Gardena Senior High

Gardena Senior High is a large public high school serving grades 9-12 to 1,343 students in the Los Angeles Unified school district, showing significant recent academic improvement despite serving a community with high economic need.

The school is on a promising upward trajectory, having dramatically improved its statewide ranking from the 30th to the 51st percentile in just one year, a faster rate of growth than many nearby schools like Magnolia Science Academy 3. It also boasts a very strong graduation rate of 95.8%, which exceeds both district and state averages. However, there is a notable gap between this success in graduating students and lower scores in core academic subjects like English, math, and especially science, where proficiency is well below average. This pattern differs from higher-performing neighbors such as Torrance High, where high graduation and high academic proficiency go hand-in-hand.

Key challenges include a chronic absenteeism rate of 36.2%, which is much higher than at schools like North High and represents a major barrier to learning. The school also operates with significantly higher per-student funding than some higher-achieving schools in the area, indicating that resource allocation is a focus. For families considering options, Gardena Senior High outperforms other district alternatives in the area but lags behind nearby charter schools such as Environmental Charter High - Gardena.