Jersey Avenue Elementary, Santa Fe Springs CA

Original Research by School Decision on Jersey Avenue Elementary

Jersey Avenue Elementary sits in Santa Fe Springs, a predominantly industrial city where warehouses and business parks dominate the landscape. The school serves the small residential pocket on the city's east side, a classic midcentury LA suburb of single-family homes and strip malls. This is a working-class community where much of daily life centers around civic facilities like the Heritage Park and the Civic Center rather than a traditional downtown. The local economy runs on manufacturing, logistics, and food distribution, creating a daytime population far larger than the residential base.

The school itself is small, serving kindergarten through fifth grade with a student body drawn almost entirely from the immediate area. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the economic profile of Santa Fe Springs. The enrollment leans heavily Hispanic, with the vast majority of students belonging to that group. Demographic data on English learners and students with IEPs were not available, so a parent may want to look into those details directly with the school.

In terms of academic performance, Jersey Avenue shows a mixed picture across the three subjects tested at this grade level. In English language arts, proficiency runs at or above the midpoint for grades three and four, with fifth grade performing comparably. Math proficiency is lower across the board, with third grade at roughly the midpoint among county districts but fourth and fifth grades showing weaker results, particularly in fifth grade where proficiency drops notably. Science was tested only in fifth grade and sits below county norms. Overall, the school's proficiency index places it above the midpoint among elementary schools in Los Angeles County, but the math trajectory and fifth-grade science performance suggest areas where the school may benefit from instructional focus.

The district itself, Little Lake City Elementary, is aging and has been undergoing significant change. In 2022 voters approved a substantial bond measure to fund repairs across the district's older campuses, addressing long-deferred maintenance in roofs, bathrooms, plumbing, electrical systems, air filtration, and removal of hazardous materials like asbestos and lead. That investment will carry forward as a permanent property tax obligation for homeowners. More recently, in spring 2026, the district experienced a teachers' strike that lasted roughly two weeks and led to minimum-day schedules at all nine schools. The resulting agreement locked in class-size protections and expanded special education support, changes that benefit families with elementary-aged children.

A parent choosing Jersey Avenue should know they are selecting a small, neighborhood school in a working-class community with significant economic need. The school's math performance, particularly in upper elementary grades, is a soft spot worth discussing with school leadership. The recent capital bond and labor stability emerging from the strike settlement suggest the district is investing in both facilities and classroom support going forward. Housing in the Santa Fe Springs area remains relatively affordable for Los Angeles County, though the industrial character and freeway presence shape the built environment in ways that limit traditional walkability.

See more original research from School Decision →

Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 363%

School 63% · District 58% · ▲ 5 pts above district

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

Grade 457%

School 57% · District 52% · ▲ 5 pts above district

▲ 19 pts above state median · ▲ 16 pts above county median

Grade 535%

School 35% · District 42% · ▼ 7 pts below district

▲ 5 pts above state median · ▲ 2 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 363%

School 63% · District 57% · ▲ 6 pts above district

▲ 22 pts above state median · ▲ 21 pts above county median

Grade 465%

School 65% · District 60% · ▲ 5 pts above district

▲ 23 pts above state median · ▲ 21 pts above county median

Grade 565%

School 65% · District 64% · ▲ 1 pts above district

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

Science

Grade 544%

School 44% · District 36% · ▲ 8 pts above district

▲ 16 pts above state median · ▲ 16 pts above county median

This schoolLittle Lake City 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-income57%Higher-income85%28 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 5Lower-income29%Higher-income54%25 pp gap