Wilcox Elementary, Montebello CA

Original Research by School Decision on Wilcox Elementary

Wilcox Elementary is a neighborhood public school in Montebello serving kindergarten through fifth grade. The school sits on Donna Way, one of the walkable community schools embedded in the residential fabric of the city rather than isolated on a campus; the Montebello Unified district intentionally maintains neighborhood-based elementary schools.

The student body is predominantly Hispanic, with substantial representation from lower-income families. A large majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, placing Wilcox among schools serving high concentrations of economically disadvantaged students. The enrollment is small to moderate for a traditional elementary school and relatively stable across grade levels. English learner and special education enrollment counts are not publicly reported at the school level, so families would want to ask the school directly about those populations and services.

State assessment results in 2024-25 show students reading and doing math well below state standards. In third grade, roughly a quarter of students meet the proficiency benchmark in math, and fewer than a fifth do so in English language arts. Fourth grade shows similarly low outcomes in both subjects. Fifth grade performs somewhat better, with about two in five students proficient in math and about one in three in English language arts. Across the school, the overall proficiency rate in tested subjects sits in the bottom quartile among the districts in Los Angeles County. Science testing at fifth grade shows about three in ten students proficient. These scores reflect the profile of a school serving a high-need student population and suggest that students are not yet approaching grade-level competency in core academic areas. A parent considering this school may want to discuss with staff what targeted supports, intervention programs, or instructional approaches the school has in place to address these gaps.

The broader context matters. Montebello itself is a mid-sized Gateway Cities hub with a mix of residential, commercial, and light-industrial uses. Housing is predominantly single-family, ranging from postwar bungalows and ranch homes to newer hillside subdivisions; the Whittier Boulevard downtown corridor is walkable and pedestrian-friendly with a strong local business and dining presence. Recent development includes Metro Heights, a gated master-planned community in the hills by Toll Brothers and Lennar. Housing values in the area are substantial, and rents have risen modestly. The city operates its own bus system with high-frequency service, making transit accessible.

Montebello Unified is implementing a multi-year California Community Schools Partnership Program grant that funds extended learning time, integrated student supports, and culturally relevant instruction across multiple schools. While Wilcox itself is not named among the initially designated schools, the district-wide shift toward community-rooted practices and expanded supports signals a direction that could eventually reach elementary schools. A family drawn to this school for its neighborhood location and walkability would be joining a school where substantial instructional and support work lies ahead and where family engagement and advocacy may be important.

See more original research from School Decision →

Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 327%

School 27% · District 36% · ▼ 9 pts below district

▼ 16 pts below state median · ▼ 19 pts below county median

Grade 425%

School 25% · District 29% · ▼ 3 pts below district

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

Grade 539%

School 39% · District 27% · ▲ 12 pts above district

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

English language arts

Grade 313%

School 13% · District 31% · ▼ 18 pts below district

▼ 27 pts below state median · ▼ 29 pts below county median

Grade 429%

School 29% · District 32% · ▼ 3 pts below district

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

Grade 534%

School 34% · District 34%

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

Science

Grade 529%

School 29% · District 20% · ▲ 10 pts above district

▲ 1 pts above state median · ▲ 2 pts above 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.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 3Lower-income15%Higher-income6%9 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income26%Higher-income39%13 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income36%Higher-income27%8 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income26%Higher-income31%6 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income25%Higher-income28%3 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income40%Higher-income36%4 pp gap