Sylmar Leadership Academy, Sylmar CA

Original Research by School Decision on Sylmar Leadership Academy

Sylmar Leadership Academy is a kindergarten-through-eighth-grade public school on Bledsoe Street in Sylmar, a working-class, semi-rural community at the northern edge of Los Angeles in the San Fernando Valley. It is part of Los Angeles Unified and serves a large student body for its grade band, with the vast majority of students identifying as Hispanic and a substantial share qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the economic character of the surrounding neighborhood. Data on English learner rates and students with IEPs was not available in what was provided.

Academically, the picture is mixed and worth a careful look. In English language arts, results improve noticeably from the earlier grades through eighth grade, where well over half of tested students scored at or above proficiency on the California CAASPP assessment. Fifth and sixth grade ELA results also sit above the midpoint. Math is a different story. Proficiency rates across every tested grade fall below those in ELA, and they are particularly low in sixth and seventh grade. The school's overall proficiency index, combining results across tested subjects and grades, falls below the midpoint among districts in Los Angeles County. Science results, tested in fifth and eighth grade, are modest. Multi-year trend data was not available because only the most recent year of results is on record, so it is not possible to say whether scores are rising or holding steady. Parents who want to understand the trajectory should ask the school directly.

A few things to know about the broader LAUSD context that affect daily life here. As of early 2025, LAUSD implemented an all-day ban on cellphones, smartwatches, and earbuds for all students, including during lunch and breaks. Most middle schools use lockable pouches to enforce it. This is a meaningful shift in school culture and in how families stay in contact with their children during the day. Separately, Los Angeles voters recently approved a major school facilities bond, publicly reported as the largest in LAUSD's history, which is being repaid through property tax increases that could extend for decades. Anyone considering buying a home in Sylmar to access this school is carrying that long-term tax cost.

On housing, the Sylmar zip code sits well above both the state and national median for home values, and recent appreciation has been modest rather than dramatic. Rents have climbed more briskly. The ratio of rent to income here is high by national standards, and the estimated monthly cost of ownership is substantially greater than renting. For families already in the community, these figures describe the stability of staying; for those moving in, they reflect a genuinely constrained market.

Sylmar itself is largely auto-oriented and built-out, with most day-to-day amenities spread across commercial corridors rather than a walkable center. El Cariso Community Regional Park, a large county park with a pool, courts, and walking paths, is a real community anchor and hosts events like the annual Olive Festival. The Sylmar Branch Library, part of the Los Angeles Public Library system, publicly offers after-school tutoring and homework zones for K-12 students and teen programming, which is directly relevant to families at this school. Los Angeles Mission College sits nearby, and the Sylmar/San Fernando Metrolink station at the community's southern edge connects to Union Station. Olive View-UCLA Medical Center is one of the larger employers in the area. Current development activity leans toward infill and affordable housing, including senior units and some mixed-use projects, with ongoing community debate about density and neighborhood character.

No information was provided about specific programs, course offerings, or staffing at Sylmar Leadership Academy itself. A parent who wants to understand what the school's leadership identity means in practice, whether there are enrichment programs or intervention supports, and how the school is responding to its math results would need to ask those questions directly.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 346%

School 46% · District 48% · ▼ 2 pts below district

▲ 3 pts above state median · even with county median

Grade 431%

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

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

Grade 545%

School 45% · District 36% · ▲ 9 pts above district

▲ 15 pts above state median · ▲ 12 pts above county median

Grade 626%

School 26% · District 35% · ▼ 9 pts below district

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

Grade 720%

School 20% · District 34% · ▼ 14 pts below district

▼ 10 pts below state median · ▼ 11 pts below county median

Grade 832%

School 32% · District 32%

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

English language arts

Grade 344%

School 44% · District 44%

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

Grade 433%

School 33% · District 45% · ▼ 12 pts below district

▼ 9 pts below state median · ▼ 11 pts below county median

Grade 555%

School 55% · District 47% · ▲ 8 pts above district

▲ 9 pts above state median · ▲ 8 pts above county median

Grade 651%

School 51% · District 46% · ▲ 5 pts above district

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

Grade 749%

School 49% · District 46% · ▲ 3 pts above district

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

Grade 859%

School 59% · District 45% · ▲ 14 pts above district

▲ 15 pts above state median · ▲ 13 pts above county median

Science

Grade 532%

School 32% · District 29% · ▲ 3 pts above district

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

Grade 829%

School 29% · District 27% · ▲ 3 pts above district

▲ 3 pts above state median · ▲ 5 pts above 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 3Lower-income38%Higher-income63%25 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income26%Higher-income77%51 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income53%Higher-income61%8 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income49%Higher-income64%15 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income43%Higher-income91%48 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income52%Higher-income83%31 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income39%Higher-income67%28 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income28%Higher-income46%18 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income40%Higher-income67%27 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income24%Higher-income40%16 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income14%Higher-income54%40 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income28%Higher-income46%18 pp gap