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Gardena Elementary

Q: Is Gardena Elementary a good school?

Gardena Elementary ranks 3975 th of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-5

3975^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,857 California Elementary Schools

Better than 32% of California elementary schools

Summary

Gardena Elementary is a K-5 public school serving 398 students in the Los Angeles Unified School District, consistently ranking in the lower percentiles statewide with proficiency rates in English, math, and science that are below district and state averages.

The school serves a student population with significant economic need, and while chronic absenteeism has improved, it remains higher than at many nearby schools. Notably, the school's academic performance lags behind that of other local schools like Chapman Elementary and One Hundred Fifty-Sixth Street Elementary, which have much higher proficiency rates and lower absenteeism despite also serving high-poverty communities. This suggests factors beyond family economics are at play, and the school's per-student spending is lower than most comparable schools in the district.

There are some positive signs, such as a recent dramatic improvement in performance for English Language Learners, but challenges are persistent, especially in early-grade reading and science. The school's decade-long pattern of ranking suggests systemic issues, though looking at the successful strategies of higher-performing nearby schools could provide a useful model for improvement.

398

Students ?

20.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$20,315

Per pupil spending ?

95.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

647 West Gardena Blvd.
Gardena, CA 90247-5021

(310) 324-6967

District: Los Angeles Unified

Students who attend Gardena Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Robert E. Peary Middle
High:	Gardena Senior High

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

89.7%

African American:

5.8%

Two or more races:

2.3%

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At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 45th percentile in 2013 → 32nd in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (29% vs 41% meeting standards)

!Ranking has slipped — down 13 percentile points since 2013

!English Language Arts/Literacy scores 15 pts below the California average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school29%

District avg39%

California avg41%

3,975^th of 5,857

California public elementary schools ?

Bottom 32%▼ down 10 pts since 2015

From bottom 43% (2015) to bottom 32% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

366^th of 487Elementary 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	29.8	3975 of 5857	32.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	29.1	4004 of 5869	31.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	25.3	4326 of 5859	26.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	29.6	3899 of 5883	33.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	28.7	4047 of 5789	30.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	26.7	4113 of 5662	27.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	31.1	3751 of 5692	34.1%	★★☆☆☆
2016	31.9	3619 of 5614	35.5%	★★☆☆☆
2015	36.7	3220 of 5611	42.6%	★★☆☆☆
2013	44.4	3047 of 5530	44.9%	★★☆☆☆
2012	47.5	2772 of 5390	48.6%	★★☆☆☆
2011	37.7	3411 of 5377	36.6%	★★☆☆☆
2010	12.2	5047 of 5314	5.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	22.0	4279 of 5193	17.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	28.2	3729 of 5113	27.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	37.2	3092 of 5113	39.5%	★★☆☆☆
2006	35.5	2964 of 4818	38.5%	★★☆☆☆
2005	32.4	3135 of 4822	35.0%	★★☆☆☆
2004	34.4	2977 of 4809	38.1%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	52.2	1065 of 3162	66.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	17.3	3217 of 3245	0.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	25.6	2902 of 3311	12.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	29.6	2526 of 3275	22.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	15.3	3222 of 3246	0.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	30.6	3805 of 5597	32.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	33.6	3522 of 5612	37.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	28.1	3951 of 5609	29.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	37.1	3191 of 5635	43.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	28.3	3960 of 5492	27.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	31.0	3691 of 5413	31.8%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	43.4	2761 of 5107	45.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	43.5	2717 of 5107	46.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	33.7	3413 of 5087	32.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	43.9	2601 of 5084	48.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	43.2	2741 of 4963	44.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	36.8	3088 of 4830	36.1%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	40.7	3134 of 5460	42.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	36.7	3394 of 5517	38.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	35.5	3421 of 5363	36.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	43.3	2738 of 5264	48.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	43.6	2849 of 5173	44.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	38.0	3167 of 5084	37.7%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	30.1	3854 of 5628	31.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	26.1	4181 of 5643	25.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	23.7	4378 of 5638	22.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	23.4	4393 of 5663	22.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	32.0	3622 of 5510	34.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	25.2	4086 of 5431	24.8%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

English Language Learner (2024)66th percentile+35 vs school

Hispanic (2025)46th percentile+14 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)43rd percentile+10 vs school

Female (2025)32nd percentile~ school

Male (2025)32nd percentile~ school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy34%-15 vs state

Mathematics28%-9 vs state

Science18%-14 vs state

★

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Schools Near Gardena Elementary

