Gaspar De Portola Charter Middle, Tarzana CA

Original Research by School Decision on Gaspar De Portola Charter Middle

Gaspar De Portola Charter Middle is a charter school serving grades 6 through 8 in Tarzana, a residential San Fernando Valley neighborhood of Los Angeles. The school enrolls a student body of mixed ethnic composition: roughly equal shares of white and Hispanic students, with meaningful representation of Asian students and smaller shares of students who identify as Black or multiracial. Near half of the students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, suggesting economic diversity across the enrollment.

In state testing this past year, the school showed a profile more cohesive in reading than in math. English language arts results ran stronger across all three grades, with seventh and eighth graders near or above the boundary line separating proficient from not proficient. Math proficiency was notably lower: sixth graders came in closest to mid-range, but seventh and eighth graders fell into the below-proficient range. Science at eighth grade hovered right at the threshold. The school's overall proficiency index places it in the top quartile among Los Angeles County school districts, which is a real strength. A parent may want to look into the math softness further with the school, particularly for eighth-grade readiness.

The school sits in Tarzana, an affluent but quiet residential part of the Valley north of Ventura Boulevard, defined more by tree-lined flats and mid-century homes than by density. Ventura Boulevard is the commercial spine, home to retail and dining but also the Encino-Tarzana branch library, recreation center, and the major Providence Cedars-Sinai Tarzana Medical Center. Housing values in the 91356 zip code are well above California and national medians; rental prices are similarly high. A parent entering the school zone from outside the area should expect to enter a neighborhood where housing costs have climbed, though the development along Ventura Boulevard is gradually shifting the character from single-family to mixed-use infill.

As a charter school, Gaspar De Portola sits within the Los Angeles Unified district but operates under a separate governance arrangement. The broader LAUSD context includes two shifts parents will want to know about. The district adopted a cellphone ban in February 2025 that applies all day, including during lunch and breaks, and most schools use lockable storage pouches to enforce it. The district also passed a nine-billion-dollar school facilities bond last year that will increase property taxes for decades; a parent moving into the area faces not just the current housing cost but also a long-term tax obligation tied to school building repairs.

The school is one of roughly medium size for a middle school, with evenly distributed enrollment across its three grades. State testing data was available for the most recent year; longer-term trends could not be assessed from the data provided. Information on the school's specific program offerings, staffing, or other support services was not available.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 664%

School 64% · District 35% · ▲ 28 pts above district

▲ 33 pts above state median · ▲ 33 pts above county median

Grade 759%

School 59% · District 34% · ▲ 25 pts above district

▲ 29 pts above state median · ▲ 28 pts above county median

Grade 854%

School 54% · District 32% · ▲ 22 pts above district

▲ 26 pts above state median · ▲ 25 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 673%

School 73% · District 46% · ▲ 27 pts above district

▲ 29 pts above state median · ▲ 28 pts above county median

Grade 766%

School 66% · District 46% · ▲ 20 pts above district

▲ 21 pts above state median · ▲ 21 pts above county median

Grade 869%

School 69% · District 45% · ▲ 24 pts above district

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

Science

Grade 850%

School 50% · District 27% · ▲ 24 pts above district

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

Social studies

Grade 868%

School 68% · District 43% · ▲ 25 pts above district

▲ 19 pts above state median · ▲ 20 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-income61%Higher-income83%21 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income50%Higher-income83%33 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income51%Higher-income85%34 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 6Lower-income50%Higher-income76%26 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income40%Higher-income78%38 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income34%Higher-income73%39 pp gap