Agnes Ware Stanley Elementary, Garden Grove CA

Original Research by School Decision on Agnes Ware Stanley Elementary

Agnes Ware Stanley Elementary is a small public school serving kindergarten through sixth grade in Garden Grove, a multicultural Orange County city anchored by one of the nation's largest Vietnamese-American communities. The school enrolls a substantial share of students, with a student body that is predominantly Hispanic and Asian, and a large majority of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the neighborhood's working-class composition.

On state assessments administered in the most recent school year, the school's performance is mixed and uneven across grades and subjects. In English language arts, fourth grade stands out with proficiency notably above the school's average, while third and sixth grades are considerably below. Math proficiency is lower overall, hovering around half across most grades, with fourth grade performing slightly better than its peers. Fifth grade science proficiency was below half. These results place the school below the midpoint in overall proficiency when compared to the network of districts across Orange County.

The grade-by-grade variation is worth noting. Fourth graders show stronger performance in both subjects, while fifth graders struggle more in math despite performing reasonably in ELA. Third graders face challenges in both subjects, especially English language arts. A parent may want to look into what practices are working in fourth grade and whether the school has identified specific supports for the lower-performing grades.

The school's academic picture reflects the economic and language context of its community. With most families qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch and a large share of students likely navigating English acquisition, the school serves a population with significant learning support needs. State assessment data alone does not tell the full picture of day-to-day instruction, school culture, or the specific programs and staffing the school has in place to address those needs. Information about English learner services, special education support, teacher experience, or school-level initiatives was not available, so a parent visiting the school or contacting the principal directly would gather a clearer sense of how the school approaches these challenges.

Garden Grove itself is a built-out residential and commercial suburb in mid-Orange County, where housing costs are substantial and home values have risen modestly. The city is in the midst of infill and mixed-use development to meet state housing mandates, with a few larger projects underway but most of the city already developed into its classic postwar grid pattern. The district headquarters and several schools sit near or within the civic center, so school life is woven into the downtown fabric rather than isolated on remote campuses.

For a family considering Agnes Ware Stanley, the school offers a neighborhood elementary experience in a diverse, economically mixed community. The test results suggest the school is working with students who arrive with varied academic starting points and language backgrounds, and the school's performance is not on the higher end of the county range. Beyond test scores, visiting the school, talking with teachers and families, and understanding what instructional supports and programs it offers for its specific student population would give a much clearer picture of whether it is the right fit.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 349%

School 49% · District 58% · ▼ 9 pts below district

▲ 6 pts above state median · ▼ 7 pts below county median

Grade 460%

School 60% · District 54% · ▲ 6 pts above district

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

Grade 545%

School 45% · District 46%

▲ 15 pts above state median · ▼ 1 pts below county median

Grade 647%

School 47% · District 56% · ▼ 9 pts below district

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

English language arts

Grade 338%

School 38% · District 52% · ▼ 14 pts below district

▼ 2 pts below state median · ▼ 12 pts below county median

Grade 471%

School 71% · District 55% · ▲ 16 pts above district

▲ 29 pts above state median · ▲ 17 pts above county median

Grade 562%

School 62% · District 59% · ▲ 3 pts above district

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

Grade 651%

School 51% · District 63% · ▼ 12 pts below district

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

Science

Grade 543%

School 43% · District 39% · ▲ 4 pts above district

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

This schoolGarden Grove 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-income37%Higher-income42%5 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income70%Higher-income75%5 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income42%Higher-income73%32 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income43%Higher-income67%24 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income63%Higher-income50%12 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income42%Higher-income60%18 pp gap