Laurel Elementary, Whittier CA - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Laurel Elementary

Laurel Elementary is a small neighborhood school serving kindergarten through fifth grade in Whittier, with a cohort of about five hundred students. The school is located in a zip code where median home values sit modestly above the county benchmark and rental costs are moderate relative to local income. The broader Whittier area anchors itself in healthcare, education, and government employment, with Whittier College and a major medical center among its civic institutions.

The student body reflects deep economic need. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating significant household income constraints across the enrollment. The school is predominantly Latino, with the remainder a small mix of white, Asian, multiracial, and Black students. Specific data on English learner enrollment or special education classification rates were not available.

On California's state assessments in English language arts and mathematics, Laurel's proficiency sits plainly below what the state expects. In the most recent testing cycle, across grades three through five, about four in ten students reached proficiency in ELA, and about the same proportion did so in math, with slightly lower rates in grade five. In the single science assessment administered at grade five, proficiency fell to just under three in ten students. These results place the school below the midpoint among the county's elementary and K-8 schools in overall proficiency. A parent considering this school should understand that if test scores matter to them, the baseline here is measurably low, and they would want to ask the school directly about its instructional approach, its support structures for students who arrive below grade level, and what trajectory it is on.

The school does not report specialized programs, magnet status, or distinctive course offerings in the available data. It operates as a straightforward public elementary school without a charter designation. No trend data across multiple years is available, so it is not possible to say whether performance is stable, rising, or declining. The district itself is East Whittier City Elementary, a small traditional public district; no recent strategic shifts or major initiatives were documented.

The housing and economic context around Lambert Road in Whittier positions families here in a working-class or lower-middle-class neighborhood with some stability in housing values but clear strain on household budgets. Parents in this area tend to be employed in service, healthcare, retail, and education work. The school sits amid a Latino-majority neighborhood with deep roots in Whittier's identity.

This is a local neighborhood school serving a economically vulnerable population with demonstrated academic challenges. It is the right fit for families seeking a walkable, community-embedded elementary option where they want direct oversight of instruction and close relationships with staff. For families prioritizing test performance or specialized academic programs, this school's current standing warrants a careful conversation with leadership about what support exists for students starting behind and what the school's path forward looks like.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 340%

School 40% · District 60% · ▼ 20 pts below district

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

Grade 441%

School 41% · District 53% · ▼ 12 pts below district

▲ 3 pts above state median · even with county median

Grade 536%

School 36% · District 49% · ▼ 14 pts below district

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

English language arts

Grade 340%

School 40% · District 57% · ▼ 17 pts below district

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

Grade 439%

School 39% · District 55% · ▼ 16 pts below district

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

Grade 538%

School 38% · District 62% · ▼ 24 pts below district

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

Science

Grade 529%

School 29% · District 38% · ▼ 9 pts below district

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

This schoolEast Whittier City Elementary, 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 5Lower-income31%Higher-income63%32 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 5Lower-income28%Higher-income63%36 pp gap