Orangewood Elementary, West Covina CA

Original Research by School Decision on Orangewood Elementary

Orangewood Elementary is a kindergarten-through-fifth-grade regular public school in West Covina, located on South Orange Avenue in the West Covina Unified School District. The school serves a student body that reflects the broader demographics of the San Gabriel Valley. The enrollment is modest in size for an elementary school, with about half of families qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. The student population is predominantly Hispanic, with a substantial share of Asian students and smaller numbers of students from other backgrounds.

The school's 2024–25 state test results show proficiency below the midpoint relative to other schools tested in Los Angeles County. In English language arts, results vary by grade: third grade came in near that level, fourth grade higher, and fifth grade at about half. In math across the same grades, proficiency rates were similar or somewhat lower. Science testing in fifth grade showed proficiency at a moderate level. These results reflect the academic challenges many elementary schools in lower-income San Gabriel Valley communities face, and a parent may want to look into what academic support programs and interventions the school offers to help students move toward proficiency.

West Covina is a mature, sprawling suburb oriented heavily toward car travel. The city is built around residential neighborhoods deliberately separated from commercial and retail corridors, anchored by shopping centers and the Civic Center complex. Daily life relies on Foothill Transit bus service, which has headquarters in the city; Metrolink commuter rail is available at the adjacent Covina station. The community is family-oriented and markets itself as "The City of Beautiful Homes," with employers dominated by healthcare (including Emanate Health Queen of the Valley Hospital), retail, education, and manufacturing. Parks, local libraries, and the regional bus system structure civic life. Housing values in the 91790 zip code sit above the state median, and rent remains relatively stable, though monthly housing costs—whether mortgage or rent—consume a substantial portion of typical household income for the area.

The school's peer environment is largely working and lower-middle-class families, many of whom have recent immigrant backgrounds. About seven of every ten students qualify for lunch assistance, which reflects both the economic fabric of the neighborhoods Orangewood serves and the broader income diversity of the San Gabriel Valley. The school is part of West Covina Unified, which has established an International Baccalaureate Continuum spanning kindergarten through grade twelve and a Spanish/Mandarin Dual Language Immersion program, though no current district-wide curriculum or policy changes within the recent term could be confirmed.

An elementary school at this proficiency level and in a community with these economic characteristics is serving families who value neighborhood schools and traditional public education in an affordable, developed area. For families considering Orangewood, the relevant questions turn on the school's specific interventions, the quality of its classroom teaching, the stability of its staff, and what academic supports exist for students working toward grade-level proficiency.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 341%

School 41% · District 54% · ▼ 13 pts below district

▼ 2 pts below state median · ▼ 5 pts below county median

Grade 435%

School 35% · District 42% · ▼ 8 pts below district

▼ 3 pts below state median · ▼ 6 pts below county median

Grade 535%

School 35% · District 44% · ▼ 9 pts below district

▲ 5 pts above state median · ▲ 2 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 333%

School 33% · District 46% · ▼ 13 pts below district

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

Grade 438%

School 38% · District 46% · ▼ 8 pts below district

▼ 4 pts below state median · ▼ 6 pts below county median

Grade 550%

School 50% · District 55% · ▼ 5 pts below district

▲ 5 pts above state median · ▲ 3 pts above county median

Science

Grade 542%

School 42% · District 40% · ▲ 2 pts above district

▲ 14 pts above state median · ▲ 15 pts above county median

This schoolWest Covina 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-income26%Higher-income54%28 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income35%Higher-income53%19 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income44%Higher-income78%34 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income33%Higher-income67%34 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income26%Higher-income73%47 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income28%Higher-income67%38 pp gap