Yerba Buena Elementary, Agoura Hills CA

Original Research by School Decision on Yerba Buena Elementary

Yerba Buena Elementary serves kindergarten through fifth grade in Agoura Hills, a suburban, family-oriented community in the Santa Monica Mountains region of Los Angeles County with a managed-growth, low-density character where many residents value outdoor access and a relaxed neighborhood feel. The school is part of Las Virgenes Unified, a district that recently locked in long-term campus modernization through a facilities bond approved in November 2022, funding improvements across campuses through a set end date with no increase to property-tax rates.

The school enrolls a small student body drawn predominantly from the surrounding residential area. The student population is mostly white, with a smaller Hispanic enrollment and other racial groups represented at lower rates. About a quarter of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The enrollment spans all six grade levels served, with roughly balanced class sizes across the school.

State test results from the most recent year show mixed performance by grade and subject. In English language arts, fourth-graders performed strongest, with a substantial majority meeting proficiency. Fifth-graders also showed solid results, while third-graders fell notably lower. Math proficiency was lower overall, particularly in fifth grade, where fewer than half the students met the proficiency bar. In science, which is tested only in fifth grade, proficiency rates were similarly modest. Across all tested subjects and grades, Yerba Buena's overall proficiency index places it in the top quartile relative to other elementary and middle schools in Los Angeles County, a meaningful position, though the grade-by-grade variation and softness in higher-grade math and science suggest uneven mastery as students progress through the upper elementary years.

The school's academic profile reflects what many elementary schools experience: stronger literacy skills across multiple grades paired with weaker quantitative and scientific reasoning, and a real dip in math and science proficiency as students reach fifth grade. A parent considering this school may want to ask the staff how they are addressing the performance gap in upper-grade math, what supports exist for fifth-graders, and what the trajectory looks like as students move to middle school.

Agoura Hills itself is a car-dependent suburb with low walkability. Schools are scattered at separate campuses around town rather than clustered in a single center. Civic life centers on parks, trails, and a civic center with a library and recreation facility rather than a traditional downtown. The housing market is expensive, with home values substantially above state average and rents reflecting tight affordability; most families in the area are homeowners in single-family neighborhoods. The city is entering a period of state-mandated housing growth concentrated along the Agoura Road corridor, with new mixed-use development and apartment buildings planned or underway, though growth has drawn community concern over traffic and evacuation capacity.

Yerba Buena's immediate peer group reflects a school serving a stable, residential, predominantly white, middle-to-upper-middle-income community. The school's small enrollment and neighborhood-based draw make it a neighborhood school rather than a choice or specialized program. No data on programs, staffing, English learner enrollment, special education enrollment, or school discipline was available, so a parent would need to contact the school directly to understand supports for students with special needs, English language services, or behavioral or mental health resources.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 365%

School 65% · District 71% · ▼ 6 pts below district

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

Grade 475%

School 75% · District 70% · ▲ 5 pts above district

▲ 38 pts above state median · ▲ 34 pts above county median

Grade 546%

School 46% · District 60% · ▼ 14 pts below district

▲ 15 pts above state median · ▲ 12 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 359%

School 59% · District 65% · ▼ 7 pts below district

▲ 18 pts above state median · ▲ 17 pts above county median

Grade 481%

School 81% · District 70% · ▲ 11 pts above district

▲ 39 pts above state median · ▲ 37 pts above county median

Grade 576%

School 76% · District 75% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▲ 31 pts above state median · ▲ 29 pts above county median

Science

Grade 547%

School 47% · District 55% · ▼ 7 pts below district

▲ 19 pts above state median · ▲ 20 pts above county median

This schoolLas Virgenes 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-income53%Higher-income61%9 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income77%Higher-income83%7 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income55%Higher-income81%26 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income53%Higher-income71%18 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income59%Higher-income81%22 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income18%Higher-income52%34 pp gap