Hillcrest Elementary, Monterey Park CA

Original Research by School Decision on Hillcrest Elementary

Hillcrest Elementary serves kindergarten through sixth grade in Monterey Park, a mixed residential and commercial suburb about eight miles east of Downtown Los Angeles in the San Gabriel Valley. The school sits in a city shaped by its Asian American identity and is part of the Garvey Elementary district. This is a small elementary school with enrollment spread across seven grades, drawing a student population that is predominantly Asian American, with smaller populations of Hispanic, mixed-race, and white students. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting economic diversity in the school's catchment area.

On state assessments administered in 2024-25, Hillcrest's proficiency profile is uneven across grade levels and subjects. In mathematics, third graders perform above the typical range for the county at Hillcrest, fourth graders sit at a moderate level, fifth graders fall well below, and sixth graders return to a stronger performance. English language arts shows a different pattern: third and fourth graders perform at moderate proficiency, fifth graders dip lower, but sixth graders reach a notably higher level. In science, measured only in fifth grade, proficiency is quite low. Taken together, Hillcrest's overall proficiency index across tested subjects and grades places it above the midpoint among elementary and school-district entities in Los Angeles County, though the grade-by-grade variation suggests that student readiness or instruction may shift significantly as cohorts move through the school.

The most pressing area to examine further is fifth grade, where both mathematics and English language arts proficiency drop sharply compared to earlier grades, and where the science assessment result is particularly low. A parent considering this school may want to discuss with the school what accounts for this dip and what support or intervention is in place for students in that grade level.

The Monterey Park housing market around Hillcrest is characterized by a median home value well above the state average and significantly above the national average, reflecting the suburb's location and desirability. Monthly rents are also notably elevated. For families considering the area, housing affordability here is tighter than both the state and national benchmarks, though the local job market in health care, food service, retail, and administration provides employment opportunities. The city is in active redevelopment, with new multi-unit housing, mixed-use projects, and hotel construction underway, suggesting continued evolution of the neighborhood character over the next several years.

Monterey Park itself is moderately walkable overall but highly walkable in its downtown core around Garvey and Garfield Avenues, where restaurants, shops, and markets cluster and street life centers on commercial activity and community events. Public transportation options include local Spirit Bus service, the metro E Line light rail at Atlantic Boulevard, Metrolink commuter rail, and regional bus lines. The city has an identifiable civic center with a library, City Hall, and numerous parks, including Garvey Ranch Park with walking trails and a public observatory. This setting offers both the suburban character of a single-family neighborhood and access to urban amenities and transit.

Data on special education enrollment, English learner enrollment, chronic absenteeism, and staffing were not available in the records reviewed. For families with specific questions about student support services, instructional approach, or school culture, the school itself will be the best source.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 366%

School 66% · District 58% · ▲ 8 pts above district

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

Grade 454%

School 54% · District 54%

▲ 16 pts above state median · ▲ 13 pts above county median

Grade 529%

School 29% · District 43% · ▼ 14 pts below district

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

Grade 661%

School 61% · District 53% · ▲ 8 pts above district

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

English language arts

Grade 356%

School 56% · District 46% · ▲ 9 pts above district

▲ 15 pts above state median · ▲ 14 pts above county median

Grade 454%

School 54% · District 52% · ▲ 2 pts above district

▲ 12 pts above state median · ▲ 10 pts above county median

Grade 542%

School 42% · District 54% · ▼ 12 pts below district

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

Grade 678%

School 78% · District 61% · ▲ 17 pts above district

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

Science

Grade 524%

School 24% · District 34% · ▼ 10 pts below district

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

This schoolGarvey 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 3Lower-income47%Higher-income79%31 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income46%Higher-income81%35 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income32%Higher-income83%51 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income70%Higher-income91%21 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income59%Higher-income86%27 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income47%Higher-income75%28 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income23%Higher-income58%36 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income58%Higher-income67%9 pp gap