University Park Elementary, Irvine CA

Original Research by School Decision on University Park Elementary

University Park Elementary serves students from kindergarten through sixth grade in Irvine, a planned community known for a robust economy and strong public services. The school enrolls a small to mid-sized population, with a diverse student body. About one-third of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, and the school draws from a neighborhood that is roughly equally Asian, White, and Hispanic, with smaller populations of other backgrounds.

The most recent state assessment data shows proficiency rates that are mixed. In third grade, where students show the strongest performance, the school's math proficiency is solid. By fourth grade, math proficiency drops noticeably and stays below where third-graders performed, before recovering partially in fifth and sixth grades. English language arts is similarly uneven: third grade shows lower proficiency, fourth grade is the weakest point across grades tested, and performance improves in the upper grades, with sixth grade proficiency notably higher than fourth. Science proficiency, available for fifth grade only, is near the midpoint. Overall, the school's average proficiency across tested subjects and grade levels sits above the midpoint relative to other schools in Orange County's districts, but the grade-to-grade variation within this school suggests that transitions in the middle years may warrant attention. A parent may want to discuss with the school what specific factors drive the performance dip in fourth and fourth-grade English and what supports are in place to help students in that span.

Irvine Unified, the parent district, is undergoing several changes that affect families with children at any grade level. The district has raised high school graduation credit requirements for the class of 2027 onward and is implementing an ethnic studies graduation requirement beginning fall 2025. For elementary families looking ahead, the district is also planning a high school attendance boundary change in the 2028-29 school year that would reassign younger students in the Woodbury area from Portola High School to Irvine High School in response to rapid growth. Separately, the district is spending down a voter-approved facilities bond to modernize aging schools; this program is upgrading science labs, classrooms, and other spaces across the district.

The housing market around University Park Elementary reflects Irvine's overall character. Home values are high, substantially above the state benchmark. Rents are also elevated, with month-to-month costs putting rental affordability at about half of household income for a median earner. Mortgage costs at current interest rates are steep relative to income. This is a neighborhood and a school set within a high-cost area, typical of Irvine's position as a planned, professionally managed community with significant corporate presence, including UC Irvine as the largest employer, along with technology firms, aerospace, healthcare systems, and entertainment companies.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 374%

School 74% · District 73% · ▲ 2 pts above district

▲ 31 pts above state median · ▲ 18 pts above county median

Grade 451%

School 51% · District 72% · ▼ 21 pts below district

▲ 13 pts above state median · ▼ 3 pts below county median

Grade 557%

School 57% · District 66% · ▼ 9 pts below district

▲ 26 pts above state median · ▲ 11 pts above county median

Grade 662%

School 62% · District 73% · ▼ 10 pts below district

▲ 32 pts above state median · ▲ 16 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 353%

School 53% · District 68% · ▼ 15 pts below district

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

Grade 445%

School 45% · District 73% · ▼ 28 pts below district

▲ 3 pts above state median · ▼ 9 pts below county median

Grade 567%

School 67% · District 75% · ▼ 8 pts below district

▲ 22 pts above state median · ▲ 9 pts above county median

Grade 668%

School 68% · District 76% · ▼ 8 pts below district

▲ 24 pts above state median · ▲ 8 pts above county median

Science

Grade 549%

School 49% · District 65% · ▼ 15 pts below district

▲ 21 pts above state median · ▲ 9 pts above county median

This schoolIrvine 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-income38%Higher-income61%23 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income29%Higher-income56%26 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income47%Higher-income76%28 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income54%Higher-income77%23 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income55%Higher-income84%30 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income44%Higher-income55%11 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income33%Higher-income67%33 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income43%Higher-income75%32 pp gap