The top reported proficiency rate is 49% in English language arts. The lowest is 30% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Cabrillo Avenue Elementary
Cabrillo Avenue Elementary is a small, neighborhood school in San Pedro serving kindergarten through fifth grade. The enrollment sits at around a few hundred students, spread fairly evenly across grade levels. The student body is predominantly Hispanic, with a substantial Black student population and smaller groups of Asian and multiracial students. About nine in ten students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the economic profile of the area.
The school sits in one of Los Angeles's working-class coastal neighborhoods, historically shaped by port and maritime industries and immigrant communities with deep roots there. San Pedro is undergoing waterfront redevelopment and housing growth, anchored by the Port of Los Angeles as a major employer, along with retail, hospitality, healthcare, and logistics. The downtown core around Pacific Avenue has a walkable mix of shops, galleries, and restaurants. Housing in the zip code is moderately valued, with rental costs substantial relative to household income. Families here are navigating a long-term property-tax increase from Measure US, a school bond that will fund building repairs across the district over many years.
On state assessments, Cabrillo Avenue shows uneven proficiency across tested grades and subjects. In English language arts, third graders in the school test at roughly the middle range, while fourth graders test below that, and fifth graders improve to near the middle. In math, the pattern shifts: third graders are below the middle, fourth graders are near or slightly above the middle, and fifth graders fall back slightly. Science proficiency at the fifth-grade level sits well below the middle. Across all tested subjects and grades, the school's overall proficiency index places it below the midpoint among elementary schools in Los Angeles County. Only one year of state test data is available, so trend direction cannot be assessed. The variation across grades suggests both grade-level differences in instruction and possibly differences in student cohorts.
Cabrillo Avenue is a regular neighborhood public school without charter or magnet designation. It is part of Los Angeles Unified, a large urban district. The school carries Title I status based on the high concentration of economically disadvantaged students, though specific details on staffing, resource allocation, and specialized programs were not available in the data provided. The district has recently implemented a student cellphone ban across all schools during the school day, a daily change to school culture that any family should know about, and operates a Black Student Achievement Plan that funds culturally responsive curriculum and additional counselors at designated schools.
San Pedro itself is a neighborhood in transition. The West Harbor waterfront project, under construction on the former Ports O' Call site, is expected to open around 2026. The larger Ponte Vista development on the former naval housing site is being built out over time with single-family homes. These projects are reshaping the area's residential and commercial landscape, potentially affecting school enrollment, housing costs, and community composition over the next several years.
A parent considering Cabrillo Avenue should weigh the school's proficiency levels against their expectations, visit to understand the classroom environment, and factor in that the school serves a predominantly low-income student population where nearly all students qualify for assistance. The neighborhood offers walkability in parts, port and logistics employment opportunities, and growing housing supply, though affordability relative to income remains tight.
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