Jack Northrop Elementary, Lancaster CA

Original Research by School Decision on Jack Northrop Elementary

Jack Northrop Elementary is a public elementary school serving kindergarten through fifth grade in Lancaster, a mid-sized charter city in the high-desert Antelope Valley region of northern Los Angeles County. The school sits in a community with substantial economic and infrastructural change underway: the city's downtown has undergone revitalization around The BLVD, a tree-lined mixed-use corridor anchoring civic and cultural life, while the broader Antelope Valley region is home to aerospace, defense, healthcare, and energy sectors and is positioned for residential and industrial expansion.

The student body at Jack Northrop reflects the economic realities of its neighborhood. A large share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating high rates of economic need. The student population is racially and ethnically diverse, with substantial representation across White, Black, Hispanic, and multiracial groups, alongside smaller populations of American Indian, Asian, and Native Hawaiian students.

State test data from the most recent year shows proficiency rates that are low across both English language arts and mathematics. In third grade, proficiency in ELA and math stood in the low- to mid-20s range. Fourth grade showed a steeper decline, with math proficiency in the single digits and ELA proficiency in the low-20s. Fifth grade proficiency in ELA was stable at around the one-quarter mark, but math proficiency dropped further. In the California Science Test for fifth grade, proficiency was also low. Across all tested grades and subjects, the overall proficiency index places the school in the bottom quartile when compared against other districts in Los Angeles County.

This is a single year of data, so trend information is not yet available. A parent may want to look into this further with the school to understand whether these results reflect a consistent pattern, recent staffing or curriculum changes, or other contextual factors. The school also serves kindergarten through second grade, which are not state-tested, so proficiency data does not exist for those grades by design.

Lancaster School District recently approved a general obligation bond to address aging school infrastructure. Many district schools were built decades ago, and the bond will fund repairs and upgrades to roofs, plumbing, electrical systems, classrooms, science labs, and instructional technology across the system, including schools like Jack Northrop. These facility improvements will roll out over time and may affect the learning environment.

Housing in the Lancaster area remains relatively affordable compared to much of Los Angeles County, though prices have declined slightly in recent years. Rent is also stable, and the cost of living is lower than state and national medians, which may appeal to families seeking more affordable neighborhoods while remaining in the region's employment and services ecosystem.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 326%

School 26% · District 24% · ▲ 2 pts above district

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

Grade 410%

School 10% · District 17% · ▼ 7 pts below district

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

Grade 56%

School 6% · District 11% · ▼ 5 pts below district

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

English language arts

Grade 324%

School 24% · District 24% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▼ 16 pts below state median · ▼ 18 pts below county median

Grade 421%

School 21% · District 24% · ▼ 3 pts below district

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

Grade 525%

School 25% · District 25%

▼ 20 pts below state median · ▼ 22 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 4Lower-income20%Higher-income27%7 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income25%Higher-income25%0 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 4Lower-income8%Higher-income27%19 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income6%Higher-income8%2 pp gap