Pearblossom Elementary, Pearblossom CA

Original Research by School Decision on Pearblossom Elementary

Pearblossom Elementary is a K-8 public school serving a small rural desert community in the southeastern Antelope Valley of Los Angeles County, at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains. The school sits within the Keppel Union Elementary School District, which experienced significant governance instability in late December 2023 when the board voted to terminate the superintendent without cause. That decision triggered parent and staff protests and a recall effort against two trustees, introducing a period of uncertainty around district leadership that is worth monitoring for any family considering the school.

The student body reflects Pearblossom's rural, working-class character. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The racial and ethnic composition is predominantly Hispanic, with a minority White enrollment and small numbers of Asian and multiracial students. The overall enrollment is small for its grade band, distributed across nine grades from kindergarten through eighth.

State testing results from the 2024-25 school year show consistently low proficiency across both math and English language arts. In math, proficiency is well below state norms across all tested grades, with notably weak results in grade four and grade seven. In English language arts, performance is similarly depressed, though slightly stronger in grade three and grade six. The school's overall proficiency index falls in the bottom quartile when compared to other schools and districts across Los Angeles County. Science proficiency in grades five and eight is also below midpoint. These results signal that a substantial majority of students are not meeting grade-level standards in core subjects, a pattern that a parent may want to look into further with the school, particularly to understand what supports and interventions are in place and what the school's strategic response has been.

The school is part of a rural community with very limited local employment; most residents commute out to jobs elsewhere in the Antelope Valley. The housing market is modest, with a modest inventory and prices that reflect the rural character and distance from major job centers. Families moving to Pearblossom for school typically do so for reasons rooted in the community itself—its equestrian culture, low density, mountain setting, and low cost of living—rather than for academic reputation. The area is subject to county planning initiatives aimed at preserving its rural and agricultural character through controls on lot sizes and development density.

Pearblossom Elementary operates within a small district that has recently faced leadership disruption. For families considering the school, the combination of low academic performance, recent governance turmoil, and the school's rural, economically working-class setting means it is best understood as a neighborhood school serving a specific community rather than as a destination choice based on academic strength. The parent should engage directly with the school about its academic plans, staffing continuity, and the specific supports available for students working below grade level.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 330%

School 30% · District 22% · ▲ 8 pts above district

▼ 13 pts below state median · ▼ 16 pts below county median

Grade 410%

School 10% · District 15% · ▼ 6 pts below district

▼ 28 pts below state median · ▼ 31 pts below county median

Grade 524%

School 24% · District 17% · ▲ 7 pts above district

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

Grade 636%

School 36% · District 20% · ▲ 16 pts above district

▲ 6 pts above state median · ▲ 5 pts above county median

Grade 710%

School 10% · District 13% · ▼ 3 pts below district

▼ 20 pts below state median · ▼ 20 pts below county median

Grade 812%

School 12% · District 10% · ▲ 2 pts above district

▼ 16 pts below state median · ▼ 17 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 340%

School 40% · District 21% · ▲ 19 pts above district

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

Grade 417%

School 17% · District 17% · ▼ 1 pts below district

▼ 25 pts below state median · ▼ 27 pts below county median

Grade 533%

School 33% · District 25% · ▲ 8 pts above district

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

Grade 640%

School 40% · District 26% · ▲ 14 pts above district

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

Grade 723%

School 23% · District 22% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▼ 23 pts below state median · ▼ 23 pts below county median

Grade 821%

School 21% · District 19% · ▲ 2 pts above district

▼ 23 pts below state median · ▼ 25 pts below county median

Science

Grade 527%

School 27% · District 19% · ▲ 8 pts above district

▼ 1 pts below state median · even with county median

Grade 825%

School 25% · District 12% · ▲ 13 pts above district

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

Social studies

Grade 867%

School 67% · District 34% · ▲ 33 pts above district

▲ 18 pts above state median · ▲ 19 pts above county median

This schoolKeppel Union 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 5Lower-income26%Higher-income67%41 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 5Lower-income19%Higher-income50%32 pp gap