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Cienega Elementary

Q: Is Cienega Elementary a good school?

Cienega Elementary ranks 3225 th of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-5

3225^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,857 California Elementary Schools

Better than 45% of California elementary schools

Summary

Cienega Elementary is a K-5 public school serving 370 students in the Los Angeles Unified district, located in a high-need area where a large majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.

Academically, the school is on a positive recovery path, improving its statewide ranking significantly over the past few years to the 45th percentile, which distinguishes it from some neighboring schools that have declined or remained stagnant. A notable strength is its effectiveness with Hispanic students, where it ranks in the 62nd percentile. However, challenges remain, including a high chronic absenteeism rate of 28.8%—higher than nearby schools like Marvin Elementary (18.6%) and Baldwin Hills Elementary (17.8%)—and very low science proficiency. Performance also varies sharply by grade, with math scores dropping considerably after 3rd grade.

Compared to other local schools, Cienega's story is one of promising improvement amid ongoing hurdles. Its spending per student is moderate, and it maintains a decent student-teacher ratio. The nearby Stella Elementary Charter Academy, which serves a similar population, outperforms it in math and has better attendance, offering an interesting point of comparison. For Cienega to continue its upward trajectory, targeted efforts to improve daily attendance and strengthen instruction in upper grades and science will be key.

370

Students ?

16.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$26,025

Per pupil spending ?

88.6%

Free/discounted lunch ?

2611 South Orange Dr.
Los Angeles, CA 90016-3515

(323) 939-1138

District: Los Angeles Unified

Students who attend Cienega Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Johnnie Cochran Junior Middle
High:	Susan Miller Dorsey Senior High

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

83.2%

African American:

10.8%

Two or more races:

4.6%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Cienega Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 32nd percentile in 2013 → 45th in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 13 percentile points since 2013

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (35% vs 41% meeting standards)

!High chronic absenteeism (29% vs 19% California)

!Science scores 20 pts below the California average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school35%

District avg39%

California avg41%

3,225^th of 5,857

California public elementary schools ?

Bottom 45%▼ down 1 pts since 2015

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

263^rd of 487Elementary Schools in the Los Angeles Unified

791^st of 1,543Los Angeles Unified among California districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	39.9	3225 of 5857	44.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	29.1	4008 of 5869	31.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	21.2	4732 of 5859	19.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	23.5	4498 of 5883	23.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	36.3	3439 of 5789	40.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	39.8	3161 of 5662	44.2%	★★☆☆☆
2017	38.8	3185 of 5692	44.0%	★★☆☆☆
2016	36.3	3314 of 5614	41.0%	★★☆☆☆
2015	39.6	3033 of 5611	45.9%	★★☆☆☆
2013	33.9	3747 of 5530	32.2%	★★☆☆☆
2012	22.3	4494 of 5390	16.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	32.5	3800 of 5377	29.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	31.6	3738 of 5314	29.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	26.6	3928 of 5193	24.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	28.3	3722 of 5113	27.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	21.0	4218 of 5113	17.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	16.8	4224 of 4818	12.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	16.5	4213 of 4822	12.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	14.8	4352 of 4809	9.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2023	43.0	322 of 661	51.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	41.3	410 of 747	45.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	46.3	332 of 700	52.6%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2019	40.6	1274 of 2585	50.7%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	44.2	1532 of 3162	51.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	28.3	2644 of 3245	18.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	40.6	1765 of 3311	46.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	21.7	3097 of 3275	5.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	21.6	2944 of 3246	9.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	34.3	3527 of 5597	37.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	27.7	4015 of 5612	28.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	27.6	4004 of 5609	28.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	25.4	4175 of 5635	25.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	35.9	3346 of 5492	39.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	33.3	3526 of 5413	34.9%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	55.7	1935 of 5107	62.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	40.7	2921 of 5107	42.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	32.9	3469 of 5087	31.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	38.2	3038 of 5084	40.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	59.2	1738 of 4963	65.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	58.6	1698 of 4830	64.8%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	50.3	2416 of 5460	55.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	36.4	3429 of 5517	37.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	26.5	4195 of 5363	21.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	32.8	3604 of 5264	31.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	48.8	2488 of 5173	51.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	55.7	1992 of 5084	60.8%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	44.7	2831 of 5628	49.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	31.2	3725 of 5643	34.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	17.2	4975 of 5638	11.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	22.6	4461 of 5663	21.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	38.1	3180 of 5510	42.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	46.9	2637 of 5431	51.4%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	36.8	1612 of 2847	43.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	49.1	943 of 2420	61.0%	★★★☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Hispanic (2025)62nd percentile+17 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)56th percentile+11 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)52nd percentile+20 vs school

