The top reported proficiency rate is 26% in English language arts. The lowest is 13% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Hawaiian Avenue Elementary
Hawaiian Avenue Elementary serves kindergarten through fifth grade in Wilmington, a densely populated, working-class neighborhood in Los Angeles's Harbor region. The school sits in a community shaped by the Port of Los Angeles and oil refining infrastructure, where nearly all residents are Latino, the vast majority are renters, and median household incomes sit below state averages. Wilmington's streets are moderately walkable by Los Angeles standards, anchored by Avalon Boulevard as the main commercial spine, though the neighborhood is defined as much by its industrial footprint as by residential life.
The school's student population reflects its neighborhood. Nearly all students are Hispanic, a substantial share qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, and the enrollment is small, around five hundred students. Demographic data on English learners and students with disabilities was not available, which is common for schools reporting at this granularity and does not indicate a weakness.
Academic performance here falls well below state standards. In mathematics, across grades three through five, proficiency rates range from low to just under one-third of students. In English language arts, third- and fourth-grade proficiency is similarly low, though fifth grade improves to around one-third. Science proficiency at the fifth-grade level is lowest across all subjects tested. These results place the school in the bottom quartile among schools in Los Angeles County. A parent considering this school should recognize that the instructional baseline is weak and ask the school directly what support systems exist for students who are not yet meeting grade-level standards, what professional development teachers have received in core subjects, and whether the school has adopted or is piloting specific literacy or numeracy interventions.
The school does not report to families its own strategic focus areas or a detailed breakdown of how it allocates resources. This information gap is worth raising directly with school leadership. State testing data was available only for the 2024-25 school year, so no trend information is present to show whether performance is improving, flat, or declining.
Wilmington itself is in the midst of substantial change. The closure of the Phillips 66 refinery at the end of 2025 removes a major local employer but also opens the way for the proposed Five Points Union redevelopment, which would bring retail, sports fields, and new housing to the site. Recent years have brought new waterfront parks and affordable housing projects, though much of the neighborhood remains rent-burdened and marked by industrial air quality concerns. The neighborhood is moderately walkable, but transit access is limited to bus service, and crime and environmental health remain documented community challenges.
For a family considering Hawaiian Avenue Elementary, the central questions are whether the school's current weak academic performance matches the level of direct instructional support their child would need, and whether the household's circumstances align with a long-term commitment to Wilmington. Los Angeles Unified implemented a district-wide cellphone ban for all students in February 2025, affecting how students spend their day and how families reach them. Separately, voters approved a major school bond that will increase property taxes on households for decades, a factor renters and homebuyers both should weigh. The school serves a community in transition, with real assets in walkability and new green space, but also persistent economic strain and environmental challenges that shape daily life and academic readiness.
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