Baldwin Academy, La Puente CA - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Baldwin Academy

Baldwin Academy serves kindergarten through sixth grade in La Puente, a small, densely populated residential community in the San Gabriel Valley about fifteen to twenty miles east of downtown Los Angeles. The school is part of Hacienda La Puente Unified, a district that has undergone significant reconfiguration due to declining enrollment, including the closure of four schools at the end of the 2023-24 school year. Families considering Baldwin should know that further consolidation may be possible as enrollment projections continue downward.

The school enrolls a small population of around five hundred eighty-five students, with a very substantial majority qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. The enrollment is predominantly Hispanic, with growing representation of Asian families. Kindergarten is the largest grade served; enrollment tapers across the elementary grades. No data was available on the proportion of English learners or students receiving special education services.

Baldwin Academy's state test results show academic performance well below state proficiency benchmarks. In tested grades, about forty percent of third graders met proficiency in mathematics, but proficiency declined steeply in the upper grades: fourth graders reached about thirty-seven percent, and fifth graders fell to under twenty percent. English language arts followed a similar pattern, with about thirty percent proficiency in third and fourth grades and slightly higher rates in fifth grade. Science proficiency in fifth grade was under twenty-five percent. Across the tested grades and subjects, Baldwin's overall proficiency index places it in the bottom quartile compared to other schools in Los Angeles County. The school has only one year of recent data available, so trend information is limited. A parent may want to look into further with the school what instructional supports and intervention strategies are in place, particularly for the upper elementary grades where proficiency drops notably.

La Puente itself is a working- and middle-class community with a long residential character, having evolved from citrus and walnut groves into postwar housing. Civic life is anchored in Old Town La Puente along Main Street, where City Hall, the library, and a small historic district provide a recognizable downtown. The area is car-oriented; most residents commute by personal vehicle, though Foothill Transit provides bus service. Housing values are moderate for Los Angeles County, and rents have risen in recent years. The local economy centers on manufacturing, health care, and retail sectors.

The district has adopted an Intersectional Ethnic Studies curriculum for all students in kindergarten through twelfth grade, with plans to expand course offerings and work toward making Ethnic Studies a graduation requirement. This represents a deliberate pedagogical choice affecting what and how students learn across the district. Additionally, the district shifted from at-large to trustee-area representation on its school board beginning in 2022, giving each neighborhood dedicated board representation.

For families in the attendance area, Baldwin Academy provides a neighborhood elementary school with stable operations and a student population reflecting the broader community. The low proficiency results warrant direct conversation with school leadership about how the school approaches reading and mathematics instruction, what additional support is available for students not yet meeting grade-level standards, and what progress the school has made or plans to make in closing proficiency gaps.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 340%

School 40% · District 52% · ▼ 12 pts below district

▼ 3 pts below state median · ▼ 6 pts below county median

Grade 437%

School 37% · District 46% · ▼ 9 pts below district

even with state median · ▼ 4 pts below county median

Grade 519%

School 19% · District 38% · ▼ 19 pts below district

▼ 12 pts below state median · ▼ 14 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 330%

School 30% · District 48% · ▼ 18 pts below district

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

Grade 433%

School 33% · District 45% · ▼ 12 pts below district

▼ 9 pts below state median · ▼ 11 pts below county median

Grade 533%

School 33% · District 50% · ▼ 17 pts below district

▼ 12 pts below state median · ▼ 13 pts below county median

Science

Grade 523%

School 23% · District 32% · ▼ 9 pts below district

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

This schoolHacienda la Puente 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 4Lower-income30%Higher-income53%24 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 4Lower-income33%Higher-income60%27 pp gap