The top reported proficiency rate is 33% in English language arts. The lowest is 24% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Washington Elementary Stem Magnet
Washington Elementary STEM Magnet sits on North Raymond Avenue in the northwest corner of Pasadena, a city that spans from the Caltech-anchored neighborhoods of its core to historic Craftsman districts like Bungalow Heaven and more suburban-residential areas toward the east. Pasadena's character is genuinely varied: Old Pasadena's walkable historic downtown, the Playhouse District, and the South Lake Avenue corridor give the city multiple centers of gravity, while the Metro A Line and an eleven-route local bus system connect them. The neighborhood around Washington is a working part of that city, and the school's student body reflects it directly.
The school serves kindergarten through fifth grade as a STEM magnet within Pasadena Unified. Its enrollment is mid-sized for an elementary school of its grade band, and the vast majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price meals, marking this as a high-need community by that measure. The student body is predominantly Hispanic, with smaller shares of Black, white, and Asian students. Data on English learner identification and students with IEPs was not available in the materials we reviewed, so parents with specific questions about those services should ask the school directly.
On the most recent California state assessments, proficiency rates across grades three through five sit in a range that is, plainly, low. In both English language arts and math, fewer than half of tested students scored at or above the proficient level, with math results at the upper grade being particularly low. Science, tested at grade five through California's CAST assessment, came in at a similar level. Placed against districts across Los Angeles County, the school's overall proficiency index falls in the bottom quartile of that group. Multi-year trend data was not available for comparison, so whether results have improved, declined, or held steady over time cannot be determined from the available record. Parents who want to understand the school's trajectory should ask for prior-year campus data from the district or the school itself.
The STEM magnet designation is the school's defining programmatic identity. What that means in practice, including specific curriculum models, science lab access, technology integration, or engineering programs, was not described in the materials provided. Parents drawn by the STEM focus should ask the school to walk through how the theme is woven into daily instruction across grade levels, and what resources survived or were affected by the district's recent budget reductions.
Those reductions are a real and present consideration. Publicly reported coverage indicates that Pasadena Unified approved significant staffing cuts for the 2026-27 school year, including librarians, classroom teachers, and support staff, with programs in arts, science, and athletics specifically named as affected areas. For a STEM-focused elementary school, cuts to science resources would be worth asking about directly. The district also went through a school-consolidation process in 2025-2026; though no closures were ultimately recommended and the process was halted, the district has closed schools before and a future effort would require restarting from scratch. Separately, the January 2025 Eaton Fire destroyed five district campuses, reshaping the system's operational footprint considerably, though Washington Elementary's own campus status was not specified in the materials reviewed.
On the housing side, the zip code around the school sits in a market where home values are well above the California statewide median and dramatically above the national one, and where rents represent a very substantial share of a typical household's income. Affordability here is a genuine constraint for most families, particularly renters.
Graduation rate data does not apply to this school, which ends at fifth grade. No chronic absenteeism data was available in the materials.
For a family weighing this school: the STEM identity offers a distinct pathway for a child with early interest in science and engineering, and the question worth pursuing is whether the school has the resources to deliver on that promise given the district's current financial pressures. The academic proficiency numbers are below the midpoint for the county, and a parent would be reasonable to follow up with the school about what supports are in place for students who are not yet meeting grade-level benchmarks.
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