Bret Harte Preparatory Middle, Los Angeles CA

Original Research by School Decision on Bret Harte Preparatory Middle

Bret Harte Preparatory Middle is a regular public middle school serving grades six through eight in south Los Angeles, near South Hoover Street. The school enrolls a small student body, about evenly distributed across the three grades. The peer composition is predominantly Hispanic, with a substantial Black student population, and a very high concentration of students from households qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a low-income community.

Academically, the school faces significant challenges in core subjects. On the most recent California state assessments, proficiency rates in English language arts ranged from the mid-teens to low twenties across grades six, seven, and eight. Mathematics proficiency is substantially lower, with eighth-grade results in single digits. A small cohort was tested in science, with a proficiency rate in the single digits as well. In the broader Los Angeles County context, Bret Harte's overall proficiency index places it in the bottom quartile among county districts, meaning proficiency is well below the median school's performance.

The school does not report graduation data, as is standard for middle schools, and no chronic absenteeism figures were available. State testing data from the prior decade showed related patterns of low attainment. Without information on special-education enrollment or English learner rates, a parent may want to ask the school directly about available support for those populations. No data on course offerings, staffing levels, or in-school discipline and attendance practices was provided in the available records.

The housing market in the school's zip code reflects moderate values and rental costs for the Los Angeles area, though affordability remains constrained, with rent-to-income ratios above the benchmark and purchase prices requiring substantial income multiples. The area is part of a sprawling, car-dependent city, though Los Angeles has been investing in transit options and neighborhood walkability. The broader Los Angeles Unified district is undergoing substantial change: voters approved a major school facilities bond that will increase property taxes over many years to fund building repairs and upgrades, the district implemented a full-day cellphone ban in February 2025, and the district restructured its Black Student Achievement Plan in 2024 while increasing its funding. These are part of the daily school environment and district direction any family entering LAUSD would encounter.

Bret Harte's performance data signals that students at this school are struggling with grade-level material in core subjects. This is the central fact a prospective parent or resident should weigh: the academic attainment is low. Families whose children need strong, intensive academic support may want to investigate whether the school offers tutoring, small-group instruction, or other intervention, and whether specialized programs exist within or outside the school. The school's name carries a preparatory designation, though the data provided does not explain what curriculum pathway or thematic focus that represents. A parent may benefit from a direct conversation with school leadership about how the school is addressing the performance gap and what academic and social supports are available to students.

See more original research from School Decision →

Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 618%

School 18% · District 35% · ▼ 18 pts below district

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

Grade 710%

School 10% · District 34% · ▼ 24 pts below district

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

Grade 85%

School 5% · District 32% · ▼ 27 pts below district

▼ 23 pts below state median · ▼ 25 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 623%

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

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

Grade 722%

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

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

Grade 816%

School 16% · District 45% · ▼ 29 pts below district

▼ 28 pts below state median · ▼ 29 pts below county median

Science

Grade 86%

School 6% · District 27% · ▼ 20 pts below district

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

Social studies

Grade 822%

School 22% · District 43% · ▼ 21 pts below district

▼ 27 pts below state median · ▼ 26 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

Mathematics

Grade 7Lower-income10%Higher-income8%2 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income4%Higher-income8%4 pp gap