Bandini Elementary, City of Commerce CA

Original Research by School Decision on Bandini Elementary

Bandini Elementary serves a small enrollment of about two hundred and seventy students in kindergarten through fifth grade in City of Commerce, an industrial city in Los Angeles County where residential pockets sit amid warehousing, distribution, and manufacturing zones. The school sits within Montebello Unified School District.

The student body is almost entirely Hispanic, and a substantial majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the economic circumstances of the neighborhood. The enrollment is quite compact by grade, with fewer students in third through fifth grades than in the earlier grades, which is typical of school-age population patterns in an established residential area.

State test results from the 2024-25 school year show proficiency rates well below state benchmarks across English language arts and mathematics. In ELA, third-grade proficiency was in single digits, fourth-grade students achieved low proficiency, and fifth-grade results were similarly low. Math proficiency in third grade was roughly one-fifth of students, rising modestly to about one-quarter in fourth grade before falling again in fifth grade. Science proficiency in fifth grade, where tested, was also low. Relative to districts across Los Angeles County, Bandini's overall proficiency index places the school in the bottom quartile, meaning the vast majority of schools in the county show higher achievement. These results suggest that students at Bandini are experiencing substantial gaps in foundational academic skills and that reading and math instruction are areas where the school and district face real challenges.

The school's grade band means that state-assessed testing begins in third grade, and no graduation or secondary outcome data applies here. The Montebello Unified School District is undertaking a multi-year Community Schools partnership that brings extended learning time, integrated student supports, and culturally responsive instructional practices, though at present those efforts are concentrated at secondary schools and alternative programs rather than elementary sites.

Housing in the City of Commerce area is moderately priced by regional standards, sitting somewhat below state benchmarks for the area. The city itself is auto-oriented and industrial, with discrete parks and civic amenities rather than a walkable downtown, and is served by a zero-fare municipal bus system. Job centers and retail are concentrated at sites like the Citadel Outlets and along Washington Boulevard. A parent considering this school should expect a small, neighborhood-rooted elementary serving a predominantly low-income, Spanish-speaking community. The academic profile indicates that Bandini faces significant instructional challenges in early literacy and numeracy, and a parent would want to discuss directly with the school what targeted reading and math supports are available to address the low proficiency rates shown in state testing.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 319%

School 19% · District 36% · ▼ 17 pts below district

▼ 24 pts below state median · ▼ 27 pts below county median

Grade 428%

School 28% · District 29% · ▼ 1 pts below district

▼ 10 pts below state median · ▼ 13 pts below county median

Grade 516%

School 16% · District 27% · ▼ 11 pts below district

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

English language arts

Grade 38%

School 8% · District 31% · ▼ 24 pts below district

▼ 33 pts below state median · ▼ 34 pts below county median

Grade 421%

School 21% · District 32% · ▼ 11 pts below district

▼ 21 pts below state median · ▼ 23 pts below county median

Grade 521%

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

▼ 25 pts below state median · ▼ 26 pts below county median

Science

Grade 514%

School 14% · District 20% · ▼ 6 pts below district

▼ 15 pts below state median · ▼ 14 pts below county median

This schoolMontebello 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.