Ramona Elementary, Los Angeles CA

Original Research by School Decision on Ramona Elementary

Ramona Elementary sits in a densely populated corner of Los Angeles, serving a student body that is predominantly Hispanic with a very high rate of economic need. The school enrolls students from kindergarten through fifth grade, with a small overall enrollment across six grade levels. Almost all students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the economic circumstances of the surrounding neighborhood.

Academic performance across the school is low. In math, proficiency rates range from the low twenties to low thirties across grades three, four, and five. English language arts shows somewhat better results in the upper grades, with fifth-grade students reaching the mid-forties in proficiency, but third grade is notably weak at under one-fifth. Science proficiency in fifth grade sits in the low twenties. When compared against other district schools in Los Angeles County, Ramona's overall proficiency index places it in the bottom quartile among schools with comparable data.

The data available does not include trend comparisons across multiple years, so it is not possible to say whether performance is stable, improving, or declining. School-specific information about English learner enrollment, special education enrollment, disciplinary environment, or attendance was not provided. These details matter for understanding the full picture of student need and school support.

The school operates within Los Angeles Unified, a sprawling urban district managing schools across a vast and varied city. LAUSD recently implemented a full-day cellphone ban district-wide in February 2025, a change that affects daily school life and student-parent communication across all its schools. The district also approved Measure US, a major school facilities bond that will fund repairs and upgrades to aging buildings across the system; families in the attendance zone face a long-term property tax increase tied to this bond. Additionally, LAUSD's Black Student Achievement Plan, which provides culturally responsive curriculum and added counselor and social worker staffing at targeted schools, was revised in 2024 to broaden eligibility beyond race-based criteria.

The neighborhood around Ramona reflects the broader character of central Los Angeles: dense, mixed-use, and economically diverse, with significant transit access via the Metro system. Housing in the area is expensive relative to household income, with median home prices well above the national benchmark and monthly rent consuming a substantial share of household budgets. This economic reality shapes the family circumstances of most students at the school.

For families considering this school, the primary question is one of academic readiness and support. The proficiency results signal that students are not meeting grade-level standards in core subjects at the rates expected statewide, and parents may want to look into further detail with the school about how it is addressing these gaps, what interventions are in place for struggling readers or math learners, and how progress is monitored. The school's small size and neighborhood location are factual features; whether those fit a family's preference is a separate decision.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 322%

School 22% · District 48% · ▼ 25 pts below district

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

Grade 432%

School 32% · District 43% · ▼ 12 pts below district

▼ 6 pts below state median · ▼ 9 pts below county median

Grade 526%

School 26% · District 36% · ▼ 11 pts below district

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

English language arts

Grade 319%

School 19% · District 44% · ▼ 25 pts below district

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

Grade 441%

School 41% · District 45% · ▼ 4 pts below district

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

Grade 549%

School 49% · District 47% · ▲ 2 pts above district

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

Science

Grade 521%

School 21% · District 29% · ▼ 9 pts below district

▼ 8 pts below state median · ▼ 7 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.