Center Street Elementary, El Segundo CA

Original Research by School Decision on Center Street Elementary

Center Street Elementary is a public school in El Segundo serving kindergarten through fifth grade, with an enrollment slightly larger than the typical elementary school for its grades. The student body is diverse, with substantial representation of white, Hispanic, Asian, and multiracial students. A small portion of the enrollment qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, which aligns with El Segundo's overall economic profile as a relatively affluent coastal community in Los Angeles County.

Academic performance on California's state assessments shows proficiency across tested subjects. In English language arts, students overall meet or exceed proficiency benchmarks, with particularly strong results in fifth grade. Math performance is similarly solid in grades three and five, though fourth grade shows somewhat lower proficiency. Fifth-grade science proficiency sits at a moderate level. When averaged across all tested subjects and grades, Center Street's overall proficiency index places the school in the top quartile among the county's other schools.

The school is part of El Segundo Unified, a district that has made intentional investments in elementary education around two anchoring initiatives. The first, launched in late 2023, is a district-wide AI literacy program that integrates artificial intelligence concepts into instruction across grade levels and includes structured parent communication. The second is a K-12 STEM pathway built on Project Lead The Way curriculum. Center Street was publicly recognized as a 2025-26 Project Lead the Way Distinguished School, meaning the school has demonstrated proficiency in implementing STEM and engineering instruction to a national standard. This recognition reflects both classroom practice and access to authentic problem-solving and design activities starting in the elementary grades. The program is supported by a business partnership with Chevron.

The school itself serves a stable suburban community. Housing in the 90245 zip code is at a premium price point reflective of coastal Southern California, and rental costs are also elevated relative to national averages. The local unemployment rate is low, and median household income for the region is solid. These economic indicators suggest a community with relatively stable family incomes, though this does not mean all families in the attendance area experience the same level of resources.

Center Street's profile is one of a well-resourced neighborhood elementary school with foundational academic proficiency, curricular continuity with the broader district's STEM and AI initiatives, and peer composition that reflects an economically diverse but income-weighted community. For families considering the school, it functions as a traditional K-5 pathway embedded in a district with forward-facing technology and engineering priorities. Specific information about student support services, class sizes, or teaching approaches was not available to assess; parents may want to gather those details directly from the school.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 376%

School 76% · District 75% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▲ 33 pts above state median · ▲ 30 pts above county median

Grade 465%

School 65% · District 74% · ▼ 9 pts below district

▲ 28 pts above state median · ▲ 24 pts above county median

Grade 574%

School 74% · District 76% · ▼ 2 pts below district

▲ 43 pts above state median · ▲ 40 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 367%

School 67% · District 68%

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

Grade 464%

School 64% · District 70% · ▼ 6 pts below district

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

Grade 580%

School 80% · District 80%

▲ 35 pts above state median · ▲ 33 pts above county median

Science

Grade 565%

School 65% · District 67% · ▼ 2 pts below district

▲ 37 pts above state median · ▲ 38 pts above county median

This schoolEl Segundo 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-income27%Higher-income73%45 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income61%Higher-income65%4 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income48%Higher-income87%39 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income55%Higher-income79%24 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income54%Higher-income67%13 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income52%Higher-income78%26 pp gap