Robert Fulton College Preparatory, Van Nuys CA

Original Research by School Decision on Robert Fulton College Preparatory

Robert Fulton College Preparatory is a public middle and high school in Van Nuys serving grades six through twelve. The school enrolls students from a neighborhood with substantial economic need: a very high proportion of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, and the student body is predominantly Hispanic, with smaller populations of Asian, Black, and white students.

The school's academic performance is low across tested subjects. In English language arts, the proficiency rate across grades six through eight sits in the low-to-mid range, slightly higher in eighth grade than sixth. Mathematics proficiency is considerably lower, with only about one in eight students meeting the standard in sixth and seventh grade, rising to about one in seven in eighth grade. Science proficiency is similarly weak. Placed against other districts in Los Angeles County, the school's overall proficiency index ranks in the bottom quartile. State assessment data for high school grades (nine through twelve) was not available in the records provided.

The school's name refers to college preparation, and it is organized as a traditional public school within the Los Angeles Unified School District rather than a charter or magnet program. Parents may want to look into further what college-readiness programming or advanced coursework the high school grades offer, since the data provided do not detail course offerings or educational pathways.

Van Nuys and the surrounding area are part of Los Angeles's broader housing market. Home values in the zip code are substantial, and rent is also significant relative to household income. The district has recently passed a major school facilities bond—the largest in its history—which will result in long-term property tax increases for families homeowning in the area. Additionally, LAUSD implemented a district-wide cellphone ban in early 2025 that applies throughout the entire school day; students at Robert Fulton, like all LAUSD campuses, store devices in lockable pouches during school hours. The district has also overhauled its Black Student Achievement Plan, which funds culturally responsive curriculum and counseling support; this program continues to shape staffing and curriculum at eligible schools across the district.

The school sits in a densely populated urban area with limited demographic information available about the immediate neighborhood's character or major civic anchors. It is a school serving a high-poverty student population with low current proficiency in tested subjects and limited transparency about its college-preparation programs and upper-grade pathway offerings.

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Academic performance

State test results and graduation outcomes.

Graduation rate (ACGR)

>=95%Cohort of 112 students · Class of 2021

The federal source publishes a banded range instead of an exact rate when the graduating cohort is small enough that an exact number could risk identifying individual students.

How this school compares to all schools in this state

Each dot is one school’s SY 2020-21 graduation rate, binned by integer rate. Taller columns mean more schools at that rate. This school is highlighted.

2,394 schools plotted. 142 additional schools' rates are federally suppressed and not shown. Data: EDFacts SY 2020-21.

Math

Grade 611%

School 11% · District 35% · ▼ 24 pts below district

▼ 19 pts below state median · ▼ 20 pts below county median

Grade 712%

School 12% · District 34% · ▼ 22 pts below district

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

Grade 815%

School 15% · District 32% · ▼ 17 pts below district

▼ 13 pts below state median · ▼ 15 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 624%

School 24% · District 46% · ▼ 22 pts below district

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

Grade 723%

School 23% · District 46% · ▼ 23 pts below district

▼ 22 pts below state median · ▼ 22 pts below county median

Grade 826%

School 26% · District 45% · ▼ 19 pts below district

▼ 18 pts below state median · ▼ 20 pts below county median

Science

Grade 89%

School 9% · District 27% · ▼ 17 pts below district

▼ 16 pts below state median · ▼ 15 pts below county median

Social studies

Grade 825%

School 25% · District 43% · ▼ 18 pts below district

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

This schoolLos Angeles 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 8Lower-income26%Higher-income36%10 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 8Lower-income15%Higher-income7%8 pp gap