John B. Monlux Elementary, North Hollywood CA

Original Research by School Decision on John B. Monlux Elementary

John B. Monlux Elementary serves a mixed community in North Hollywood, a neighborhood anchored by the NoHo Arts District with its theaters, galleries, and music venues, but extending to quieter residential blocks of bungalows and apartments. The school enrolls a small to mid-sized population across kindergarten through fifth grade. A substantial majority of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, and the racial makeup is predominantly white and Hispanic students, with smaller representation of Asian, Black, Native Hawaiian, and multiracial peers. State testing data was not available for kindergarten and first and second grades, as California does not assess those grades, so the academic picture rests on results from third, fourth, and fifth grade students tested in 2024-25.

Third grade math proficiency is reasonably solid. From fourth grade onward, both math and English language arts proficiency decline markedly. Fourth grade math proficiency sits at around the midpoint, and fifth grade math proficiency falls below that. In English language arts, the fourth and fifth grade results show proficiency near or below the midpoint as well. In the one science test available, fifth grade science proficiency is notably low. When looking across all tested grades and subjects together, the school's overall proficiency index places it above the midpoint among districts in Los Angeles County, a positioning that reflects the relative strength of third grade performance offsetting weaker upper-elementary results.

The pattern here is a school where younger tested students are performing adequately, but proficiency drops as students move through fourth and fifth grade. This may reflect curriculum transition, student composition shifts, or other factors a parent would want to understand directly with the school. The science result in particular suggests limited opportunity or resources devoted to science instruction at the elementary level. A parent considering this school should ask about the teaching approaches and support structures in grades four and five, and whether the school has a plan to shore up performance in those grades.

The North Hollywood location puts the school in a neighborhood experiencing substantial growth. A major Metro-anchored residential development is planned for the coming years, and condominium towers are rising among older bungalows, signaling demographic change and likely increased enrollment pressure. Housing costs in the area are substantial, and renters and owners alike would face significant housing expenses. Families moving into the North Hollywood attendance area would also face a property tax increase tied to LAUSD's recently approved school facilities bond, a long-term financial commitment affecting the household budget.

At the district level, LAUSD implemented a full-day cellphone ban for all students in February 2025, a significant shift in school culture and family communication that affects daily routines. The district has also been working on culturally responsive curriculum and targeted support through its Black Student Achievement Plan, refocused in 2024 to broaden eligibility and with increased funding for 2025-26, so families may see those resources reflected in classroom instruction and counseling support.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 380%

School 80% · District 48% · ▲ 33 pts above district

▲ 38 pts above state median · ▲ 34 pts above county median

Grade 457%

School 57% · District 43% · ▲ 13 pts above district

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

Grade 550%

School 50% · District 36% · ▲ 13 pts above district

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

English language arts

Grade 373%

School 73% · District 44% · ▲ 29 pts above district

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

Grade 448%

School 48% · District 45% · ▲ 3 pts above district

▲ 6 pts above state median · ▲ 4 pts above county median

Grade 549%

School 49% · District 47% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▲ 3 pts above state median · ▲ 2 pts above county median

Science

Grade 533%

School 33% · District 29% · ▲ 3 pts above district

▲ 5 pts above state median · ▲ 5 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 4Lower-income46%Higher-income69%24 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 4Lower-income55%Higher-income69%14 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income52%Higher-income27%25 pp gap