The top reported proficiency rate is 47% in Math. The lowest is 34% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Hillside Elementary
Hillside Elementary serves kindergarten through fifth grade and sits in a dense urban neighborhood of Los Angeles. The school enrolls a small student body, mostly from households with very high economic need: a substantial majority qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The enrollment is overwhelmingly Latinx, with smaller numbers of Asian and Black students and one white student.
On California's state assessments in 2024-25, the school's academic results show strain. In math, students in third grade performed modestly; performance dropped in fourth grade. English language arts showed lower results across both grades assessed. Fifth-grade science proficiency was closer to the middle. Overall, Hillside's proficiency across tested subjects and grades sits below the midpoint compared to other elementary schools across Los Angeles County districts. The school has one year of available data, so trend information is not yet available to show whether performance is stable, improving, or declining.
A parent may want to look into further with the school what factors are driving these results, what interventions or supports are in place, and what the school's trajectory has been in prior years. Because this is a small school and because some grades have low numbers of test-takers, some fifth-grade data have been suppressed for privacy, which is why a full picture for that grade is incomplete.
The Los Angeles neighborhood where Hillside sits is part of a sprawling, polycentric city with sharp contrasts across districts. The surrounding area is dense, with mixed residential, commercial, and industrial uses. Los Angeles overall is car-dependent, though certain neighborhoods support pedestrian street life, and the city operates an extensive Metro transit system. Housing in the zip code is substantial in cost, with a rent-to-income burden that is notably high. The area is in active growth and rezoning, with the city having set ambitious housing targets to address a statewide shortage, though construction has slowed amid high interest rates and rising costs.
Hillside is part of Los Angeles Unified, the nation's second-largest school district. The district has recently undergone two significant systemwide changes that any family should know about. In February 2025, LAUSD implemented an all-day ban on cellphones, smartwatches, and earbuds during the school day, a cultural shift that touches daily student-parent communication and campus routines. Additionally, voters approved a major facilities bond in 2024, the largest in the district's history, to repair and upgrade aging buildings; this bond raises property taxes on a long-term basis, a real cost that families relocating into the district will face. The district also funds a Black Student Achievement Plan that provides culturally responsive curriculum and counseling support at targeted schools, which was restructured in 2024 and received additional funding for 2025-26.
For families considering Hillside, the key question is whether the school's current academic results and available resources align with their child's needs, and whether the school can articulate its plan to strengthen proficiency. The neighborhood offers a dense, walkable urban setting with transit access and cultural diversity, alongside the economic pressures that come with high housing and rental costs.
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