Malabar Street Elementary, Los Angeles CA

Original Research by School Decision on Malabar Street Elementary

Malabar Street Elementary is a kindergarten-through-sixth-grade school in Los Angeles serving roughly four hundred twenty students. Nearly all students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, and the student body is overwhelmingly Hispanic, reflecting the demographics of its East Los Angeles neighborhood. The school is part of Los Angeles Unified, which spans the entire city and encompasses profound variation in resources, achievement, and community context.

Academic performance at Malabar Street is measurably below the county median. On the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress in English language arts, students across grades three through six averaged a proficiency rate in the mid-range of low performance. Math proficiency was similarly low. Fourth grade showed the strongest results in both subjects, while fifth and sixth grades dipped notably lower. In the one grade tested for science, proficiency was again in the low range. Across the county's districts, the school ranks in the bottom quartile for overall proficiency. A parent may want to look into further detail with the school itself about what academic support systems are in place and what the school's trajectory has been or is expected to be.

The neighborhood context is economically constrained. Housing values in the 90063 zip code are moderate for Los Angeles County, and monthly rent for a typical apartment runs at a level that would consume a substantial portion of a median household income. The area is not affluent, and the wider city of Los Angeles is in an active phase of development and zoning change driven by a statewide housing shortage, though building has slowed amid high interest rates and labor costs.

Families considering this school should be aware that Los Angeles Unified recently approved Measure US, a major school facilities bond that will result in a long-term increase to property taxes. The district also implemented an all-day cellphone ban in February 2025, which affects student culture and parent communication throughout the day. The district has also revised its Black Student Achievement Plan to expand eligibility criteria beyond race and is increasing funding for culturally responsive curriculum and counselor staffing at targeted schools.

For a family in East Los Angeles seeking a neighborhood elementary school, Malabar Street offers small-town school character in an urban setting and serves a cohesive, largely Spanish-speaking community. The academic results indicate substantial room for growth, and the school's proximity and walkability within the neighborhood are typical strengths of neighborhood schools. Academic improvement is a question worth exploring directly with school leadership.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 329%

School 29% · District 48% · ▼ 18 pts below district

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

Grade 435%

School 35% · District 43% · ▼ 8 pts below district

▼ 2 pts below state median · ▼ 5 pts below county median

Grade 522%

School 22% · District 36% · ▼ 14 pts below district

▼ 8 pts below state median · ▼ 11 pts below county median

Grade 625%

School 25% · District 35% · ▼ 11 pts below district

▼ 6 pts below state median · ▼ 6 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 324%

School 24% · District 44% · ▼ 19 pts below district

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

Grade 438%

School 38% · District 45% · ▼ 7 pts below district

▼ 4 pts below state median · ▼ 6 pts below county median

Grade 545%

School 45% · District 47% · ▼ 2 pts below district

even with state median · ▼ 2 pts below county median

Grade 642%

School 42% · District 46% · ▼ 4 pts below district

▼ 2 pts below state median · ▼ 3 pts below county median

Science

Grade 525%

School 25% · District 29% · ▼ 4 pts below district

▼ 3 pts below state median · ▼ 2 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.