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 (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 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
Gardena Elementary	Public	K-5	647 West Gardena Blvd.	Gardena	90247	Los Angeles County	Los Angeles Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(310) 324-6967	398	19	20.9	95.2%	2 (0.5%)	23 (5.8%)	357 (89.7%)	7 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (2.3%)	29.8	3975^th of 5857 public elementary schools	32.1%		29.1	4004^th of 5869 public elementary schools	31.8%	29	18.3		18.3	13.6	38.3	45.8				34.0	23.7	29.6	29.6				28.0	88.9	97.2	94.4		94.4	97.2	$20,315	$3,980	$16,335
Ambler Avenue Elementary	Public	K-5	319 East Sherman Dr.	Carson	90746	Los Angeles County	Los Angeles Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(310) 532-4090	445	23	19.7	80.9%	2 (0.4%)	322 (72.4%)	107 (24.0%)	5 (1.1%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (1.8%)	39.2	3273^rd of 5857 public elementary schools	44.1%		36.7	3388^th of 5869 public elementary schools	42.3%	115	23.3		23.3	48.4	39.4	44.2				43.9	48.4	22.5	23.3				30.3							$25,902	$3,981	$21,921
Amestoy Elementary	Public	K-5	1048 West 149th St.	Gardena	90247	Los Angeles County	Los Angeles Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(310) 327-5592	623	31	20.0	86.7%	6 (1.0%)	118 (18.9%)	448 (71.9%)	37 (5.9%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.5%)	11 (1.8%)	55.3	2291^st of 5857 public elementary schools	60.9%		48.2	2653^rd of 5869 public elementary schools	54.8%	362	28.0		28.0	41.9	47.5	43.9				44.4	63.8	49.5	37.4				50.2							$21,322	$4,262	$17,060
Denker Avenue Elementary	Public	K-5	1620 West 162nd St.	Gardena	90247	Los Angeles County	Los Angeles Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(310) 327-9420	670	32	20.9	79.9%	13 (1.9%)	46 (6.9%)	417 (62.2%)	109 (16.3%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.4%)	82 (12.2%)	56.8	2223^rd of 5857 public elementary schools	62.0%		47.5	2706^th of 5869 public elementary schools	53.9%	483	38.0		38.0	38.1	45.0	50.5				44.6	41.2	50.0	53.5				48.2							$22,316	$3,963	$18,353
One Hundred Fifty-Third Street Elementary	Public	K-5	1605 West 153rd St.	Gardena	90247	Los Angeles County	Los Angeles Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(310) 323-1029	363	22	16.5	87.1%	4 (1.1%)	67 (18.5%)	251 (69.1%)	19 (5.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	21 (5.8%)	35	3586^th of 5857 public elementary schools	38.8%		26.9	4207^th of 5869 public elementary schools	28.3%	621	18.8		18.8	50.0	28.3	36.2				39.0	41.9	26.1	26.1				31.6	86.1	91.9		89.5	90.7	91.9	$31,252	$5,599	$25,653
Ralph Bunche Elementary	Public	K-8	16223 South Haskins Ln.	Carson	90746	Los Angeles County	Compton Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(310) 898-6120	217	9	24.2	82.0%	1 (0.5%)	84 (38.7%)	128 (59.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.4%)	60.4	2045^th of 5857 public elementary schools	65.1%		34.6	3557^th of 5869 public elementary schools	39.4%	1512	20.7	22.2	21.3	61.3	40.0	55.2	47.6	37.5	50.0	50.4	74.2	65.0	34.5	28.6	0.0	50.0	45.2							$24,032	$4,293	$19,739
Chapman Elementary	Public	K-5	1947 Marine Ave.	Gardena	90249	Los Angeles County	Los Angeles Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(310) 324-2275	406	20	20.3	63.1%	5 (1.2%)	71 (17.5%)	205 (50.5%)	74 (18.2%)	1 (0.2%)	3 (0.7%)	47 (11.6%)	76.9	1286^th of 5857 public elementary schools	78.0%		79.7	1165^th of 5869 public elementary schools	80.1%	121	50.0		50.0	50.0	69.2	68.0				61.2	52.9	65.4	52.0				56.5							$23,317	$4,249	$19,068
One Hundred Fifty-Sixth Street Elementary	Public	K-6	2100 West 156th St.	Gardena	90249	Los Angeles County	Los Angeles Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(310) 324-6639	353	17	20.7	68.0%	26 (7.4%)	98 (27.8%)	146 (41.4%)	39 (11.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	44 (12.5%)	86.8	830^th of 5857 public elementary schools	85.8%		81.5	1092^nd of 5869 public elementary schools	81.4%	262	56.0		56.0	68.0	61.2	78.0	68.6			69.0	68.0	69.4	54.0	57.1			62.5	95.2				95.2		$22,454	$3,563	$18,891
One Hundred Eighty-Sixth Street Elementary	Public	K-5	1581 West 186th St.	Gardena	90248	Los Angeles County	Los Angeles Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(310) 324-1153	579	30	19.3	86.4%	17 (2.9%)	83 (14.3%)	417 (72.0%)	18 (3.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	43 (7.4%)	49.5	2622^nd of 5857 public elementary schools	55.2%		46.9	2740^th of 5869 public elementary schools	53.3%	118	29.3		29.3	43.7	40.7	50.0				44.7	53.9	38.4	29.3				41.5	97.1	97.8		97.8	97.8	97.8	$24,246	$3,937	$20,309
Avalon Gardens Elementary	Public	K-6	13940 South San Pedro St.	Los Angeles	90061	Los Angeles County	Los Angeles Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(310) 532-8540	171	10	17.1	93.6%	1 (0.6%)	72 (42.1%)	92 (53.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (3.5%)	17.4	5064^th of 5857 public elementary schools	13.5%		30	3924^th of 5869 public elementary schools	33.1%	1140	5.9		5.9	31.6	28.6	23.5	14.3			24.4	21.1	25.0	31.3	0.0			18.4							$38,408	$9,050	$29,358

Frequently Asked Questions about Gardena Elementary

What district is Gardena Elementary in?

Los Angeles Unified

How many students attend Gardena Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 398 students attended Gardena Elementary.

What schools do graduates of Gardena Elementary attend?

Students who attend Gardena Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Robert E. Peary Middle
High : Gardena Senior High

What is the racial makeup of Gardena Elementary?

Students at Gardena Elementary are 90% Hispanic, 6% African American, 2% Two or more races, 2% Asian.

Is Gardena Elementary a good school?

Gardena Elementary ranks 3975^th of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Rate Gardena Elementary!

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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.