Summary:
Learning in an Urban Community with High Achievement (L.U.C.H.A.) is an elementary school in San Jose, California, serving students from kindergarten to 5th grade. The school has a predominantly Hispanic student population, making up around 92% of the student body, with a significant Asian population as well.
Despite its name, L.U.C.H.A. faces significant challenges, particularly in terms of chronic absenteeism and academic performance. The school has experienced a sharp increase in chronic absenteeism, rising from 6.0% in 2017-2018 to 22.3% in 2022-2023, which is notably higher than nearby schools like Adelante Dual Language Academy II (10.3%), A.J. Dorsa Elementary (25.8%), and San Antonio Elementary (20.4%). Academically, L.U.C.H.A. students consistently perform below the state and district averages in Smarter Balanced Assessments for English Language Arts and Mathematics, with only 27.54% and 15.86% of students, respectively, being proficient or better in these subjects.
The school's struggles are further exacerbated by the high percentage of students from low-income families, with around 78% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. This socioeconomic factor likely contributes to the school's challenges, as evidenced by the consistently low rankings for various student subgroups, such as female students, male students, Hispanic students, English Language Learners, and students from low socioeconomic backgrounds. Despite these challenges, there are some bright spots, such as the 5th-grade students at L.U.C.H.A. performing better in English Language Arts compared to the lower grades, suggesting potential opportunities to learn from their practices and strategies.
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