Ladera Elementary, Tustin CA - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Ladera Elementary

Ladera Elementary is a kindergarten-through-fifth-grade school serving a neighborhood of Tustin, a mixed-use Orange County city built around master-planned residential communities, older neighborhoods, and a historic downtown core. The school enrolls a small cohort of students, with balanced representation across its six grades and a diverse demographic composition. About one-quarter of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, while the student body reflects substantial Asian and Hispanic enrollment alongside white and multiracial students.

On state assessments administered in the most recent year, the school's overall proficiency in math sits above the midpoint among county districts, while proficiency in English language arts is slightly below the county median. Grade-level math results range from solid performance in third and fifth grades to softer results in fourth grade. ELA performance is notably uneven: third and fifth graders reached proficiency at rates comparable to math, while fourth graders fell considerably lower. Science proficiency in fifth grade, the only grade tested, is below half. The school shows strength in mathematics but uneven performance across ELA grades and a softer foundation in science; a parent may want to discuss with the school what is driving the fourth-grade ELA dip and what science instruction looks like in the primary grades.

Tustin Unified, the parent district, approved a substantial facilities bond in late 2024 to repair and upgrade aging infrastructure across its schools, addressing classrooms, science labs, roofs, plumbing, electrical systems, and safety features. Many district campuses are over four decades old. The district has also begun a multi-year math instruction overhaul starting in 2024, in which teachers and administrators spent extended time studying teaching methods and student thinking before selecting new materials, signaling a deliberate shift in math pedagogy. This district-wide focus on math teaching may shape instruction at Ladera going forward.

Tustin itself is in active growth. The former Marine Corps Air Station has been redeveloped into Tustin Legacy, a large mixed-use community adding thousands of housing units, retail, and recreational spaces. The city is home to an older, walkable downtown around Main Street with a diverse restaurant scene and community events, and newer planned neighborhoods. Housing values in the area are high, reflecting Orange County's broader market. Schools across Tustin Unified are distributed among Tustin, parts of nearby Irvine and Santa Ana, and unincorporated North Tustin rather than clustered in a single civic center. Ladera sits within this sprawling district footprint.

The school itself sits in a neighborhood setting with moderate density and suburban characteristics. It is a traditional public school, not a charter or magnet program. State testing data about special education or English learner enrollment at Ladera was not available, so a parent seeking detail on how the school serves students with disabilities or multilingual learners may want to contact the school directly. The school is positioned for families seeking a small elementary in a diverse, stable residential area with strong freeway access and an economically mixed, growing community around it.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 376%

School 76% · District 60% · ▲ 16 pts above district

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

Grade 470%

School 70% · District 59% · ▲ 12 pts above district

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

Grade 575%

School 75% · District 55% · ▲ 19 pts above district

▲ 44 pts above state median · ▲ 29 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 371%

School 71% · District 55% · ▲ 15 pts above district

▲ 30 pts above state median · ▲ 21 pts above county median

Grade 459%

School 59% · District 58% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▲ 17 pts above state median · ▲ 5 pts above county median

Grade 575%

School 75% · District 63% · ▲ 12 pts above district

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

Science

Grade 553%

School 53% · District 46% · ▲ 7 pts above district

▲ 25 pts above state median · ▲ 12 pts above county median

This schoolTustin 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-income45%Higher-income84%39 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income54%Higher-income61%7 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income58%Higher-income83%25 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income55%Higher-income87%32 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income62%Higher-income73%12 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income63%Higher-income81%17 pp gap