African American (2023)51st percentile+32 vs school

Disabled (2019)51st percentile+10 vs school

Male (2025)50th percentile+5 vs school

Special Education (2025)43rd percentile~ school

Female (2025)37th percentile-8 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy42%-7 vs state

Mathematics37%~ state avg

Science12%-20 vs state

★

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Schools Near Cienega Elementary

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Immunizations Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				CAST Science (2025)			Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy (2025)							Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2025)							% Completely Immunized (2022)	% Polio (2022)	% Hepatitis B (2022)	% Varicella (2022)	% DTP (2022)	% MMR (2022)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	CAST Science 5th Grade	CAST Science 8th Grade	CAST Science All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 3rd Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 4th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 5th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 6th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 7th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 8th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 3rd Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 4th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 5th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 6th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 7th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 8th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics All Grades	% Completely Immunized KG	% Polio KG	% Hepatitis B KG	% Varicella KG	% DTP KG	% MMR KG	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Cienega Elementary	Public	K-5	2611 South Orange Dr.	Los Angeles	90016	Los Angeles County	Los Angeles Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(323) 939-1138	370	22	16.8	88.6%	5 (1.4%)	40 (10.8%)	308 (83.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (4.6%)	39.9	3225^th of 5857 public elementary schools	44.9%		29.1	4008^th of 5869 public elementary schools	31.7%	783	12.3		12.3	46.0	47.9	31.6				41.7	52.4	33.3	22.8				36.9	94.8				96.9		$26,025	$5,110	$20,915
Stella Elementary Charter Academy	Public, Charter	K-4	2636 S. Mansfield Ave.	Los Angeles	90016	Los Angeles County	Stella Elementary Charter Academy District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(213) 340-6700	258	12	21.5	91.9%	0 (0.0%)	50 (19.4%)	195 (75.6%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (4.3%)	58.3	2154^th of 5857 public elementary schools	63.2%		40.2	3167^th of 5869 public elementary schools	46.0%	1013				44.2	40.9					42.5	78.6	38.6					58.1	96.6				96.6		$24,906	$1,169	$23,737
Marvin Elementary	Public	K-5	2411 Marvin Ave.	Los Angeles	90016	Los Angeles County	Los Angeles Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(323) 938-3608	503	23	21.8	91.3%	14 (2.8%)	43 (8.5%)	427 (84.9%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (3.4%)	60.5	2041^st of 5857 public elementary schools	65.2%		62.7	1949^th of 5869 public elementary schools	66.8%	92	21.7		21.7	50.6	66.7	54.4				56.8	48.9	56.0	38.0				47.1	94.1	96.1	97.1	97.1	96.1	97.1	$27,203	$5,597	$21,606
Virginia Road Elementary	Public	K-5	2925 Virginia Rd.	Los Angeles	90016	Los Angeles County	Los Angeles Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(323) 735-0570	217	13	16.6	95.4%	0 (0.0%)	64 (29.5%)	146 (67.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (3.2%)	60.4	2043^rd of 5857 public elementary schools	65.1%		49	2611^th of 5869 public elementary schools	55.5%	568	21.4		21.4	53.1	37.5	50.0				46.7	65.6	50.0	55.2				57.0	90.6	96.2	96.2	96.2	90.6		$33,488	$7,986	$25,502
