Wilmington Mid Sci Tech Engr Arts Math (steam) Magnet, Wilmington CA

Original Research by School Decision on Wilmington Mid Sci Tech Engr Arts Math (steam) Magnet

Wilmington Mid STEAM Magnet is a middle school serving grades six through eight in Los Angeles Unified, located in an industrial, working-class neighborhood defined by the Port of Los Angeles and active oil refining operations. It enrolls approximately a medium-sized cohort for this grade band, with enrollment rising through the grades. The school population is overwhelmingly Latino and among the lowest-income in the county: a very substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, and fewer than a handful of students identify as white, Asian, or from other racial backgrounds. The neighborhood itself is densely built and youthful, anchored by Avalon Boulevard's modest commercial life, with Wilmington Waterfront Promenade and Waterfront Park offering recent public green space investments. Housing stock is predominantly rental apartments, modest in size.

The school's name signals a focus on science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics, yet current state test results show proficiency below where many families might hope. In English language arts, proficiency across the middle grades runs in the upper 30s to low 40s range; in math, it dips into the low 30s range; and in eighth-grade science, it falls notably lower. These numbers place the school below the midpoint on overall proficiency when compared to districts across Los Angeles County. A parent may want to look into this further with the school, particularly around what the school considers core instruction in the STEM subjects its name emphasizes and how it sequences that work across the three grades.

One data point comes from social studies testing done years ago, before current California assessments began; that result is not part of the school's recent profile and should not be weighted. The school has one year of current proficiency data, so year-to-year trend information is not yet available. Civil rights data fields on students receiving special education and English learner status are not reported in the available data.

The broader context matters. Wilmington faces ongoing industrial change. The Phillips 66 refinery complex, a major local employer, was idled around the end of 2025, and redevelopment plans for that site (the Five Points Union project) are underway. Recent housing investments include affordable units and supportive housing along and near Avalon Boulevard. Los Angeles Unified itself is implementing system-wide changes: a district-wide cellphone ban took effect in February 2025, affecting how families communicate with students during the school day; a major school facilities bond (Measure US) passed in the 2024 election and will fund building repairs and upgrades over coming decades through property tax increases that new residents would inherit; and the district's Black Student Achievement Plan, which shapes curriculum and staffing at many campuses, was revised in 2024 and received additional 2025-26 funding.

The school is part of a large district serving a diverse set of communities, from affluent to deeply under-resourced. Wilmington itself is among the lowest-income neighborhoods the district serves, and this school's enrollment profile mirrors that fact. Families considering this school would be choosing a neighborhood middle school in an industrial working-class setting, with a curriculum orientation toward STEAM but with recent test results that suggest significant academic gaps. The comparison to peers across the county makes clear the proficiency floor here. A visit to the school, conversations with current families, and direct discussion with staff about how STEAM learning translates to measurable skill-building in math and science would give parents the grounded picture they need to make sense of whether this pathway and environment fits their child.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 634%

School 34% · District 35% · ▼ 1 pts below district

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

Grade 733%

School 33% · District 34% · ▼ 1 pts below district

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

Grade 829%

School 29% · District 32% · ▼ 3 pts below district

▲ 1 pts above state median · even with county median

English language arts

Grade 637%

School 37% · District 46% · ▼ 9 pts below district

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

Grade 742%

School 42% · District 46% · ▼ 4 pts below district

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

Grade 840%

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

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

Science

Grade 823%

School 23% · District 27% · ▼ 4 pts below district

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

Social studies

Grade 848%

School 48% · District 43% · ▲ 5 pts above district

▼ 1 pts below state median · even with 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-income35%Higher-income64%28 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income42%Higher-income32%10 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income40%Higher-income39%0 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 6Lower-income33%Higher-income52%19 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income33%Higher-income35%2 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income29%Higher-income33%5 pp gap