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Zela Davis

Q: Is Zela Davis a good school?

Zela Davis ranks 3446 th of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-5

3446^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,857 California Elementary Schools

Better than 41% of California elementary schools

Summary

Zela Davis is a large public elementary school serving 843 students in grades K-5 within the Hawthorne School District, operating in a community with significant economic need where over 93% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.

Academically, the school performs below state averages, with particular challenges in science and a notable drop in English scores by 5th grade; however, its math performance is competitive with nearby district schools like Jefferson and Kornblum. A critical concern is chronic absenteeism, with a rate of 30.8% that is the highest among its Hawthorne peers and is strongly correlated with its academic struggles, especially when compared to higher-performing schools like Washington and Ramona which have much better attendance.

The school shows dramatic variation in how it serves different groups of students, demonstrating a critical need for improved special education support while also showing notable strengths with some student subgroups. Compared to schools in neighboring districts like Lawndale Elementary, Zela Davis outperforms F. D. Roosevelt Elementary but lags behind higher-ranked schools such as Mark Twain Elementary.

843

Students ?

26.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$25,778

Per pupil spending ?

93.6%

Free/discounted lunch ?

13435 South Yukon Ave.
Hawthorne, CA 90250-6228

(310) 679-1771

District: Hawthorne

Students who attend Zela Davis usually attend:

Middle:	Bud Carson Middle
High:	Hawthorne High
	Lawndale High
	Leuzinger High

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

64.1%

African American:

28.2%

Asian:

3.0%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Zela Davis to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 47th percentile in 2013 → 41st in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (34% vs 41% meeting standards)

!High chronic absenteeism (31% vs 19% California)

!Ranking has slipped — down 6 percentile points since 2013

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school34%

District avg36%

California avg41%

3,446^th of 5,857

California public elementary schools ?

Bottom 41%▬ steady since 2015

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

6^th of 7Elementary Schools in the Hawthorne

735^th of 1,543Hawthorne 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	36.5	3446 of 5857	41.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	34.3	3576 of 5869	39.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	36.0	3428 of 5859	41.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	33.1	3610 of 5883	38.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	32.1	3767 of 5789	34.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	48.1	2655 of 5662	53.1%	★★★☆☆
2017	43.1	2919 of 5692	48.7%	★★☆☆☆
2016	32.5	3564 of 5614	36.5%	★★☆☆☆
2015	35.2	3312 of 5611	41.0%	★★☆☆☆
2013	46.0	2926 of 5530	47.1%	★★☆☆☆
2012	50.8	2568 of 5390	52.4%	★★★☆☆
2011	39.2	3306 of 5377	38.5%	★★☆☆☆
2010	42.5	3021 of 5314	43.2%	★★☆☆☆
2009	38.9	3118 of 5193	40.0%	★★☆☆☆
2008	39.9	2951 of 5113	42.3%	★★☆☆☆
2007	36.5	3142 of 5113	38.5%	★★☆☆☆
2006	31.6	3197 of 4818	33.6%	★★☆☆☆
2004	29.5	3278 of 4809	31.8%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	80.1	78 of 569	86.3%	★★★★☆
2024	84.1	58 of 593	90.2%	★★★★★
2023	85.3	56 of 661	91.5%	★★★★★
2022	79.4	86 of 663	87.0%	★★★★☆
2019	81.2	89 of 747	88.1%	★★★★☆
2018	85.5	57 of 700	91.9%	★★★★★

