The top reported proficiency rate is 25% in Math. The lowest is 15% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Budlong Avenue Elementary
Budlong Avenue Elementary sits in South Los Angeles, serving kindergarten through fifth grade. The school's enrollment is small, drawn almost entirely from the surrounding neighborhood. The vast majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, and the student body is predominantly Latino, with a substantial Black population and very small numbers of other groups. Demographic data on English learners or special education enrollment was not available.
State test results show low proficiency across math and English language arts. In math, proficiency ranged from the lower teens to around one-third across third through fifth grade. In English language arts, results similarly ranged from the low twenties to around one-third across the tested grades. Fifth-grade science proficiency was reported in the low teens. These results are below the median among schools in Los Angeles County. Only one year of testing data is available, so no trend is visible.
The school is part of Los Angeles Unified School District, which covers a sprawling, diverse city and serves more than a million students across neighborhoods ranging from dense urban cores to suburban areas. LAUSD has undertaken recent changes that affect all families in the district. In early 2025, the district implemented a full school-day cellphone ban, including during lunch and breaks, with devices stored in lockable pouches at most middle and high schools. The district also adopted a major facilities bond in 2024, Measure US, which approved a substantial investment in school building repairs and upgrades. The bond will be paid back through property tax increases lasting many years, a long-term cost for homeowners or renters in the district's footprint. Additionally, LAUSD's Black Student Achievement Plan, which funds culturally responsive curriculum and counseling staff at targeted schools, was restructured in 2024 and received additional funding for 2025-26.
Housing in the 90044 zip code where Budlong is located reflects broader Los Angeles market conditions: home values are moderate relative to the region, and rental costs are substantial relative to local median income, with rent consuming a large share of household budgets. The neighborhood sits within a city undergoing active growth and rezoning to address a long-standing housing shortage, though building has slowed amid high interest rates and construction costs.
The Los Angeles locale itself is large and polycentric, mixing residential, commercial, and industrial uses across many neighborhood centers rather than concentrating life in one downtown. The region is known as car-dependent, though some areas including downtown and parts of the Westside have stronger pedestrian character. Public transit across the region is extensive, operated by Metro and many other agencies, though routes and reliability vary by neighborhood.
For a family considering Budlong Avenue, the key question is whether the school's current academic performance and the nearby home prices and rental costs align with their priorities. The test results indicate students are substantially below proficiency in core subjects, and a parent may want to look further into the school's specific academic supports, staffing, and any targeted interventions. The school serves a concentrated, economically disadvantaged community, and families should understand both the challenges and the strengths of that setting.
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