible in dual-language immersion and IB programs but extending to STEAM and technology offerings as well.

For families considering Royal Oaks, the key trade-offs turn on academic trajectory and school philosophy. The ELA performance shows promise especially in upper grades; math proficiency is lower and a parent may want to look into that further with the school, including what interventions or approaches are in place. The school sits in an affluent, private residential enclave with no urban walkability or commercial base. The STEAM theme appeals to families prioritizing that lens over dual immersion or IB. And the K-8 configuration means one elementary-to-middle transition rather than multiple school changes, which some families prefer. The district's recent investments in facilities and labor agreements suggest active attention to classroom conditions and teacher support.

See more original research from School Decision →

Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 332%

School 32% · District 42% · ▼ 10 pts below district

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

Grade 432%

School 32% · District 40% · ▼ 8 pts below district

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

Grade 530%

School 30% · District 30%

even with state median · ▼ 3 pts below county median

Grade 632%

School 32% · District 37% · ▼ 4 pts below district

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

Grade 732%

School 32% · District 27% · ▲ 5 pts above district

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

Grade 843%

School 43% · District 34% · ▲ 9 pts above district

▲ 16 pts above state median · ▲ 14 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 337%

School 37% · District 43% · ▼ 6 pts below district

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

Grade 437%

School 37% · District 40% · ▼ 3 pts below district

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

Grade 552%

School 52% · District 43% · ▲ 9 pts above district

▲ 7 pts above state median · ▲ 5 pts above county median

Grade 654%

School 54% · District 56% · ▼ 2 pts below district

▲ 10 pts above state median · ▲ 9 pts above county median

Grade 755%

School 55% · District 50% · ▲ 5 pts above district

▲ 9 pts above state median · ▲ 9 pts above county median

Grade 858%

School 58% · District 49% · ▲ 9 pts above district

▲ 14 pts above state median · ▲ 12 pts above county median

Science

Grade 543%

School 43% · District 39% · ▲ 5 pts above district

▲ 15 pts above state median · ▲ 16 pts above county median

Grade 836%

School 36% · District 31% · ▲ 5 pts above district

▲ 10 pts above state median · ▲ 12 pts above county median

This schoolDuarte 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-income22%Higher-income58%36 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income22%Higher-income60%38 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income41%Higher-income72%32 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income35%Higher-income76%42 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income45%Higher-income66%21 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income47%Higher-income68%21 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income14%Higher-income58%44 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income22%Higher-income47%25 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income24%Higher-income40%16 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income18%Higher-income50%32 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income24%Higher-income41%17 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income31%Higher-income56%25 pp gap