Valinda School of Academics, Valinda CA

Original Research by School Decision on Valinda School of Academics

Valinda School of Academics serves kindergarten through eighth grade in an unincorporated residential community in Los Angeles County's San Gabriel Valley. The school sits within the Hacienda La Puente Unified School District, which has undergone significant reorganization in recent years, closing four schools at the end of the 2023-24 school year due to declining enrollment district-wide, a change that reshaped which campuses serve which neighborhoods.

The school enrolls a student body that is overwhelmingly Hispanic or Latino, with smaller Asian, multiracial, and other communities represented. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the economic profile of the neighborhood. The student population includes some Asian families, mirroring Valinda's own demographic composition as a diverse, family-oriented unincorporated community of mid-century single-family homes and commercial corridors.

Academically, the school's state test results show proficiency rates that are below the midpoint for schools across Los Angeles County's districts. In English language arts, students in grades three through five averaged proficiency, with fourth grade posting a slightly higher rate than third and fifth. Mathematics performance was lower, particularly in grade five, where proficiency dipped considerably below the third and fourth grade rates. A fifth-grade science assessment also showed low proficiency. The school has one year of current state test data, so trend information is not available.

Valinda School of Academics is a regular public school with no charter or magnet designation. The district adopted an Intersectional Ethnic Studies curriculum for all students TK-12 beginning in March 2022, which shapes instruction across multiple subjects including English language arts and Spanish, a curriculum choice that affects every grade level. The district also elected school board members by trustee area rather than at-large beginning in November 2022, giving each neighborhood dedicated representation.

The neighborhood itself is moderately walkable for a suburban Los Angeles setting, with sidewalk-lined streets and proximity to Rimgrove Park, which offers recreation facilities and hosts community events. Most residents drive to work, with commutes extending into the greater San Gabriel Valley or westward toward Los Angeles. The housing market is tight; vacancy is low and homes are predominantly owner-occupied single-family dwellings built in the 1940s and 1950s. Recent activity has shifted toward infill development, including accessory dwelling units and small multi-family projects, rather than large new subdivisions. Housing values are moderate for the county, though rental costs have risen and remain substantial relative to household income in the area.

Families considering this school would be enrolling in a neighborhood institution serving a low-income, predominantly Latino community where academic proficiency is currently below county norms. The district's curriculum emphasizes ethnic studies integration and has centralized governance around neighborhood trustee areas. A parent may want to look into the school's specific instructional supports, staffing, and any local improvement initiatives with the school directly, since the state test data reflects schoolwide performance but not the detail of classroom-level programs or recent changes the school may have undertaken.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 335%

School 35% · District 52% · ▼ 17 pts below district

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

Grade 435%

School 35% · District 46% · ▼ 10 pts below district

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

Grade 521%

School 21% · District 38% · ▼ 17 pts below district

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

English language arts

Grade 337%

School 37% · District 48% · ▼ 11 pts below district

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

Grade 443%

School 43% · District 45% · ▼ 2 pts below district

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

Grade 538%

School 38% · District 50% · ▼ 13 pts below district

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

Science

Grade 525%

School 25% · District 32% · ▼ 7 pts below district

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

Social studies

Grade 851%

School 51% · District 60% · ▼ 9 pts below district

▲ 2 pts above state median · ▲ 3 pts above 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 3Lower-income32%Higher-income54%22 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income30%Higher-income79%49 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income31%Higher-income91%60 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income31%Higher-income39%8 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income29%Higher-income54%25 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income28%Higher-income57%30 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income8%Higher-income36%29 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income23%Higher-income36%13 pp gap