Best Public Schools in Los Angeles, CA

The city of Los Angeles, California is home to 569 schools, including 331 elementary schools, 79 middle schools, 146 high schools, and 13 alternative schools. These schools serve students across a diverse range of neighborhoods and socioeconomic backgrounds.

Some standout schools in the area include Warner Avenue Elementary, which ranked 240th out of 5,862 California elementary schools and received a 5-star rating from SchoolDigger. It had exceptional test scores, with 76-86% of students proficient or better in English Language Arts and Mathematics. Another high-performing school is Downtown Business High, which ranked 171st out of 2,323 California high schools and received a 5-star rating, with 84% of 11th graders proficient or better in English Language Arts and 60% in Mathematics. In contrast, Orthopaedic Hospital high school, while still performing well, ranked 492nd out of 2,323 California high schools and received a 4-star rating, with 76% of 11th graders proficient or better in English Language Arts and 33% in Mathematics.

The majority of schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District had a 4-year graduation rate of 86.4% and a dropout rate of 8.9%. However, there was a wide range in test score performance, with some standout schools having over 80% of students proficient or better in certain subjects, while lower-performing schools had less than 20% proficiency. This highlights significant inequities in educational opportunities and resources across the district. The data also reveals a strong correlation between socioeconomic status and academic achievement, with schools serving higher-poverty communities generally performing worse on standardized tests.