Robert F. Kennedy Elementary, Los Angeles CA

Original Research by School Decision on Robert F. Kennedy Elementary

Robert F. Kennedy Elementary sits in a neighborhood of Los Angeles where the vast majority of families qualify for free or reduced-price meals and the student body is predominantly Latino, reflecting the city's residential composition. The school is small for its grade band, serving kindergarten through sixth grade, and has an enrollment density that ranges across the grades from a low point in first grade to stronger numbers in third grade, with a total student population that is compact.

Reading the most recent state test results, proficiency on California's math and English assessments reveals a school in the lower range of performance. In English language arts, students in third grade perform at around one-third proficiency, a share that dips sharply by fourth grade to one-fifth. Fifth grade shows a recovery to about four in ten students proficient, and sixth grade climbs to about half. The math picture is similarly uneven: third graders reach about four in ten proficient, but the fourth grade cohort drops to under three in ten, fifth grade falls to a very low share, and sixth grade rebounds to about half. Science was assessed in fifth grade only, where fewer than one in five students met proficiency. Trend data spans only one school year, so no year-to-year pattern is available to judge whether these results are stable, improving, or declining.

When schools in the county are compared on overall proficiency across tested grades and subjects, Robert F. Kennedy ranks in the bottom quartile. This positioning reflects the depth of the academic challenge: students are not meeting state standards at rates that compare favorably to other schools in the district's county peer group.

The neighborhood economic context is one of high housing costs relative to typical household income, which may affect family stability and available resources for homework support and enrichment. The housing market in the 90063 zip code where the school sits shows values that have edged down modestly in recent months, though the affordability gap between median rents and owner-occupied housing remains large. These conditions often correlate with families managing multiple economic stressors.

Because the school serves only elementary grades, it does not generate a graduation rate or a complete picture of high school pathway access. Data on English learner enrollment, students with disabilities, chronic absenteeism, and school discipline were not available, so a parent cannot see from this profile how the school serves multilingual learners, students with special needs, or whether attendance and classroom climate data might offer additional context. For those factors, a parent may want to look into this further with the school directly.

Los Angeles Unified recently implemented a district-wide cellphone ban and funded increases to its Black Student Achievement Plan while also passing a major facilities bond that will add property taxes. These changes affect the daily environment and long-term investment at every LAUSD school, including this one.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 343%

School 43% · District 48% · ▼ 5 pts below district

even with state median · ▼ 3 pts below county median

Grade 428%

School 28% · District 43% · ▼ 16 pts below district

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

Grade 513%

School 13% · District 36% · ▼ 23 pts below district

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

Grade 650%

School 50% · District 35% · ▲ 15 pts above district

▲ 20 pts above state median · ▲ 19 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 332%

School 32% · District 44% · ▼ 11 pts below district

▼ 8 pts below state median · ▼ 10 pts below county median

Grade 421%

School 21% · District 45% · ▼ 24 pts below district

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

Grade 543%

School 43% · District 47% · ▼ 4 pts below district

▼ 2 pts below state median · ▼ 4 pts below county median

Grade 655%

School 55% · District 46% · ▲ 9 pts above district

▲ 11 pts above state median · ▲ 10 pts above county median

Science

Grade 513%

School 13% · District 29% · ▼ 16 pts below district

▼ 15 pts below state median · ▼ 14 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.