Baldwin Hills Elementary	Public	K-5	5421 Rodeo Rd.	Los Angeles	90016	Los Angeles County	Los Angeles Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(323) 937-7223	417	21	19.8	76.3%	13 (3.1%)	314 (75.3%)	59 (14.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	30 (7.2%)	40.1	3211^th of 5857 public elementary schools	45.2%		48.8	2628^th of 5869 public elementary schools	55.2%	583	17.7		17.7	36.2	52.5	35.5				41.2	42.0	40.3	27.4				36.8	96.5	96.5			96.5		$22,934	$3,616	$19,318
Saturn Street Elementary	Public	K-5	5360 Saturn St.	Los Angeles	90019	Los Angeles County	Los Angeles Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(323) 931-1688	277	16	17.3	92.4%	12 (4.3%)	34 (12.3%)	214 (77.3%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (5.8%)	49.6	2614^th of 5857 public elementary schools	55.4%		32.8	3707^th of 5869 public elementary schools	36.8%	1093	26.0		26.0	37.5	52.9	41.2				43.2	51.2	55.9	32.0				44.8	85.5	88.7	95.2	88.7	87.1	88.7	$35,432	$7,381	$28,051
Coliseum Street Elementary	Public	K-5	4400 Coliseum St.	Los Angeles	90016	Los Angeles County	Los Angeles Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(323) 294-5244	218	13	16.7	97.2%	4 (1.8%)	107 (49.1%)	97 (44.5%)	2 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (3.7%)	24.5	4454^th of 5857 public elementary schools	24.0%		12.5	5523^rd of 5869 public elementary schools	5.9%	1069	17.9		17.9	11.1	28.0	46.4				28.8	18.5	40.0	14.3				23.8	92.9				92.9		$39,712	$7,683	$32,029
Alta Loma Elementary	Public	K-5	1745 Vineyard Ave.	Los Angeles	90019	Los Angeles County	Los Angeles Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(323) 939-2113	381	22	17.3	89.8%	12 (3.1%)	42 (11.0%)	309 (81.1%)	3 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (3.9%)	29.1	4028^th of 5857 public elementary schools	31.2%		31.7	3799^th of 5869 public elementary schools	35.3%	229	18.8		18.8	28.6	38.6	39.7				35.5	33.3	24.1	25.0				27.6							$31,892	$6,322	$25,570
New Los Angeles Charter Elementary	Public, Charter	K-5	5753 Obama Blvd.	Los Angeles	90016	Los Angeles County	New Los Angeles Charter Elementary District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(323) 556-9500	160	8	21.3	78.1%	11 (6.9%)	45 (28.1%)	98 (61.3%)	1 (0.6%)	1 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (2.5%)	39	3286^th of 5857 public elementary schools	43.9%		38	3305^th of 5869 public elementary schools	43.7%	19	24.0		24.0	50.0	38.5	31.8				40.3	45.8	38.5	16.0				33.3	90.0			90.0		90.0	$24,531	$1,963	$22,568
ISANA Nascent Academy	Public, Charter	K-8	3417 West Jefferson Blvd.	Los Angeles	90018	Los Angeles County	ISANA Nascent Academy District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(323) 732-6613	488	24	20.2	94.9%	1 (0.2%)	119 (24.4%)	354 (72.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	12 (2.5%)	21.1	4732^nd of 5857 public elementary schools	19.2%		15.6	5253^rd of 5869 public elementary schools	10.5%	521	21.2	16.7	18.9	30.5	25.0	38.5	26.7	34.0	47.2	33.7	28.3	14.3	19.2	8.9	15.1	13.0	16.9							$21,769	$4,208	$17,561

Frequently Asked Questions about Cienega Elementary

Is Cienega Elementary a good school?

Cienega Elementary ranks 3225^th of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What schools do graduates of Cienega Elementary attend?

Students who attend Cienega Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Johnnie Cochran Junior Middle
High : Susan Miller Dorsey Senior High

What district is Cienega Elementary in?

Los Angeles Unified

What is the racial makeup of Cienega Elementary?

Students at Cienega Elementary are 83% Hispanic, 11% African American, 5% Two or more races, 1% White.

How many students attend Cienega Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 370 students attended Cienega Elementary.

Rate Cienega Elementary!

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the California Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.