Sal Castro Middle, Los Angeles CA

Original Research by School Decision on Sal Castro Middle

Sal Castro Middle is a small regular public middle school in central Los Angeles, serving grades six through eight. The school is located on West 2nd Street in the 90026 zip code, in a neighborhood of considerable economic need and density.

The student body is notably homogeneous in ethnic composition, with an overwhelming majority identifying as Hispanic. A substantial majority of enrolled students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The school's enrollment sits at a level typical for urban middle schools serving a tightly defined attendance area. Data on the school's English learner and special education populations was not available.

Academic performance is a clear area of concern. In the most recent state testing, proficiency rates in mathematics are low across all three grade levels. Sixth grade students showed the highest math proficiency of the three grades, but performance drops sharply in seventh grade before rising slightly in eighth. English language arts results are somewhat stronger than math, particularly in sixth and eighth grades. Science proficiency, measured only in eighth grade, sits at a similar level to mathematics. The only older assessment available, from social studies tested more than a decade ago, showed similarly low proficiency. Across tested subjects this year, the school's overall proficiency index places it in the bottom quartile among the schools in its county comparison set.

The low proficiency picture is consistent. The school reports only one year of trend data, so it is not possible to determine whether performance is improving, declining, or holding steady. A parent may want to look into this further with the school to understand what interventions or support structures are in place to address the gap between current performance and proficiency benchmarks.

The school sits within Los Angeles Unified School District, which in early 2025 implemented a full-day cellphone ban for all students, including at lunch and breaks. The district also recently overhauled its Black Student Achievement Plan with additional funding and adjusted eligibility criteria. Most visibly for families, voters approved a major school bond measure that will increase property taxes over decades to fund facility repairs across the district.

The neighborhood around the school is part of central Los Angeles, a dense urban environment with significant housing costs and a large share of the population in lower income brackets. The broader city has undergone considerable revitalization in downtown and is in an active growth and rezoning phase driven by housing shortage and preparation for the 2026 World Cup and 2028 Olympics.

Sal Castro Middle serves its immediate neighborhood and appears to be a community anchor, but the academic data suggests the school faces substantial instructional challenges. Families considering this school should have a clear conversation with administrators about teaching strategies, student support services, and realistic expectations for academic growth.

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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% · ▼ 6 pts below district

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

Grade 713%

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

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

Grade 819%

School 19% · District 32% · ▼ 12 pts below district

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

English language arts

Grade 636%

School 36% · District 46% · ▼ 9 pts below district

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

Grade 729%

School 29% · District 46% · ▼ 17 pts below district

▼ 16 pts below state median · ▼ 16 pts below county median

Grade 837%

School 37% · District 45% · ▼ 8 pts below district

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

Science

Grade 831%

School 31% · District 27% · ▲ 4 pts above district

▲ 5 pts above state median · ▲ 7 pts above county median

Social studies

Grade 826%

School 26% · District 43% · ▼ 17 pts below district

▼ 23 pts below state median · ▼ 22 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.