Walnut Grove Intermediate, West Covina CA

Original Research by School Decision on Walnut Grove Intermediate

Walnut Grove Intermediate sits in the middle of West Covina, a large, car-dependent San Gabriel Valley suburb built out as a family-oriented collection of residential neighborhoods separated from commercial corridors. The school serves grades seven and eight within West Covina Unified, drawing students from the surrounding area in a district that has also established an International Baccalaureate continuum and dual-language immersion options at other campuses.

The student body at Walnut Grove Intermediate is predominantly Hispanic, with a substantial Asian enrollment, and a large majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. This composition reflects the neighborhood's character and economic landscape. The school enrolls a small student population for its grade band, concentrated in the two middle grades.

In terms of academic performance, the school shows low proficiency across state-tested subjects. In math, students at both grade seven and eight are below where California proficiency standards would typically place them. English language arts performance is somewhat stronger, with eighth graders reaching a higher proficiency rate than seventh graders, though still below state norms across both grades. Eighth grade science proficiency was notably low. The school's overall proficiency index places it in the bottom quartile among Los Angeles County districts serving these grades. A parent looking at these results should recognize that many students are not yet meeting grade-level standards in core subjects and may want to dig deeper with the school about remediation pathways, support structures, and the specific help available for students who are behind. State testing data for prior years were not available to assess whether performance has been changing.

West Covina as a place is a mature, built suburb of midcentury and newer residential tracts separated from retail centers, with everyday life requiring a car. The city has pursued infill development and downtown revitalization; recent projects include new townhome communities and a pending large redevelopment of a former school site. The civic center anchors public life, and bus transit through Foothill Transit (headquartered in the city) serves key destinations, though there is no walkable downtown in the traditional sense. The housing market in the area is substantial in value and rental costs are moderately high relative to median income in the region. Healthcare, retail, and education anchor the local economy.

The school offers dual enrollment, giving students a pathway to begin earning college credit while still in middle school. Beyond that, limited program information was publicly available. A parent interested in learning more about course offerings, electives, support services, or extracurricular activities would want to contact the school directly or visit its website.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 729%

School 29% · District 30% · ▼ 1 pts below district

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

Grade 829%

School 29% · District 27% · ▲ 2 pts above district

▲ 2 pts above state median · even with county median

English language arts

Grade 735%

School 35% · District 43% · ▼ 7 pts below district

▼ 10 pts below state median · ▼ 10 pts below county median

Grade 843%

School 43% · District 41% · ▲ 1 pts above district

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

Science

Grade 818%

School 18% · District 24% · ▼ 5 pts below district

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

Social studies

Grade 846%

School 46% · District 61% · ▼ 15 pts below district

▼ 3 pts below state median · ▼ 2 pts below 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 8Lower-income37%Higher-income71%34 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 8Lower-income25%Higher-income52%27 pp gap