The top reported proficiency rate is 31% in Math. The lowest is 25% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Sparks Elementary
Sparks Elementary sits on East Temple Avenue in La Puente, a densely settled, predominantly Latino city in the San Gabriel Valley east of downtown Los Angeles. The school serves kindergarten through sixth grade within Hacienda La Puente Unified, a district that has been navigating declining enrollment, school closures, and a curricular shift toward ethnic studies over the past few years.
The student body is overwhelmingly Hispanic, with the vast majority of families qualifying for free or reduced-price meals. That economic profile is the context in which the school's academic results sit, and it matters for how a parent reads the numbers. On California's CAASPP state assessments, proficiency in English language arts and math falls below the median of districts in Los Angeles County, placing Sparks in the bottom quartile among that county comparison set. Within the school, fifth graders score somewhat higher in both subjects than third and fourth graders, but no grade reaches a majority of students meeting proficiency standards. Science results for fifth grade, measured by the California Science Test, follow a similar pattern. Trend data is available for only one year, so there is no meaningful trajectory to describe; a parent may want to ask the school directly about any instructional changes underway and how the district monitors growth over time.
Chronic absenteeism and English learner data were not available in this dataset, which is a gap worth following up on given that both factors often shape elementary outcomes substantially, particularly in communities with the demographics Sparks serves.
The district context adds important background. Hacienda La Puente Unified voted in late 2023 to close four schools, citing enrollment that has been falling for years and is projected to continue declining. Sparks itself remains open, but families should understand that the reconfiguration changed feeder patterns and that further consolidation is possible. The district also adopted a Intersectional Ethnic Studies curriculum from transitional kindergarten through twelfth grade, by board resolution in 2022, with the stated goal of weaving it across disciplines. At the elementary level that means younger students will encounter this framing as it develops across grades; how deeply it reaches Sparks specifically is something a family would want to ask the school.
La Puente as a place is car-dependent, though bus service through Foothill Transit connects to surrounding cities. The historic core, Old Town La Puente along Main Street, provides a small cluster of local restaurants, retail, and civic services including the county library branch. Manufacturing, health care, and retail are the dominant employment sectors for residents. Housing costs in the zip code sit well above the California statewide median and far above national levels, with rents also running high relative to typical incomes. The rent-to-income burden reported here is substantial, and the estimated monthly cost of ownership assumes a significant down payment at current mortgage rates. That affordability pressure is part of the material reality for many Sparks families.
The data on IEP services and English learner support at the school level was not reported, so the picture of how Sparks serves students with disabilities or those still developing English proficiency is incomplete. Program offerings were also not available. A parent enrolling a child with specific learning needs, or one who is an English learner, should ask the school and the district directly about current supports and caseloads.
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