Mariposa Elementary, Lancaster CA

Original Research by School Decision on Mariposa Elementary

Mariposa Elementary sits on West Avenue H-6 in Lancaster, a mid-sized high-desert city in the northern reaches of Los Angeles County. The school serves kindergarten through sixth grade as a regular public school within the Lancaster Elementary district, and its enrollment runs roughly in the mid-hundreds, which is a typical size for an elementary school serving this span of grades.

The student body is racially and economically diverse. White, Black, and Hispanic students each make up substantial portions of enrollment, with smaller shares of American Indian, Asian, Pacific Islander, and multiracial students. The vast majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting a high concentration of economic need. Data on English learner enrollment and students with IEPs were not available in what we reviewed, so a parent with children in those populations may want to ask the school directly about services and supports.

On the California CAASPP state assessments, Mariposa's proficiency rates are low across tested grades and subjects. In English language arts, results range from the low teens in third grade up to the low thirties by sixth grade, with fifth grade falling in between. Math results are weaker still, with most tested grades scoring in the single digits or very low teens, and a slight lift in fourth grade. Science, tested at fifth grade through the CAST, also comes in at a low share of students meeting the standard. Taken together, the school's overall proficiency index places it in the bottom quartile relative to districts across Los Angeles County, which is the comparison set available for this school. A parent should ask the school about its current instructional strategies, tutoring, and intervention programs, since the data alone does not reveal what supports are in place or how quickly conditions may be shifting.

Trend data is limited to a single year, so there is no multi-year trajectory to describe. Whether performance has been stable, declining, or beginning to recover is not something the current data allows us to say.

A broader development worth knowing: Lancaster School District voters approved a general obligation bond in late 2024. Publicly reported information indicates the measure passed and is intended to fund repairs and upgrades at district schools, many of which were built decades ago. The scope publicly described includes classroom improvements, science lab updates, roof and plumbing work, and instructional technology. The bond extends an existing tax rate rather than adding a new one, which affects local property tax obligations for years ahead. For families considering buying or renting near Mariposa, this means physical conditions at the school may improve over time as bond projects are completed, though timelines for specific campuses were not available.

Lancaster's housing market is considerably more accessible than the California state median, though it sits above national norms. Home values have edged slightly downward year over year, and rents have followed a similar modest decline. The city itself has a defined downtown district along The BLVD, where a redeveloped pedestrian streetscape hosts the public library, a performing arts center, and the city's art and history museum. The area is recognized as a state cultural district. Outside that core, the city is largely car-dependent, as is typical of Antelope Valley development. Major regional employers include aerospace and defense contractors, Edwards Air Force Base, Antelope Valley Medical Center, and the school districts themselves. A Metrolink line connects Lancaster to Los Angeles Union Station, a rail link that matters for commuting families.

Program-specific information for Mariposa, such as after-school offerings, enrichment programs, or specialized services, was not available in the data reviewed, so that is worth investigating directly with the school.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 38%

School 8% · District 24% · ▼ 15 pts below district

▼ 35 pts below state median · ▼ 38 pts below county median

Grade 415%

School 15% · District 17% · ▼ 3 pts below district

▼ 23 pts below state median · ▼ 26 pts below county median

Grade 57%

School 7% · District 11% · ▼ 4 pts below district

▼ 23 pts below state median · ▼ 26 pts below county median

Grade 64%

School 4% · District 10% · ▼ 6 pts below district

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

English language arts

Grade 312%

School 12% · District 24% · ▼ 12 pts below district

▼ 28 pts below state median · ▼ 30 pts below county median

Grade 421%

School 21% · District 24% · ▼ 2 pts below district

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

Grade 517%

School 17% · District 25% · ▼ 9 pts below district

▼ 29 pts below state median · ▼ 30 pts below county median

Grade 632%

School 32% · District 24% · ▲ 8 pts above district

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

Science

Grade 512%

School 12% · District 15% · ▼ 2 pts below district

▼ 16 pts below state median · ▼ 15 pts below county median

This schoolLancaster 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-income15%Higher-income29%14 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 5Lower-income7%Higher-income14%8 pp gap