Mckinley Avenue Elementary, Los Angeles CA

Original Research by School Decision on Mckinley Avenue Elementary

McKinley Avenue Elementary serves about students in grades kindergarten through six in south Los Angeles, in a neighborhood where the vast majority of families qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The school is nearly all Hispanic and Black, with a small handful of white and multiracial students. It is a regular public school within the Los Angeles Unified School District.

The student body's academic proficiency in state testing shows substantial challenges. On the most recent California assessments in math, proficiency across tested grades runs from below one-fifth of students in grades three and four down to just under one-tenth in grade six. In English language arts, proficiency is similarly low, ranging from around one-fifth in grades three, four, and six to somewhat higher in grade five. Science proficiency, tested in grade five, sits at roughly one-eighth of students. These results place the school in the bottom quartile of proficiency when compared to other tested schools in Los Angeles County. A parent should understand that proficiency here means meeting grade-level standards on California's Smarter Balanced assessment, and that these numbers reflect very little of the student cohort at grade level in core academics.

No multi-year trend data is available; the assessment results provided are from a single year, so direction of movement cannot be tracked. A parent may want to ask the school about prior years' results and any changes in instruction or support that are underway.

The immediate housing context around the school is moderately priced for Los Angeles, with median home values in the zip code somewhat below the state benchmark. Rent runs at a substantial cost relative to median household income. Property taxes in the area are set to rise over the long term through Measure US, the district's nine-billion-dollar school facilities bond approved by voters, which will be repaid through a decades-long property tax increase to fund repairs and upgrades across aging LAUSD buildings.

The broader district is in a period of visible change. In February 2025, LAUSD implemented a campuswide ban on student cellphones, smartwatches, and earbuds during the entire school day, including lunch and breaks, enforced through lockable pouches at most middle and high schools. The district also funds a Black Student Achievement Plan, expanded in 2025, that places culturally responsive curriculum and added counseling and support staff at targeted schools.

McKinley Avenue Elementary is a neighborhood school serving a community with very high economic need. The proficiency results indicate that students are significantly behind grade level in both math and English language arts, and parents considering the school should have direct, detailed conversations with leadership about the instructional approaches in place, what support services are available, and what academic gains, if any, have been realized in recent years.

See more original research from School Decision →

Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 324%

School 24% · District 48% · ▼ 24 pts below district

▼ 19 pts below state median · ▼ 22 pts below county median

Grade 418%

School 18% · District 43% · ▼ 26 pts below district

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

Grade 515%

School 15% · District 36% · ▼ 21 pts below district

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

Grade 69%

School 9% · District 35% · ▼ 26 pts below district

▼ 21 pts below state median · ▼ 22 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 320%

School 20% · District 44% · ▼ 24 pts below district

▼ 21 pts below state median · ▼ 22 pts below county median

Grade 420%

School 20% · District 45% · ▼ 25 pts below district

▼ 22 pts below state median · ▼ 24 pts below county median

Grade 528%

School 28% · District 47% · ▼ 19 pts below district

▼ 18 pts below state median · ▼ 19 pts below county median

Grade 620%

School 20% · District 46% · ▼ 26 pts below district

▼ 24 pts below state median · ▼ 25 pts below county median

Science

Grade 512%

School 12% · District 29% · ▼ 17 pts below district

▼ 16 pts below state median · ▼ 15 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.