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2019	21.4	2272 of 2585	12.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	29.6	1465 of 2128	31.2%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	48.2	1290 of 3162	59.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	43.5	1580 of 3245	51.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	49.3	1229 of 3311	62.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	31.0	2413 of 3275	26.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	49.2	1290 of 3246	60.3%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	42.0	2959 of 5597	47.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	37.4	3235 of 5612	42.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	38.6	3102 of 5609	44.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	33.4	3463 of 5635	38.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	29.0	3906 of 5492	28.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	47.7	2614 of 5413	51.7%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	45.0	2647 of 5107	48.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	42.7	2793 of 5107	45.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	43.3	2651 of 5087	47.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	42.5	2706 of 5084	46.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	37.8	3108 of 4963	37.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	58.5	1705 of 4830	64.7%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	50.4	2408 of 5460	55.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	44.6	2773 of 5517	49.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	50.3	2347 of 5363	56.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	49.2	2327 of 5264	55.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	49.2	2453 of 5173	52.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	64.6	1471 of 5084	71.1%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	32.2	3681 of 5628	34.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	32.0	3647 of 5643	35.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	33.6	3497 of 5638	38.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	33.4	3509 of 5663	38.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	35.3	3374 of 5510	38.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	48.0	2574 of 5431	52.6%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	27.1	2181 of 2847	23.4%	★☆☆☆☆

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)86th percentile+45 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)59th percentile+20 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)56th percentile+15 vs school

Hispanic (2025)48th percentile+7 vs school

Female (2025)47th percentile+6 vs school

Male (2025)35th percentile-7 vs school

Special Education (2025)23rd percentile-18 vs school

Disabled (2019)12th percentile-23 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy37%-12 vs state

