Union Avenue Elementary, Los Angeles CA

Original Research by School Decision on Union Avenue Elementary

Union Avenue Elementary is a small public school serving kindergarten through fifth grade in Los Angeles, located in a dense, heavily Hispanic neighborhood near downtown. It is a neighborhood school—not a magnet, charter, or specialized program—that reflects the immediate community it serves.

The student body is overwhelmingly Hispanic, drawn from a low-income area. A large majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating economic hardship in the surrounding neighborhood. Data on English learner enrollment and special education were not available in the records reviewed.

Academic performance across tested grades shows persistent challenges. In math, proficiency rates across third, fourth, and fifth grade cluster in the low range. Reading and language arts performance is somewhat stronger but still modest. Science proficiency in fifth grade was notably lower. Across subjects, the school's overall proficiency index places it in the bottom quartile relative to other elementary schools within Los Angeles County districts, meaning most neighboring schools show higher achievement rates.

Only one year of state testing data was available, so trend information is absent. A parent seeking to understand whether performance is improving or declining would need to ask the school directly about multi-year patterns.

The school is part of Los Angeles Unified, a very large district navigating significant change. LAUSD recently implemented a district-wide cellphone ban effective February 2025, affecting all students throughout the school day. The district also approved Measure US, a large bond measure for school facilities repair, which will be repaid through property tax increases extending over time—a long-term cost for families considering the area. Additionally, LAUSD's Black Student Achievement Plan, which funds culturally responsive curriculum and added counselor and social worker staffing at targeted schools, was restructured in 2024 and received increased funding for 2025-26, changes that may shape classroom experience.

Housing in the 90057 zip code, where Union Avenue sits, reflects the area's character: home values have declined modestly over the past year, and monthly rent is substantially below the cost of purchasing, reflecting affordability pressures and a predominantly renting community. This is a working-class urban neighborhood with dense residential use.

Union Avenue Elementary serves its immediate neighborhood as a traditional public school. Families choosing this school typically live in the area and may have limited school choice within the LAUSD system. A parent evaluating the school would want to understand what targeted supports and interventions the school is using to address the gap between current proficiency and grade-level expectations, what English learner services are available, and how the school collaborates with families in the community to support student growth.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 333%

School 33% · District 48% · ▼ 15 pts below district

▼ 10 pts below state median · ▼ 13 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 528%

School 28% · District 36% · ▼ 8 pts below district

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

English language arts

Grade 335%

School 35% · District 44% · ▼ 9 pts below district

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

Grade 440%

School 40% · District 45% · ▼ 5 pts below district

▼ 2 pts below state median · ▼ 4 pts below county median

Grade 538%

School 38% · District 47% · ▼ 10 pts below district

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

Science

Grade 523%

School 23% · District 29% · ▼ 6 pts below district

▼ 5 pts below state median · ▼ 4 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.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 5Lower-income38%Higher-income33%5 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income32%Higher-income46%14 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income29%Higher-income25%4 pp gap