Shenandoah Street Elementary, Los Angeles CA

Original Research by School Decision on Shenandoah Street Elementary

Shenandoah Street Elementary is a small public school serving kindergarten through fifth grade in Los Angeles. The school enrolls a student body that is predominantly Hispanic, with a substantial share of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting a neighborhood of modest household income. Nearly all students in the school come from families meeting the threshold for meal assistance.

The school's academic performance on California state assessments shows an area of concern. Across tested grades and subjects, proficiency rates are well below what families would typically expect. In English language arts, third graders met proficiency at a low level, fourth graders showed similar results, but fifth graders performed notably better, with roughly half at proficiency. In mathematics, the pattern is weaker across the board. Third and fourth graders showed very low proficiency, with fifth graders somewhat better but still at less than two in five. In science, only about one in six fifth graders reached proficiency. These results place the school in the bottom quartile among schools across Los Angeles County when looking at overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades. A parent may want to look into further detail with the school about its math support strategies and whether there are specialized interventions for early elementary grades, where the foundation for later learning is strongest.

The school itself is small and serves a tightly defined neighborhood. Kindergarten through second grade enrollment is substantial, suggesting a school that draws its students from a walkable radius. The student population is remarkably stable in its composition, with very limited racial or ethnic diversity beyond the dominant Hispanic enrollment.

Los Angeles, the city where Shenandoah Street sits, is a sprawling, car-oriented metropolis that is undergoing active residential growth and rezoning to address a housing shortage. Housing values in the school's zip code are substantial, reflective of the coastal and Westside location, and rent costs are high. The broader region is polycentric, with civic and employment anchors spread across many neighborhoods rather than concentrated in a single downtown, and the school sits within one of those many local communities. The city is served by an extensive Metro transit system and public bus network, though car ownership remains the norm for most families.

The district, Los Angeles Unified, recently passed a large facilities bond tied to property tax increases that could persist for decades, a long-term financial commitment for any homeowner considering the area. The district also implemented a comprehensive cellphone ban affecting daily school culture and student communication, and it operates a Black Student Achievement Plan that funds culturally responsive curriculum and additional support staff at designated schools. Data on whether Shenandoah Street participates in these initiatives is not available, so a parent should ask the school directly about enrollment in district programs and staffing supports.

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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% · ▼ 26 pts below district

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

Grade 431%

School 31% · District 43% · ▼ 12 pts below district

▼ 7 pts below state median · ▼ 10 pts below county median

Grade 537%

School 37% · District 36% · ▲ 1 pts above district

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

English language arts

Grade 324%

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

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

Grade 430%

School 30% · District 45% · ▼ 15 pts below district

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

Grade 549%

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

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

Science

Grade 518%

School 18% · District 29% · ▼ 12 pts below district

▼ 11 pts below state median · ▼ 10 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.