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Ernest Lawrence Middle

Q: Is Ernest Lawrence Middle a good school?

Ernest Lawrence Middle ranks 942 nd of 2761 California middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

942^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,761 California Middle Schools

Better than 66% of California middle schools

Summary

Ernest Lawrence Middle is a large public school serving grades 6-8 in Chatsworth, CA, with over 1,000 students, and it consistently performs above average for a school with its student population's level of economic need.

The school is on an upward trend, recently improving its statewide ranking to the 66th percentile, and its students perform slightly better than the California average in English and Science. Compared to other nearby schools in the Los Angeles Unified district with similar challenges, like John A. Sutter Middle or Canoga Park Middle, Ernest Lawrence achieves significantly stronger academic results. The school shows particular strengths in supporting its African American and Special Education students, who perform very well.

Areas for potential growth include reducing chronic student absences, which are higher than the state average, and increasing support for English Language Learners. While the school operates efficiently with its resources, its performance is notably surpassed by some area schools with lower absence rates and less economic need, such as Robert Frost Middle and the high-performing Alfred B. Nobel Charter Middle.

1,076

Students ?

20.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$19,209

Per pupil spending ?

69.7%

Free/discounted lunch ?

10100 Variel Ave.
Chatsworth, CA 91311-3050

(818) 678-7900

District: Los Angeles Unified

Students who attend Ernest Lawrence Middle usually attend:

High:

Chatsworth Charter High

Feeder schools for Ernest Lawrence Middle:

Elementary:	Chatsworth Park Elementary School Urban Planning/Community Development Magnet
	Germain Academy For Academic Achievement
	Limerick Avenue Elementary
	Nevada Avenue Elementary
	More...
	Superior Street Elementary

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

57.3%

Asian:

20.6%

White:

12.9%

See top rated California middle schools

Compare Ernest Lawrence Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 60th percentile in 2013 → 66th in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 6 percentile points since 2013

✓Among the top-ranked schools in Los Angeles Unified

✓Above the California median (66th percentile)

Worth a look

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school43%

District avg39%

California avg41%

942^nd of 2,761

California public middle schools ?

Top 34%▼ down 5 pts since 2015

From top 29% (2015) to top 34% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

18^th of 83Middle 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	58.4	942 of 2761	65.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	50.5	1155 of 2783	58.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	54.4	1043 of 2781	62.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	61.0	877 of 2740	68.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	64.8	798 of 2715	70.6%	★★★★☆
2018	70.4	637 of 2480	74.3%	★★★★☆
2017	65.0	777 of 2508	69.0%	★★★☆☆
2016	60.0	876 of 2497	64.9%	★★★☆☆
2015	66.5	728 of 2477	70.6%	★★★★☆
2013	57.4	954 of 2379	59.9%	★★★☆☆
2012	59.7	827 of 2259	63.4%	★★★☆☆
2011	64.7	691 of 2236	69.1%	★★★☆☆
2010	62.6	720 of 2179	67.0%	★★★☆☆
2009	61.7	706 of 2063	65.8%	★★★☆☆
2008	62.0	659 of 2005	67.1%	★★★☆☆
2007	56.1	760 of 1999	62.0%	★★★☆☆
2006	55.8	707 of 1804	60.8%	★★★☆☆
2005	54.4	713 of 1777	59.9%	★★★☆☆
2004	51.5	761 of 1769	57.0%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	81.9	70 of 609	88.5%	★★★★☆
2024	58.4	210 of 627	66.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	75.4	115 of 637	81.9%	★★★★☆
2019	60.0	224 of 643	65.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	73.2	118 of 600	80.3%	★★★★☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	70.3	247 of 739	66.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	65.9	293 of 743	60.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	66.4	275 of 715	61.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	64.3	303 of 733	58.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	71.3	234 of 745	68.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	76.9	142 of 700	79.7%	★★★★☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	49.0	575 of 1531	62.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	53.1	508 of 1491	65.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	47.1	537 of 1369	60.8%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	34.5	980 of 1478	33.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	32.0	1118 of 1521	26.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	29.7	1265 of 1540	17.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	31.5	1040 of 1442	27.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	31.5	923 of 1364	32.3%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	59.9	840 of 2533	66.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	50.9	1039 of 2551	59.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	54.7	944 of 2531	62.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	62.9	759 of 2509	69.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	59.4	846 of 2380	64.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	68.6	625 of 2262	72.4%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	44.3	1206 of 2395	49.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	33.8	1507 of 2388	36.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	35.1	1442 of 2374	39.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	43.0	1188 of 2359	49.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	34.4	1418 of 2213	35.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	48.9	941 of 2072	54.6%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	55.0	917 of 2542	63.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	41.9	1304 of 2579	49.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	45.1	1170 of 2531	53.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	55.5	857 of 2458	65.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	52.9	930 of 2369	60.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	58.9	729 of 2230	67.3%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	54.7	972 of 2534	61.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	49.0	1105 of 2552	56.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	52.8	982 of 2538	61.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	58.2	843 of 2527	66.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	67.1	662 of 2407	72.5%	★★★★☆
2018	69.4	594 of 2273	73.9%	★★★★☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	40.4	439 of 726	39.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	30.4	497 of 701	29.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	57.5	300 of 677	55.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	50.5	338 of 665	49.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	48.3	321 of 554	42.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	62.8	190 of 462	58.9%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	55.1	470 of 1566	70.0%	★★★★☆
2024	40.5	765 of 1552	50.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	40.3	760 of 1531	50.4%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	50.4	750 of 1520	50.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	41.5	872 of 1537	43.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	47.9	781 of 1543	49.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	56.1	651 of 1555	58.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	73.9	380 of 1602	76.3%	★★★★☆
2018	67.3	484 of 1496	67.6%	★★★☆☆

