Daniel Webster Middle, Los Angeles CA

Original Research by School Decision on Daniel Webster Middle

Daniel Webster Middle is a regular public school serving grades six through eight in Los Angeles, located in the 90064 zip code on the city's Westside. The school enrolls a student population that is roughly two-thirds Hispanic, one-fifth Black, with smaller shares of white and Asian students. A substantial majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the school's serving of a low-income community.

On state assessments in English language arts, the school shows proficiency rates that hover around or just above forty percent across its grades, with eighth grade performing somewhat higher than sixth grade. Mathematics proficiency is considerably lower, ranging from around one in five to one in four students meeting the standard depending on the grade. In eighth grade science, about one in four students achieved proficiency. Across these tested subjects, Daniel Webster's overall proficiency index places it in the bottom quartile when compared to other schools across Los Angeles County.

The school enrolls a mid-sized student population balanced fairly evenly across its three grade levels. The enrollment numbers themselves are modest for a middle school, which can mean tighter teacher-to-student ratios and closer community feel, though it may also constrain the breadth of course offerings or extracurricular options available to students.

The Westside location sits in a neighborhood where housing values are substantial and rents are elevated relative to state and national benchmarks. This mismatch between the school's lower-income student population and its higher-income zip code reflects the longstanding pattern in Los Angeles of dispersed low-income housing and schools serving economically disadvantaged families in areas that have gentrified or sit adjacent to wealthier enclaves.

At the district level, LAUSD adopted a cellphone ban district-wide on February 18, 2025, affecting all students throughout the school day including lunch and breaks. Most middle schools use lockable pouches for storage. This represents a significant shift in daily school experience and parent-student communication patterns. Additionally, voters approved Measure US, a major school facilities bond that will raise property taxes in the district for up to decades to fund repairs and upgrades to aging buildings. Any family considering a move into the LAUSD boundary should factor in this long-term property tax increase.

A parent evaluating Daniel Webster would want to look deeper into how the school supports students working below grade level in mathematics, what support exists for English learners and students with disabilities, and what specific academic or enrichment programs the school offers. The state data on its own does not capture teaching quality, school culture, or community-family engagement, which would all shape a child's actual experience.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 629%

School 29% · District 35% · ▼ 7 pts below district

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

Grade 721%

School 21% · District 34% · ▼ 13 pts below district

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

Grade 823%

School 23% · District 32% · ▼ 9 pts below district

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

English language arts

Grade 639%

School 39% · District 46% · ▼ 6 pts below district

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

Grade 739%

School 39% · District 46% · ▼ 7 pts below district

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

Grade 842%

School 42% · District 45% · ▼ 3 pts below district

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

Science

Grade 827%

School 27% · District 27%

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

Social studies

Grade 841%

School 41% · District 43% · ▼ 2 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.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 6Lower-income36%Higher-income69%34 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income35%Higher-income65%29 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income40%Higher-income54%14 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 6Lower-income27%Higher-income43%16 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income18%Higher-income42%24 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income23%Higher-income27%4 pp gap