Oliver Wendell Holmes Middle, Northridge CA

Original Research by School Decision on Oliver Wendell Holmes Middle

Oliver Wendell Holmes Middle serves grades six through eight in Northridge, a mixed residential and university-anchored neighborhood in the northwestern San Fernando Valley. The school is part of Los Angeles Unified, which in February 2025 implemented a district-wide cellphone ban affecting all students throughout the school day, including breaks and lunch. Additionally, voters approved Measure US, a major school facilities bond that will raise property taxes for families in the district over a long repayment period to address aging school infrastructure.

The school's academic profile shows mixed performance across tested areas. In English language arts, around two-thirds of students demonstrated proficiency across the three grade levels, with sixth-grade performance slightly stronger than seventh and eighth grade. Mathematics results fell somewhat lower, with proficiency declining as students advance through the grades. Science proficiency at the eighth-grade level was considerably lower, with fewer than half of students meeting proficiency standards. Across all tested subjects and grades, Holmes's overall proficiency index places it in the top quartile among district schools in Los Angeles County, reflecting an above-midpoint position in the county comparison set.

The student body is predominantly Latino, with a substantial share of families qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating significant economic need. The school draws from a working and middle-class residential area where housing costs are high relative to local income, and the neighborhood shows active development of mixed-use and multifamily housing near California State University, Northridge, the community's largest employer and cultural anchor. Northridge itself is a sprawling, low-density suburban neighborhood with car-oriented patterns away from commercial corridors, though recent development has emphasized walkable access near the university and along Reseda Boulevard.

The enrollment is moderate in size for a Los Angeles middle school, distributed relatively evenly across the three grades. The school's location on Paso Robles Avenue places it in an area with larger lots and quieter streets compared with denser parts of Los Angeles, though daily life in the broader neighborhood centers on university-related activity and commercial strips that serve both longtime residents and the large student population.

Science performance may be worth exploring further with the school, as results at the eighth-grade level fell substantially short of proficiency benchmarks. Otherwise, the school's overall proficiency position and the breadth of its tested academic coverage reflect a reasonably performing middle school serving a economically diverse student population in a neighborhood anchored by educational and civic institutions.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 669%

School 69% · District 35% · ▲ 33 pts above district

▲ 38 pts above state median · ▲ 38 pts above county median

Grade 760%

School 60% · District 34% · ▲ 26 pts above district

▲ 30 pts above state median · ▲ 30 pts above county median

Grade 859%

School 59% · District 32% · ▲ 27 pts above district

▲ 31 pts above state median · ▲ 30 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 671%

School 71% · District 46% · ▲ 25 pts above district

▲ 27 pts above state median · ▲ 26 pts above county median

Grade 768%

School 68% · District 46% · ▲ 22 pts above district

▲ 23 pts above state median · ▲ 22 pts above county median

Grade 861%

School 61% · District 45% · ▲ 16 pts above district

▲ 17 pts above state median · ▲ 15 pts above county median

Science

Grade 840%

School 40% · District 27% · ▲ 13 pts above district

▲ 14 pts above state median · ▲ 16 pts above county median

Social studies

Grade 874%

School 74% · District 43% · ▲ 31 pts above district

▲ 25 pts above state median · ▲ 26 pts above 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 6Lower-income68%Higher-income80%13 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income60%Higher-income90%29 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income52%Higher-income89%37 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 6Lower-income65%Higher-income80%16 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income52%Higher-income84%32 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income50%Higher-income85%36 pp gap