New Lexington Elementary, El Monte CA

Original Research by School Decision on New Lexington Elementary

New Lexington Elementary serves kindergarten through sixth grade in El Monte, a diverse, transit-oriented city in Los Angeles County with a substantial Hispanic and Asian population. The school sits within a community that is reshaping itself around walkable downtown corridors and transit stations, with new mixed-use development and housing investments nearby.

The school itself is small, with an enrollment concentrated in the early grades and tapering in the upper grades. A large majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the economic profile of the families the school serves. The student body is predominantly Hispanic, with a substantial share of Asian students and very few white or Black students. Data on the share of English learners and students with IEPs was not available, so a parent interested in how the school approaches multilingual instruction or special education services may want to look into those details directly with the school.

On state assessments, New Lexington's results show a profile that requires careful reading. In English language arts, performance is mixed across grades. Third and fourth graders show moderate proficiency rates, fifth graders dip lower, and sixth graders show substantially higher proficiency. The pattern in math is more consistent concern: third and fourth graders perform in the low-to-moderate range, and proficiency drops notably in grades five and six. Science proficiency data, available only for fifth grade, falls quite low. Across tested subjects and grades, the school's overall proficiency index sits above the midpoint relative to other schools in Los Angeles County, a positioning that masks real gaps in particular grades and subjects. A parent may want to ask the school about the factors behind the significant drops in math proficiency in the upper grades and what supports are in place to strengthen foundational numeracy skills earlier.

The comparison to county schools provides context but not reassurance. While the school scores above the median, that reflects the county's wide range of performance; many schools perform considerably stronger. The test results suggest that a meaningful share of students are not meeting grade-level expectations, especially in mathematics.

El Monte City School District recently passed Measure ME, a bond to upgrade school facilities including modernized classrooms, expanded outdoor learning spaces, and improved safety. That work will unfold over years. The district has also introduced Enrichment Fridays, optional attendance days built into the calendar where enrichment programming runs instead of regular classes. Families need to plan childcare on those days, and the school can tell you which dates those are and what enrichment options are available.

Housing in the El Monte area reflects the broader Los Angeles market, with median home values elevated relative to national benchmarks but less so than California overall. Rental costs are substantial and typically claim a large share of household income, a dynamic worth assessing against your family's own budget.

New Lexington is a neighborhood elementary school serving a working-class, immigrant-rooted community with real academic gaps that merit direct conversation with school leaders about their instructional approach, supports for struggling students, and how they plan to use the facilities investments and district initiatives ahead.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 362%

School 62% · District 45% · ▲ 17 pts above district

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

Grade 457%

School 57% · District 39% · ▲ 18 pts above district

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

Grade 539%

School 39% · District 37% · ▲ 2 pts above district

▲ 9 pts above state median · ▲ 6 pts above county median

Grade 642%

School 42% · District 37% · ▲ 5 pts above district

▲ 12 pts above state median · ▲ 11 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 345%

School 45% · District 40% · ▲ 5 pts above district

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

Grade 449%

School 49% · District 42% · ▲ 6 pts above district

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

Grade 543%

School 43% · District 48% · ▼ 5 pts below district

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

Grade 669%

School 69% · District 52% · ▲ 18 pts above district

▲ 25 pts above state median · ▲ 25 pts above county median

Science

Grade 514%

School 14% · District 29% · ▼ 14 pts below district

▼ 14 pts below state median · ▼ 13 pts below county median

This schoolEl Monte City, 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.