Montebello Gardens Elementary, Pico Rivera CA

Original Research by School Decision on Montebello Gardens Elementary

Montebello Gardens Elementary is a small public school serving kindergarten through fifth grade in Pico Rivera, a predominantly Hispanic, working-and-middle-income community about thirteen miles southeast of downtown Los Angeles. The school sits within the Montebello Unified School District, which spans the area and is currently implementing a multi-year Community Schools Partnership grant focused on extended learning time, integrated student support, and culturally relevant instruction across several schools.

The school's enrollment is small, distributed across its grade band with a relatively even spread. A substantial majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price meals, reflecting the economic profile of the neighborhood. The student body is predominantly Hispanic, with small numbers of other students; specific data on English learners and students with disabilities was not available, though these populations are common in the area and a parent may want to look into current enrollment with the school.

Academically, Montebello Gardens' proficiency results sit modestly above the midpoint when compared to other elementary schools across Los Angeles County districts. In math, across third through fifth grade, students cluster around the midpoint on the state test, with fifth grade slightly lower than the upper grades. English language arts results are similarly mixed, with third grade performing comparatively better and fourth and fifth grade dipping below math proficiency. Science results, measured only in fifth grade, are considerably lower than performance in reading and math. Overall, the school's combined proficiency index places it above the median for county elementary schools, though a parent should understand that more than half of students fall below proficient levels in each subject tested. The school has only one year of assessment data available, so trend information is not yet available.

Pico Rivera itself is an auto-oriented city with industrial and residential roots, actively working to improve pedestrian infrastructure and build a bikeable environment through its Urban Greening Plan and annual sidewalk improvements. The city is in the midst of significant growth and development, particularly around planned transit-oriented zones along Washington and Rosemead Boulevards where a future Metro E Line light rail stop is planned. Housing is valued modestly above the state median, with median rents above the state average; homeownership affordability sits well above national benchmarks in cost-to-income ratio, though mortgage payments and rent each consume a substantial share of household income in the area.

The community is anchored by an extensive parks system, LA Metro bus service with transit subsidy programs, and the nearby Metrolink rail connection. The city's economy centers on retail, healthcare, and manufacturing, with major employers including the school district itself, retail chains, and various manufacturing facilities. The area offers a stable, working-family environment with access to county services and growing public transit options, though walkability and traditional urban amenities remain works in progress.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 353%

School 53% · District 36% · ▲ 17 pts above district

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

Grade 455%

School 55% · District 29% · ▲ 26 pts above district

▲ 17 pts above state median · ▲ 14 pts above county median

Grade 553%

School 53% · District 27% · ▲ 26 pts above district

▲ 23 pts above state median · ▲ 20 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 355%

School 55% · District 31% · ▲ 24 pts above district

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

Grade 448%

School 48% · District 32% · ▲ 17 pts above district

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

Grade 547%

School 47% · District 34% · ▲ 13 pts above district

▲ 2 pts above state median · even with county median

Science

Grade 524%

School 24% · District 20% · ▲ 4 pts above district

▼ 5 pts below state median · ▼ 4 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.