The top reported proficiency rate is 44% in English language arts. The lowest is 33% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Birney Tech Academy
Birney Tech Academy serves kindergarten through fifth grade in Pico Rivera, a working-and-middle-income city in southeastern Los Angeles County, about thirteen miles from downtown. The school is one of several elementary feeder schools in the El Rancho Unified School District and draws from a community where the vast majority of families qualify for free or reduced-price lunch and nearly all students are Hispanic or Latino.
The school's enrollment is modest for its grade band, distributed across six grades with roughly even cohorts. The student population is notably homogeneous in terms of ethnicity and economic circumstance. Data on the share of English learners and students with IEPs was not available in the records reviewed, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about specialized language and special education services to understand what supports exist for students who need them.
On state testing, Birney Tech's performance in English language arts runs somewhat uneven by grade. Third-graders show lower proficiency, and fourth-graders improve modestly, but fifth-graders reach a noticeably higher mark. In math, proficiency is consistently below what is typical across tested grades, with third and fifth graders posting similar rates and fourth graders performing better. Science assessment, available only for fifth grade, shows proficiency at a similar level to math. Across both math and English language arts, Birney Tech's overall proficiency sits below the midpoint for schools countywide, suggesting room for strengthening core academic instruction. A parent should understand that these students are working in an environment where proficiency gains require support, and that the school's trajectory will matter.
Pico Rivera itself is undergoing significant development. The city is pursuing a major transit-oriented growth initiative anchored by new bus rapid transit and light rail infrastructure, with thousands of planned new residential units along Washington and Rosemead boulevards. That growth is already visible: the median home value in the postal code is solidly upper-middle range for the county, and rents have been rising. The city has committed to pedestrian and cycling infrastructure through an Urban Greening Plan and annual sidewalk improvements, though overall walkability today remains auto-oriented.
The El Rancho Unified School District has made moves to strengthen secondary pathways. It signed a partnership with the University of La Verne guaranteeing admission to El Rancho High School graduates who meet criteria, with financial aid workshops as well, a concrete college-access tool for families planning ahead. The district also expanded Project Lead The Way biomedical and engineering pathways at the high school, earning recognition for career-connected learning. One notable earlier change: Ellen Ochoa Prep Academy, a magnet school option offering a small-class college prep curriculum, closed in 2022, eliminating a specialized choice that families previously had within the district.
For a family weighing Birney Tech, the profile is a primary elementary school in a district working to build career and college connections at the secondary level, serving a predominantly low-income, Spanish-speaking community where state testing results indicate students need strong foundational instruction. The questions worth posing to the school are about English learner support, special education capacity, and the school's own approach to closing gaps in early literacy and math.
See more original research from School Decision →