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)

African American (2025)89th percentile+23 vs school

Special Education (2025)70th percentile+4 vs school

Female (2025)67th percentile~ school

Asian (2025)67th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)64th percentile~ school

Disabled (2022)62nd percentile-6 vs school

Male (2025)62nd percentile-4 vs school

White (2025)51st percentile-15 vs school

Hispanic (2025)50th percentile-16 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)40th percentile-26 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)34th percentile-25 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy51%~ state avg

Mathematics37%~ state avg

Science33%~ state avg

★

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Schools Near Ernest Lawrence Middle

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores 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)				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 8th Grade	CAST Science All Grades	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 6th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 7th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 8th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Ernest Lawrence Middle	Public	6-8	10100 Variel Ave.	Chatsworth	91311	Los Angeles County	Los Angeles Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(818) 678-7900	1,076	52	20.8	69.7%	139 (12.9%)	46 (4.3%)	617 (57.3%)	222 (20.6%)	2 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	50 (4.6%)	58.4	942^nd of 2761 public middle schools	65.9%		50.5	1155^th of 2783 public middle schools	58.5%	213	32.7	32.7	53.1	51.8	49.0	51.3	40.7	37.8	33.2	37.2	$19,209	$3,434	$15,775
Alfred B. Nobel Charter Middle	Public, Charter	6-8	9950 Tampa Ave.	Northridge	91324	Los Angeles County	Los Angeles Unified	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(818) 773-4700	1,784	78	22.7	57.1%	400 (22.4%)	86 (4.8%)	847 (47.5%)	353 (19.8%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.2%)	95 (5.3%)	92.4	212^th of 2761 public middle schools	92.3%		93.8	191^st of 2783 public middle schools	93.1%	21	52.2	52.2	72.3	75.0	73.7	73.7	68.5	68.7	61.4	66.2	$18,034	$2,618	$15,416
Canoga Park Middle	Public	6-8	22250 Elkwood St.	Canoga Park	91304	Los Angeles County	Los Angeles Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(818) 702-1200	579	34	17.0	91.7%	29 (5.0%)	14 (2.4%)	487 (84.1%)	37 (6.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	11 (1.9%)	21.5	2168^th of 2761 public middle schools	21.5%		16.9	2401^st of 2783 public middle schools	13.7%	233	21.4	21.4	24.5	21.5	34.1	27.4	14.6	10.2	20.0	15.4	$25,863	$4,505	$21,358
John A. Sutter Middle	Public	6-8	7330 Winnetka Ave.	Canoga Park	91306	Los Angeles County	Los Angeles Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(818) 773-5800	763	50	15.2	92.4%	35 (4.6%)	26 (3.4%)	619 (81.1%)	72 (9.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	10 (1.3%)	22.6	2128^th of 2761 public middle schools	22.9%		21.2	2213^th of 2783 public middle schools	20.5%	85	13.7	13.7	27.5	22.3	32.4	27.5	20.6	17.7	24.9	21.1	$22,818	$4,376	$18,442
Ingenium Charter Middle	Public, Charter	6-8	7330 Winnetka Ave.	Winnetka	91306	Los Angeles County	Ingenium Charter Middle District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(818) 309-2777	179	10	18.6	96.6%	4 (2.2%)	8 (4.5%)	161 (89.9%)	4 (2.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.6%)	1 (0.6%)	12	2550^th of 2761 public middle schools	7.6%		17.9	2350^th of 2783 public middle schools	15.6%	200	6.7	6.7	10.9	20.6	20.9	17.4	10.7	16.7	11.1	13.2	$24,283	$2,223	$22,060
