Theodore Roosevelt Middle, Glendale CA

Original Research by School Decision on Theodore Roosevelt Middle

Theodore Roosevelt Middle is a middle school serving grades six through eight in Glendale, a mixed-character city about a short drive north of downtown Los Angeles. The school enrolls a student body that is roughly split between Hispanic and white students, with smaller shares of Asian students and other groups. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, and the school sits in a neighborhood-distributed campus system rather than a downtown civic core.

On state testing, the school's English-language arts results are its clearer strength. Across all grades, a modest majority of students met proficiency on the CAASPP ELA assessment. Performance climbed modestly in seventh grade. Math proficiency trails ELA considerably; roughly one-third of students met the standard across all three grades, with sixth grade sitting lowest and seventh grade performing somewhat better. In science, only about a quarter of eighth graders met proficiency. These results place the school below the midpoint for overall proficiency when compared to other districts in Los Angeles County. Data on social studies comes from an older assessment and is not current.

The school's ELA strength relative to math is a pattern worth understanding as a parent considering enrollment. It suggests students have more solid literacy foundations than numeracy foundations, which may shape how the school or family might think about math support or intervention. A parent may want to look into whether the school offers tutoring, after-school math support, or screening for students who might benefit from targeted help.

Glendale Unified as a whole is navigating a significant structural change. Beginning in the 2025-26 school year, the district is reverting from a seven-period to a six-period daily schedule at secondary schools, including middle schools, to address budget shortfalls. This change directly reduces elective access for most students; prior to this shift, students could take up to two electives. Theodore Roosevelt is not among the exceptions (Clark Magnet High and Roosevelt Middle retain seven periods), so families should expect that their middle schooler will have fewer course choices going forward than they might have had under the longer schedule.

The district is also preparing a large general obligation bond measure that, if placed on the ballot and approved by voters, would fund substantial facility repairs and modernization. This represents both an investment need and a future property-tax implication for homeowners in the area. It has been nearly two decades since Glendale Unified's last bond measure, so the facilities backlog is substantial.

Glendale itself is an entertainment and media employment hub with a walkable downtown centered on Brand Boulevard and anchored by extensive parks including Brand Park and a strong regional transit system. Housing in the area is on the higher end of affordability for the region; median home values reflect a high price-to-income ratio, and rental rates similarly exceed typical household income thresholds. The city continues to add multifamily housing, much of it clustered near downtown, though the construction pipeline has moderated compared to prior years.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 628%

School 28% · District 55% · ▼ 27 pts below district

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

Grade 736%

School 36% · District 49% · ▼ 12 pts below district

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

Grade 829%

School 29% · District 48% · ▼ 19 pts below district

▲ 1 pts above state median · even with county median

English language arts

Grade 648%

School 48% · District 61% · ▼ 13 pts below district

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

Grade 753%

School 53% · District 60% · ▼ 7 pts below district

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

Grade 849%

School 49% · District 59% · ▼ 10 pts below district

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

Science

Grade 829%

School 29% · District 44% · ▼ 15 pts below district

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

Social studies

Grade 858%

School 58% · District 67% · ▼ 9 pts below district

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

This schoolGlendale 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 6Lower-income50%Higher-income36%14 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income51%Higher-income62%11 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income45%Higher-income66%20 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 6Lower-income27%Higher-income33%6 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income36%Higher-income40%5 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income26%Higher-income46%20 pp gap