Best Public Schools in Palmdale, CA

The city of Palmdale, California is home to 44 schools spanning elementary, middle, high, and alternative education, spread across several school districts including Antelope Valley Union High, Palmdale Aerospace Academy District, Palmdale Elementary, Antelope Valley Learning Academy District, Westside Union Elementary, Keppel Union Elementary, and Wilsona Elementary.

A few schools stand out in the data, including Palmdale Aerospace Academy, a public charter school with an impressive 93.8% four-year graduation rate, significantly higher than the district and state averages. It also outperforms the state in English Language Arts and Mathematics proficiency across multiple grade levels. Another standout is Gregg Anderson Academy, a Westside Union Elementary school that ranks in the top 1,000 elementary schools in California and has strong academic performance, with 70%+ proficiency rates in ELA and Math. Similarly, Hillview Middle, also in the Westside Union district, ranks in the top 1,000 middle schools in the state and has very high proficiency rates, exceeding the district and state averages.

However, the data also reveals significant disparities in academic performance and other key metrics across the schools. For example, while Palmdale Aerospace Academy excels, many other schools serving higher-poverty communities, such as those in the Palmdale Elementary and Keppel Union districts, tend to have lower test scores, higher chronic absenteeism, and other indicators of academic struggle. The data suggests that factors like student-teacher ratios and the presence of magnet and charter schools may play a role in these disparities.