La Jolla Elementary, Moreno Valley CA

Original Research by School Decision on La Jolla Elementary

La Jolla Elementary sits on the eastern side of Moreno Valley, a large Inland Empire city that has grown steadily from a sparse landscape into a built-out suburban community defined by single-family neighborhoods, wide arterial roads, and a growing logistics and distribution sector. The area is car-dependent, and most families at this school will drive to it. The city is actively constructing new homes and has a planned Town Center intended to create a civic core where none has historically existed. Publicly reported information indicates voters approved a general obligation school bond in late 2024 to modernize facilities and upgrade technology across Moreno Valley Unified, which will translate into a property-tax levy for homeowners and a multi-year investment in district infrastructure.

The school serves kindergarten through fifth grade as a regular public school within Moreno Valley Unified. Enrollment is substantial for its grade band. The student population is predominantly Hispanic and Black, with smaller Asian, white, and multiracial groups also represented. A very large share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the economic profile of the surrounding neighborhoods. Data on English learner rates and students with IEPs was not available in the information provided.

State testing data from the most recent year shows proficiency rates in English language arts and math that fall below the midpoint among districts in Riverside County, which is the comparison set available for this school. In ELA, results are consistent across third, fourth, and fifth grade, with roughly a quarter to a third of tested students meeting or exceeding standards. Math results follow a similar pattern, with third and fourth grade slightly ahead of fifth grade, where the rate drops more noticeably. Science results from the fifth-grade CAST assessment are the weakest of the three subjects. Taken together, the school's overall proficiency index lands below the median for districts in Riverside County. Because only one year of data is present in this dataset, trend direction cannot be assessed. Parents who want to understand whether scores have been improving, holding steady, or declining would need to ask the school directly or consult the district's publicly reported accountability documents.

Program information was not included in the data provided, so specific enrichment, intervention, or specialty offerings cannot be described here. The school's website or front office would be the right place to ask about tutoring structures, reading support, after-school programs, or any special curriculum tracks.

On the housing side, home values in this zip code sit meaningfully below the California statewide benchmark, though still well above national norms. Rents have been edging upward year over year. The estimated monthly carrying cost on a home in this area, relative to typical incomes, represents a stretch by standard affordability measures, and renters spend a substantial portion of income on housing. Families weighing this neighborhood against others in the Inland Empire will find it more accessible than coastal markets but not inexpensive by national standards.

The academic picture at La Jolla Elementary reflects real challenges. Proficiency rates across reading, math, and science are low relative to California's tested population, and the school serves a student body with high economic need. That is a straightforward description of the starting point, and families with children who may need additional academic support would be well served by asking the school specifically what reading and math intervention looks like, how progress is tracked, and what communication between teachers and families typically involves.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 327%

School 27% · District 31% · ▼ 4 pts below district

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

Grade 427%

School 27% · District 23% · ▲ 4 pts above district

▼ 11 pts below state median · ▼ 3 pts below county median

Grade 516%

School 16% · District 18% · ▼ 2 pts below district

▼ 14 pts below state median · ▼ 8 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 334%

School 34% · District 34%

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

Grade 430%

School 30% · District 31% · ▼ 1 pts below district

▼ 12 pts below state median · ▼ 8 pts below county median

Grade 526%

School 26% · District 36% · ▼ 10 pts below district

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

Science

Grade 510%

School 10% · District 18% · ▼ 7 pts below district

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

This schoolMoreno Valley 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-income27%Higher-income57%30 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income23%Higher-income57%35 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income25%Higher-income39%14 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income21%Higher-income46%25 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income23%Higher-income41%18 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income15%Higher-income31%16 pp gap