Mathematics35%~ state avg

Science19%-13 vs state

★

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Schools Near Zela Davis

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

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 (2025)
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
Zela Davis	Public	K-5	13435 South Yukon Ave.	Hawthorne	90250	Los Angeles County	Hawthorne	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(310) 679-1771	843	32	26.3	93.6%	11 (1.3%)	238 (28.2%)	540 (64.1%)	25 (3.0%)	2 (0.2%)	5 (0.6%)	22 (2.6%)	36.5	3446^th of 5857 public elementary schools	41.2%		34.3	3576^th of 5869 public elementary schools	39.1%	130	19.4		19.4	43.8	38.2	29.2				37.0	40.3	31.1	34.5				35.4	97.0			98.2		97.6	$25,778	$21,536	$4,242
Kornblum	Public	K-5	3620 West El Segundo Blvd.	Hawthorne	90250	Los Angeles County	Hawthorne	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(310) 970-4294	566	20	28.3	93.5%	7 (1.2%)	145 (25.6%)	397 (70.1%)	6 (1.1%)	2 (0.4%)	3 (0.5%)	6 (1.1%)	38.4	3317^th of 5857 public elementary schools	43.4%		20.6	4802^nd of 5869 public elementary schools	18.2%	1485	24.8		24.8	43.8	32.2	44.8				40.4	35.4	29.9	33.3				32.9	93.8				96.3	96.3	$26,938	$22,696	$4,242
Jefferson	Public	K-5	4091 West 139th St.	Hawthorne	90250	Los Angeles County	Hawthorne	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(310) 676-9423	549	19	28.8	89.3%	23 (4.2%)	81 (14.8%)	384 (69.9%)	25 (4.6%)	2 (0.4%)	9 (1.6%)	25 (4.6%)	36.7	3427^th of 5857 public elementary schools	41.5%		42.6	3030^th of 5869 public elementary schools	48.4%	397	17.5		17.5	45.0	40.7	30.0				38.0	48.2	41.9	17.7				34.8	96.0	97.3			97.3		$26,514	$22,556	$3,958
Washington	Public	K-5	4339 West 129th St.	Hawthorne	90250	Los Angeles County	Hawthorne	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(310) 676-3422	418	18	23.8	90.2%	19 (4.5%)	68 (16.3%)	298 (71.3%)	16 (3.8%)	1 (0.2%)	6 (1.4%)	10 (2.4%)	58.5	2144^th of 5857 public elementary schools	63.4%		42.3	3047^th of 5869 public elementary schools	48.1%	903	31.0		31.0	55.4	42.3	55.7				50.5	61.4	44.3	36.6				46.4	94.1	94.1			94.1		$33,244	$27,654	$5,590
Purche Avenue Elementary	Public	K-5	13210 Purche Ave.	Gardena	90249	Los Angeles County	Los Angeles Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(310) 323-3184	373	21	17.7	90.1%	2 (0.5%)	175 (46.9%)	138 (37.0%)	7 (1.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	50 (13.4%)	25.9	4319^th of 5857 public elementary schools	26.3%		23.7	4491^st of 5869 public elementary schools	23.5%	172	21.2		21.2	32.8	23.2	28.9				28.1	37.5	23.2	26.9				29.2							$54,721	$50,226	$4,495
F. D. Roosevelt Elementary	Public	K-5	3533 West Marine Blvd.	Lawndale	90260	Los Angeles County	Lawndale Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(310) 675-1121	396	16	24.7	90.7%	8 (2.0%)	72 (18.2%)	283 (71.5%)	11 (2.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (5.6%)	23.5	4547^th of 5857 public elementary schools	22.4%		34.2	3587^th of 5869 public elementary schools	38.9%	960	13.3		13.3	33.9	26.5	39.3				33.0	28.4	22.4	18.3				23.2							$41,278	$34,984	$6,294
Bennett/Kew Leadership Academy of Excellence	Public	K-8	11710 South Cherry Ave.	Inglewood	90303	Los Angeles County	Inglewood Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(310) 680-5400	487	18	26.9	92.2%	7 (1.4%)	129 (26.5%)	332 (68.2%)	6 (1.2%)	4 (0.8%)	3 (0.6%)	6 (1.2%)	32.4	3771^st of 5857 public elementary schools	35.6%		32.2	3765^th of 5869 public elementary schools	35.8%	6	14.3	26.8	19.2	20.8	46.7	33.3	22.0	31.3	57.5	35.3	38.2	50.8	27.0	15.9	18.2	22.0	30.6	94.3	96.2	96.2	96.2	96.2		$18,895	$15,624	$3,271
York	Public	K-5	11838 South York Ave.	Hawthorne	90250	Los Angeles County	Hawthorne	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(310) 675-1189	449	24	18.7	91.1%	10 (2.2%)	83 (18.5%)	335 (74.6%)	6 (1.3%)	1 (0.2%)	5 (1.1%)	9 (2.0%)	51.1	2546^th of 5857 public elementary schools	56.5%		40	3174^th of 5869 public elementary schools	45.9%	628	26.5		26.5	57.1	39.7	46.3				48.5	58.8	33.9	26.5				41.1	89.5	94.2		95.4	95.4	93.0	$32,985	$28,626	$4,359
Ramona	Public	K-5	4617 West 136th St.	Hawthorne	90250	Los Angeles County	Hawthorne	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(310) 675-7189	767	30	25.5	75.1%	41 (5.3%)	92 (12.0%)	589 (76.8%)	17 (2.2%)	1 (0.1%)	7 (0.9%)	20 (2.6%)	52.5	2460^th of 5857 public elementary schools	58.0%		55.3	2272^nd of 5869 public elementary schools	61.3%	188	31.2		31.2	36.3	50.4	47.6				44.9	36.8	52.9	43.2				44.4							$25,223	$21,368	$3,855
Lucille J. Smith Elementary	Public	K-5	4521 West 147th St.	Lawndale	90260	Los Angeles County	Lawndale Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(310) 970-2915	331	13	25.4	84.3%	17 (5.1%)	49 (14.8%)	234 (70.7%)	24 (7.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	6 (1.8%)	62.5	1939^th of 5857 public elementary schools	66.9%		61.5	2000^th of 5869 public elementary schools	65.9%	61	38.5		38.5	46.0	54.0	56.9				52.7	50.0	51.9	38.5				46.1	91.7				93.8		$33,583	$31,140	$2,443

Frequently Asked Questions about Zela Davis

How many students attend Zela Davis?

In the 2024-25 school year, 843 students attended Zela Davis.

Is Zela Davis a good school?

Zela Davis ranks 3446^th of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Zela Davis?

Students at Zela Davis are 64% Hispanic, 28% African American, 3% Asian, 3% Two or more races, 1% White.

What schools do graduates of Zela Davis attend?

Students who attend Zela Davis usually go on to attend:

Middle : Bud Carson Middle
High : Hawthorne High
High : Lawndale High
High : Leuzinger High

What district is Zela Davis in?

Hawthorne

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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.