James Jordan Middle	Public, Charter	6-8	18600 Lanark St.	Reseda	91335	Los Angeles County	James Jordan Middle District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(818) 882-2496	456	18	25.0	87.1%	6 (1.3%)	11 (2.4%)	418 (91.7%)	12 (2.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (2.0%)	62.6	839^th of 2761 public middle schools	69.6%		66.4	754^th of 2783 public middle schools	72.9%	85	38.6	38.6	48.4	58.2	57.9	54.7	29.7	43.8	38.6	37.2	$18,733	$1,437	$17,296
Northridge Middle	Public	6-8	17960 Chase St.	Northridge	91325	Los Angeles County	Los Angeles Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(818) 678-5100	670	40	16.6	94.8%	42 (6.3%)	21 (3.1%)	543 (81.0%)	46 (6.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (2.7%)	22.5	2134^th of 2761 public middle schools	22.7%		18.9	2302^nd of 2783 public middle schools	17.3%	168	14.5	14.5	31.8	35.2	33.8	33.8	14.0	19.3	12.1	15.3	$26,157	$5,690	$20,467
Patrick Henry Middle	Public	6-8	17340 San Jose St.	Granada Hills	91344	Los Angeles County	Los Angeles Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(818) 832-3870	1,053	59	17.9	76.2%	124 (11.8%)	43 (4.1%)	765 (72.6%)	75 (7.1%)	2 (0.2%)	2 (0.2%)	42 (4.0%)	59.8	911^th of 2761 public middle schools	67.0%		50	1173^rd of 2783 public middle schools	57.9%	262	31.6	31.6	55.1	49.7	52.8	52.5	50.0	32.1	34.8	38.7	$22,989	$3,956	$19,033
Oliver Wendell Holmes Middle	Public	6-8	9351 Paso Robles Ave.	Northridge	91325	Los Angeles County	Los Angeles Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(818) 678-4100	870	42	20.4	75.1%	107 (12.3%)	37 (4.3%)	594 (68.3%)	87 (10.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	45 (5.2%)	85.5	361^st of 2761 public middle schools	86.9%		79.1	498^th of 2783 public middle schools	82.1%	137	39.9	39.9	70.7	68.1	61.1	66.5	68.5	60.2	59.0	62.5	$22,710	$4,006	$18,704
Robert Frost Middle	Public	6-8	12314 Bradford Pl.	Granada Hills	91344	Los Angeles County	Los Angeles Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(818) 832-6900	1,505	63	23.8	54.1%	498 (33.1%)	49 (3.3%)	749 (49.8%)	138 (9.2%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	70 (4.7%)	91.7	232^nd of 2761 public middle schools	91.6%		91	257^th of 2783 public middle schools	90.8%	25	55.0	55.0	74.6	78.2	69.5	74.2	65.4	60.7	58.9	61.8	$17,892	$2,895	$14,997

Frequently Asked Questions about Ernest Lawrence Middle

What district is Ernest Lawrence Middle in?

Los Angeles Unified

How many students attend Ernest Lawrence Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,076 students attended Ernest Lawrence Middle.

What high school do graduates of Ernest Lawrence Middle attend?

Students who attend Ernest Lawrence Middle usually go on to attend Chatsworth Charter High

What is the racial makeup of Ernest Lawrence Middle?

Students at Ernest Lawrence Middle are 57% Hispanic, 21% Asian, 13% White, 5% Two or more races, 4% African American.

Is Ernest Lawrence Middle a good school?

Ernest Lawrence Middle ranks 942^nd of 2761 California middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Rate Ernest Lawrence Middle!

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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.