Walt Disney, Anaheim CA - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Walt Disney

Walt Disney is a public elementary school in Anaheim serving kindergarten through sixth grade, located in a working-class, predominantly Latino and Asian neighborhood in western Anaheim. The school enrolls a fairly small student population for its grade band, with a substantial share qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. The student body is roughly evenly split between Hispanic and Asian families, with smaller populations of white and multiracial students.

Academic performance at Walt Disney is mixed. In English Language Arts, students show stronger proficiency in the upper grades, particularly in sixth grade, while third and fourth graders perform closer to the state midline. Math proficiency is uneven across grades, starting around the middle in third and fourth grade, dropping notably in fifth grade, then rebounding significantly in sixth grade. Science proficiency in fifth grade falls below half of students meeting standards. Overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades places the school below the midpoint among Orange County's elementary schools.

The school's performance profile suggests varying levels of readiness and progress across the grade span. A parent considering enrollment or transfer may want to look into what supports the school offers for students who are not yet proficient, particularly in math and science, and what factors drive the stronger results in sixth grade compared to earlier grades.

Walt Disney is part of Magnolia Elementary District, a small K-6 district covering western Anaheim and parts of Stanton. The district most recently adopted Twig Science curriculum district-wide in 2023, replacing its prior science materials; its English Language Arts and math programs are older adoptions. The district describes its instructional focus as spanning English Language Development, STEM, the Arts, and Social Emotional Learning.

The wider Anaheim context shapes the school community. Anaheim is a large, diverse Orange County city with multiple distinct districts: a walkable downtown and historic Colony neighborhood near the city center, the tourist-oriented Disneyland Resort and surrounding hotels and dining, a mixed-use Platinum Triangle with sports venues and new residential development, and residential neighborhoods ranging from affluent hillside communities to working-class single-family areas. Disneyland is by far the dominant local employer. The city is experiencing active growth, with major mixed-use projects including OCVibe (a large entertainment, residential, and commercial development near the sports and transit hubs) and approved expansion plans at Disneyland itself.

Housing in the Anaheim zip code is moderately expensive by national standards. The median home value sits well above the national benchmark, though below the California state benchmark. Monthly rent for a typical apartment is also notably higher than national median. On the affordability measure, renting costs roughly one-third of estimated household income, making it the more accessible housing option compared to mortgage payment on a median home, which would consume a substantially higher share of income.

The school itself offers no specialized magnet or charter designation and operates as a regular public school. Attendance, discipline, staffing, and program-specific data were not available. Kindergarten enrollment is notably larger than the upper grades, suggesting possible demographic shifts or enrollment patterns over time. A parent seeking particular course offerings, extracurricular programming, or specialized academic tracks would benefit from contacting the school 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 46%

▲ 3 pts above state median · ▼ 10 pts below county median

Grade 449%

School 49% · District 40% · ▲ 9 pts above district

▲ 11 pts above state median · ▼ 5 pts below county median

Grade 537%

School 37% · District 33% · ▲ 4 pts above district

▲ 6 pts above state median · ▼ 9 pts below county median

Grade 663%

School 63% · District 43% · ▲ 20 pts above district

▲ 32 pts above state median · ▲ 16 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 347%

School 47% · District 46% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▲ 6 pts above state median · ▼ 3 pts below county median

Grade 451%

School 51% · District 43% · ▲ 8 pts above district

▲ 9 pts above state median · ▼ 4 pts below county median

Grade 552%

School 52% · District 52% · ▲ 1 pts above district

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

Grade 669%

School 69% · District 56% · ▲ 13 pts above district

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

Science

Grade 537%

School 37% · District 32% · ▲ 5 pts above district

▲ 9 pts above state median · ▼ 4 pts below county median

This schoolMagnolia Elementary, 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-income39%Higher-income60%21 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income49%Higher-income56%7 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income38%Higher-income85%47 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income55%Higher-income90%35 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income33%Higher-income68%35 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income47%Higher-income56%10 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income26%Higher-income62%36 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income52%Higher-income77%25 pp gap